Do Ripe Bananas Have More Calories than Unripe?

Question by Anonymous
Posted on December 21, 2009

Question: I was wondering if ripe bananas have more calories than unripe bananas? Ripe bananas are much sweeter and seem like they would have more calories.

Amy's Answer

Amy Bragagnini, MS, RD, CSO, is a registered dietitian and…Read Full Bio

Fruit ripens by producing enzymes that break down the starch. During this process, glucose is released and this is sweet to the taste (as opposed to the flavor of starch, which has somewhat of a bitter taste). So, a ripe fruit does have a sweet taste, but the calories of a ripe fruit vs. an unripe fruit should remain the same despite the ripening process. A standard ripe banana (around 6” in length) has around 90 calories and 23 grams of carbohydrate.