Bananas Foster Crisp

This recipe for Bananas Foster Crisp is a twist on a famous New Orleans dessert. The sweet warm caramel sauce and sliced bananas baked under a crispy, buttery crumb topping, forms the perfect foundation for a generous scoop of vanilla ice cream on top.

Easy Bananas Foster Crisp Recipe

What is Bananas Foster? The original Bananas Foster recipe was a dessert invented by Chef Paul at Brennan’s Restaurant located on Bourbon Street in New Orleans Louisiana in 1951. It’s made using fresh bananas, butter, brown sugar, cinnamon, rum, banana liqueur and usually served over vanilla ice cream. The dramatic  flambé makes it a real treat. 

This crisp features simple ingredients that transform into a decadent Southern style sweet treat. This crisp recipe is a twist on the original bananas foster, turning it into a warm and cozy crisp that’s baked in the oven. It’s a fabulous way yo make dessert in a family size portion for everyone to enjoy.

Checkout this quick list of ingredients you’ll need to make Bananas Foster Crisp: (Scroll down for full printable recipe card.)

• Fruit – Bananas are the star of this dessert.
• Butter – Salted or unsalted butter for richness.
• Liquid – Heavy cream and corn syrup thin the sauce.
• Sugar – Light brown sugar (or dark brown sugar) for sweetness.
• Rum – Dark rum and one teaspoon vanilla extract amp up the flavor and classic in bananas foster.
• Crumb Topping – All purpose flour, quick cooking oats, brown sugar, one teaspoon ground cinnamon, salt, cold butter and walnuts.

How to Make the BEST Bananas Foster Crisp Recipe

• Heat Oven and Prepare Dish – Preheat oven to 350°F. Brush a 1 1/2- 2 quart baking dish or pan with melted butter.
• Make the Sauce – Melt reserved butter in a large skillet with heavy cream, corn syrup and brown sugar. Stir over medium heat just until sugar has dissolved. Remove from heat, stir in rum and vanilla extract.
• Sliced Bananas – Add bananas to the sauce, stir until coated. Pour the mixture into prepared baking dish. (The skillet should be big enough to double as a mixing bowl).
• Make the Crumb Topping – In a medium-size mixing bowl, toss together oats, brown sugar, flour, cinnamon and salt.
• Cut Butter into Dry Ingredients – Use a pastry blender to cut cold butter into dry ingredients until it resembles cornmeal. Add walnuts, toss to evenly distribute. Sprinkle evenly over bananas.
• Oven – Place into oven baking per the recipe until golden brown and bubbly.
• Serve – Let stand for 5 minutes then serve warm with a big scoop of vanilla ice cream.

Kitchen Equipment to Make Banana Foster Crisp

• One 1 1/2-2 quart shallow baking dish.
• Pastry cutter and pastry brush for brushing the baking dish with butter.
• Large skillet.
• Knife and chopping board for slicing the bananas.
• Large mixing bowl.
• Measuring cups and spoons.

Recipe Variations, Tips and Substitutions

• Choose Firm Bananas – When choosing bananas for this recipe, choose firm ripe bananas, not overripe or soft like you may pick for banana bread. If you use soft bananas they’ll just turn to mush when baked.
• Sugar – You can use light brown sugar or dark brown sugar for a stronger molasses flavor.
• Nuts – You could use pecans in place of walnuts, if that’s your preference. You’ll also need vanilla ice cream for serving.
• Rum – What’s the best rum for bananas foster? A robust dark rum works best. You could also use banana rum to amp up the banana flavor.
• Rum Substitution – If you’d like to make this without alcohol, you can replace the rum with rum extract, if preferred. You’ll need 1-2 teaspoons. When doing so, add 3 tablespoons of heavy cream.
• Use Quick Cooking Oats – For this crisp recipe you’ll need quick cooking, not instant oats. If you have old fashioned oats on hand, pulse them a couple of times in a food processor to chop them a bit smaller being careful not to grind them too fine.
• Pan Options – When using an oven safe skillet, you may opt to prepare the bananas on the stovetop then bake the bananas foster crisp in the same skillet instead of transferring to a baking dish. When doing so you’ll be starting with a hot skillet so the bake time may be less, adjust accordingly. 
• How Do You Serve Bananas Foster Crisp? This dessert is meant to be “saucy” just like the original version making it perfect for serving with a generous scoop of vanilla ice cream or whipped cream.

Storage and Leftovers

• Leftovers – Store Bananas Foster Crisp covered with plastic wrap or in an airtight container chilled in the refrigerator for up to 2 days.
• Reheating – This dessert is best made and served warm. You can reheat leftovers in the microwave, in an air fryer or in a 350°F oven for a few minutes. Please note the topping may soften a bit once it’s chilled.
• Freezer – I don’t recommend freezing this banana crisp as the sauce can break down when thawing.

More Banana Dessert Recipes to Make

While overripe bananas aren’t suited for this recipe, they’re a godsend when making cakes and muffins. Other delicious banana desserts you may like to try for dessert:

• This Banana Pudding Cream Cheese Pound Cake is a fusion of two favorites.
• Easy Banana Split Lush features four decadent layers.
• You can enjoy this Chocolate Chip Banana Bread for breakfast, brunch, snacking or dessert.
• Chunky Monkey Banana Cake was inspired by the famous ice cream by the same name.
• Luscious Banana Cream Pie.
• Best Ever Banana Cake is a sheet cake topped with cream cheese frosting.
• Peanut Butter Banana Smoothie from Simply Recipes.

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Helpful Kitchen Items:

• Baking Dish
• Measuring Set
• Mixing Bowls
• Dessert Bowls