Ripe bananas mashed into a batter with desiccated coconut, lime zest and a pinch of salt. Dropped by the spoonful into hot oil until golden and puffed, with no eggs, no milk and no butter. Makes 12-16 in about 20 minutes including chilling.
Ramsay picked this up travelling through Thailand and Vietnam, where he says it became “a firm favourite” because Southeast Asian cooking uses almost no dairy. The recipe is in Ultimate Home Cooking, and he pairs it with a spicy clam noodle soup in his YouTube video as a full lunch.
Lime zest is the ingredient that stops these tasting heavy. It cuts through the sweetness of the banana and the richness of the frying oil. That is why Ramsay grates a whole lime into the batter, and you can smell it the moment the first spoonful hits the pan.
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Gordon Ramsay’s Banana and Coconut Fritters
Course: Dessert, SnackCuisine: Thai, BritishDifficulty: Easy12-16
fritters10
minutes10
minutes90
kcal20 min + 15 min chilling
Dairy-free Southeast Asian fritters from Ultimate Home Cooking. Mashed banana with coconut, lime and a pinch of salt, deep-fried until golden. No eggs, no milk.
Ingredients
125g (1 cup) plain flour (all-purpose flour)
1 tsp baking powder
75g (⅓ cup) caster sugar (superfine sugar), plus extra for sprinkling
25g (¼ cup) desiccated coconut
Finely grated zest of 1 lime
Pinch of salt
4 ripe bananas, peeled and mashed (about 400g / 14 oz flesh)
Vegetable oil, for deep-frying
Directions
- Mix the batter: Sift the flour and baking powder into a large bowl, then stir in the sugar, coconut, lime zest and salt. Add the mashed bananas and mix until well combined. Cover with cling film (plastic wrap) and chill for 15 minutes.
- Heat the oil: Fill a large saucepan one-third full of vegetable oil and heat to 180°C (350°F). Test by dropping a small cube of bread in: it should sizzle and turn golden in 30 seconds.
- Fry: Using a tablespoon, carefully drop 4-5 spoonfuls of batter into the hot oil. Fry for 2-3 minutes, turning once, until golden brown on both sides and cooked through.
- Drain and serve: Lift out with a slotted spoon and drain on kitchen paper. Repeat with the rest of the batter. Sprinkle with sugar while still hot so it sticks.
Notes
- Ramsay says “the riper the bananas, the better” because overripe fruit mashes more smoothly and tastes sweeter, so those blackening bananas in the fruit bowl are exactly what you want. The batter must chill for 15 minutes or it spreads too thin in the oil.
FAQs
Why are there no eggs or milk in the batter?
Ramsay explains in the book that Southeast Asian cooking uses almost no dairy, so this is “basically their take on a milk- and egg-free pancake.” The banana acts as the binder that eggs would normally provide, while the baking powder gives the lift.
This makes them naturally vegan if you use the right sugar, and the texture is denser than a European fritter but crispier on the outside because there is no egg to soften the crust.
What bananas should you use?
The riper the better. Ramsay says this recipe is “a great way to use up any bananas that are turning black in the fruit bowl” because overripe bananas mash more smoothly, taste sweeter and hold together in the hot oil.
The banana tarte tatin on the next page of the same book also calls for ripe bananas, so if you buy a large bunch and some go soft you can split them between the two recipes.
How are these different from doughnuts?
Doughnuts use a yeasted dough that needs proving, while these use a quick batter that goes straight from bowl to oil after 15 minutes of chilling. The malt chocolate doughnuts from the UCC take over an hour with proving and frying, so these fritters are the faster option when you want something fried and sweet.
The coconut and lime also push them in a completely different flavour direction, because doughnuts are rich and European while these are light and tropical.
Can you make savoury fritters the same way?
The technique is identical: mix a batter, chill, spoon into hot oil and fry until golden. The sweetcorn fritters from the UCC swap the banana for corn kernels and drop the sugar, but the frying time and method are the same.
Both use a tablespoon to portion the batter, which is Ramsay’s trick for even-sized fritters without a mould. Dip the spoon in oil first so the batter slides off cleanly.
What do you serve banana fritters with?
Ramsay pairs them with a spicy clam noodle soup in the video, which sounds unusual but works because the sweet fritters cool the chilli heat the same way a Thai iced tea does. On their own, a scoop of coconut ice cream or a squeeze of lime is enough.
For a full Southeast Asian spread, the pad Thai from the Great Escape makes a main before these as dessert. Or if you want something lighter to finish without the deep-frying, the tiramisu soufflé from the UCC rises in the oven instead.
