A classic banana dessert meets bread pudding! This Bananas Foster bread pudding combines Brioche bread, custard and bananas, and is served warm with a rum caramel sauce!

bananas foster bread pudding in pan with spoon

This Bananas Foster Bread Pudding features a splash of rum in the pudding, as well as in the warm rum caramel sauce. It’s also a plus that this bread pudding comes together in a flash and is the perfect, warm and delicious end to any meal.

Simply pop this one in the oven before dinner and enjoy it warm for dessert!

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Ingredients and Substitutions

Brioche: It’s pretty easy to find brioche bread loaves at the grocery store these days. I’ve even used brioche hamburger buns that I’ve cubed up. If you can’t find brioche, any nice bread is fine. Look on the “day-old” rack! Slightly stale bread is perfect for this one.

Rum: We always have rum around, but if you don’t or if you prefer, use a splash of whisky instead. Add as much as you think you will enjoy. If you love rum, taste the sauce and add more as you like. I’ve written the recipe with what I think is the lowest end of rum, so increase as needed. If you only have light rum, that will do.

If you like, you can simply omit the rum and add a teaspoon of vanilla to both the pudding and the caramel sauce. Rum extract would also be an option, if you happen to have that. Use to taste.

Bananas: I have found just ripe bananas to work best in this pudding (as opposed to under-ripe or over-ripe).

Lemon Juice: The sole purpose of the lemon juice here is to keep the bananas from browning. If you don’t have any, you can skip and just live with the brown-ish looking bananas. It won’t affect the taste at all.

Whole Milk: Whole milk is essentially, milk as it comes from the cow, with no fat removed. It is generally in the 3 – 3.5% butterfat range. It’s great if you use whole milk here, for best results, but you could substitute 2% milk, in a pinch. I wouldn’t go any further down that butterfat scale than that.

Brown Sugar: Dark brown (or old-fashioned) sugar makes for a richer taste, but if you only have light brown sugar on hand, that is fine to use as well.

Heavy Cream: This is no time to swap out lighter cream, in my opinion. This one is a rare treat, so go all in and use the good stuff :) Also, the heavy cream in the sauce is important to create a rich consistency for the sauce.

Kosher Salt: If you don’t have kosher salt on hand, fine table salt is fine. Just use less.

Recipe Tips

Some of the tallest pieces of the bread may start to brown early, but you do want to make sure this one bakes long enough to set the custard. If necessary, lay a piece of foil loosely over-top if top is brown enough before the baking time is up.

Making ahead, Storing and Freezing

The rum caramel sauce can be made ahead and re-warmed in a small saucepan or in the microwave.

This bread pudding is best enjoyed freshly baked, though you can assemble, cover and refrigerate and bake later.

Leftovers keep fairly well, stored covered in the refrigerator. Simple re-warm pudding and sauce to enjoy again later.

Left-overs can be frozen up to 2 months.

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bananas foster bread pudding in copper baking pan with ice cream

Get the Recipe: Bananas Foster Bread Pudding

The classic dessert become bread pudding! With brioche bread pudding with bananas and a warm rum caramel sauce.
4.91 stars from 11 ratings
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Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 55 minutes
Total Time: 1 hour 10 minutes
Yield: 12 servings

Ingredients

  • 4 large eggs
  • 2 cups whole milk
  • 1/4 cup dark brown sugar
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
  • 1 Tablespoon dark rum, optional
  • 1 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 7 cups bread, cubed (brioche bread recommended)
  • 6 bananas, just ripe, peeled and cut into coins
  • Juice of 1/2 lemon
  • 1 Tbsp white sugar

Rum Caramel Sauce:

  • 5 Tablespoons unsalted butter
  • 1/2 cup dark brown sugar
  • 1/4 cup dark rum
  • 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt, reduce if using salted butter
  • 1/4 cup whipping cream

Instructions
 

  • Preheat oven to 350F.
  • In a large bowl, whisk together the eggs, milk, 1/4 cup brown sugar, vanilla, 1 Tbsp rum and 1 tsp kosher salt. Add the cubed bread and stir to coat. Set aside to soak.
  • Peel and cut the bananas into coins. Place in a bowl and toss with juice of 1/2 lemon to coat.
  • Butter a 2-quart baking dish and place it onto a baking sheet.
  • Place about 2/3 of the sliced bananas on the bottom of the baking pan. Spoon 1/2 of the soaked bread overtop. Scatter the remaining sliced bananas over, then top with remaining soaked bread.
  • Bake in preheated oven for 30 minutes, then sprinkle top with 1 Tbsp white sugar. Continue baking until the pudding is puffed and golden on top, 20-30 minutes more.
  • Meanwhile, make the rum caramel sauce. Melt the butter in a small saucepan, over medium heat. Add the 1/2 cup brown sugar, rum, salt and heavy cream and whisk to combine. Simmer sauce, whisking, until sauce has thickened, about 5-7 minutes. Keep warm.
  • Serve the pudding warm, with some of the warm rum caramel sauce on top. Add a scoop of vanilla ice cream, if you like.

Notes

Be sure to read the notes above this recipe card, where I share some valuable tips, options, substitutions and variations for this recipe!
Cuisine: American, Canadian
Course: Dessert
Author: Jennifer Maloney
Serving: 1serving, Calories: 600kcal, Carbohydrates: 96g, Protein: 19g, Fat: 15g, Saturated Fat: 6g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 3g, Monounsaturated Fat: 3g, Trans Fat: 0.2g, Cholesterol: 81mg, Sodium: 991mg, Potassium: 517mg, Fiber: 7g, Sugar: 32g, Vitamin A: 360IU, Vitamin C: 5mg, Calcium: 253mg, Iron: 6mg
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