Treat yourself to the best flavors of the French Quarter when you make Bananas Foster! This classic NOLA dessert features a scoop of vanilla ice cream topped with a buttery, sweet, and rum spiced banana sauce.
Bananas Foster Flambé
Get ready to start a fire with this classic Bananas Foster recipe! There’s nothing quite as exciting as creating the perfect flambé in the kitchen. It always makes me feel like the fanciest home chef (even though it’s really SO easy).
This dessert is a classic NOLA staple that’s only gotten more popular since its creation in 1951. If you’ve ever had it, you already know why it’s so beloved! The sweetness of the bananas is enhanced by rich brown sugar and balanced perfectly by spiced rum.
Be sure to try these Bananas Foster Waffles too!
Why You’ll Love this Bananas Foster Recipe:
- Easy: This dessert is pretty deceptive. When you see words like “flambé,” you may assume it’s a more challenging recipe, but it’s simple!
- Simple Ingredients: Bananas, brown sugar, butter, and spiced rum are really the only ingredients you need in order to make this dessert. Everything else is optional.
- Timeless: When a recipe has only gotten more popular over time, it truly becomes a classic.
When this richly flavored banana sauce is served over a scoop or two of cold vanilla ice cream, real magic happens. The softened, caramelized bananas in the sweet yet spiced flambéed rum sauce compliment the ice cream in a beautiful way!
How to Make Bananas Foster
Be sure to see the recipe card below for full ingredients & instructions!
- Melt the brown sugar and butter together, the cook the banana pieces in the mixture.
- Remove the skillet from the stove top and increase the heat.
- Pour rum into the skillet and return it to heat, and use a lighter to ignite the liquid in the skillet.
- Remove the skillet from the heat, then sprinkle in salt and cinnamon if using.
- Serve over vanilla ice cream and enjoy!
Bananas foster is a delicious dessert made from bananas cooked in a sauce made from butter, brown sugar, cinnamon, and dark rum and served over vanilla ice cream. It originated in New Orleans at the famous Brennan’s Restaurant as a creative way to sell more bananas! The name comes from a good friend of Brennan’s, Richard Foster.
Bananas foster and bananas flambé are essentially the same thing. Flambéing is a method of cooking, whereas bananas foster is a dish that employs that method. To flambé means to add alcohol and ignite. Some people simply call bananas foster bananas flambé or bananas foster flambé instead.
To properly flambé the dish, you will need a rum that is 80-100 proof. I recommend dark, spiced rum for the most authentic flavor. If you choose to use a rum that is lower-proof, you will need to lightly boil the sauce before you can flambé it.
Because bananas foster is cooked quickly, only some of the alcohol burns off. An estimated 75-85% of the alcohol will remain in the dish, so save this one for the adults.
Yes. You can leave the rum out, or add in some vanilla or rum extract instead.
If you seriously want to impress your friends at your next dinner party, serve this Bananas Foster. It’s always way more fun to master your flambé with an audience!
This easy bananas foster is best when served over vanilla ice cream. However, it’s also tasty to sneak a bite or two with a spoon all by itself…I may or may not know this from experience!
Make Ahead Instructions
You can make the sauce up to 2 days ahead of when you plan to serve this dessert. Keep it tightly covered in the refrigerator, and gently reheat before pouring it over the ice cream.
Storage Instructions
While bananas foster is best served immediately after it is made, you can store the sauce in the refrigerator for up to 2 days. Gently reheat in the microwave or on the stovetop until warm, then serve with cold ice cream. I do not recommend storing bananas foster in the freezer.
Serving Suggestions
- Classic bananas foster is amazing served over vanilla ice cream.
- For an indulgent twist, serve it with cinnamon, caramel, or butter pecan ice cream.
- You can also serve it with a healthy dollop of whipped cream.
- Make bananas foster french toast by pouring the cooked bananas and sauce over french toast.
- Try serving it with a piece of light, fluffy angel food cake!
Tips for the Best Bananas Foster
- Use perfectly ripe bananas, as they will begin to soften as they cook. Overripe bananas will fall apart when cooked, and underripe bananas will not soften or release their natural sugars.
- Slice the bananas just before cooking to keep them from browning too quickly.
- I recommend using a stainless steel or other light-colored pan so that you can easily monitor the color of the sauce.
- You do not need to flambé the bananas if you’re a bit fearful of the flames. Instead, simply cook down the sauce over a light boil for a few minutes.
- Keep the heat on medium to medium-low to avoid cooking down the sauce too fast.
- Add a splash or two of heavy cream before adding the bananas for a richer, creamier sauce.
- When flambéing, do not pour the rum directly from the bottle; this is a potential fire hazard! Instead, measure the rum into a bowl first, then pour from the bowl.
- Use a long, tapered lighter to avoid burning yourself.
- Keep your sleeves rolled up and your hair tied back, and make sure there is not any jewelry or clothing hanging over the flames that could ignite.
- Once lit, shake the pan occasionally to help settle the flames.
- If the flames do not die down on their own, simply cover the pan with a tight-fitting lid and turn off the heat.
- Keep a fire extinguisher handy just in case!
- For the best results, serve bananas foster as soon as the flames die out.
There’s no need to travel to Bourbon Street to get your Bananas Foster fix! This classic recipe can be made in just under 30 minutes at home with simple ingredients and easy to follow steps.
If you make this recipe be sure to leave us a comment or rating. Enjoy!
Bananas Foster Recipe
Ingredients
- ¼ cup unsalted butter 57 grams (½ stick)
- ¼ cup brown sugar 53 grams
- 2 ripe bananas peeled, halved, and sliced lengthwise
- ¼ cup chopped pecans or walnuts 113 grams, optional
- 3 tablespoons spiced rum 42 grams
- ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon optional
- ⅛ teaspoon kosher salt optional
- 2 scoops vanilla ice cream for serving
Equipment
- Kitchen Scale (optional)
Instructions
- In a medium-sized skillet set over medium heat, melt the butter and brown sugar together until the mixture begins to bubble, about 3-5 minutes.¼ cup unsalted butter, ¼ cup brown sugar
- Place the banana pieces, cut-side down, into the brown sugar mixture. Cook for 30-60 seconds, until just golden. Flip and cook until golden on the other side, another 30 seconds. Add the nuts to the skillet, if using.2 ripe bananas, ¼ cup chopped pecans or walnuts
- Remove the skillet from the stovetop and increase the heat to high. Pour the rum into the skillet and return it to the stovetop. Using a long wand lighter, carefully ignite the liquid in the skillet. Allow the flames to burn and die down, then remove the skillet from the heat and sprinkle in the cinnamon and salt (if using).3 tablespoons spiced rum, ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon, ⅛ teaspoon kosher salt
- Scoop vanilla ice cream into 2 bowls, then divide the bananas and sauce between the bowls and serve immediately.2 scoops vanilla ice cream
Notes
- Use perfectly ripe bananas, as they will begin to soften as they cook. Overripe bananas will fall apart when cooked, and underripe bananas will not soften or release their natural sugars.
- Slice the bananas just before cooking to keep them from browning too quickly.
- I recommend using a stainless steel or other light-colored pan so that you can easily monitor the color of the sauce.
- You do not need to flambé the bananas if you’re a bit fearful of the flames. Instead, simply cook down the sauce over a light boil for a few minutes.
- Keep the heat on medium to medium-low to avoid cooking down the sauce too fast.
- Add a splash or two of heavy cream before adding the bananas for a richer, creamier sauce.
- When flambéing, do not pour the rum directly from the bottle; this is a potential fire hazard! Instead, measure the rum into a bowl first, then pour from the bowl.
- Use a long, tapered lighter to avoid burning yourself.
- Keep your sleeves rolled up and your hair tied back, and make sure there is not any jewelry or clothing hanging over the flames that could ignite.
- Once lit, shake the pan occasionally to help settle the flames.
- If the flames do not die down on their own, simply cover the pan with a tight-fitting lid and turn off the heat.
- Keep a fire extinguisher handy just in case!
- For the best results, serve bananas foster as soon as the flames die out.
- Classic bananas foster is amazing served over vanilla ice cream.
- For an indulgent twist, serve it with cinnamon, caramel, or butter pecan ice cream.
- You can also serve it with a healthy dollop of whipped cream.
- Make bananas foster french toast by pouring the cooked bananas and sauce over french toast.
- Try serving it with a piece of light, fluffy angel food cake!
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