French toast and an iconic New Orleans dessert collide in this dish that features a caramelized banana topping and a rich Challah french toast. This Bananas Foster French Toast is a decadent, luxurious spin on classic french toast.
After a trip to New Orleans, I was anxious to get home and recreate a dish that was featured at every restaurant I visited--Bananas Foster.
Bananas foster is simply bananas that have been sauteed with butter, sugar, and a little bit of rum. It is simple, yet the flavors are spot-on.
I was not only inspired to prepare Banana Foster but to also incorporate the classic dish into other dishes--like a topping for french toast.
This recipe for Bananas Fosters French toast topped with caramelized bananas is decadent, over-the-top, and down-right delicious. It is the perfect breakfast or brunch to make when you want to indulge or dream about New Orleans.
Key Ingredients
- Challah bread: I prefer a rich eggy challah bread for this recipe, but a 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.
- Egg Custard: The french toast custard is made with eggs, vanilla, cinnamon, and milk just like a traditional french toast.
- Bananas Foster Sauce: Bananas foster is made with slightly under-ripe bananas, butter, brown sugar, and rum. The rum is completely optional and should be omitted if preparing for children.
How to Prepare Banana Fosters French Toast
Begin this recipe by making french toast.
- Make a custard with eggs, vanilla, cinnamon, and milk just like a traditional french toast.
- Soak thick slices of bread lightly on both sides in custard.
- Saute quickly on a buttered skillet
- Finish cooking in the oven. By cooking the french toast in the oven, you create evenly cooked french toast, that is creamy, yet still crispy.
As my french toast bakes, I use the same skillet to make the bananas foster sauce for stopping the french toast.
- Melt butter in a skillet over low heat.
- Add brown sugar and stir until sugar dissolves.
- Add bananas and cook for 1 minute on each side.
- Remove bananas from pan to a serving dish.
- Bring sauce to a simmer and carefully add the rum, if using.
- If the sauce does not immediately flame up, carefully ignite sauce with a stick lighter.
- Cook until the flame dies out, approximately 1 to 2 minutes.
More Delicious Breakfast Recipes
- Hash Brown Breakfast Casserole
- French Toast Casserole
- Easy Skinny Overnight Cinnamon Rolls
- Whole Wheat Pancakes
Bananas Foster French Toast
Ingredients
- 1 16 ounce loaf of challah bread cut into 1 inch thick slices (about 12 slices)
- 6 eggs
- ½ cup half and half or milk
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ½ teaspoon cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 5 tablespoons of butter divided
- ¼ cup brown sugar
- 2 underripe bananas sliced in 1 inch slices on a bias
- ¼ cup dark rum optional
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
French Toast
- Whisk eggs, milk, cinnamon, salt, and vanilla together. Dip each slice of bread into egg mixture and flip and soak other side.
- Preheat skillet (do not use a nonstick skillet if flambeing rum later) over medium heat and add in 1 tablespoon butter.
- Once butter is melted, brown each slice of french toast for 1-2 minutes on each side. Remove from skillet and place on baking sheet and place in oven while making the bananas foster sauce for 15 minutes.
Bananas Foster Sauce
- Melt remaining butter in same skillet over low heat. Add brown sugar and stir until sugar dissolves. Add bananas and cook for 1 minute on each side.Remove bananas from pan to a serving dish.
- Bring sauce to a simmer and carefully add the rum, if using. If the sauce does not immediately flame up, carefully ignite sauce with a stick lighter. Cook until flame dies out, approximately 1 to 2 minutes.
- To serve, place 2 slices of the french toast on a plate, top with a few slices of bananas and then a bit of the syrup.
Wendy Klik
I knew I shouldn't have waited until Lent started to read these posts....My stomach is grumbling all over the place. Yummo.
Kristen Chidsey
LOL!!! I bet!
Sarah Reid, CNP (@jo_jo_ba)
We used to have french toast all the time, but not like this! Yum!
Tara
Such a perfect addition to a Mardi Gras brunch!
Kristen Chidsey
Thanks Tara!
Caroline
Looks like a tasty twist on both French toast and bananas foster. I'm heading to Charleston for the first time in a couple months and can't wait!
Kristen Chidsey
Oh my goodness Caroline--you will LOVE it!
nikki@soulfullymade.com
This is making me drool! It looks amazing! I will be making this!
Kristen Chidsey
Thank you so much Nikki! I hope you enjoy it!
Carlee
It looks like practice made perfect! This looks absolutely decadent and amazing!
Kristen Chidsey
Thank you so much Carlee!
Laura Dembowski
I'm so sorry to hear you were in an accident before your wedding. It sounds like you made the best of a bad situation, though. And this french toast looks amazing!
Kristen Chidsey
Thank you Laura! It wasn't what we had planned, but it did all work out all okay!
Christie
French toast rocks by itself. But you put Bananas Foster on them? Mind blown. Sounds like dessert to me!
Kristen Chidsey
LOL!! Yep, truly more of a dessert than a healthy breakfast. But oh is it worth the sugar comma!
Denise Wright
I have never had bananas foster before and I'm now wondering what is wrong with me! It sounds fabulous. This will be great when my stepdaughter and her family come to stay. We like to have special breakfast for them. Looks great!
Kristen Chidsey
You must change that ASAP Denise! Bananas foster is so simple, yet so perfect. I hope you enjoy!
Liz
We honeymooned in Charleston, too!!! And we both posted bananas foster recipes, too! Your French toast looks amazing!!!
Kristen Chidsey
Thanks Liz--great minds think alike <3