Maruya or Filipino banana fritters are made of sweet bananas in a light and crisp batter fried until golden brown. A popular street food in the Philippines, it’s easy and simple to make and so good!
(Love bananas? Try turon and banana con yelo. Both are delicious and wonderfully tropical!)
Maruya comes in different forms, depending on which province you’re from.
For example, in Ilocos, the bananas are mashed and fried like pancakes (baduya).
In the Visayas, it’s called pinaypay because the bananas are sliced thin and formed into a fan-like shape.
Our maruya recipe today is similar to sinapot, popular in the Bicol region, where the bananas are sliced, coated in batter, fried until golden brown, and sprinkled with sugar.
However you want to make your banana fritters though, the ingredients stay the same and they will all result to a delicious treat!
Let’s get to it.
Why you’ll love making maruya
- Simple ingredients. You’ll need less than 10 ingredients and you probably already have most of them in your pantry.
- Easy recipe. And the fritters are done in about 30 minutes. Plus, the batter is light and crispy and allows the bananas to shine.
- Tastes like home. The best part is, it tastes just like you remember it! A delicious trip down memory lane.
How to make
Ingredients
You’ll need pantry staples like all purpose flour, cornstarch, baking powder, salt, sugar and oil. Two things to note:
- Bananas — maruya is traditionally made with fresh, ripe saba bananas. We don’t get those here so we always use ripe plantains.
- Water — make sure to use cold water. It helps keep the batter light and crisp.
(Got extra plantains? Make plantain chips!)
Tools
You won’t need special tools to make Filipino banana fritters; just a pan for frying.
Make sure your pan is deep enough to submerge each fritter in oil.
Step-by-step photos
In a large bowl, combine all dry ingredients with water.
Stir until the mixture is incorporated but remains thick and lumpy, not smooth.
Place sliced bananas…
…and coat in batter.
Place a bunch of sliced bananas in hot oil and fry until golden (about 3-5 minutes per side).
Remove from heat and place on a paper towel to get rid of excess oil.
Coat with sugar and enjoy!
Expert tips
- Pick ripe bananas. You want perfectly ripe bananas, not borderline overripe. Otherwise, they will turn mushy when cooked.
- Fry 2-3 slices per bunch. Depending on how thick or thin you slice your bananas, fry them in bunches of 2-3 slices. You want thick, meaty maruya pieces.
- Don’t over mix the batter. We’re not looking for a smooth batter. It should be coarse and lumpy, similar to pancake batter.
- Don’t overcrowd pan. When frying, allow enough space around each fritter. An overcrowded pan will result to the fritters sticking together and to an uneven cook.
Recipe FAQs
Ideally, you should use cooking bananas when making maruya, specifically, saba bananas. We can only get them frozen so we use plantains instead.
If you can only find regular bananas (i.e. table bananas as opposed to cooking bananas), it’s better to mash them into the batter because if you fry them in slices, they won’t hold up too well.
Traditionally, maruya is enjoyed with a thin coat of sugar.
If you want to mix things up, there are so many things you can do, like:
– Top with ice cream or whipped cream
– Drizzle with salted caramel sauce, chocolate syrup or condensed milk
– Sprinkle with powdered sugar or cinnamon instead of granulated sugar
Maruya is best enjoyed freshly cooked.
If you’re not eating them right away, keep them in your oven with the keep warm setting on. Remember to still consume within the day.
I don’t recommend making them ahead as they will get soggy and stale the longer they sit.
More Filipino merienda recipes
Looking for more traditional merienda or snack recipes? Try these:
Our family loves maruya and we make them all the time. Hope you do, too. Enjoy!
Did you make Filipino banana fritters? I’d love to hear all about it! Leave a comment or a star rating below. You can also tag me on Instagram or Facebook. I’d love to see your creations!
You can also find me on Pinterest, Twitter and YouTube.
Maruya (Filipino Banana Fritters)
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1½ cups all purpose flour (+ 2 tbsp)
- ½ cup cornstarch
- 1 tsp salt
- 2 tsp baking powder
- 1 cup water cold
- 2 lbs saba banana or plantains about 6 pieces plantains, sliced
- oil for frying
- sugar for sprinkling or coating
Instructions
- In a large bowl, combine all dry ingredients with water. Stir until the mixture is incorporated but remains lumpy, not smooth.1½ cups all purpose flour (+ 2 tbsp), ½ cup cornstarch, 1 tsp salt, 2 tsp baking powder, 1 cup water
- Place sliced bananas and coat in batter.2 lbs saba banana or plantains
- Place a bunch of sliced bananas (2-3 slices per bunch) in hot oil and fry until golden brown (3-5 minutes per side).oil
- Remove the fritters from heat and place on a paper towel to get rid of excess oil.
- Sprinkle with sugar and enjoy!sugar
Video
Notes
- The total yield depends on how big or small you make your maruya. This recipe could serve 8-12. The estimated nutrition information is based on 8 servings.
- We use plantains because we don’t get saba bananas where we are. Use whatever is available to you.
- We slice our plantains into 4 pieces – once crosswise then each half lengthwise.
- Remove excess batter from your pan using a slotted spoon before putting the next batch of maruya for frying.
- See post for more tips and FAQs.
Nutrition
Nutritional information are estimates only.
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