For an easy holiday dessert, make this Bananas Foster recipe! It's a rich sweet treat of rum-infused caramelized bananas and walnuts, served warm over vanilla ice cream. So delicious!
This is the tastiest and best banana dessert you’ll ever make!
It doesn't require very many ingredients and is quick to throw together, but it tastes like a fancy restaurant dessert. Whether you serve it at Christmas, as a New Year's Eve party treat, or for a Valentine's Day dessert, it's sure to become a favorite.
What is Bananas Foster
This classic New Orleans dessert features caramelized bananas and chopped walnuts that are sautéed in butter, brown sugar, cinnamon, and dark rum.
My bananas foster recipe is similar to a banana flambé dessert, but rather than setting the alcohol on fire, the rum is cooked with the butter and sugar.
Ingredients
See ingredient substitutions in the next section. ⬇️
To make this dessert you'll need:
- ripe bananas: You want the fruit to be ripe, but not to the point of being mushy. Save the over ripe bananas for making banana bread cookies.
- salted butter
- brown sugar: Using brown sugar rather than white amplifies the warm flavors of cinnamon and dark rum.
- vanilla extract
- ground cinnamon
- dark rum
- chopped walnuts
Substitutions and Recipe Variations
- light brown sugar: Dark brown sugar is a good substitute.
- salted butter: If you need or want to use unsalted butter, just add a tiny pinch of salt to the pot. Salt is important because it balances the sweetness of the bananas.
I haven't made bananas foster using plant-based butter substitutes, but they should work fine. - dark rum: This dessert is traditionally made with alcohol, but if you need to leave it out, the dessert will still taste good. You can substitute the rum with brandy.
- vanilla extract: If you need an alcohol-free flavoring, you can use vanilla essence.
- walnuts: Feel free to use any type of chopped nuts you like. Pecans and cashews both taste great with caramelized bananas.
How to Make Bananas Foster
Summary only. The complete recipe instructions are in the card at the bottom of this post ⬇️
- Cook the butter, sugar and spices until it thickens.
- Add the sliced bananas, cook for 5 minutes, then stir in the walnuts.
- Remove from heat and let it cool and thicken a bit.
- Serve warm over vanilla ice cream.
Liz's Tips for the Best Tasting Dessert
This bananas foster recipe is easy to make. Just keep these tips in mind:
- Don't overcook the bananas. The bananas soften quickly, so be careful not to over cook them!
- Let the dessert to cool before serving. If you don’t let the mixture cool for a few minutes, it will melt the ice cream quickly.
Storing and Reheating
- Storage - Store the banana mixture separately from the ice cream. Store in an airtight container in the fridge or freezer. Store in the fridge for up to a week and in the freezer for up to a month.
- Reheating - Reheat in the microwave or over the stove in a small pan. The best way to reheat it from the freezer is to let it thaw naturally, then warm it in the microwave.
Bananas Foster Recipe FAQs
Bananas foster is an elevated banana flambé dessert, spiced with cinnamon and chopped nuts. Traditionally, the dessert is lit on fire like a flambé, but not always.
Choose ripe bananas with a few speckled black spots on the peel, but not overly soft or mushy. You want them to be solid enough to keep their shape after cooking. Otherwise, they break down and become mushy.
Other Easy Banana Recipes
Easy Bananas Foster
Ingredients
- 3 tablespoons salted butter
- ⅓ cup light brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ¼ cup dark rum
- 2 medium bananas sliced lengthwise, then cut in quarters
- ¼ cup chopped walnuts
- 2 cups vanilla ice cream
Instructions
- In a medium-sized skillet over medium-low heat, melt the butter. Add brown sugar and whisk until it dissolves. This will take about 3 minutes. Add the vanilla extract, cinnamon, and rum. Cook for an additional 5-7 minutes until the mixture starts to thicken.
- While the sauce cooks, slice the bananas.
- When the butter/sugar mixture begins to bubble, reduce the heat to low and add the bananas to the pan. Cook for 2-3 minutes.
- Remove pan from heat, stir in walnuts, then let the mixture cool a bit to thicken.
- Portion ½ cup of vanilla ice cream into 4 dessert bowls.
- Divide the bananas foster equally between the four bowls and serve immediately.
Crystal
This was a great recipe 😋