Golden, crispy on the outside and soft, sweet on the inside. There’s something about maruya that instantly feels like home. Maybe it’s the smell of ripe saba bananas hitting hot oil, or that first bite: crispy edges giving way to a soft, naturally sweet center. It’s the kind of snack that’ll remind you of your childhood with your lola or a quick after-school snack bought from the neighborhood street food vendor, stacked on a tray and dusted with sugar.
While maruya is often associated with Filipino street food culture, it’s also one of the easiest merienda recipes you can recreate in your own kitchen. No fancy ingredients, no complicated steps—just simple pantry staples and good, ripe bananas.
Whether you prefer them mashed into a batter or fanned out for that classic street-style look, this easy recipe delivers comfort in every bite.
What is Maruya?
Maruya is a beloved traditional Filipino snack made by coating saba bananas in batter and frying them until crisp. It’s commonly sold by street vendors across the Philippines and enjoyed as an afternoon snack, often paired with coffee.
Recipe Tips
- Use very ripe saba bananas for natural sweetness and softer texture.
- You can mash the bananas or just slice them thinly. Mashing them first might be a good option for newbie cooks who may not be as comfortable working with hot oil, as you can just use a spoon to gently slide the banana-batter mixture into the oil. Fanning the thinly sliced bananas and coating it with batter, on the other hand, is the more similar serving style to the traditional maruya one can buy from a street vendor.
- Don’t overcrowd the pan while frying to keep the oil temperature stable.
- Adjust the sweetness depending on your preference. You can skip the sugar in the batter altogether and just lightly sprinkle with sugar after frying.
- The amount of batter coating on the bananas will affect how crisp the maruya will be. The less better there is, the crispier it can be; more batter means it’ll have a bit of a dough-y bite. It all depends on how you want your maruya to be.
- Place the freshly fried maruya pieces on a paper towel or baking sheet to remove the excess oil. This will keep it crisper longer, too.
