This ooey gooey Bananas Foster French Toast combines an iconic New Orleans dessert with a classic breakfast staple. Rich brioche French toast covered in a decadent, syrupy banana caramel sauce is breakfast and dessert wrapped in one indulgent dish!
Many of my recipes are heavily influenced by the Cajun and Creole flavors of Louisiana cuisine, and this bananas foster french toast is definitely one of those recipes. Bananas foster is one of my favorite desserts and no trip down to New Orleans is complete until I've had it at least once!
I came up with this decadent French toast recipe to satisfy two cravings with one dish, and I was in pure heaven after the first bite. For more New Orleans-inspired desserts, check out our New Orleans Beignets and Southern Pecan Pralines next!
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Ingredients You Need To Make This Recipe
French Toast
- Eggs. Whole eggs and yolks are combined with dairy to create a rich custard for the french toast.
- Half and half. For a rich custard to coat the bread for the french toast.
- Granulated sugar and brown sugar. to sweeten the custard and add caramel-like notes.
- Vanilla extract. To add flavor and depth to the custard.
- Cinnamon, cloves, and nutmeg. To add flavor and depth to the custard.
- Brioche bread. Thick-sliced brioche is soft and fluffy yet sturdy enough to stand up to the custard, making it perfect for French toast.
- Unsalted butter. For frying the french toast.
Bananas Foster Sauce
- Unsalted butter. Combined with brown sugar to create the base for the sauce.
- Dark brown sugar. To create a rich, caramel-like sauce.
- Heavy cream. To add the perfect amount of creaminess to the sauce.
- Cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt. To add flavor and balance to the sauce.
- Chopped pecans. The sweet, buttery crunch of pecans is an excellent addition to the syrupy sauce.
- Bananas. Firm bananas are added at the very end to give the sauce delicious flavor and texture.
- Vanilla extract. To add even more flavor and depth. Use good-quality vanilla! The cheap stuff will completely throw off the flavor of your sauce!
How To Make This Recipe
Make the French Toast
- In a large mixing bowl or large shallow dish, whisk together the eggs, egg yolks, half and half, sugars, vanilla, cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves until well combined.
- Melt two tablespoons of butter in a griddle or large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Working quickly and with one piece of bread at a time, dip the brioche into the custard, then flip it over and gently press it down to thoroughly coat both sides, and transfer it to the hot griddle. Repeat this process with three more slices of bread.
- Cook the french toast for 2 to 3 minutes until golden brown. Flip the french toast and cook for an additional two to three minutes. Transfer the french toast to an unlined baking sheet.
- Melt the last two tablespoons of butter in the griddle or skillet and coat and fry the remaining four pieces of french toast. Transfer the last four pieces of french toast to the baking sheet and place them in the oven. Turn the oven temperature to 275°F to keep the french toast warm while you prepare the bananas foster sauce.
Make the Bananas Foster Topping
- Add the butter and brown sugar to a medium saucepan and heat it over medium heat. Heat the butter and sugar, while stirring with a wooden spoon, for 4 to 5 minutes until the sugar dissolves and the sauce is bubbly.
- Stir in the heavy cream, cinnamon, nutmeg, salt, and pecans, and continue to cook for about another minute. Stir in the bananas and continue cooking the sauce for another 2 minutes. Stir in the vanilla and remove the pan from the heat.
- Serve bananas foster french toast by placing two pieces of french toast on a plate and spooning bananas foster sauce over top. Add a scoop of vanilla ice cream to layer on the decadence if you're feeling frisky!
What Is Bananas Foster?
Bananas foster is a delicious dessert made with sliced bananas cooked with a sweet rum sauce and served with vanilla ice cream. This dessert originated in New Orleans and is an iconic dish that is often prepared as a flambé (a cooking technique that involves adding alcohol to create flames).
Variations and Substitutions
My father-in-law cannot stand the flavor of bananas but loved all of the other ingredients in this dish. I made him this exact same recipe sans bananas and he was in heaven!
So, if bananas aren't your thing, don't totally dismiss this recipe because it is still pure delicious decadence without the banana flavor! You can also substitute some of the following for bananas:
- Peaches
- Mangoes
- Pineapples
- Pears
- Apples
Pears and apples would require more cooking time to soften and I recommend cooking them down a bit before adding them to the sauce so it doesn't burn.
Traditional bananas foster is made with a rum sauce. Feel free to add a tablespoon or two of rum to your sauce to kick things up a notch!
More FAQs
Bananas foster is a dessert dish made with bananas and rum sauce while flambé refers to a cooking technique that involves adding alcohol to create flames and caramelize the bananas.
You want to use slightly stale, thick-cut bread for French toast. Bread that is a day or two old will soak up the custard very well without falling apart. My favorite types of bread for french toast are brioche, challah, or French bread.
For the best french toast, buy a loaf of bread and slice it ¾-inch thick. You can also use pre-sliced bread if it is thick-sliced.
A soggy interior in French toast can be caused by using bread that is too thin, soaking the bread for too long, or cooking the french toast on too high heat, causing the exterior to brown before the interior cooks.
Make-Ahead and Storing Instructions
The bananas foster sauce can be made up to two days in advance and stored in the refrigerator until ready to serve. The bananas will lose their texture and become a bit mushy when stored.
To prevent this you could wait and add the sliced bananas when reheating the caramel sauce. Reheat the sauce on the stovetop with the sliced bananas and serve over warm French toast.
The french toast can also be made ahead of time, but I recommend making it fresh so it does not lose its texture and become soggy.
Leftover french toast and bananas foster sauce can be stored separately in airtight containers in the refrigerator for up to three days.
Recommended Tools For This Recipe
More New Orleans-Inspired Recipes You Will Love!
- Mardis Gras King Cake
- New Orleans Beignets
- Louisiana Red Beans and Rice
- Cajun Shrimp and Grits
- Cajun Crawfish Etouffee
- Cajun Jambalaya Pasta
📖 Recipe
Bananas Foster French Toast
Ingredients
French Toast
- 4 large eggs
- 2 large egg yolks
- 1 cup half and half
- 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
- 2 tablespoons dark brown sugar or light brown sugar
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon ground cloves
- ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 8 slices brioche bread about ¾-inch thick, 1 to 2 days old
- ¼ cup unsalted butter
Bananas Foster Sauce
- ½ cup unsalted butter
- ¾ cup dark brown sugar or light brown sugar
- ¼ cup heavy cream
- ½ tespoon ground cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 1 cup pecans chopped or halves
- 2 firm bananas slightly underripe is best
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
Instructions
Make the French Toast
- In a large mixing bowl or large shallow dish, whisk together the eggs, egg yolks, half and half, sugars, vanilla, cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves until well combined.
- Melt two tablespoons of butter in a griddle or large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Working quickly and with one piece of bread at a time, dip the brioche into the custard, then flip it over and gently press it down to thoroughly coat both sides, and transfer it to the hot griddle. Repeat this process with three more slices of bread.
- Cook the french toast for 2 to 3 minutes until golden brown. Flip the french toast and cook for an additional two to three minutes. Transfer the french toast to an unlined baking sheet.
- Melt the last two tablespoons of butter in the griddle or skillet and coat and fry the remaining four pieces of french toast. Transfer the last four pieces of french toast to the baking sheet and place them in the oven. Turn the oven temperature to 275°F to keep the french toast warm while you prepare the bananas foster sauce.
Make the Bananas Foster Sauce
- Add the butter and brown sugar to a medium saucepan and heat it over medium heat. Heat the butter and sugar, while stirring with a wooden spoon, for 4 to 5 minutes until the sugar dissolves and the sauce is bubbly.
- Stir in the heavy cream, cinnamon, nutmeg, salt, and pecans and continue to cook for about another minute. Stir in the bananas and continue cooking the sauce for another 2 minutes. Stir in the vanilla and remove the pan from the heat.
- Serve bananas foster french toast by placing two pieces of french toast on a plate and spooning bananas foster sauce over top. Add a scoop of vanilla ice cream to layer on the decadence if you're feeling frisky!
Notes
- Traditional bananas foster is made with a rum sauce. Feel free to add a tablespoon or two of rum to your sauce to kick things up a notch!
- Leftover french toast and bananas foster sauce can be stored separately in airtight containers in the refrigerator for up to three days.
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