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Got bananas laying around and you’re not sure what to do with them? These bananas are the perfect dessert to make if you’re craving something sweet on a weeknight or want to serve something special without too much time involved!
Once I wanted to try out Gordon Ramsay’s Banana Tarte Tatin and I was totally pumped and ready to make it. However, as I was watching the recipe video, I realized I had nowhere near enough bananas to make it properly, and I have to admit I was quite upset about this to say the least - I was waiting weeks to make it! Regardless, I still had a few bananas to use and I was still craving something sweet and delicious with the bananas.
That’s where this recipe came to save the day! I really did use up what I had to create something awesome and SUPER EASY! If you want a dessert that is nothing short of fabulous but requires only a few ingredients and just 10 minutes, then you’ve come to the right place! The holidays are upon us and you may want to put in more time in the main dish of your holiday dinner. I guarantee that if you serve these caramel bananas hot and fresh after your special meal, this will be an incredible ending to the special occasion! Add some rum to turn it into a Bananas Foster and this really will be a memorable treat over the holidays!
I give more details on the benefits of using what you have for a fantastic recipe in my free guide 5 Tips To Make Cooking Fun! Making this easy banana dessert will for sure give you the opportunity to put your heart on a plate for your loved ones, so try this out as part of your Live to Cook one-month challenge!
To follow along to see how fast and easy this caramelized bananas recipe is, be sure to watch the video! Please subscribe to my YouTube channel if you’re not already and hit the bell button so you receive all of the notifications when a new video recipe goes live! I love to share the video recipes to give you all the tools you need for success! Let’s get cooking!
Why You’ll Love This Caramelized Bananas Recipe!
- Beginner-friendly: This is a perfect dessert recipe for beginners! The process is quite straight forward, you just need to pay attention to your bananas!
- Few ingredients: Honestly just a handful of pantry and fridge staples here! Even to make your own Apple Pie Spice you probably have everything required!
- Budget-friendly: Correct me if I’m wrong but I believe bananas are the cheapest fruit out there! For three medium-sized bananas I only paid 66 cents CAD! I think that’s such a steal! You’ll also make your own Apple Pie Spice where the cost per serving is quite negligible. Furthermore, butter and brown sugar are staples that don’t break the bank and you most likely have on hand. This makes this easy banana dessert recipe perfect for students or those hosting a dinner party for the first time that would rather invest their money in the main dish!
- Speedy: I think this must be the fastest cooked dessert you can find! It honestly gets ready in a flash, and the prep time is almost non-existent! This is perfect to make when you’re short on time or very hungry for something sweet in a flash!
- Light-ish: I wouldn’t exactly call this a “healthy” dessert but it’s certainly pretty light! The main star here is the bananas, and we just have a touch of butter, cream, sugar to make the actual bananas, plus ice cream or whipped cream for serving. You can always find lighter ice creams or whipped creams. No pastry, no bread, no chocolate, no eggs. The main source of calories is from the bananas, and bananas are excellent for you! The other ingredients just provide the optimal deliciousness! If you need a dessert for someone who is watching their diet but still wants to have a nice indulgence, I recommend you make this!
- Versatile: You can eat these bananas alone or top it over treats! I’ll give serving suggestions below!
What pan should I use?▼
I used a stainless steel pan and the caramel turned out great! Given that fact, you are free to use any kind of pan to prepare this dish.
Other Equipment Needed
Ingredients
Remember, the FULL PRINTABLE RECIPE CARD with all ingredient quantities and full instructions is at the bottom of this post! You can save the recipe for later and adjust the recipe based on how many servings you want to make - all the ingredient quantities will automatically be adjusted so you won’t need to do any mental math!
For the Apple Pie Spice
For the Bananas
- Bananas: I recommend you use yellow bananas that are ripe but not over-ripe. If they are too ripe, they will be limp and disintegrate into the brown sugar mixture. On the other hand, if your banana is green, it’ll be hard to cook it down and it won’t be very sweet!
- Heavy cream: A little splash of heavy cream is a must here so that your brown sugar and butter don’t burn.
- Butter: To cook with the brown sugar and to get the banana caramelized.
- Brown sugar: Also known as light brown sugar, this helps to caramelize the bananas with the butter. You can use regular white sugar if you don’t have it, or try dark brown sugar for an intense flavor.
- Apple pie spice: As described above. If you really don’t want to make it, you can simply substitute with cinnamon, the spice with the largest ratio. Get more details about the apple pie spice by checking out the complete recipe here!
- Whipped cream or ice cream: Optional, for serving.
How to Make This Caramelized Bananas Dessert
Peel and slice bananas lengthwise and set aside for now.
Heat a pan on medium heat and once warm, add butter and let it melt.
Then add the brown sugar and cream and mix well until the sugar has melted and the mixture starts to gently bubble up and turn into caramel.
Add the apple pie spice and mix well.
Once the mixture is liquid and is simmering, add the bananas and spoon some of the caramel over. Warm the bananas on each side for 1-2 minutes.
Once the caramel has thickened slightly, go ahead and serve the bananas, topped with whipped cream or ice cream.
How to Make a Boozy Bananas Foster
Once the sugar and butter mixture has melted and the mixture starts to simmer, add a splash of brandy or rum to the pan. Enjoy the sweet and delicate flavors as you follow the remaining steps as described above.
Tips for Perfect Caramel Bananas
- Be sure to keep a close eye on the heat on the pan, if the pan is too hot, you might burn the caramel.
- A spoon is a great tool to flip and handle bananas delicately so that they remain whole.
- Cream is important to ensure the mixture remains liquidy and pourable once the caramel is being made, follow the recipe closely to ensure the caramel is prepared as expected.
How to Serve
As mentioned above, you can serve your bananas with some whipped cream or ice cream if you want to enjoy them alone! However, these bananas can also be used as a topping on top of many treats! Here are some ways you can enjoy your caramel bananas!
- Over pancakes: A version of caramel bananas are featured in my Eggnog Pancakes! You can of course top them over any pancakes you want!
- French toast: This will make them even sweeter and super special for sure!
- Crepes: In my Strawberry Banana & Nutella Crepes, I add raw bananas directly into the crepe. If you want a little more of a special touch, then definitely add the bananas in your crepes!
- Oatmeal: A cozy bowl of stovetop oats will be so much more special with some bananas on top! You can make them while your oats are simmering over the stove!
- In pudding: I just learned about this idea and I would love to try this out! You make a custard and your bananas, then you place it all in a casserole with vanilla wafer biscuits and allow it to chill overnight. Comment below if you want to see a recipe for this!
Can I make This in Advance?▼
I’ve seen other recipes where they say you can store your caramel bananas in an airtight container in the fridge and reheat them in the microwave. If you really made too much then sure, I suppose this is fine. However, I really recommend you try to make just the right portion that you’ll eat fresh. This dish really is best piping hot and fresh for best results! If you leave them in the fridge, they may get sticky and soggy from the sugar mixture. I’m not sure how well they will reheat since I’ve never tried doing this.
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