Have you ever heard of Bananas Foster French Toast? If you’re looking for a new breakfast recipe, this is it! This dish has all the flavors of bananas foster dessert in a breakfast casserole. It is perfect for a simple breakfast or make it for brunch. You are going to love this recipe!
I absolutely love making breakfast casseroles. Some of my favorites are Baked Pumpkin French Toast Casserole with a Maple Glaze, Baked Apple Cinnamon French Toast Casserole, Hash Brown Breakfast Casserole and Tater Tot Breakfast Casserole. While it is not a breakfast casserole, I LOVE these Gingerbread Cinnamon Rolls, too! Just add some fresh fruit and you’re all set for breakfast. Can you tell I’m a breakfast person?
Breakfast is one of those meals that everyone thinks has to be boring. Not with this recipe. Bananas Foster French Toast brings in the flavors of your favorite dessert and makes it into a delicious breakfast. You can start this casserole the night before and then bake it in the morning. Never settle for boring breakfast again.
What Is “Bananas Foster”?
Bananas Foster is a dessert made with bananas and alcohol. It’s a New Orleans creation, first served at Brennan’s restaurant in 1951 and named after a friend of the owner. With the alcohol, the dish is set on fire (i.e., flambeed), which brings out the taste of the rum but burns away the alcohol. The most common way to make it is in the oven, but it can also be made on the stovetop or even in a crock pot. With this recipe, I am bringing in all of the flavors of the banana foster dessert and making it into the most amazing breakfast ever.
What Do I Serve With Bananas Foster French Toast?
It depends on whether you want this to be a breakfast-dessert or a dessert-breakfast. That is, if you are eating this as intended (i.e., for breakfast) then you may want to include some fresh cream and fruit. Berries in particular complement this meal well. If you want to make it a more substantial morning meal, go with bacon, sausage, or eggs (scrambled or fried, for instance). If you are using this as more of a dessert, ice cream is the way to go.
What Is The Best Bread For French Toast?
I am using French toast to make this casserole. Using stale bread is ideal because it works best with the custard (and you find a use for stale bread!). If the bread isn’t stale you can oven-dry it by breaking it into pieces and baking it for 30 minutes at 275 degrees. You want to turn the pieces once during the baking process. Other breads to consider are challah, brioche, or Texas toast, because they are all thick and dense, and have a high egg and milk absorption capacity. When cooked, the texture will be rich and custardy.
Prep Time: 15 min.
Refrigerate Time: 8 hrs.
Cook Time: 45 min.
Ingredients
Caramel topping
- 1 cup brown sugar
- 1/2 cup heavy cream
- 4 tbsp butter
- pinch salt
- 1 tbsp vanilla extract
- 2-3 medium ripe bananas, thinly sliced
French Toast
- 1/2 loaf French bread, cut into cubes
- 4 oz cream cheese, cubed
- 1 cup chopped pecans or walnuts
- 4 eggs
- 1/2 cup milk
- 1/3 cup sugar
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 tsp rum extract
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- 1/8 tsp pinch of salt
Garnish
- powdered sugar or whipped cream and a drizzle of caramel
Instructions
- In a medium pan, melt butter, brown sugar, heavy cream and salt. Cook and stir until sugar is completely dissolved. Once sugar is dissolved, remove from heat and add vanilla.
- Butter an 8×8-inch baking pan
- Pour caramel sauce into prepared pan and make sure it is evenly distributed.
- Thinly slice the bananas and evenly place over the sauce.
- Layer and evenly sprinkle half of the bread cubes over the bananas.
- Evenly distribute the cream cheese and chopped walnuts or pecans over the bread cubes.
- Cover the top with the remaining bread cubes.
- In a medium bowl, combine eggs, milk, sugar, vanilla, cinnamon, and pinch of salt and whisk together until completely smooth and well combined.
- Pour the egg mixture over the bread.
- Gently press the bread down so that all of the bread can absorb the egg mixture.
- Cover casserole in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 8 hours (overnight)
To bake:
- When ready to bake, remove pan from refrigerator and leave it out on the counter for 30 mins.
- Preheat the oven to 350.
- Cover with foil and bake for 30 mins
- Uncover and bake for an additional 15-20 mins until center is set.
- Let it cool in pan 5-10 minutes.
To serve:
- Carefully flip the casserole over into a serving dish so that the caramel and banana are on the top.
- Slice and enjoy!
FAQs
No one wants to make a delicious breakfast casserole like Banana Fosters French Toast and then eat it when it has cooled. You want to keep it warm. After the casserole has been baked and you can place the casserole in the oven at 300 degrees, covered and let it sit. Do not let it heat for more than 25 minutes or the casserole will dry out and be overbaked.
No, the flambeeing is optional (and perhaps best skipped if you’re slow to awaken in the morning!). If you want to flambee, just add a splash of rum and light it with a long-stem match or a brulee torch. Be careful!
Though rum is the traditional spirit, you can go with something else, like a banana liqueur (if you really like the bananas element of the dish), or Grand Marnier, which would add an orange flavor to the dish.
How To Store Bananas Foster French Toast
If you decide to make this recipe and want to save some for another day, there are a few ways that you can store it. It will last in the refrigerator for 3 days. Bananas Foster French Toast freezes really well and can be frozen up to six months. When storing, wrap the leftovers tightly with plastic wrap and then place it in a freezer bag to ensure that it will not be damaged. Then, when you want to bake the leftovers, simply let them thaw overnight in your refrigerator and then reheat them on the stovetop or microwave.
As you are ready to eat, make sure that you keep a close eye on it. The bread on the top will become darker and more crisp than normal. To make sure that your French toast is cooked through, use a toothpick to check the center of the casserole before serving it. If the toothpick comes out clean, you are good to go.
If you liked this recipe, be sure to check out these others:
Bananas Foster French Toast
Equipment
- 8*8 pan for thick slices, 9*13 for thinner slices
- Baking Sheet
- Mixing Bowls, spoon and cups
Ingredients
Caramel topping:
- 1 cup brown sugar
- 1/2 cup heavy cream
- 4 tablespoons butter
- Pinch salt
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- 2-3 medium ripe bananas thinly sliced
FRENCH TOAST
- 1/2 loaf French bread cut into cubes
- 4 oz. cream cheese cubed
- 1 cup chopped pecans or walnuts
- 4 eggs
- 1/2 cup milk
- 1/3 cup sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon rum extract
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/8 tsp Pinch of salt
Garnish:
- Powdered sugar or whipped cream And a drizzle of caramel
Instructions
- In a medium pan, melt butter, brown sugar, heavy cream and salt. Cook and stir until sugar is completely dissolved. Once sugar is dissolved, remove from heat and add vanilla.
- Butter and 8*8-inch baking pan
- Pour caramel sauce into prepared pan and make sure it is evenly distributed.
- Thinly slice the bananas and evenly place over the sauce.
- Layer and evenly sprinkle half of the bread cubes over the bananas.
- Evenly distribute the cream cheese and chopped walnuts or pecans over the bread cubes.
- Cover the top with the remaining bread cubes.
- In a medium bowl, combine eggs, milk, sugar, vanilla, cinnamon, and pinch of salt and whisk together until completely smooth and well combined.
- Pour the egg mixture over the bread.
- Gently press the bread down so that all of the bread can absorb the egg mixture.
- Cover casserole in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 8 hours (overnight)
To bake:
- When ready to bake, remove pan from refrigerator and leave it out on the counter for 30 mins.
- Preheat the oven to 350.
- Cover with foil and bake for 30 mins
- Uncover and bake for an addition 15-20 mins until center is set.
- Let it cool in pan 5-10 minutes.
To serve:
- Carefully flip the casserole over into a serving dish so that the caramel and banana are on the top.
- Slice and enjoy!