Boozy Bananas Foster Is the Answer to Your Summer Dessert Prayers

There’s nothing quite like a sweet treat to end your dinner and sometimes friends stop by last minute (or let’s be honest you NEED a treat and don’t want to make a grocery store run!). This recipe is the perfect one to whip up in a hurry.

While it works great with any bananas after testing we have found that for the absolute best results, you want to use bananas that are just a hair too green for normal snacking. The firmness softens in the hot pan and with all that sweet syrup coating them you can’t tell they aren’t as sweet. This lends the perfect texture with that crispy caramelized side and just enough resistance that they stay intact.

If you do have more ripe bananas or even over ripe bananas they won’t be able to caramelize quite as well without breaking down in the sauce. But between you and me...I still ate those tests too and they were completely delicious too!

You can also totally increase the rum a splash more if you want this extra boozy! This recipe serves 4 but it’s super easy to scale up if you need to serve more. I find it’s best to just do multiple batches in separate pans if you need more servings, as you want to be sure not to overcrowd your pan or the bananas won’t caramelize properly.

It is also worth noting that traditional bananas foster is flambéed (lit on fire). While this is a fun and exciting party trick I think it can be an intimidating factor for most home cooks and really isn’t necessary for this to be delicious. Another reason I don’t do it often is that I really love making this in a non-stick skillet so cleanup is super easy, and don’t recommend flambéing in a non stick skillet as it can damage the finish of the pan.

If you want to give it a whirl though all you need to do is get a long match and ignite the rum right after you add it. Give the pan a good couple shakes as it burns out and then serve immediately.

Either way, go forth and surprise your guests with this quick and easy dessert!