Meatless Monday Challenge

Delicious Bananas Foster Pancakes

on May 10, 2021
last updated April 17, 2023
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These Bananas Foster Pancakes boasts a tall stack of banana pancakes topped with a rum-based caramelized banana sauce to define the term "brunch goals"
stack of banana pancakes with bananas foster sauce on top

Want something a little extra sweet to start your day? These Bananas Foster Pancakes are the perfect way to satisfy your sweet tooth, bringing your boozy brunch to a whole new level.

With a rum and brown-sugar-based sauce, the bananas foster topping caramelizes the bananas beautifully to make those banana pancakes better than ever! And what’s more, this dish is an incredible way to use up those overripe bananas!

pouring sauce over banana s foster pancakes

As an environmental scientist, I am always looking for ways to reduce food waste. Bananas are one of those produce items that go from perfect to entirely overripe seemingly overnight.

Plus, adding fruit to your pancakes is a great way to add both moisture and fun flavor, like in these Strawberry Banana Pancakes.

Bananas Foster Pancakes Ingredients


Banana Pancakes

Here’s everything you’ll need for the pancake portion of your Bananas Foster Pancakes:

  • Ripe banana. The riper the better for inside the pancake batter!
  • Egg. To help with rising and to bind your pancakes together.
  • All-purpose flour. The base of your batter.
  • Baking powder. For fluffy and airy banana pancakes.
  • Brown sugar. For a touch of sweetness and to get that caramelization on the outside of your flapjacks.
  • Milk. Because the size of the banana varies slightly, you may need to adjust the amount of milk you use. You shouldn’t need more than 3/4 cup but start by adding just 1/2 cup. Add more, stirring in between, until desired consistency is reached.
  • Vanilla extract. For flavor.
  • Butter. To fry your pancakes in the pan.
baking powder, brown sugar, egg, milk, flour, banana, and vanilla extract
ingredients for banana pancakes

Bananas Foster Sauce

Here’s everything you’ll need for the topping portion of your Bananas Foster Pancakes:

  • Butter. This helps thicken the sauce.
  • Brown sugar. To make a syrup.
  • Cinnamon. The perfect complement to the brown sugar and bananas.
  • Rum. Dark rum is preferred.
  • Banana. Ripe, but not too mushy is best.
butter, rum, brown sugar, cinnamon, and bananas
ingredients for bananas foster topping

Tested Substitutions

Make this dish dairy-free with plant-based milk and butter. Both dairy and non-dairy milk and butter work beautifully in this recipe.

You can use whole wheat flour in place of all-purpose flour in the banana pancakes, and add an extra 2 tablespoons of milk. You will get a thicker and denser pancake.

If you are running low on sugar, you can use half brown sugar and half granulated or sugar in the raw.

For a vegan version, use these Whole Wheat Pancakes for your base, and make the bananas foster topping with plant-based butter.

If you don’t have dark rum, you can absolutely use light rum or even banana liqueur. For a non-alcoholic bananas foster, substitute apple juice.

Green tip: Look for pasture-raised eggs (over free-range or cage-free) to support agriculture that is less reliant on chemicals and fossil fuels.

Bananas Foster Pancakes Tips and Tricks


Don’t Chuck Your Overripe Bananas

The good news is, the riper the banana, the more flavorful! So no wasting overripe bananas here! As a banana ripens it gets sweeter and sweeter, which means it becomes even better to fry into pancakes or make a sweet topping with.

So grab that overripe banana and a couple of other essentials and you’re on your way to a delicious breakfast! Here’s what you’ll need:

If you have bananas that are not too ripe, that’s okay! Just cook your bananas foster topping for a little longer. Your not-so-ripe bananas will be a little firmer and can handle the heat a tad longer.

Green tip: Did you know that of the billions of pounds of food wasted annually, it is estimated that 50% of it happens in our homes. It’s always best to avoid food waste as much as you can!

Mash That Nanner

For the banana pancakes, the first step is to mash your banana. With a ripe banana, you should easily be able to mash it up with a fork.

Just press the fork down on the banana into the bottom of your mixing bowl until it is completely mashed.

using fork to smash banana
slice lengthwise first…

Whip in Your Egg

Use your fork or a whisk to whip the egg with the mashed banana to aerate it. This will give you fluffier pancakes.

Continue to whisk until the batter is smooth and airy.

using fork to whisk together egg and banana

Add Your Dry Ingredients, Then Wet

Next, add your flour and baking powder and stir again. Once you have a super thick, smooth batter, add your vanilla extract and milk.

adding flour to pancake batter

You May Not Need All Of the Milk

Since not all bananas are equal in size, the amount of milk you need may vary slightly. You will not need more than 3/4 cups.

Start by adding 1/2 cup and stir until your batter is smooth. Then, assess the consistency of your batter. You want a smooth, thin batter, but not a batter that is runny—It should slowly run off of a spoon.

If you find your batter is too thick, slowly add more milk, stirring as you go until the desired consistency is achieved.

slowly adding milk to banana pancake batter

Use a Vessel With a Spout

I like to transfer my banana pancake batter into my measuring cup for an easy pour. Really any cup with a spout will do!

Get your butter hot in a pan, and then slowly pour your pancake batter onto the pan. As the batter spreads, it will form a circle. Continue to pour until your pancake is about 3 inches in diameter.

transferring pancake batter from bowl to measuring cup

Don’t Overcrowd Your Pan

Leave a little space in between each pancake so you have room to easily get your spatula underneath each one to flip it. Depending on the size of your pan, you can probably make anywhere from 2-4 pancakes at a time.

You’ll know your pancake is ready to flip because you’ll see little air bubbles form in the pancake. Flip and cook until the pancakes are golden brown on each side.

pouring pancake batter from measuring cup into hot pan with butter

Keep Your Pancakes Warm

If you are not able to multi-task flipping your pancakes and whipping up your bananas foster topping, I totally feel you.

Just preheat your oven to 200 °F and add your banana pancakes to a large baking sheet. Keep them in your oven while you whip up your topping!

Green tip: To reduce your plastic waste, consider using a reusable baking mat! They are heat-safe up to about 420°F.

Melt Your Butter First

To make your bananas foster pancake topping, start by melting the butter in the pan. Keep your heat source on medium heat, and use a small pot or deep saucepan.

Let it Bubble

Once your butter is melted, add the sugar, cinnamon, and rum. Continue to heat and stir until the sugar dissolves in the liquids and the mixture starts to bubble and thicken.

adding brown sugar to pan with hot butter to make bananas foster

Prep Your Bananas

While you’re waiting for your bananas foster sauce to bubble up, prep your bananas.

The easiest way is to first, slice them in half longways. Then, you can easily chop them up into smaller pieces, about 1-inch long.

Add Your Bananas

Once your sauce starts to thicken and form a thick, dark syrup, add your bananas and toss them in the delicious ooey-gooey sauce.

Turn the heat down and cook for a couple more minutes until you have a delicious syrup coating your banana chunks.

adding bananas to rum, brown sugar, cinnamon, and butter mixture

How to Store and Reheat Leftover Bananas Foster Pancakes

These epic pancakes will last for 4-5 days covered in the refrigerator. You can also opt to freeze them for a couple of months. Just ensure they are completely cool before sticking them in the freezer in a freezer-safe bag.

To reheat, thaw first if frozen. Then, reheat in the oven at 350°F for about 15-20 minutes until heated thoroughly. Just make sure to spread them out on a large baking sheet, so they are not stacked on top of each other.

Reheating them in a frying pan is also an option. You don’t need any butter, just plop them directly onto your hot pan over medium heat. Flip after about 3 minutes. Continue to flip every few minutes until heated through.

You can also opt to reheat them in the microwave, they’ll just be a little less airy. Spread them out on a large plate (don’t stack them on top of each other) and start with 45 seconds on high. If they aren’t hot all the way through, keep heating in twenty-second intervals until heated thoroughly.

stack of bananas foster pancakes with slice taken out

Bananas Foster Pancakes Frequently Asked Questions


Why is it called Bananas Foster?

Bananas Foster was first created in 1951 at Brennan’s restaurant in New Orleans, named after and created in honor of special guest Richard Foster.

It has since become a blanket term for pan-fried banana chunks coated in butter, brown sugar, and rum. This version adds cinnamon for extra flavor.

What is Bananas Foster made of?

Classic bananas foster consist of caramelized bananas, rum, brown sugar, and butter. The bananas are sliced into small chunks and served over ice cream, pudding, other sweet treats, or even banana pancakes!

What can I use in place of rum in Bananas Foster?

If you don’t have rum on hand, whiskey or brandy is great in Bananas Foster, too. If you don’t want to add alcohol, you can substitute apple juice for the rum.

Want to sharpen your kitchen skills?

Download My Free eBook!

Why You Should Make These Bananas Foster Pancakes


  • It’s sweet! That sugary, rum-based banana-flavored sauce can not be beaten.
  • It’s indulgent! Step up your pancake game with this next-level sauce.
  • It’s resourceful. Avoid chucking out overripe bananas with this recipe.

Loving these Bananas Foster Pancakes and looking for more next-level brunch dishes? Check out this Captain Crunch French Toast and Smoked Salmon Eggs Benedict!

stack of banana pancakes with bananas foster sauce on top

Delicious Bananas Foster Pancakes

4.8 from 8 votes
Marley Goldin
Pin Print Save Rate
These Bananas Foster Pancakes boasts a tall stack of banana pancakes topped with a rum-based caramelized banana sauce to define the term brunch goals.
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 15 minutes
Total Time 30 minutes
Servings 6 pancakes

Ingredients
  

Banana Pancakes

  • 1 ripe banana
  • 1 large egg
  • ¾ cup all-purpose flour
  • 1 tablespoon brown sugar
  • 2 teaspoons baking powder
  • ¾ cup milk (dairy or unsweetened plant-based*)
  • ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 2 to 4 tablespoons unsalted butter for frying pancakes (dairy or plant-based)

Bananas Foster Topping

  • 2 ripe bananas
  • 3 tablespoons unsalted butter (dairy or plant-based)
  • 3 tablespoons dark rum
  • ½ cup brown sugar
  • ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
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Instructions
 

Banana Pancakes

  • Peel your banana and at it to a large mixing bowl. Use a fork to mash the banana.
  • Add egg to the mashed banana and use the fork to whip together until combined.
  • Add your brown sugar, flour, and baking powder to the banana/egg mixture and stir until combined.
  • Add vanilla extract and ½ cup milk stir again until combined. Depending on the size and ripeness of your banana, the amount of milk you need will vary.
    Assess the consistency and continue to add milk, about 1 tablespoon at a time until the batter is smooth, but not too thin. It should slowly run off a spoon.
  • Transfer batter to a measuring cup or another cup with a handle that makes your pancake batter easy to pour.
  • Add butter to a griddle or pan over medium heat and allow it to melt and sizzle. Pour pancake batter onto the hot pan and allow it to cook until you see bubbles forming in your pancake.
    Flip and cook for another couple of minutes until golden brown on both sides. Repeat until your batter is used up.

Bananas Foster Topping

  • Slice your bananas lengthwise so you have two thinner pieces. Then, cut those thinner pieces into slices about 1-inch wide.
  • Add butter to a medium-sized pot or saucepan over medium heat and allow it to melt.
  • Once the butter has melted, add your brown sugar, cinnamon, and rum. Simmer for a couple of minutes until your mixture starts to bubble.
  • Once the mixture is bubbling, add sliced bananas and toss to coat. Simmer for about two minutes until the syrup thickens.
  • Serve hot over warm banana pancakes. Enjoy!

Pro Tips

  • You may not need all ¾ cup of milk depending on the size and ripeness of your banana. Start with just ½ cup of milk and slowly add until you reach the desired consistency for the batter.
  • Keep your banana pancakes warm in the oven while you are whipping up your topping by placing on a baking sheet and sticking them in the oven preheated to 200°F.
  • Don’t overcook your bananas in the bananas foster topping! You want to remove them from heat before they get mushy.
  • Bananas for bananas? Hate waste? You’ll love this collection of the best ripened banana recipes!
  • If you’re like me and love starting your day with pancakes, you’re gonna need to check out the collection of my best pancake recipes!
Course Breakfast, Brunch
Cuisine American
Diet Vegetarian
Keyword 30 Minutes or Less, Bananas, Bananas Foster, Pancakes, Rum
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2 thoughts on “Delicious Bananas Foster Pancakes”

  1. 5 stars
    I am IN love with this banana foster recipe. It is so absolutely delicious, and the flavors are perfectly harmonized. The bananas do not get too mushy, but just mushy enough. The sauce itself is liquid gold that I want to add onto ice cream, cocktails, etc. Adding this into my monthly “breakfast for dinner” night.

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