This recipe was born of necessity after an unfortunate episode of failing to unpack my carry-on bag from a trip. I had received a lovely loaf that got packed away and forgotten for a few days in that bag, leaving me with stale bread and really only one option: bread pudding. This Bananas Foster Bread Pudding was the perfect answer to my unfortunate problem! It transformed that loaf of stale bread into something magical: warm, custardy bread pudding, dotted with caramelized bananas and brown sugar. An optional touch of rum flavoring will make a dish reminiscent of traditional bananas foster without having to flambe a single thing! It’s an easy, comforting dessert that’s especially delicious with creme anglaise, Buttermilk Syrup, or vanilla ice cream.
Ingredients Needed
This is just a preview of ingredients and method, keep scrolling for full printable recipe.
- Stale bread cubes – Old croissants work well here, too. You don’t want soft, fresh bread, as it will just end up soggy. Slightly stale bread will soak up the custard beautifully.
- Bananas – I like barely over-ripe bananas. When they just start getting some brown spots on the peel, that’s perfect.
- Whole eggs and egg yolks – Whole eggs and egg yolks help create a rich base for the custard.
- Milk and heavy cream – This combo creates a smooth, creamy custard. I prefer milk with at least some fat in it, like 2% or whole.
- Brown sugar – Brown sugar is used to caramelize the bananas and bring a deep, richness to the finished bread pudding.
- Kosher salt
- Vanilla extract
- Rum flavoring – This is optional. I leave it out because I don’t care for the flavor, but if you like it, it’s a great addition.
- Cinnamon
- Butter – Always use real butter if you can!
How to Make Bananas Foster Bread Pudding
- First you’ll caramelize some banana slices in butter, brown sugar, and cinnamon. This is done in the oven.
- While those are caramelizing, you’ll rip up or cube your bread or croissants, and create a creamy custard with milk, heavy cream, and eggs.
- You’ll layer you bread, caramelized bananas, and an additional fresh banana in your baking dish, and then cover with your custard mixture, dot with a few pieces of butter, and bake until perfectly puffed and golden.
- Serve warm with vanilla ice cream, Buttermilk Syrup, or creme anglaise.
Storing and Other Tips
- Allow leftovers to cool completely and then cover tightly and refrigerate for up to 4 days for best results.
- Freeze individual portions in freezer-safe containers and freeze for up to 2 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator and reheat gently in the microwave, or covered in a 325°F oven until warmed through.
Frequently Asked Questions
I have not tried this, but you should be able to. I would replace the rum flavoring in the custard with 2-3 tablespoons dark or spiced rum, and then reduce the milk by that same amount to maintain the proper liquid ratio in the custard. The rum flavor will likely be more subtle than if you used the extract. Note that some alcohol will remain after baking.
Yes, you can assemble this bread pudding up to 24 hours in advance. Cover tightly and refrigerate until ready to bake. Uncover and bake as directed, adding a few extra minutes to the bake time.
The bread pudding should be puffed and golden but still slightly jiggly near the center. A knife inserted near the center should come out clean when it’s fully cooked.
Bananas Foster Bread Pudding
Ingredients
- 6 cups stale bread or croissant cubes
- 4 medium bananas divided
- 4 eggs
- 3 egg yolks
- 1 ½ cups milk
- 1 ½ cups heavy cream
- 1 cups brown sugar divided
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 ½ teaspoons rum flavoring optional; I leave it out because I don’t like the flavor of rum, but true Bananas Foster has rum in it.
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon divided
- 2 tablespoons butter divided
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400℉. Line a rimmed baking sheet with heavy-duty foil.
- In a small mixing bowl, combine 3 sliced bananas (about 2 cups) with 1 tablespoon melted butter. Combine ¼ cup brown sugar and 1/4 teaspooon cinnamon and then add them to the bananas and butter. Gently toss to combine and spread on the prepared baking sheet. Bake for 15 minutes or until the bananas are fragrant and tender and the sugar is starting to bubble and caramelize. Remove from oven and reduce heat to 350℉.
- While the bananas are caramelizing, use an electric hand mixer to combine the milk, whipping cream, egg yolks, eggs, vanilla, salt, remaining brown sugar, rum flavoring (if using), and remaining cinnamon.
- Spray a 9×13″ dish with non-stick cooking spray and spread ½ of the bread cubes over the bottom of the pan. Evenly spread the caramelized bananas and brown sugar mixture and then slice one more banana over the caramelized bananas. Spread the remaining bread cubes over the bananas. Whisk the egg mixture one last time and pour evenly over the bread cubes. Allow to stand for 10-15 minutes (longer if possible), poking the bread down into the mixture so it can soak in the milk and eggs.
- Bake for 40-50 minutes or until puffed and golden (but not brown) and a knife inserted into the center comes out clean. Serve with Crème Anglaise (with ¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon added), Buttermilk Syrup, or vanilla ice cream.
Questions & Reviews
I need to make this, seeing as it’s like my favorite ice cream but in warm bread form!
So can I use regular bread if I don’t have any stale or croissant bread? I totally want to make this, but only have unstable bread. :). I’ve never tried bread pudding and I’ve never been enticed by any recipe for it … But I want to try this one! 🙂
Kara, you can totally use any bread (although croissants, challah, french bread, Texas toast, etc. is better than a big ol’ loaf of whole wheat bread). See if the grocery store has any day-old bread for cheap. If not, you can either leave it out of the bag all day or cut it into chunks and place it on a baking sheet. Bake it for a few minutes at 425 so it’s not toasted but it’s starting to dry out. If the bread isn’t a little dry/stale, it won’t soak up the eggs and milk and then things get interesting. 🙂
Just so you know. My husband lived in Ireland for two years, one of his FAVORITE treats people would feed him there is called Banoffee. It isn’t a bread pudding, but it involves cake (angel food or white), bananas, caramel, and real whipped cream. So, you aren’t so off the mark. I was kind of hoping that you’d post some cutesy things for tomorrow. We’ll probably just do our traditional green eggs and ham for breakfast, with lots of baking in the middle, then the traditional American-Irish Corned Beef, cabbage, mashed potatoes, Irish soda bread, and top it off with Banoffee. I have some amazing chocolate and dark chocolate hobnobs(digestives/cookies)I picked up at the local grocery store that carries “international” food. I hope you have a great St. Patty’s day! 🙂
Jackie
I have never commented on a blog before ladies, and anyone who knows me, knows I read a ton of them (mostly boring political stuff though). But truly, nothing rings my bell like BF and with bread pudding…Manna from Heaven! (Yes, it’s a recycled Nemo quote.) I’ve been reading you girls for about 2 years now and you make me laugh so hard that you have earned my first and possibly only comment on the internet ever. You both are priceless and slightly kooky which totally works for me. Best of luck with the blog!…And the new cookbook!
Val, you have been leaving us hanging all this time?! 🙂 No, I’m kidding, I’m just glad you finally said hi!! And I think we’re probably more than slightly kooky, haha! 🙂
Sounds delish! How about adding some chocolate chips too?
Now this is a banana pudding I can rave about! Unlike the southern standard with vanilla pudding and vanilla wafers. It makes me want to buy some bread just so it can get stale. Thank you so much for this recipe!
I was just chatting with a friend the other day and we were talking about bread pudding. I have never had bread pudding before and so have to try this!
My husband and I were just saying last week that it’s been a while since I’ve done bread pudding and we should do it again. I think I just found the recipe I will use!! Sounds yummy and I know my whole family will love it!
This sounds delicious! But I have a 17 year old, 6’3″ boy in the house – do you know how many years it’s been since I’ve had bread in the house long enough to get stale?
Bread doesn’t have to be stale, bread pudding is just a great thing to make out of the bread that would otherwise go to waste (happens all the time in my house!) Also, when bananas start to brown to the point no one will eat them, you can toss them in the freezer and save them for later. Take them out of the freezer, pop them in the microwave for 30 seconds so they peel easily then mash ’em.
I rarely have stale bread either, so I bought a french loaf and cut it into slices and let it sit out of a couple hours…just so its dry enough to soak up all the creamy goodness.
This is great, but I always do it the lazy way- same ingredients (sans heavy cream), just blend the bananas and then mix them into bread crumbs. Throw in a beaten egg, some milk, sugar and cinnamon, give it a stir add some butter to the top and let it soak for awhile before baking it. It’s my dessert for when I feel lazy and need to get rid of old bread and bananas.