This post may contain Affiliate Links. Please see my Disclaimer for more details.
New Orleans Bananas Foster is an iconic New Orleans classic dessert packed with warm bananas, cinnamon, rum, and brown sugar. I will show you how we do it in the Big Easy!
Here are more classic New Orleans desserts: King Cake with Cream Cheese Filling,Classic Beignets, Fried Apple Pies, Praline Candy, Cherry Jubilee, and New Orleans Bread Pudding.
Latest Recipe Video:
Jump to:
Growing up in the 504 (New Orleans, Louisiana), we have a lot of delicious desserts, and bananas foster is one for many delicious reasons.
We were a major port for bananas coming from Central and South America. We always had an abundance of bananas in the city, and it only took one talented chef to create something memorable.
I remember the first time I had bananas foster from Brennan's, it was at a charity event I was catering, and those guys had this down to a science. They had two giant skillets full of banana foster sauce and several packets of perfectly portioned vanilla ice cream; I must've gone in that line 5 times that night.
Making it in culinary school was one thing, but tasting it from the creators hits on a whole different level. That's when I started adapting my bananas foster recipe to bring the most flavor possible whenever I made this classic dessert.
So this recipe is 15 years old, and it took me a while to make sure I roasted the bananas properly without overcooking them so they still had a great texture once served. This is that recipe.
You can make this sauce and serve it over pancakes, waffles, french toast, bread pudding, or cake. Let your imagination run wild.
Key Ingredients
Here are the ingredients for outstanding bananas foster at home.
Bananas
The best bananas for this are ones that have a few brown spots. They'll have a more natural sweetness and still be firm enough to cook. A classic bananas foster uses sliced bananas (halved lengthwise), but if you're making them for a large crowd, use sliced bananas.
Brown Sugar
I love dark brown sugar because of the depth of flavor it gives with the warm spices.
Cinnamon
Ground cinnamon will add flavor but also help with the presentation while the bananas flambé. I also like to add some nutmeg for more flavor.
Banana Liqueur
This is the secret ingredient that folks outside of New Orleans always leave out. It's packed with banana flavor.
Unsalted Butter
As the butter cooks with the sauce, it'll add a glorious nutty flavor.
Dark Rum
My go-to is spiced rum because the molasses flavor pairs exceptionally well with the brown sugar and ground cinnamon.
Vanilla Ice Cream
Until now, vanilla ice cream is traditionally paired with bananas foster sauce.
How Do You Make Bananas Foster Recipe
A banana foster recipe is straightforward and should only take about 3 minutes. You only need the confidence to ignite the flame after you add the rum and banana liqueur. Using a long match or a long lighter will reduce any fear.
Heat a large skillet over medium heat; melt the unsalted butter, then add the brown sugar and stir until the sugar is melted. Add the sliced bananas, and cook for 1 minute. Add the cinnamon and nutmeg.
Pour in the spiced rum and banana liquor, shake the pan, and with a long handle lighter, flambé the sauce. Baste the bananas with flaming sauce until the flames burn out.
Add vanilla ice cream to a bowl, spoon cooked bananas over top, and serve immediately.
How To Store Bananas Foster
Bananas foster is best eaten immediately. Store any leftovers in an airtight container for 2 days.
Reheat in a skillet over medium heat until the sauce melts and is heated through.
Bananas Foster Cooking Tips:
Here are a few tips and substitutions for making this classic New Orleans dessert at home.
- If you feel uncomfortable flambéing the dessert, cook until the mixture reaches a low boil. This will help evaporate the alcohol.
- Use firm bananas with a few brown spots for the best flavor. However, use any leftover bananas that may be about to go past your desired degree of ripeness.
- You can use light brown sugar instead of dark brown sugar.
- Feel free to use a white or dark rum instead of a spiced rum.
- Still, make the recipe if you do not have the banana liqueur.
- Make an alcohol free bananas foster by using rum extract and vanilla extract.
- If you only have salted butter at home, use it instead of unsalted butter, and omit the salt from the recipe.
- The higher the alcohol content, the large the flame will be once ignited, so find one that's only 40%.
- Since this is a flambéed dish, please keep an updated fire extinguisher nearby. If a flame gets out of control, remain calm and suffocate it by covering it with a baking sheet large enough to cover the skillet.
- Here's my recipe for an incredible homemade vanilla ice cream without an ice cream machine.
FAQ
Here are the top questions readers have about making banana foster at home.
Bananas Foster is a dessert made by sautéing bananas in brown sugar, cinnamon, and rum and served warm over vanilla ice cream.
Bananas Foster was created in the 1950s by Chef Paul in New Orleans to honor the New Orleans Crime Commission chairman, Richard Foster, who was in charge of cleaning up the French Quarter. Still, you can get the dish prepared tableside at any Brennan's restaurant.
Flambé is a technique used to burn off the alcohol of a dish while maintaining liquor and liqueur flavors. The best alcohols for flambéing are liquors and liqueurs with high alcohol content (80-120 proof)—cognac, dark rum, triple sec, Cointreau, brandy, bourbon, whisky, and kirsch.
4 Flambéing Tips:
1. Use a liquor or liqueur with high alcohol content. You need to use one that has 80-120 proof.
2. Use a large skillet. Your skillet must be large enough to hold your ingredients and handle high heat. Stainless steel and cast iron are best.
3. Light quickly. If you wait too long, your food will absorb more liquor than desired.
4. Use a long handle lighter or a long handle match. When flambéing, you want to be safe. A long-handle lighter or long-handle match will give you a safe distance when igniting the alcohol. If the fire gets too large, use a lid large enough to cover the skillet and suffocate the fire.
Banana flambé and bananas foster are both delicious desserts that involve the technique of flambeing. Banana flambé is the culinary term for any banana dish ignited with alcohol.
Bananas foster is a specific dessert where you caramelize bananas in a sauce made from dark rum, banana liqueur, cinnamon, and butter set on fire, including vanilla ice cream.
Rum and banana liqueur are the alcohols used to make bananas foster. Rums range between 80-120 proof. Depending on the rum used, the alcohol content will vary between 40%-100%. However, 100% of it will burn off as the dish is flambéed.
More Banana Recipes
These recipes should help you use any leftover bananas.
Before You Begin
Here are my steps for getting organized before I start anything.
Step 1: Get all ingredients for the bananas foster sauce on the counter.
Step 2: Measure everything out into individual bowls.
Step 3: Start following the recipe and get ready for the best bananas foster you’ve ever enjoyed at home.
Bananas Foster is perfect for any occasion. It'll quickly become a family favorite because it is easy to prepare, and everyone loves the flaming presentation. This recipe is simple and easy to follow, but it is packed with a lot of flavor. I hope you enjoy it!
Click here to subscribe to MY NEWSLETTER for easy and free recipes right into your inbox!
To pin this recipe and save it for later, you can use the Pin button on the recipe card, the sharing buttons above or below this post, or any of the photos above.
Tag me @kennethtemple_ and use #LezEat on Instagram to share your remakes with me, and don't forget to leave a star rating and comment below.
📖 Recipe
New Orleans Bananas Foster
Ingredients
- 1 stick unsalted butter
- ½ cup dark brown sugar
- 4 medium bananas peeled, sliced lengthwise
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon nutmeg
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
- ½ cup spiced rum
- ¼ cup banana liqueur
- pint vanilla ice cream
Instructions
- Heat a large skillet over medium heat, melt the butter, and add the dark brown sugar; stir until sugar is melted. Addthe bananas, and cook for 1 minute on each side. Add the cinnamon, nutmeg and salt.
- Pour in the spiced rum and banana liquor, shake the pan, and with a long handle lighter, flambé the sauce. Baste the bananas with flaming sauce until flame dies out.
- Evenly divide ice cream amongst 4 bowls or plates and pour hot bananas foster over ice cream.
Notes
- If you feel uncomfortable flambéing the dessert, cook until the mixture reaches a low boil. This will help evaporate the alcohol.
- Use firm bananas with a few brown spots for the best flavor. However, use any leftover bananas that may be about to go past your desired degree of ripeness.
- You can use light brown sugar instead of dark brown sugar.
- Feel free to use a white or dark rum instead of a spiced rum.
- Still, make the recipe if you do not have the banana liqueur.
- Make an alcohol free bananas foster by using rum extract and vanilla extract.
- If you only have salted butter at home, use it instead of unsalted butter, and omit the salt from the recipe.
- The higher the alcohol content, the large the flame will be once ignited, so find one that's only 40%.
- Since this is a flambéed dish, please keep an updated fire extinguisher nearby. If a flame gets out of control, remain calm and suffocate it by covering it with a baking sheet large enough to cover the skillet.
- Here's my recipe for an incredible homemade vanilla ice cream without an ice cream machine.
Beth says
Best 🍌Foster recipe out there! 👍👍👍
bruce mcgee says
Great recipe, I like to live dangerously. I'm trying to make a Banana Pudding with Banana's Foster in lieu of regular bananas. Do you think it will work
Would you go with a traditional vanilla wafer or graham crackers? I think I would prefer Amaretto over spiced Rum.
Kenneth Temple says
Hey! I would say look over my banana pudding recipe for the swaps. The bananas foster may be too soft, but if you cut them lengthwise and place them in the pudding, it'll work. I like vanilla wafers and using Amaretto will give it a totally different flavor, BUT you like living dangerously, so I'm here for you playing with your food.
Pat Ashley says
Made your recipe tonight on a whim. Didn’t have any rum or banana liquor but I did have Fireball. And it worked great since the recipe calls for cinnamon anyway. Was Delish!
Kenneth Temple says
Success!