Monkey butter is a cooked banana-pineapple spread that tastes like a tropical fruit butter. The usual mix is ripe bananas, crushed pineapple with its juice, sugar, bottled lemon juice, and optional coconut. It thickens into something between applesauce and jam.
The search for a monkey butter recipe canning method almost always hits the same split. Blog recipes tell you to water-bath the jars. Extension offices and tested canning authorities do not publish this recipe as shelf-stable. That gap is the part that matters most. You can make an excellent batch in about 30 minutes. What you should not do is treat an untested internet process as equivalent to USDA jam canning.
This guide gives the working recipe, the storage options that are actually reliable, and a clear decision on canning.
What Monkey Butter Is (and What It Is Not)
Monkey butter is a fruit spread, not dairy butter. The name comes from the banana. Cooked down with pineapple and sugar, the bananas dissolve into a glossy, spoonable pulp. Coconut is optional. Some versions add vanilla, cinnamon, or nutmeg.
It is also not a tested fruit butter in the National Center for Home Food Preservation sense. NCHFP fruit-butter guidance covers high-acid fruits such as apples, peaches, and pears. Bananas are treated differently because they sit at a borderline pH and pack densely in a jar.
Typical flavor: sweet banana first, pineapple tang second, coconut if you add it. Texture: slightly thicker than applesauce when hot; it firms a little as it cools. Color: golden yellow to amber. Some batches shift pink after cooking. That color change shows up in older recipes and is not a sign the batch failed.
Is Monkey Butter Safe to Water-Bath Can?
Short answer: there is no USDA- or NCHFP-tested process for this exact recipe. Refrigerator storage and freezing are the methods you can defend. Water-bath canning is common online and still untested.
Why bananas change the rules
Water-bath canning is only for high-acid foods (pH 4.6 or lower). The heat of boiling water stops mold, yeast, and many bacteria, but it does not reliably destroy Clostridium botulinum spores. Those spores stay dormant in acid. In a low-acid, oxygen-poor jar they can grow and produce toxin you cannot see, smell, or taste.
Bananas land in a problem zone:
- FDA pH values for banana typically run about 4.5 to 5.2, depending on variety and ripeness.
- Ripe fruit is less acidic than greener fruit.
- Banana pulp is dense. Heat moves slowly through a thick puree, which is why process times cannot be guessed from “it looks like jam.”
Pineapple juice and bottled lemon juice do add acid. That is why so many home canners assume the mix is safe. Acid plus sugar is not the same thing as a lab-tested formula. Extension specialists have said there are no current safe guidelines for canning banana jam or banana puree, even with lemon juice added.
Coconut is also treated as a low-acid ingredient when it appears on official low-acid fruit lists.
What is tested
Reputable sources have published banana as an ingredient in acidified recipes, not as a standalone banana-pineapple butter. Examples include Ball’s orange-banana jam (orange juice, bottled lemon juice, honey, bananas) and several banana chutneys that rely on vinegar. Those formulas were written and processed as complete recipes. Swapping them for monkey butter is not a tested substitution.
A practical way to decide
| Goal | Best method | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Eat within 2–3 weeks | Refrigerator jars | No process risk |
| Keep 3–12 months | Freezer containers | Texture holds well |
| Gift jars that sit in a pantry | Use a tested banana preserve, or skip banana and can pineapple jam | Follows published process times |
| Water-bath this exact recipe | Untested home practice | Popular, not validated |
If a sealed jar of untested banana spread sits on a pantry shelf, the risk is botulism from an under-acidified or under-heated product. That risk is low in frequency and high in consequence. “Lots of people do it” is not a process schedule.
Monkey Butter Recipe (Refrigerator or Freezer)
This is the standard home version. Treat it as a cooked refrigerator jam unless you accept the untested-canning caveat later in the article.
Yield: about 3 to 3½ cups (roughly 6–7 half-pint jars if you process, or 3 freezer containers)
Time: 10 minutes prep, 15–25 minutes cooking
Ingredients
- 5 ripe bananas, yellow with few brown specks (not black and weeping)
- 1 can (20 oz / 567 g) crushed pineapple, undrained
- 2½ cups (500 g) granulated sugar
- ¼ cup (60 ml) bottled lemon juice
- ¼ cup (20 g) unsweetened shredded or ground coconut, optional
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract, optional
- ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon, optional
- Pinch of salt, optional
Why these amounts: pineapple juice supplies liquid and acid. Bottled lemon juice has a consistent acidity that fresh lemons do not. Sugar is both sweetener and thickener; cutting it a lot produces a looser, shorter-lived fridge spread. Coconut is texture, not structure. Leave it out if you dislike the chew.
Banana ripeness matters more than people think
Use bananas that are yellow and fragrant, with only a few spots. Fully black banana-bread bananas make a darker, almost caramel spread that scorches faster and tastes one-note sweet. Green bananas stay starchy and do not mash into the same silk. Cut away any bruised or fermented patches.
Equipment
- Heavy-bottomed pot or Dutch oven (thin pans scorch sugar and banana)
- Potato masher
- Heatproof spatula
- Optional immersion blender
- Clean half-pint or pint jars, or freezer-safe containers
Steps
- Prep the fruit. Peel the bananas and slice them thin. Do not drain the pineapple.
- Combine. Put bananas, pineapple with juice, sugar, lemon juice, coconut, and any spices in the pot. Stir until the sugar is wet.
- Bring to a boil. Medium heat, stirring often. Banana catches on the bottom once the water starts to cook off.
- Mash as it cooks. After it boils, drop the heat to a steady simmer. Mash until most slices disappear. For a smooth spread, blend briefly with an immersion blender, then return to a simmer. Blending hot sugar mix spatters; keep the blender head submerged.
- Cook to thickness. 15–25 minutes is typical. Done looks like this:
- It mounds on a spoon instead of running off in a thin sheet.
- A line drawn through the mixture on the back of a spoon stays open for a second.
- It is a little looser than you want in the jar. It thickens as it cools.
- Finish. Take the pot off the heat. Stir in vanilla if using.
- Pack. Ladle into clean jars or containers. Leave ½ inch headspace for the freezer. Cool, then refrigerate or freeze.
Doneness checks that actually help
A candy thermometer is optional. You are not making firm jelly. If you overcook, the spread turns sticky and dull. If you undercook, it weeps juice in the fridge. Aim for “thick applesauce.” When in doubt, stop early. You can always simmer a refrigerated batch for five more minutes later.
How to Store Monkey Butter
Refrigerator
Transfer cooled spread to clean jars. Keep 10–21 days. Some cooks get a full month if the jar is very clean and the lemon juice is not reduced. Smell and look before each use. Discard if you see mold, fizz, or an off odor.
Freezer
This is the best long-term option. Cool completely. Pack in freezer containers or straight-sided jars, leaving headspace. Freeze up to 3 months for best texture, often longer. Thaw in the refrigerator. Stir before serving; a little liquid separation is normal.
If you still water-bath can it
This section describes what popular recipes do. It is not an official process.
Common internet instructions:
- Hot-pack into half-pint or pint jars
- ¼-inch headspace
- Wipe rims with vinegar
- Two-piece lids, fingertip tight
- Process half-pints 10 minutes and pints 15 minutes in a boiling-water canner at 0–1,000 feet, starting the timer only after a full rolling boil
- Add processing time for altitude (typically +5 minutes at 1,001–3,000 feet, +10 minutes at 3,001–6,000 feet; confirm a current altitude chart)
Even if lids seal, a seal only means a vacuum formed. It does not prove the contents were acid enough or hot enough in the center of a dense banana puree.
If you process jars anyway, store them as you would any higher-risk home can: watch for bulging lids, spurting liquid, off smells, or mold. Never taste a suspect jar. When in doubt, throw it out.
Do not pressure-can this recipe either unless you have a tested schedule. Guessing pressure and time for a thick fruit puree is not safer than guessing a water-bath time.
How to Use a Jar Once You Have It
Monkey butter is closer to fruit butter than to grape jelly. Use it where you want fruit and body, not a clean slice of gel.
Breakfast
- Toast, English muffins, biscuits
- Peanut butter and monkey butter
- Swirl into oatmeal or yogurt
- Pancakes, waffles, crepes
Dessert
- Warm over vanilla ice cream
- Cake or cupcake filling
- Thumbprint cookies
- Cheesecake or pound-cake topping
Savory-adjacent
- Glaze for ham or roasted pork in the last minutes of cooking
- Sandwich with sharp cheddar on toasted bread
A half-pint is the useful jar size. A pint disappears if you put it on the table with pancakes; it also spends more days open in the fridge.
Mistakes That Ruin a Batch
Scorching. Banana sugar mix burns in a thin pot or on high heat. Stay at a simmer and scrape the bottom.
Wrong bananas. Black, leaking fruit makes a muddy, overly sweet spread. Green fruit stays pasty.
Skipping bottled lemon juice. Fresh lemon varies. If the only reason you add lemon is flavor, fresh is fine for fridge batches. If you are attempting canning, bottled juice is the consistent acid source used in tested recipes.
Cooking it as stiff as commercial jam. This spread is supposed to be soft. Over-reduction tastes cooked and sticks to the jar.
Changing the formula, then canning. Extra banana, less pineapple, less lemon, added mango, or reduced sugar all move acidity and density. That is fine for the fridge. It makes an untested canning recipe even less defensible.
Assuming a popped lid equals safety. A sealed lid is not a pH test.
Small Variations That Stay in the Same Family
These are flavor tweaks for refrigerator or freezer batches.
- No coconut. You get a cleaner banana-pineapple jam. Many people prefer it.
- Brown sugar. Replace up to half the white sugar for a caramel note.
- Lime instead of lemon. Use the same volume of bottled lime juice for flavor. Do not assume it matches lemon acidity for canning.
- Rum. A tablespoon stirred in off heat for an adult dessert topping. Alcohol does not make the jar shelf-stable.
- Less sugar. Drop to 1½–2 cups for a fruitier fridge spread. It will be looser and should be eaten sooner.
Do not treat any of these as canning-safe substitutions.
A Safer Shelf-Stable Path If You Want Pantry Jars
If the goal is jars that live in a cupboard, use a published banana recipe instead of monkey butter:
- Ball orange-banana jam (orange juice plus bottled lemon juice)
- A tested banana chutney that includes vinegar
Those recipes already solved the acid and process-time problems in a lab. You lose the exact pineapple-coconut profile. You keep a process you can point to.
Pineapple jam without banana is another option if tropical flavor is the point and shelf life is non-negotiable.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I use fresh pineapple? Yes for fridge or freezer batches. Chop it fine and include the juice. Canned crushed pineapple is more consistent and is what most recipes were written around.
Can I use coconut extract instead of shredded coconut? Yes. Start with ⅛ teaspoon. Extract gives aroma without the chew.
Why did my batch turn pink? Old recipes note a light pink shift after cooking. Fruit pigments and pH can do that. It is common and not, by itself, spoilage.
Do I need pectin? No. Banana and cooked pineapple thicken on their own. Pectin makes a firmer set but is not required.
How much does one batch cost? Usually the price of one pineapple can, a small bag of sugar, and bananas you already needed to use. It is a surplus-banana recipe first.
Is it vegan and gluten-free? Yes, as written. Check vanilla if that matters to you.
Can I can it in a multi-cooker on a “canning” setting? No. CDC and canning authorities warn against using electric multi-cookers for canning, even when the panel has a canning button.
Bottom Line
Make monkey butter when you have ripe bananas and want a tropical spread in under half an hour. Keep it in the refrigerator for everyday use. Freeze what you will not finish. Water-bath canning this recipe is a widespread home practice with no published USDA or NCHFP process behind it. The pineapple and lemon juice help, but they do not convert an untested banana puree into a validated pantry staple.
If you want the flavor, cook the pot. If you want shelf-stable jars, use a tested banana preserve or freeze this one. That split is the difference between a good recipe and a safe one.