Caramelized Bananas
These Easy Honey Caramelized Bananas are a warm, sticky, sweet, buttery treat perfect for using as a topping on your favorite brunch items or an ice cream sundae. Our method for making caramelized bananas involves no brown sugar or alcohol and takes about 10 minutes to whip up – making it the perfect little indulgence any day of the week!
Caramelized Bananas Recipe
Caramelized bananas used to be one of those gourmet desserts you’d only see in fancy restaurants, where they would flambe the bananas tableside and use it to top ice cream for a bananas foster dessert.
By removing the alcohol and flambe, but still keeping all of the caramelized, buttery, sweet flavor of these caramelized bananas, you can now enjoy this decadent dessert at home whenever the mood strikes!
This caramelized bananas recipe is so easy that it’s become one of my 11-year-old daughter’s favorite recipes to make when she’s craving something sweet.
My favorite way to enjoy these caramelized bananas is on top of ice cream, but they would also be delicious on top of waffles, pancakes, French toast – or even a yogurt parfait. My daughter loves them on a piece of toast slathered with peanut butter.
For best results, use bananas that are yellow, ripe and firm – not green but before they develop brown spots. Overripe (spotted) bananas will become even more mushy with cooking and will take on an almost applesauce-like texture. They will still be tasty, but I personally don’t enjoy the texture as much.
Caramelized Banana Variations:
- add some warmth with additional spices, like nutmeg, cardamom, etc.
- add a hit of acidity for more depth of flavor using a couple tablespoons of apple juice, lemon juice or pineapple juice
- add a teaspoon of vanilla extract for more depth of flavor at the end of the cooking time, if desired
- slice the bananas lengthwise for longer strips of caramelized bananas
- for a bananas foster version, add a couple of tablespoons of rum or banana liqueur at the end of the cooking time and light the alcohol using a BBQ lighter to flambe the bananas for 1 minute
- swap out the honey for maple syrup for a maple caramelized banana recipe
- swap out the honey for brown sugar, if desired
- serve with toasted nuts for additional texture and crunch
How long do caramelized bananas keep? These caramelized bananas are best enjoyed shortly after making, but they can be kept in the fridge and enjoyed for up to two days. (I recommend reheating before serving if you do refrigerate them.)
More Delicious Ice Cream Topping Recipes:
- Cookie Butter Ice Cream Topping
- Monkey Butter Pineapple Ice Cream Topping
- Copycat Cracker Barrel Fried Apples
- Homemade Chocolate Syrup from Kylee Cooks
- Strawberry Sauce Topping from Natasha’s Kitchen
Caramelized Bananas Ingredients
Scroll down to the printable recipe card for full measurements.
Tip: for best results, use bananas that are yellow, ripe and firm – not green but before they develop brown spots.
Kitchen Tools You May Find Helpful
- Sharp Kitchen Knife
- Cutting Board
- Measuring Spoons
- Cast Iron Skillet <– I love the versatility of a good cast-iron pan – you can make everything from eggs to dessert in them and they transition easily from the stove to the oven. This one is pre-seasoned and great for even heating
How to Caramelize Bananas
In a frying pan over medium heat, whisk together the cinnamon, butter and honey until melted and combined.
Slice your bananas into about 1″ pieces. Be sure not to slice them too thin or they will break while flipping.
Place the banana slices in an even layer in the frying pan.
Cook for 4 minutes, until the bottoms are golden and caramelized, then flip and cook for an additional 4 minutes until both sides are golden brown.
(Adjust the cooking temperature as needed to prevent burning the bananas.)
For best enjoyment, place the caramelized bananas directly on what you plan to serve them on and enjoy.
Grab your free printable recipe card for our easy caramelized bananas recipe:
Caramelized Bananas
Ingredients
- 1 Tablespoon butter
- 2 Tablespoons honey
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 2 bananas
Instructions
- In a frying pan over medium heat, whisk together the cinnamon, butter and honey until melted and combined.
- Slice your bananas into about 1" pieces. Be sure not to slice them too thin or they will break while flipping.
- Place the banana slices in an even layer in the frying pan.
- Cook for 4 minutes, until the bottoms are golden and caramelized, then flip and cook for an additional 4 minutes until both sides are golden brown.
- (Adjust the cooking temperature as needed to prevent burning the bananas.)
- For best enjoyment, place the caramelized bananas directly on what you plan to serve them on and enjoy.
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Nutrition Information:
Yield:
4Serving Size:
1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 112Total Fat: 3gSaturated Fat: 2gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 1gCholesterol: 8mgSodium: 24mgCarbohydrates: 23gFiber: 2gSugar: 16gProtein: 1g
Sugar, Spice and Glitter uses an auto-generate nutrition calculator. Nutrition information isn’t always accurate unless analyzed in a scientific lab, so these should be considered more of a guideline than medical information.
I hope your family loves this easy caramelized bananas recipe as much as mine did!
For more decadent desserts, check out our full dessert recipe collection here:
For more frozen treats, check out our full ice cream recipe collection here:
