Blue bananas are real, but don't get too excited
Here’s Why Some Bananas Are Blue—And What You Need to Know About This Weirdly Colored Fruit
Published on Apr. 25, 2025
Did you know there are more than 1,000 different types of bananas? And while almost all of them have yellow peels, there is one banana that’s blue! But don’t run down to the supermarket to seek out this tropical oddity—blue bananas are so rare, it’s highly unlikely you’ll ever get to taste one.
Read on to find out more about this elusive fruit, and why, unlike red bananas, you won’t be seeing blue bananas in stores anytime soon.
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Why are some bananas blue?
These intriguing blue bananas aren’t a product of selective breeding or agricultural sorcery, like pink pineapples or cotton candy grapes. Blue Java bananas are a naturally occurring variety of tropical fruit found in Southeast Asia (particularly Indonesia), the Philippines and parts of Central America.
The unique color comes from a waxy coating on their peels. When unripe, the peel of the Blue Java (just like all other bananas) is green, but the coating gives it a silvery-blue appearance. Compared to the familiar Cavendish banana, Blue Javas are typically shorter and plumper.
What do blue bananas taste like?
Blue Javas are nickamed “ice cream bananas” for their ultra-creamy texture and the fact that they have a mild flavor reminiscent of vanilla ice cream. Sounds pretty tasty to us!
Can you cook blue bananas?
Just like their yellow counterparts, blue bananas can be cooked in various ways. Their firm texture holds up well to grilling, baking or frying. And their slightly different flavor profile can add an interesting dimension to both sweet and savory dishes. Imagine grilled blue banana skewers with a hint of cinnamon, or perhaps caramelized blue bananas served with coconut cream.
Are blue bananas healthier than yellow ones?
Nutritionally, blue bananas are quite similar to other banana varieties. They are a good source of potassium, vitamin B6 and dietary fiber. While specifics on their exact nutritional content is limited due to their noncommercial availability, in general they offer comparable health benefits to the yellow bananas we’re all used to.
Where can you buy blue bananas?
If you’re suddenly craving a taste of this intriguing blue fruit, you might be disappointed by your local supermarket’s produce section. According to Robert Schueller of Melissa’s Produce, a leading distributor of specialty fruits and vegetables, “Blue bananas are not commercially available to buy in the United States … but you can buy seeds to grow them.” However, growing bananas requires a hot, tropical climate, so most gardeners—even the ones with the greenest thumbs—are unlikely to have much luck.
This limited availability of the Blue Java is in stark contrast to the ubiquitous Cavendish banana, which dominates 99% of the banana market. Schueller explains why we see so few banana varieties in our stores: “The common Cavendish banana is by far the most popular banana—it’s also the most popular fruit in the USA too!” He further notes that out of the 1,000-plus varieties of bananas in the world, “only six are commercially available in the USA.”
Perhaps one day these colorful ice cream–flavored bananas will make their way to a grocery store near you. But until then, those of us craving Blue Javas will need to take our next vacation to a tropical banana farm.
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Sources:
- Robert Schuller, Melissa’s Produce; email interview, April 2025
- Bananalink: “All About Bananas”
