French toast and an iconic New Orleans dessert collide in this decadent Bananas Foster French Toast recipe. Made with a caramelized banana topping and a rich rum sauce this Bananas Foster French Toast is a decadent spin on classic french toast.
I adore french toast. But when you top classic french toast with a rich rich sauce and caramelized bananas--swoon!
This Bananas Foster French Toast is the french toast recipe to make when you are craving something impressive, rich, and luxurious.
However, just because this dish appears complicated, Bananas Foster French Toast is actually pretty easy to make--even the bananas foster sauce! But we can let that be our little secret.
Notes on Ingredients
- Bread: I prefer a rich eggy challah bread when preparing french toast, but french bread or Italian bread will work as well. It is best for the bread to be a day old so it is a bit dried out and will absorb the egg custard better.
- Half and Half: For the egg custard, use half and half, cream, whole milk for a rich, decadent result.
- Bananas: Select slightly under-ripe bananas when preparing bananas foster sauce. That way, the bananas will stay intact better when sauteed.
- Butter: Butter is key to creating the bananas foster sauce. This is not the time to use non-dairy butter or margarine. And it is best to use unsalted butter.
- Dark Rum: Rum is classic in bananas foster, but it is completely optional and should be omitted if preparing Bananas Foster French Toast for children. For the best flavor, use dark, not white or coconut, rum.
How to Prepare Banana Fosters French Toast
- In a mixing bowl, combine the eggs, half and half, vanilla, cinnamon, and a pinch of salt. Whisk until well combined.
- In a large stainless steel or cast-iron skillet, melt a bit of butter over medium-low heat. If you are planning to make the bananas foster sauce with rum, you do NOT want to use a nonstick skillet.
- Dip each slice of bread into the custard, allowing it to soak for 5-10 seconds per side.
- Remove the bread slices from the custard, shaking off excess, and place them into the preheated skillet. It is best to work in batches if needed, rather than overcrowding your pan.
- Brown the french toast for 2-3 minutes per side, or until just golden.
- Remove the golden french toast from the skillet and place it on a baking sheet.
- Once all of the bread has been browned, finish cooking it in the oven while you prepare the Bananas Foster sauce. By cooking the french toast in the oven, you create evenly cooked french toast, that is creamy, yet still crispy.
- To prepare the bananas foster sauce, melt the remaining butter in the same skillet used to prepare the french toast over low heat.
- Once the butter is melted, whisk in the brown sugar and cook until the sugar is melted and bubbly.
Add the sliced bananas to the skillet and cook for 1 minute on each side.
Remove the bananas from the pan to a serving dish.
Remove the pan from the heat and add in the rum. Carefully return the skillet to the heat, keeping in mind the sauce may ignite. That is okay! The flame will go out as the alcohol cooks off.
Cook over medium heat until the flame dies out and the sauce is nice and bubbly about 2-3 minutes. If you are not using alcohol, simply cook until the sauce is bubbly.
Remove the french toast from the oven and serve with the rum sauce and caramelized bananas.
Storage
Bananas Foster Sauce is best served immediately after preparing, as the bananas can become mushy as they sit.
The french toast, however, can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. Reheat in a dry skillet or in the microwave on a heat-safe plate.
Dessert Worthy
While Bananas Foster French Toast is a decadent, swoon-worthy option for brunch, it also makes a fabulously decadent dessert when served with vanilla ice cream and whipped cream.
More Breakfast Favorites
If you tried this Bananas Fosters French Toast Recipe, I would love to hear from you! Please be sure to leave a comment and review below.
Bananas Foster French Toast
Ingredients
- 8 slices challah or french bread 1-inch thick slices
- 6 eggs
- ½ cup half and half or cream
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ½ teaspoon cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 6 tablespoons unsalted butter divided
- ⅓ cup brown sugar
- 2 underripe bananas sliced in 1 inch slices on a bias
- ¼ cup dark rum optional
Instructions
French Toast
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
- In a large, shallow mixing bowl, whisk eggs, milk, cinnamon, salt, and vanilla together until well combined.
- Preheat a large cast-iron or stainless steel skillet over medium heat and add 1 tablespoon butter to melt.
- Dip the bread into the egg custard, allowing to soak for 5-10 seconds per side. Remove the bread from the custard and shake off excess custard.
- Place the soaked bread into the heated skillet, you may need to work in batches as to not overcrowd the pan and brown for 2-3 minutes per side. Remove the french toast from the skillet and place it on a baking sheet and place the french toast into the oven to bake for 15 minutes, while making the bananas foster sauce.
Bananas Foster Sauce
- Melt the remaining 5 tablespoons of butter in the same skillet over low heat. Add brown sugar and stir until sugar dissolves. Once the sugar is dissolved and the butter begins to bubble and brown, add the bananas and cook for 1 minute on each side. Remove the caramelized bananas from the pan to a serving dish.
- Remove the pan from the heat and add in the rum. Carefully return to the heat, keeping in mind the sauce may ignite. That is okay! The flame will go out as the alcohol cooks off. Cook over medium heat until the flame dies out and the sauce is nice and bubbly about 2-3 minutes. Cook over medium heat until the flame dies out and the sauce is nice and bubbly about 2-3 minutes. If you are not using alcohol, simply cook until the sauce is bubbly.
- To serve, place 2 slices of the french toast on a plate, top with a few slices of the caramelized bananas, and a bit of the syrup.
Notes
Nutrition
This post was originally published in 2017 but updated in 2022 with new photos and a video.
Taylor
This was the absolute BEST French toast! The rich bananas foster sauce took them over the top and made each bite absolute perfection. My whole family loved it!
Jan Steves
Truly amazing! I think I just might surprise my kids and make it again next weekend. Great recipe!
Allyssa
Thank you so much for sharing this amazing recipe! Will surely have this again! It's really easy to make and it tasted so delicious! Highly recommended!
Jen
Doubled the recipe for a family of 10 on vacation and it was a huge hit. Didn’t have rum, but bourbon made a great substitute!😋
Kristen Chidsey
What a treat for your family. Glad you all enjoyed. And nothing wrong with bourbon😉
Lynette Owens-Muhammad
The recipe was great. However I knew that the brown sugar wouldnt make enough so I adjusted to 3/4 instead. I also added 1/2 cup maple syrup once the brown sugar dissolved. Also I used heavy cream instead of milk. I eliminated the rum totally. I didn’t remove the bananas. Thank you. I was well pleased
Kristen Chidsey
I am glad you enjoyed Lynette even with the adjustments 🙂
Jacquelin Powers
This recipe came out AMAZING! I make French toast a lot, because it's easy and has protein and my little one doesn't realized it's made with eggs (we say we dip it in milk.) My whole family fought over this. I didn't have Challah bread so I used brioche and it was really good. A 14oz loaf fed 4 of us. I also only had clear rum and I used a 1 1/2 tablespoons because my kids don't like when it tastes a bit boozy. It lit on fire nicely which the younger one, went nuts over. Thank you so much for this recipe, it's most definitely going in my recipe box!
Kristen Chidsey
OH I love hearing how much you and your family enjoyed this! I hope it brings your family smiles for years to come.