How Many Calories Does A Boiled Banana Have? | Simple Facts

Guide / By

Boiled dessert bananas average ~89 kcal per 100 g, while boiled plantains average ~116 kcal per 100 g, assuming no sugar, oil, or milk is added.

What “Boiled Banana” Usually Means

Two fruits sit under this umbrella. The sweet dessert banana that’s eaten raw in cereal and smoothies, and the starchy plantain that’s cooked like a potato. Many households say “boil the banana” when they actually mean plantain. That distinction matters for calorie math.

Here’s the core idea: heating food in plain water doesn’t add energy by itself. If you cook the sweet kind in water with nothing else, the energy per 100 grams is the same as when it’s raw; the fruit just takes up water and softens. Plantains have a different starch profile and more carbs per 100 grams, so their numbers come out higher when cooked.

Boiled Banana Calories Per 100 Grams: Clear Numbers

Let’s pin the figures so you can log them with confidence. Dessert bananas provide about 89 kcal per 100 g. Boiled green plantains land around 116 kcal per 100 g. Both figures refer to plain cooking without sugar, oil, or dairy.

Energy Comparison By Form

Food Form Calories (per 100 g) Notes
Dessert Banana, Raw ~89 kcal USDA-based data for the common sweet variety.
Dessert Banana, Boiled (Plain) ~89 kcal Plain water doesn’t add energy; moisture may change weight per piece.
Plantain, Boiled (Plain) ~116 kcal USDA-derived listing for green plantains cooked in water.

If you’re tracking intake across the day, totals line up faster once you’ve set your daily calorie needs. That makes each serving choice—banana or plantain—fit neatly into your plan.

Why Serving Size Changes The Total

Portion drives the final tally. A medium dessert banana weighs about 118 g and lands near 105 kcal. Plantains are larger and denser, so a single cooked piece can double that total without trying. The same per-100 g figure can translate to very different plate totals once weight creeps up.

Ripeness also nudges texture and sweetness. Greener fruit carries more resistant starch, while riper fruit tilts sweeter. That shift changes mouthfeel and the glycemic hit, but the per-gram calorie math stays in line for plain cooking.

Do Vitamins And Fiber Change With Boiling?

Heat is tough on vitamin C. That’s true for many fruits, bananas included. Fiber, minerals, and starches are more stable with typical kitchen boiling. You still get the carbohydrate and potassium you expect; water-soluble vitamins move the most during simmering.

Practical Ways To Boil Dessert Bananas

Plain simmering is quick, and it keeps the count predictable. Here are easy ways to keep flavor up while the numbers stay steady:

Method: Simple Pot Simmer

  • Peel and cut into large chunks to avoid mush.
  • Simmer 3–5 minutes in lightly bubbling water; avoid a hard boil.
  • Drain well; a quick pat with paper towel reduces surface moisture.

Flavor Ideas That Don’t Add Energy

  • Cinnamon or vanilla extract in the cooking water.
  • Lemon zest in the pot, then remove before serving.
  • Pinch of salt to sharpen sweetness.

Plantain Cooking Notes For Accurate Logging

Plantains shine when green to yellow, and boiling is a staple prep. Slice into thick coins or cook whole with a slit in the peel. Because the fruit is starch-forward, the texture stays hearty after cooking, which makes portions easy to weigh before plating.

Portion Math You Can Trust

Use the per-100 g numbers as your base. Weigh before or after cooking; just match the figure to the state you weighed. If you weigh raw, use the raw figure for that fruit. If you weigh cooked plantain, use the cooked listing. When you cook the dessert kind in plain water, you can keep using the raw per-100 g figure for the cooked weight, since boiling alone doesn’t add energy.

Plain Boiling Vs. Sweet Desserts

Many family recipes add sugar, coconut milk, sweet syrups, or butter after boiling. Those extras change the math fast. A tablespoon of sugar adds about 49 kcal, while whole-milk additions shift both energy and fat. If you’re aiming for a light bowl, keep the fruit plain and top with a dash of spice or a squeeze of citrus.

Trusted Numbers You Can Reference

For bananas, a widely used USDA-based listing places the dessert variety near 89 kcal per 100 g. For green plantains boiled, the common listing is about 116 kcal per 100 g. Both sources reflect plain cooking. For a medium dessert banana (about 118 g), you’ll see ~105 kcal in many professional references. These figures help keep journals aligned across apps and kitchen scales.

For specificity, see the USDA-based nutrition for bananas and the listing for green plantains boiled. These pages report energy per 100 g along with macros and minerals.

Portion Estimates For Quick Logging

Use this table to turn kitchen weights into reliable entries. The second column gives a typical weight; the third shows the estimated energy using the plain-boiled baseline.

Common Portions And Estimated Calories

Portion Approx. Weight Estimated Calories
Dessert Banana, Half ~59 g ~52 kcal
Dessert Banana, Medium ~118 g ~105 kcal
Dessert Banana, 100 g Cooked 100 g ~89 kcal
Plantain, 100 g Boiled 100 g ~116 kcal
Plantain, Hearty Serving ~150 g ~174 kcal
Plantain, Large Serving ~200 g ~232 kcal

Glycemic Feel And Fullness

Greener fruit has more resistant starch and tends to feel steadier on appetite. As fruit ripens, starch converts to sugar, sweetness climbs, and texture softens. That ripeness arc changes the eating experience far more than it changes the plain-boiled calorie math.

When You’re Meal-Planning

  • For a light side, use the dessert kind, boiled and drained, and cap portions at ~100 g.
  • For a filling starch, pick green plantain and match the portion to your plate’s protein and veg.
  • Keep add-ins simple. Spices are free, sugar and fats are not.

Kitchen Tips To Keep Calories Predictable

Weigh Smart

Decide whether you’ll weigh before or after cooking and stick with that approach. Consistency keeps your log tidy and repeatable.

Cook Gently

A quiet simmer reduces breakup, which keeps your yield close to the weight you planned. Over-boiling can shred fruit and make portions hard to track.

Drain Well

Let pieces steam off briefly in a colander. Less surface water means more accurate weights in your bowl.

Answers To Common Calorie Questions

Does Boiling Change Calories?

Not in water alone. The fruit’s energy per 100 g stays the same for the dessert kind; only the weight and texture shift. Plantains start higher because they carry more carbohydrate per 100 g in the first place.

What About Vitamins?

Heat trims vitamin C. Minerals and fiber hold up better. If you want the most vitamin C from this fruit, use quick cooking and serve soon after.

Where Do The Numbers Come From?

The figures above align with widely used, USDA-based listings for the sweet variety and for cooked green plantains. If your app syncs with those databases, your log should match what’s here.

Quick Takeaways You Can Use Tonight

  • Plain boiled dessert bananas: ~89 kcal per 100 g.
  • Plain boiled green plantains: ~116 kcal per 100 g.
  • Portion decides the total; add-ins move it further.

Want a deeper primer on energy balance? Try our calorie deficit guide for step-by-step help.

Please use a real email you check. If it's fake or mistyped, your message won't reach us and we can't reply — wrong addresses are rejected automatically.