Banana Tempura Recipe
Good banana tempura should have a crust so thin and brittle it shatters when you bite into it. Most of what you get at hibachi restaurants is the opposite of that: a heavy, spongy coating wrapped around a banana that's turned to mush. The difference comes down to two ingredients most tempura batters leave out: vodka and carbonated water.
Traditional tempura batter is just egg, flour, and water. It starts losing its crunch almost immediately after mixing. Adding vodka to the wet ingredients slows down gluten development and limits how much water the flour absorbs, so the crust stays light and brittle instead of turning chewy. Combined with ice-cold carbonated water and a drizzle technique for extra texture, this version is a different category from what you get at Benihana.
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Why This Banana Tempura Recipe Works
- Vodka in the batter limits gluten development. The alcohol evaporates faster than water during frying, so the crust sets thinner and lighter than a traditional egg-flour-water batter can produce.
- Carbonated water adds lift without weight. The CO2 creates tiny air pockets in the batter that expand when they hit the hot oil, giving you a more delicate shell.
- Ice-cold batter resists oil absorption. Keeping the batter bowl on ice the entire time means it takes on less oil during frying, so you get a dry, crunchy coating instead of a greasy one.
- The drizzle technique creates real texture. Drizzling extra batter onto the banana slices while they fry gives you those big, craggy pieces of fried batter you see at good tempura restaurants.
- Homemade chocolate ganache in under 5 minutes. Three ingredients, no tempering, no double boiler. It stores in the fridge for a week and tastes like an actual dessert, not chocolate syrup from a squeeze bottle.
Ingredients You'll Need
Semi-sweet chocolate. This is for the ganache. Semi-sweet has the right balance of cocoa and sugar for a dipping sauce. Milk chocolate will work but the sauce will be sweeter and less rich. Chips or a chopped bar are both fine.
Heavy cream. Combined with the corn syrup, this is what turns solid chocolate into a pourable sauce. You want regular heavy cream, not half-and-half, because the higher fat content gives you a smoother, more stable ganache.
Light corn syrup. This keeps the ganache glossy and prevents it from seizing up as it cools. You could leave it out, but the sauce will set firmer and won't pour as easily when you reheat it.
Vodka. The cheapest bottle you can find works perfectly. You're not drinking it. The alcohol evaporates during frying and leaves behind a crunchier crust than water alone. If you don't want to buy a bottle for one recipe, you can substitute more carbonated water, but the batter won't be quite as crisp.
Cornstarch. Mixed 1:1 with the flour, cornstarch reduces the protein content of the dry mix. Less protein means a more brittle, shattery crust instead of a chewy one.
Cake flour. Cake flour has less protein than all-purpose, which means even less gluten development in the batter. If you only have all-purpose flour, it'll still work. The crust just won't be quite as delicate.
Carbonated water. Club soda or sparkling water, ice cold. The carbonation creates air bubbles in the batter that expand in the hot oil. Open a fresh bottle right before mixing. If the carbonation is gone, it's just water, and you've lost the reason for using it.
Bananas. You want them just barely ripe. If they're too green, they'll taste like nothing. If they're spotted and soft, the heat from frying will turn them to mush. Look for bananas that are yellow with maybe a hint of green at the tips.
How to Make Banana Tempura
This recipe has three components: the chocolate ganache, the tempura batter, and the frying. The ganache can be made up to a week ahead. The batter gets mixed right before frying.
1. Make the chocolate ganache. Place the semi-sweet chocolate in a bowl. Heat the heavy cream and corn syrup in a small saucepan over medium-high heat until you see a skin form on top and the mixture is just under a boil. Pour the hot cream over the chocolate, let it sit for 1-2 minutes, then stir until the chocolate is completely melted and incorporated. Let it cool, then store it covered in the fridge. Reheat in the microwave in 10-20 second increments before serving.
2. Prep the bananas. Cut each banana in half diagonally, then slice each half lengthwise down the middle. You should end up with four pieces per banana, roughly the same size and shape.
3. Set up the frying station. Line a baking sheet with a double layer of paper towels. Heat about 2 inches of vegetable or canola oil in a large stockpot to 325°F (165°C). Use a deep fry thermometer or infrared thermometer to confirm the temperature. If the oil is too hot, the bananas will turn to mush before the crust crisps. Too cool, and the batter just soaks up oil.
4. Mix the dry ingredients. In a small bowl, combine the flour, cornstarch, and kosher salt. Stir until everything is evenly distributed.
5. Mix the wet ingredients. In another bowl, whisk together the egg, vanilla extract, and vodka until completely combined. Then stir in the ice-cold carbonated water.
6. Combine the batter. Pour the wet mixture over the dry ingredients and use chopsticks or a fork to lightly stir them together. Stop as soon as everything is roughly incorporated. The batter should be lumpy with some dry spots visible. Overmixing activates gluten, and that's what makes tempura soft and spongy instead of brittle. Set the batter bowl on top of a bowl of ice to keep it cold.
7. Fry the banana tempura. Before you start frying, have everything ready: ice cream out, chocolate sauce warmed up, oil at temp. Dust the banana slices in powdered sugar, dip them in the batter, let the excess drip off, and slowly lower them into the oil. Then, using your hand (don't hold the batter bowl directly over the oil or the water will drip in and cause a splatter), drizzle extra batter onto the banana slices. This creates the craggy texture. Flip the pieces several times as they cook.
8. Drain and dust. After 1.5-2 minutes of total frying time, lift the banana slices out and hold them above the oil to let excess drip off. Place them on the paper towel-lined baking sheet and dust with powdered sugar right away while they're still hot.
9. Plate and serve. Arrange the banana tempura on a plate, drizzle with warm chocolate ganache, dust with a bit more powdered sugar, and serve with a scoop of ice cream. Serve immediately. Tempura doesn't wait.
Tips for the Best Banana Tempura
Don't overmix the batter. This is the single most common reason tempura comes out soft instead of crispy. Lumps are good. Dry spots are fine. The instinct to keep stirring until it's smooth will cost you the texture you're going for.
Keep the batter on ice. Cold batter creates steam faster when it hits the hot oil, and that steam pushes oil away from the surface. If the batter warms up, it absorbs oil instead of repelling it, and you end up with a heavy, greasy coating.
325°F is the right temperature. That's lower than most frying recipes, and there's a reason. At higher temperatures, the banana heats through too fast and turns to mush before the crust sets. Too low, and the batter just absorbs oil. A thermometer is not optional here.
Have everything ready before you fry. The crunch starts fading the moment the tempura comes out of the oil. Have your plates, ice cream, and ganache ready before you lower the first piece into the pot. This is a serve-immediately dessert, not something you can hold.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why is there vodka in the tempura batter?
Vodka limits gluten development and reduces the amount of water the flour can absorb. Both of those produce a lighter, crispier crust. The alcohol evaporates completely during frying, so there's no vodka flavor in the finished tempura. If you'd rather skip it, add more carbonated water instead, but the crust won't be quite as crisp.
Can I use other fruit for tempura?
Yes. Apple slices, sweet potato, and strawberries all work well with this batter. The key is using fruit that's firm enough to hold its shape during frying. Softer fruits like mango or peach tend to fall apart in the oil.
Why is my tempura batter soggy instead of crispy?
Usually one of three things: the batter was overmixed and the gluten made it chewy, the batter was warm and absorbed too much oil, or the oil temperature was off. Mix with chopsticks until it's just barely combined, keep the bowl on ice, and hold the oil at 325°F with a thermometer.
Can I make the chocolate ganache ahead of time?
Yes. The ganache stores in a covered container in the fridge for up to a week. Reheat it in the microwave in 10-20 second increments, stirring between each, until it's pourable again.
More Benihana Recipes
- Benihana Fried Rice
- Benihana Garlic Butter
- Benihana Hibachi Onion Soup
- Benihana Yakisoba
- Benihana Teriyaki Sauce
- Benihana Teriyaki Chicken
- Benihana Teriyaki Steak
- Benihana Spicy Teriyaki
- Hibachi Chicken
- Hibachi Steak
- Hibachi Shrimp
- Hibachi Vegetables
- Benihana Yum Yum Sauce
- Benihana Spicy Sauce
- Benihana Diablo Sauce
- Benihana Ginger Salad Dressing
- Benihana Mustard Dipping Sauce
- Benihana Ginger Dipping Sauce
- Every Benihana Recipe (Complete Guide)
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Recipe
Banana Tempura
Equipment
- 1 All-Clad D5 8 QT Stockpot for frying
- 1 Made-In Saucier (saucepan) for ganache
- 1 Whisk
Ingredients
Chocolate Ganache
- 3.5 oz semi-sweet chocolate chips chopped bar also works
- ½ cup heavy cream
- 3 tablespoon light corn syrup keeps ganache glossy and pourable
Tempura Batter (Dry)
- ½ cup all-purpose flour cake flour preferred if available
- ½ cup cornstarch
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
Tempura Batter (Wet)
- 1 egg
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ¼ cup vodka cheapest bottle works; substitute more carbonated water if needed
- ½ cup carbonated water ice cold, freshly opened
For Frying and Serving
- 2 inches vegetable oil canola also works; heated to 325°F
- 4 bananas just barely ripe, firm
- ¼ cup powdered sugar for dusting before and after frying
- 4 scoops ice cream for serving
Instructions
Make the Chocolate Ganache
- Place the semi-sweet chocolate in a medium bowl.
- Heat the heavy cream and corn syrup in a small saucepan over medium-high heat until a skin forms on top and the mixture is just under a boil.
- Pour the hot cream mixture over the chocolate. Allow it to sit for 1-2 minutes.
- Stir until the chocolate is completely melted and incorporated into the cream.
- Let the ganache cool, then store in a covered container in the fridge for up to one week. Reheat in the microwave in 10-20 second increments before serving.
Prep the Bananas
- Cut each banana in half diagonally, then slice each half lengthwise down the middle. You should have four pieces per banana.
Set Up the Frying Station
- Line a baking sheet with a double layer of paper towels.
- Heat about 2 inches of vegetable or canola oil in a large stockpot to 325°F (165°C). Use a deep fry or infrared thermometer to verify the temperature.
Mix the Tempura Batter
- Fill the bottom of a medium bowl with ice and set aside.
- In a small bowl, combine the all-purpose flour, cornstarch, and kosher salt. Stir until evenly distributed.
- In another bowl, whisk together the egg, vanilla extract, and vodka until completely homogenous. Stir in the ice-cold carbonated water.
- Pour the wet mixture over the dry ingredients. Using chopsticks or a fork, lightly stir until just barely combined. The batter should be lumpy with some dry spots. Do not overmix.
- Place the batter bowl on top of the bowl of ice to keep it cold.
Fry the Banana Tempura
- Dust the banana slices in powdered sugar.
- Dip the banana slices into the tempura batter and lift, allowing excess batter to drip off.
- Slowly lower the battered banana slices into the hot oil.
- Using your hand, carefully drizzle extra tempura batter onto the frying banana slices. Do not hold the batter bowl directly over the oil.
- Flip the pieces several times while frying. Total fry time is 1.5-2 minutes.
- Lift the banana slices out of the oil, allowing excess oil to drip off. Place on the paper towel-lined baking sheet.
- Dust the fried banana tempura with powdered sugar while still hot.
Plate and Serve
- Arrange the banana tempura on a plate.
- Drizzle with warm chocolate ganache.
- Dust with additional powdered sugar and serve with a scoop of ice cream.
