Decadent French toast with caramelized bananas is the gourmet breakfast of your dreams. A vanilla & cinnamon milk bath creates a luxurious custardy interior, while the outside develops a crispy and buttery golden brown crust. Bananas sauteed in butter and brown sugar are the perfect finishing touch.
French toast with caramelized bananas is rich and decadent, and perfect for a holiday or any ol' weekend where you let yourself sleep in. The caramelized/candied bananas really set this apart from your average french toast, so don't skip that step.
Adding toasted pecans at the end are completely optional, but I love the crunch they provide.
And if you can get your hands on egg bread (like challah), it really makes all the difference between good French toast and amazing French toast. I hope you love this recipe as much as I do!
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⭐️ Why This Recipe Is The Best
Easy - Even with the extra step of caramelizing bananas, the total prep time is 15 minutes. Easy enough for a weekday morning and rich enough for a weekend indulgence.
Full-flavored - Rich, eggy, bread is dipped into a milk and egg mixture infused with warm cinnamon and vanilla. And caramelized bananas take this French toast to another level!
Indulgent - You must treat yourself to a special breakfast every once in a while, like chocolate old fashioned donuts, buttermilk maple biscuits, or gooey cinnamon rolls!
Freezer-friendly - See the directions below on how to easily freeze and reheat this recipe!
🍞 Ingredient Notes
- Whole milk - You could also use a plant-based milk like almond or oat milk.
- Ground cinnamon - Adds warm flavor with slight spiciness.
- Egg bread (like challah) - Using an egg bread like challah makes for richer French toast. But brioche or Texas toast would also work here.
- Bananas - Adds both creaminess and sweetness. Make sure your bananas are ripe but still slightly firm. You don't want to use overripe bananas. (If you do have overripe bananas to use, try my peanut butter banana fudge cookies, banana gingerbread muffins, or healthy peanut butter banana oatmeal cookies!)
- Maple syrup - Always use real maple syrup, not pancake syrup, which is primarily made of corn syrup. If you're out of maple syrup, try one of my recommended maple syrup substitutes.
🍌 What Are Caramelized Bananas?
Caramelized bananas are bananas that have been cooked in butter and sugar. The mixture turns into a caramel sauce, and the sugars in the bananas develop a deeper nuttier flavor while also becoming slightly crispy on the outside.
Make a large batch and add them to overnight oats, ice cream, or granola!
📝 Variations & Substitutions
- Fruit. Peaches, pears, or plums would all be delicious caramelized and used here.
- Bread. Although I recommend using a rich, eggy bread like challah or a buttery bread like brioche for best results, you can also use a thickly sliced French bread.
- Nuts. Substitute your favorite toasted nuts to add a delicious crunch. Hazelnuts and walnuts would both be delicious.
- Make dairy-free: You can use plant-based milk (e.g. soy milk, almond milk, etc.) and vegan/plant-based butter for similar results.
- Out of maple syrup? Try one of my recommended maple syrup substitutes.
🔪 How To Make It
Make the French Toast:
In a 13x9-inch baking dish, whisk together milk, eggs, vanilla extract, and cinnamon.
Place four slices of challah bread into the baking pan in a single layer and let them soak for 1 minute. Flip bread over and let soak for an additional minute.
Place a large skillet over medium heat and melt 2 Tablespoons of butter. Add all four slices of challah bread to the pan and cook until golden, about 2 minutes. Flip the bread and cook for an additional minute. (Repeat soaking and cooking process for all 8 slices of bread.)
Make the Caramelized Bananas:
Wipe out skillet and melt 2 Tablespoons of butter over medium heat. Add sugar and water and stir until sugar dissolves. Continue stirring until mixture is foamy, about 2 minutes. Add rum (if using) and cook for an additional minute.
Add banana slices and cook until tender, stirring occasionally, about 2 minutes. Transfer to a small bowl.
Serve french toast topped with caramelized bananas, maple syrup, and pecans (if using).
👩🏼🍳 Expert Tips
- Make ahead: Caramelize your bananas up to 4 hours ahead of time. Cover and refrigerate until ready to use.
- Storage: Place in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
- How to freeze: Wrap each piece (after completely cooled) in foil and place in a plastic freezer bag. Store in the freezer for up to 2 months.
- How to reheat: Place frozen slices (do not thaw before reheating or toast will get mushy) on a baking sheet and warm in a preheated 350 degree F. oven for 10-15 minutes.
- Use thick and eggy bread. Using a rich, eggy bread like challah (or a buttery bread like brioche) really makes a difference between good French toast and out-of-this-world French toast!
💬 Frequently Asked Questions
Challah is the best bread for French toast, since it is an eggy bread. But, brioche or Texas toast also work well because they are denser loaves that will hold up to the egg-milk mixture in this recipe.
For crispy French toast, it's a delicate balance of the right amount of milk and eggs in the custard mixture. Too much milk (and soaking for too long) will lead to soggy French toast. In this recipe, we give our bread a quick dip and then cook it until the edges become crisp and golden brown.
Use your spatula to lift up a piece: it should be golden brown and crispy on the outside and creamy on the inside.
Melt 2 tablespoons of butter over medium heat. Add sugar and water and stir until sugar dissolves. Continue stirring until mixture is foamy, about 2 minutes. Add rum (if using) and cook for an additional minute. Add banana slices and cook until tender, stirring occasionally, about 2 minutes.
🥞 Related Recipes
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📖 French Toast with Caramelized Bananas
Ingredients
For the French Toast:
- 1 cup whole milk
- 4 large eggs
- 1 Tablespoon vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 8 (1-inch thick) slices of egg bread (like challah)
- 4 Tablespoons unsalted butter, divided
- maple syrup, for serving
For the Caramelized Bananas:
- 2 Tablespoons unsalted butter
- 3 Tablespoons light brown sugar
- 3 Tablespoons water
- 3 large ripe but firm bananas, peeled and sliced into ½-inch rounds
- 2 Tablespoons dark rum (optional)
- ½ cup toasted pecans, chopped (optional)
Instructions
Make the French Toast:
- In a 13x9-inch baking dish, whisk together milk, eggs, vanilla extract, and cinnamon.
- Place four slices of challah bread into the baking pan in a single layer and let them soak for 1 minute. Flip bread over and let soak for an additional minute.
- Place a large skillet over medium heat and melt 2 Tablespoons of butter. Add all four slices of challah bread to the pan and cook until golden, about 2 minutes. Flip the bread and cook for an additional minute. (Repeat soaking and cooking process for all 8 slices of bread.)
Make the Caramelized Bananas:
- Wipe out skillet and melt 2 Tablespoons of butter over medium heat. Add sugar and water and stir until sugar dissolves. Continue stirring until mixture is foamy, about 2 minutes. Add rum (if using) and cook for an additional minute.
- Add banana slices and cook until tender, stirring occasionally, about 2 minutes. Transfer to a small bowl.
- Serve french toast topped with caramelized bananas, maple syrup, and pecans (if using).
Notes
- Make ahead: Caramelize your bananas up to 4 hours ahead of time. Cover and refrigerate until ready to use.
- Storage: Place in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
- How to freeze: Wrap each piece (after completely cooled) in foil and place in a plastic freezer bag. Store in the freezer for up to 2 months.
- How to reheat: Place frozen slices (do not thaw before reheating or toast will get mushy) on a baking sheet and warm in a preheated 350 degree F. oven for 10-15 minutes.
- Use thick and eggy bread. Using a rich, eggy bread like challah (or a buttery bread like brioche) really makes a difference between good French toast and out-of-this-world French toast!
Sharon
This is my kind of breakfast. The caramelized bananas and pecans are the perfect topping for French toast.
Gastronotherapy
Yes, bananas and pecans pair so well with the rich and eggy French toast!
Biana
Looks delicious! French toast and bananas is the perfect combination.
Gastronotherapy
Thanks, Biana! Yes - it's a great combination, and when you caramelize the bananas, it's another level of deliciousness! 🙂
Shashi
This is perfect for a weekend morning - so tasty and delicious! BTW - I recently tried to caramelize bananas and they ended up a soupy goop - yours look amazing!
Gastronotherapy
I wonder if your bananas were too ripe to caramelize? It's best to use bananas that are still a bit firm when you caramelize them, as they will soften in the pan. I hope you try this recipe - caramelized bananas are so incredibly tasty!
Jessie
This sounds like delicious breakfast idea!
Kristen
The french toast was fab! And the bananas totally took it over the top. Thank you for the recipe!
Gastronotherapy
So glad you enjoyed it, Kristen! Yes - it's definitely a special French toast!