Bananas Foster French Toast
Filed Under: Breakfast | Mother's Day

Bananas Foster French Toast

  |  
April 11th, 2020
4.62 from 21 votes
4.62 from 21 votes

Bananas Foster French Toast features a caramelized brown sugar banana topping and a rich Challah French toast. The perfect start to any morning!

Yield: 2 -3 servings

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook: 15 minutes

Tessa's Recipe Rundown...

Taste: The banana topping is full of sweet caramel flavors, while the French toast itself is caramelized, rich, with a lovely hint of cinnamon. When it all comes together, it’s DIVINE.
Texture: The French toast is caramelized at the edges, fluffy inside, and the bananas are floating in a thick sauce.
Ease: The French toast only cooks on the stovetop for a few minutes before finishing off in the oven, leaving you time and space to make the banana topping.
Appearance: Absolutely, positively mouthwatering.
Pros: So delicious!
Cons: None.
Would I make this again? 100% yes!

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This Bananas Foster French Toast recipe is the most indulgent, decadent breakfast you’ll ever eat. 

stack of bananas foster French toast with a fork in it

This French Toast makes for the perfect weekend breakfast, a fun birthday celebration, or just when you feel like indulging!

This is one of those recipes that’s so ridiculously delicious and mouth-watering that it’s almost too good to believe.

Rich, sweet, caramel-y, and oh-so heavenly, this Bananas Foster French Toast belongs on your next breakfast or brunch table.

I promise, there won’t be a crumb leftover!

stack of challah French Toast, topped with a decadent bananas topping

How to Make Bananas Foster French Toast

Which Type of Bread is Best for French Toast?

  • My all-time favorite French toast bread will always be Challah bread.
  • It’s already so rich and eggy that it really enhances the kind of light and fluffy yet custardy texture inside a thick slice of French toast.
  • If you want a sturdier chewier texture, go for country-style bread or even Texas toast.
  • Make sure the bread you use is tightly crumbed, meaning it doesn’t have large holes or super thick crusts.
  • I don’t recommend using sandwich bread as it’s not sturdy or thick enough. 

Tips for Mixing French Toast Batter

  1. Use good-quality eggs.
  2. Use whole milk. You could use 2% milk but you’ll lose out on some of the flavor and richness.
  3. Whisk really well. There should be no unincorporated pieces of egg yolk or egg white. 

Tips for Cooking French Toast

  1. You can use a griddle, but I actually prefer a pan. I think it allows for better frying in an even layer of butter and oil.
  2. We’re frying in a combination of butter and oil to get the best texture and flavor. The oil helps to seal and crisp the outside of the bread so the inside stays nice and custardy, while the butter adds flavor.
  3. As you get ready to cook, get your bread soaking in the custard mixture as close to the pan as possible, to avoid drips.
  4. Let any excess drip off each slice before you carefully place it into the hot pan.
  5. Fry for about 2 to 3 minutes per side, for perfectly crisp edges.
  6. My favorite tool for flipping and removing French toast is a fish spatula; it’s thin enough to slide right under and doesn’t pick up and transfer a bunch of grease because it’s slotted.

Bananas Foster Topping Tips

  • Don’t use overripe bananas, as they won’t hold their shape while they’re cooked.
  • Typically bananas foster calls for rum, but I figured since this is a breakfast recipe that might be a little much.
  • Feel free to add some after the sugar has dissolved in the butter, if desired. It’d certainly be appropriate for a celebratory brunch!

Keeping Bananas Foster French Toast Warm

Keep the finished slices of French Toast warm in a 250°F oven. Keep the topping warm over the lowest heat setting on the stovetop. This little trick means everything comes to the table warm and ready to eat without hassle.

stack of bananas foster French toast pictured from above

More Breakfast Recipes You’ll Love

4.62 from 21 votes

How to make
Bananas Foster French Toast

Yield: 2 -3 servings
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 15 minutes
Total Time: 30 minutes
Bananas Foster French Toast features a caramelized brown sugar banana topping and a rich Challah French toast. The perfect start to any morning!

Ingredients

French Toast:

  • 2 large eggs
  • 1/2 cup whole milk
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla
  • Pinch salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
  • 1/4 teaspoon allspice
  • Challah bread, cut into 6 1/2-inch slices
  • Unsalted butter, for frying
  • Vegetable oil, for frying

Bananas Foster Topping:

  • 4 tablespoons (57 grams) unsalted butter
  • 1/4 cup (50 grams) light brown sugar
  • 2 firm bananas, sliced
  • Pinch cinnamon

Directions

Make the French Toast:

  1. Preheat oven to 250°F.
  2. In a large shallow bowl or dish, whisk together eggs, milk, vanilla, salt, cinnamon, and allspice. Soak as many slices in the egg mixture as possible for 5 minutes, turning once.

  3. Heat 1 tablespoon of the butter and 1 tablespoon of the oil in a very large saute pan or griddle over medium heat. Add the soaked bread and cook for 2 to 3 minutes per side, until well browned. Add more butter and oil to the pan as needed. Once all the bread is cooked, place it on a baking tray in the warm oven.

Make the Topping:

  1. In a small skillet, melt the butter. Add the brown sugar and stir until dissolved. Add banana slices to the pan, stirring so they are covered in caramel sauce. Sprinkle a pinch of cinnamon. Bananas are done when they are warmed through. Pour bananas foster mixture over French Toast.

Course : Breakfast
Cuisine : American
Keyword : bananas foster, french toast
Tessa Arias
Author: Tessa Arias

I share trusted baking recipes your friends will LOVE alongside insights into the science of sweets. I'm a professionally trained chef, cookbook author, and cookie queen. I love to write about all things sweet, carb-y, and homemade. I live in Phoenix, Arizona (hence the blog name!)

Tessa Arias

About Tessa...

I share trusted baking recipes your friends will LOVE alongside insights into the science of sweets. I'm a professionally trained chef, cookbook author, and cookie queen. I love to write about all things sweet, carb-y, and homemade. I live in Phoenix, Arizona (hence the blog name!)

Find Tessa on  

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Recipe Rating




  1. #
    Nate — June 30, 2023 at 7:52 am

    This French toast was so good! I followed the recipe exactly except I added a few extra spoonfuls of brown sugar to the sauce. I made it for my family and it was gone in seconds! Will definitely be making this again.

  2. #
    Judy — May 27, 2023 at 4:33 am

    great breakfast idea

  3. #
    Lana Iddles — May 19, 2023 at 2:08 am

    Fun tropical twist:
    Add pineapple to banana topping & use Malibu rum instead of rum.

  4. #
    Candace — February 25, 2023 at 8:26 am

    You have vanilla in the ingredients but nowhere in the making of the toast. I assume to just add it to the egg mixture?

    • #
      Kiersten @ Handle the Heat — February 27, 2023 at 2:44 pm

      Hi Candace! Thanks so much for pointing that out! I’ll fix it and add it to the directions now 🙂 Enjoy!

  5. #
    Seth — February 18, 2023 at 10:53 am

    Have made this a few times now. My husband says it’s the best French toast ever, and I agree.

    Definitely add (dark) rum, otherwise it’s not a true “Foster”. Sometimes if it’s more of a brunch and I’m feeling lazy (or hung over), I’ll add a another splash to the cooked sauce at the end for some extra kick. 😉

    I highly recommend a little extra brown sugar, a splash of heavy cream, and a dash of cinnamon!

    Brioche tends to fall apart so I always use challah.

    Lastly, the sauce never seems to thicken properly so I always end up adding a tablespoon or two of corn starch slurry.

    5/5 for the toast, 3/5 for the sauce.

  6. #
    Emma — May 22, 2022 at 10:43 am

    This is the best French toast I’ve ever had. Banana foster is my favorite & paired with the ultimate sweet breakfast food of French toast… heavenly! So easy to come together. Will definitely be making this again!

    • #
      Kiersten @ Handle the Heat — May 23, 2022 at 8:01 am

      Hi Emma! I’m so excited you loved this recipe! Thank you for letting us know 🙂

  7. #
    L. Hamilton — April 16, 2022 at 12:28 pm

    There’s no going back to plain French toast after this. My husband and son love this dish.

    • #
      Emily — April 22, 2022 at 9:27 am

      Yay! So happy to hear that 🙂

  8. #
    CHANDRAGIRI nagendra prasad — July 23, 2021 at 6:51 pm

    I tried this recipe in my home and share it with my family and friends. And they said it’s so delicious, thank you so much for sharing your experience.

    • #
      Emily @ Handle the Heat — July 26, 2021 at 3:22 pm

      So happy to hear that it was such a hit!

  9. #
    Nancy — May 24, 2021 at 8:39 pm

    First time making bananas foster. I used both Challah and Brioche bread and the brioche was way better. Also keep in mind, if you have kind of ripe bananas like me and are worried about them falling apart, I tried to make the sauce without adding the bananas. But the brown sugar and butter mixture literally would not turn into an actual sauce until I said to heck with it and added the bananas anyway (which by the way turned out to be just fine and kept their form, so don’t worry about not having firm bananas and just do it) once I added the bananas, the sauce actually started to take form, but at that point, the sauce was already burnt. I think I know what to do next time, but I really wish this recipe was written a little better.

    • #
      Tessa — May 25, 2021 at 9:01 am

      I’m sorry you had an issue with your sauce burning! I’d lower the heat on your stove to ensure that doesn’t happen next time, which would allow you to cook the sauce longer. The biggest problem with this recipe is overripe bananas, which definitely won’t hold their shape when cooked. What type of brown sugar did you use, light or dark? How about your butter? If you use butter with a fat content higher than 82%, that may be the reason why your mixture wouldn’t combine.

  10. #
    Nikki — March 21, 2021 at 12:03 pm

    This was so easy and I can’t even tell you how good! I added a little bit more cinnamon added like an 1/8th of nutmeg. I also substituted the bread with Brioche bread instead and it was delicious! Boyfriend cleaned his plate!

    • #
      Tessa — March 22, 2021 at 12:26 pm

      So happy to hear you both loved this recipe!

  11. #
    Chelsea — December 21, 2020 at 11:12 pm

    Good base French toast recipe but sauce needs major edits. Butter and brown sugar does not/did not come together as a cohesive sauce on its own. If you’re seeing it not come together, try the steps below:

    Added 1 tbsp more brown sugar, after melting took off heat and added a couple of splashes of heavy cream (~2-3 tbsp). Put back on low heat and Whisk vigorously and it will come together nicely as a more “caramel-y” and smooth sauce. Add bananas after it’s cooled just a touch and sauté for just 20 seconds or so in the sauce before pouring over cooked French toast. I added fleur de sel as I wanted a more “salted caramel” taste.

    With these edits lovely recipe, however the French toast piece is fairly basic and the sauce needed a lot more attention so only giving this 3 stars.

  12. #
    Cheryl — August 23, 2020 at 8:40 am

    This was delicious, but my French toast deflated while in the oven. I used a casserole dish and covered it. Should I have left it uncovered?

  13. #
    Terri — August 16, 2020 at 2:15 pm

    Made this and it was delicious! Only comment is I had to double the egg mixture because after dipping 3 slices of challah it was completely gone. Maybe I had extra absorbent challah! Also I found cooking 2 min per side was not enough. I had to do about 3.5 min per side.

  14. #
    Hope — August 2, 2020 at 1:56 pm

    Delicious! Added the rum for a decadent brunch!

  15. #
    Eve Patterson — July 4, 2020 at 10:47 am

    I’m going to assume it is awesome and the failure was user error. I do have to admit that I never have good luck with sauces of any kind. This was no different. I only had dark brown sugar, so I thought it would substitute ok. What turned out was an unappetizing soup of melted butter and partially dissolved sugar. It also tasted really bad, but maybe that is because it started to smoke? It didn’t give a temperature, so I made the sauce on medium. I was hoping someone would have some input on my experience. I want to try this again, but with light brown sugar this time. I had never made French toast with butter and oil and my daughter loved it, so I do have that takeaway. 🙂

  16. #
    Leander — June 21, 2020 at 6:59 am

    My family absolutely LOVES this recipe. Delicious!!!

  17. #
    Erika — April 5, 2020 at 12:34 pm

    Delicious! This was perfect for a special corona virus virtual brunch!

  18. #
    Amica — March 31, 2020 at 10:51 am

    Just made this for breakfast with what I had on hand. Used artesano bread and halved the ingredients since I was. only cooking for one. Still came out delicious ! Simple recipe just what you need in the morning.

  19. #
    Leander — January 1, 2020 at 12:43 pm

    New family favorite. So decadent!

  20. #
    Jennifer Brooks — August 27, 2019 at 10:14 am

    Can you make the banana’s ahead of time – and then re warm it? Im going camping – trying to do things ahead.

    • #
      Tessa — August 29, 2019 at 7:16 pm

      You mean the topping? Yes, definitely!

  21. #
    Pam — August 27, 2019 at 7:08 am

    This is so good! I will definitely be making this again!

  22. #
    Sonia kuczynski — April 1, 2019 at 11:55 am

    This was so gooooood and Yummy, and for 2 people even better

    Had this for a Sunday Supper and I added some Rum extract with the Vanilla and even more Yum and topped with whipped cream talk about indulgence lol 🙂

  23. #
    Marie Czarnecki — March 29, 2019 at 6:14 pm

    Latreasem1: What are you talking about????? This is French Toast recipe not the bread recipe, Geeeeeezzz.

  24. #
    Marie Czarnecki — March 29, 2019 at 6:03 pm

    You need to put a hyphen between 61/2″ slices, I looked at that and said to myself 61/2″ slices what the hell. Actually should read 6-1/2″ slices, I am sure that is what you meant!!!!

  25. #
    Jim — March 23, 2019 at 6:13 am

    My wife made it for my boy and I. For some reason the brown sugar became all clumpy in one blob. Any ?insight

  26. #
    latreasem1 — September 9, 2018 at 7:14 pm

    I have a question about the Challah Bread recipe. Is there such a thing as over proofiing? I think I may have let my dough proof too long in the first proof. I fell asleep on the first proof. I also realized it was too cold in my apartment, and I turned on my oven to warm, and sat the bowl on top of the stove. That was when it began to expand. That was at 5am, and I was very tired. I said I would take a quick nap and punch it down. well it was three hours later before I punched it down. When It baked, it wasn’t as high as yours. Even though I proofed it a second time, and again after the braid.

  27. #
    Emilee Schemidt — November 23, 2017 at 10:09 am

    Omg!! I made this for Thanksgiving morning!! Love love love!! Delicious!!

  28. #
    Brenda — August 26, 2017 at 10:41 pm

    Wow!!!! I’m in love with this french toast! I wanna reach out and grab it! This is a must try!

  29. #
    Charla — February 3, 2017 at 7:35 pm

    I feel I were to use rum, how much should I use?

  30. #
    Bill Hoover — January 28, 2017 at 9:32 pm

    This is a great recipe. I did it this way and the traditional way both are great.

  31. #
    Denisse | Le Petit Eats — April 14, 2016 at 12:41 pm

    HOLY MOLY these look fantastic! And I totally feel you on the banana/baby food connection lol, I usually need a little texture with them too!

    • #
      Tessa — April 15, 2016 at 11:52 am

      PHEW! Glad I’m not the only one 😉

  32. #
    Jeffrey — April 13, 2016 at 9:25 am

    I’ve actually been making my French Toast this way for a month or so and have fallen head over heals! Challah is definitely the best for this but I have a hard time finding it since the local grocer stopped carrying it. I would make my own but that’s a lot of work! I add a bit of honey infused Whiskey in the egg mixture and burn some off with the bananas, highly recommended!

  33. #
    Liz — April 11, 2016 at 12:58 pm

    Thank you for the lovely recipe. I love French Toast and this is a nice twist on it.

  34. #
    Krystyna Sudol — April 11, 2016 at 12:12 pm

    can you make this the night before and then place in a casserole dish to heat up to bring to work for a crowd the next day?

  35. #
    jessica — July 24, 2012 at 2:22 pm

    Made these for my husband. He loved it! Even my & year old kids ate it and loved it too! thank you! Will definitely make again for the family.

  36. #
    Kristen — March 26, 2012 at 5:04 pm

    Found this on Pinterest and made it for breakfast this weekend. It was delicious! Thanks for sharing.

  37. #
    Lily — February 18, 2012 at 1:47 pm

    The first thing that I noticed was the wonderful smell of the spices. Wow! I tried these out today for my late breakfast and I was amazed at how the flavours popped in my mouth! I could taste every single ingredient in the recipe, very, very indulging! It's been 6 years since I haven't eaten French Toast since they don't have it here in Brazil. But this recipe made me feel like I was in the U.S. again! Probably one of my favorite recipes I've ever tried out in my life.

  38. #
    Soulsby Farm – A Very Small Farm — January 30, 2012 at 7:23 pm

    I'm making this Saturday!

  39. #
    Betty — January 30, 2012 at 5:27 pm

    Good heavens! We just made this for breakfast, and what a way to start a Monday!

  40. #
    Morgan — January 22, 2012 at 4:05 pm

    best french toast i've ever had!

  41. #
    Morgan — January 22, 2012 at 4:03 pm

    best french toast i've ever had!

  42. #
    Steph Cruz — January 17, 2012 at 3:53 pm

    Printing the recipe now…wish I had bananas. Looking forward to Saturday!

  43. #
    Nicole — November 3, 2011 at 12:02 am

    This was SOOO good. What a great recipe it was easy and perfect! I told my friends all about how this was the best french toast I ever had.

  44. #
    Michele — October 22, 2011 at 8:26 pm

    This can be eaten at anytime of the day….it is definitely sweet, but not sickening sweet. I made it last week and it left my crew asking for seconds. Obviously, this will be a keeper for me. It is DIVINE just as described…when you put it all together the flavors blend so well. If you have not made this yet – you need to!

  45. #
    diana — October 2, 2011 at 7:18 pm

    Sure! Let's go for some rum! But at what point should it be added??

    • #
      handleheat — October 2, 2011 at 7:22 pm

      You can add the rum along with the butter and brown sugar 🙂

  46. #
    Jason — September 21, 2011 at 4:15 pm

    We made this last Saturday! Absolutely incredible, thanks a bunch!

  47. #
    shaday — September 17, 2011 at 1:56 pm

    Oh, it must be delicious. Perfect breakfast 🙂

  48. #
    Jenn — September 11, 2011 at 8:40 pm

    Oh, I am definitely making this one. I have made bananas foster biscuits before and used rum extract and it was delicious! Rum extract is also delicious in fudge!

  49. #
    Jessie — September 10, 2011 at 5:34 pm

    We just made this for breakfast… seriously the best breakfast I've ever had. Thank you!

    • #
      handleheat — September 10, 2011 at 5:39 pm

      Yay! So happy to hear that

  50. #
    Scott — September 10, 2011 at 12:13 pm

    Could always throw in a bit of rum extract… easily found in the baking aisle.

    • #
      handleheat — September 10, 2011 at 5:39 pm

      Good point! I don't think I've ever seen rum extract, though I guess I've never really looked.

  51. #
    Lauren @ KeepItSweet — September 10, 2011 at 10:39 am

    This looks heavenly!

  52. #
    Kathy – Panini Happy — September 10, 2011 at 4:25 am

    Oh yum, Tessa! I can just taste those crispy caramelized edges. 🙂

    • #
      handleheat — September 10, 2011 at 5:38 pm

      Those edges are my favorite part of French Toast!! 🙂

  53. #
    Steffany — September 9, 2011 at 4:19 pm

    Wow, I want this like RIGHT NOW !!!

  54. #
    Nicole@HeatOvenTo350 — September 9, 2011 at 3:27 pm

    This looks so delicious! What a perfect Saturday morning brunch. Looks like I just found a use for the bananas ripening on my counter.

  55. #
    Curt — September 9, 2011 at 2:45 pm

    I could eat that for breakfast, lunch or supper!

  56. #
    Caroline — September 9, 2011 at 12:48 pm

    Woah…this is crazy! Nothing like indulging in dessert for breakfast! And you're totally right…this would be a perfect birthday breakfast!

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