Healthier Banana Foster

For a show-stopping date night dessert make my 10-minute Healthier refined sugar-free Bananas Foster recipe made with butter, coconut (or brown) sugar, bananas, and rum! Serve this New Orleans-inspired banana flambe with vanilla ice cream or coconut cream.

Bananas Foster in all its glory! YES, I'll show you how to make the famous saucy, caramelly sweet, and boozy banana dessert at home! All made without refined sugar and hence a bit healthier than the classic banana foster recipe. A completely healthy banana foster is pretty hard to achieve as you'd have to replace pretty much every single ingredient and then it would just not be a banana foster anymore. And that would be sad.

Since it was invented in New Orleans, this boozy, buttery concoction of caramelized bananas flambeed in rum sauce has become a diner classic and I have ordered it many times! The perfect date night dessert for sharing. For my homemade version, I cut down on the sugar and swap brown sugar for its healthier alternative coconut sugar. Still not a healthy banana foster but definitely a step up from than the original.

Classic Banana Foster is flambéed to create that perfect caramelized flavor and that little charr on the banana! And yes, at most restaurants this is done tableside for that wow effect! Such a showstopper but actually deceptively easy to recreate at home.

The traditional version uses banana liqueur but I use rum because I don't want to buy a bottle of banana liqueur for the small amount required in this recipe. And I don't know about you, but I know I won't drink it. I find rum or whisky work amazing for this banana foster recipe because it cuts the sweetness, but as I said, feel free to add some banana liqueur along with the rum as the original recipe does.

And yes, this was the first time I've ever flambéed anything, so for anyone else being on the fence about whether it's necessary and whether you should try it: yes! It's super easy, and does not, as I'd feared, set my kitchen on fire. You won't get that scary tower of fire, you might have seen on TV. Instead, you get nice, quiet blue flames in the pan that go out as soon you put the lid on. I recommend you light it with one of those long candle lighters.

Be sure to have a lid at the ready to extinguish the flame in case things get out of hand.

How to make this healthier Banana Foster recipe:

Peel the bananas, then cut them in half crosswise and lengthwise.

In a medium skillet add butter along with the coconut sugar, salt vanilla and cinnamon. For the coconut sugar to melt nicely, we need to add it to a cold pan. Put on medium heat and let melt gently, then cook about 2 minutes until bubbly and thickened. Don’t worry if it looks plasticky and does not come together right away. It will once the bananas go in and the rum will bring it together. 

Place the banana quarters in the pan, rounded side down.  

Cook until the bananas begin to soften, 2 to 3 minutes. Turn the bananas onto their flat sides.

Now for the fun part! Very carefully, add the rum, making sure not to drip any on the stove or the sides of the pan. Stand back from the pan and use a stick lighter to ignite the alcohol. Use extreme caution to stay away from the flame!

Allow the alcohol to burn off, then continue cooking, stirring and flipping the bananas until the sauce is thickened and the bananas are tender. This takes about 3 minutes.

To serve, place the bananas in a dish and top with a big scoop vanilla ice cream. Pour over the remaining sauce and serve warm. 

What can you substitute for rum in Bananas Foster?

• Bourbon
• banana liqueur
• dark Cachaca (a Brazilian liquor made from sugarcane juice)
• brandy
• grape juice/pineapple juice/apple juice and bit of rum essence (for non-alcoholic substitutes)

Does the alcohol cook out of bananas foster?

As the rum flambés, some but not all, of the alcohol will evaporate and burn off. About 75 to 85% may remain.

Tips:

• Use extreme caution when igniting the alcohol. You want to remove the pan from the heat source before adding the alcohol.
• Pour the alcohol into the pan and carefully ignite it with a match or, even better, a long click lighter / bbq lighter. Return the pan to the heat and gently swirl to reduce the flames.
• I use coconut sugar here as a healthy sugar alternative that keeps my blood sugar more stable. Does it make this dessert particularly healthy :-)? Probably not. This is a treat.
• The cinnamon is optional but I love it in this dessert. You could also add a pinch of cloves.

5 from 5 votes

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Banana Foster ( refined sugar-free)

For a show-stopping date night dessert make my 10-minute Healthier refined sugar-free Bananas Foster recipe made with butter, coconut sugar, bananas, and rum! Serve this New Orleans-inspired banana flambe with vanilla ice cream or coconut cream.

Course Dessert

Cuisine American

Prep Time 2 minutes

Cook Time 8 minutes

Total Time 10 minutes

Servings 2

Calories 329 kcal

Ingredients

• 2 bananas - ripe but still firm
• 2 ½ tablespoons butter
• ¼ cup coconut sugar or brown sugar
• 1 pinch salt
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 2 ½ tablespoons rum
• sour cream whipped cream or ice cream to serve

Instructions

1. Peel the bananas, then cut them in half crosswise and lengthwise.In a medium skillet add butter along with the coconut sugar, salt vanilla and cinnamon. For the coconut sugar to melt nicely, we need to add it to a cold pan.
2. Put on medium heat and let melt gently, then cook about 2 minutes until bubbly and thickened. Don’t worry if it looks plasticy and does not come together right away. It will once the bananas go in and the rum will bring it together. Place the banana quarters in the pan, rounded side down.
3. Cook until the bananas begin to soften, 2 to 3 minutes. Turn the bananas onto their flat sides. Now for the fun part! Very carefully, add the rum, making sure not to drip any on the stove or the sides of the pan. Stand back from the pan and use a stick lighter to ignite the alcohol. Use extreme caution to stay away from the flame! Allow the alcohol to burn off, then continue cooking, stirring and flipping the bananas until the sauce is thickened and the bananas are tender. This takes about 3 minutes.
4. To serve, place the bananas in a dish and top with a big scoop vanilla ice cream. Pour over the remaining sauce and serve warm.

Recipe Notes

The nutritional values don't include ice cream or sour cream

Nutrition Facts

Banana Foster ( refined sugar-free)

Amount Per Serving

Calories 329 Calories from Fat 144

% Daily Value*

Fat 16g25%

Saturated Fat 9g56%

Trans Fat 1g

Cholesterol 49mg16%

Sodium 195mg8%

Potassium 495mg14%

Carbohydrates 45g15%

Fiber 3g13%

Sugar 28g31%

Protein 6g12%

Vitamin A 514IU10%

Vitamin C 10mg12%

Calcium 19mg2%

Iron 1mg6%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

If you tried this Healthy Banana Foster Recipe, don’t forget to rate the recipe below and let me know how it went in the comments – I love hearing from you! You can also follow me on Instagram, Pinterest and Facebook for more deliciousness and behind-the-scenes!

MORE HEALTHY EASY BANANA DESSERT RECIPES YOU WOULD LOVE:

• Healthy Banana Split
• Banana Bread Bites
• Peanut Butter Banana Bites
• Banana Cinnamon Ice Cream