Thai Fried Banana Chips Recipe
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These Thai fried banana chips are shattering-crisp, golden, and lightly coated in just the right amount of sugar. Each chip is sweet and crunchy, making them perfect for snacking, sharing, or enjoying as a fried fruit dessert.
Why I always make these at home
Deep-frying fruit at home can feel like a chore. You might be looking at this recipe and thinking, “Is it really worth heating up a pot of oil for a simple snack I can just buy?” I get it. It’s so easy to just grab a bag from the store.
But those store-bought chips have usually been sitting on a shelf for months. They lose that fresh crunch. In Thailand, we buy them hot and fresh from street carts for a reason.
When you make them yourself, you control the oil, the sugar, and the thickness.
And when you pull that first fully cooled, sugar-frosted chip from the bowl and hear that loud crunch when you bite into it, you’ll understand why people in Thailand buy them fresh.
Trust me, there’s nothing quite like eating them homemade.
Praew ♡
What are the best bananas for frying?
To get that true, potato-chip-level crunch, we have to do something that feels completely counter-intuitive: we use rock-hard, green, unripe bananas.
In Thailand, we use a specific variety called kluay nam wa. They’re incredibly firm and starchy, which is exactly what you need to hold up to the heat. (You can usually find them at an Asian grocery store, but firm green plantains work as a great backup.)
I know peeling a hard green banana feels strange when you’re making a sweet snack. It almost feels wrong at first.
But trust the process. The hot oil transforms that rigid starch into the ultimate crispy chip, and the light sugar glaze we add at the end brings it back to that perfect sweet finish.
Learn Thai cooking step by step
My cookbook is a combination of authentic Thai recipes and Western dishes cooked with Thai flavors and ingredients. It’s a great starting point if you’re new to Thai cooking or want to cook it more often.
Ingredient notes & substitutes
You can find everything at Asian grocery stores or markets. See the recipe card for the exact measurements.
For frying the bananas
- Unripe Thai bananas: You really want the unripe Thai variety (kluay nam wa) for this. They need to be firm and green because that starch is what turns into a chip. Make sure to slice them as thin and uniform as possible.
- Lime: Unripe bananas turn brown quickly, so a quick soak in water with a squeeze of fresh lime juice (and the peels!) keeps them bright and beautiful while they’re frying.
- Oil: Stick to a neutral oil with a high smoke point, like canola or vegetable oil.
- Pandan leaves (optional): Toss these into the frying oil to add an aromatic flavor to the sweet banana chips.
For making the sugar coating
- Sugar: We aren’t just sprinkling it on; we’re creating a syrup that crystallizes right onto the banana.
- Water: Lets the sugar melt down into a thick syrup so it can coat every single slice evenly.
I remember the first time I tried cutting unripe bananas. My hands were covered in this impossible, sticky sap, and I felt so frustrated before I even started cooking. Put on some kitchen gloves before slicing your bananas. It saves you so much scrubbing later!
How to fry banana chips
- Soak the bananas. Squeeze your lime into a bowl of water and toss the peels right in. Drop your peeled bananas in for about 3 minutes.
- Slice the bananas. Now, slice the bananas into very thin, uniform strips. As you can see, I like to use a vegetable slicer or a peeler to get these long, elegant ribbons. If they are too thick, they’ll stay chewy in the middle.
- Fry the bananas. Heat your oil to 350°F (175°C). If you have pandan leaves, slice and toss them in now. Gently drop the banana slices into the oil one at a time. Doing it one by one stops them from clumping together. Once they’re golden and crispy, scoop them out with a strainer and let them drain on paper towels.
- Make the sugar syrup. In a clean pan over medium heat, combine your sugar and water. Keep stirring until you see the sugar fully dissolved and the liquid starting to thicken and bubble.
- Coat with sugar. As soon as the syrup is bubbly and thick, turn off the heat and toss in your fried banana slices. Keep stirring and lifting them with a spatula. At first, they’ll just look wet and shiny, but don’t stop! As the syrup cools while you move it, it will suddenly turn into a beautiful, white sugary crust that clings to every chip.
- Let them cool. Spread them out and let them cool completely. It’s tempting to grab one right away, but they need a few minutes to fully set and get a good crunch. Enjoy!
Recipe tips
❥ Temperature check: If you don’t have a thermometer, drop one slice into the oil. If it doesn’t immediately start bubbling and floating to the surface, the oil isn’t hot enough, and your chips will end up greasy instead of crisp.
❥ Fry them one-by-one: It’s tempting to dump the whole pile in, but they will clump instantly. Drop them in individually so each slice has space to crisp up on its own.
❥ Don’t fear the brown color: It’s better to fry them a few seconds longer until they are deeply golden. If they look pale, they’ll likely turn chewy once they cool.
How to store
To maintain the crispness of your Thai banana chips coated with sugar, ensure they have cooled down completely before sealing. Any residual heat will create moisture, which causes the chips to become soggy.
- Shelf life: When stored correctly, these chips will stay crunchy for up to 2 weeks.
- Container: Store in an airtight container or glass jar at room temperature.
- Refrigeration: Avoid the refrigerator, as the high humidity will ruin the crunch.
Thai Fried Banana Chips Recipe
Equipment
- Large bowl for soaking
- Vegetable peeler or mandoline
- Kitchen gloves
- Heavy-bottomed pan or wok for deep-frying
- Clean skillet or wide pan for the sugar coating
- Spider strainer
- Wire cooling rack or tray
Ingredients
For deep-frying the bananas
- 15 Thai bananas, see notes
- 1 lime
- oil, as needed for frying
- 1 pandan leaf, optional, roughly chopped
For the sugar coating
- ¾ cup white sugar
- ⅓ cup water
Instructions
- Soak the bananas: Prepare a bowl of water, squeeze in the juice of one lime, and drop the peels directly into the water. Submerge the peeled bananas for 3 minutes.
- Slice the bananas: Using a vegetable peeler or mandoline, slice the bananas into long, paper-thin ribbons. Aim for uniform thickness.
- Deep-fry the bananas: Heat neutral oil in a heavy-bottomed pan to 175°C (350°F). If using pandan leaves, add them now to infuse the oil. Carefully drop the banana strips into the oil one by one to prevent clumping. Fry until they reach a deep golden brown and feel rigid. Remove with a strainer and drain.
- Prepare the syrup: In a clean, wide pan over medium heat, combine the sugar and water. Stir continuously until the sugar dissolves and the liquid begins to thicken with heavy bubbles.
- Sugar-coat the bananas: Turn off the heat and add the fried banana strips to the pan. Use a spatula to gently toss and lift the chips, ensuring every surface is coated. As the temperature drops, the syrup will transform from a clear liquid into a white, frosted sugar crust.
- Cool: Spread the coated chips out in a single layer to cool completely. They will continue to crisp up as they reach room temperature.
Notes
- Use the nutrition card in this recipe as a guideline.
- Bananas: For the most authentic result, look for the unripe Thai kluay nam wa variety (at Asian supermarkets). Their high starch content is what creates that signature starchy-sweet snap. The best substitute: If kluay nam wa are unavailable, firm green plantains are your best alternative. They share a similar starch profile and hold their shape beautifully under high heat.