There are some desserts that just feel like a big, warm hug in a bowl, and for me, bread pudding is right at the top of that list. But when you take that comforting, custardy baked pudding and introduce it to the theatrical, boozy drama of Bananas Foster, something truly special happens. This Bananas Foster Bread Pudding is the result of that magical pairing: soft, yielding bread soaked in a rich vanilla custard, baked until golden, and then smothered in a sauce of caramelised bananas, dark rum, and butter. It’s decadent, it’s deeply satisfying, and it fills the entire house with the most incredible aroma.

This is my go-to recipe when I need a dessert that feels truly special without demanding hours of complex pastry work. It takes the humble banana recipe to a whole new level. The inspiration comes from the classic New Orleans dish, Bananas Foster, but by baking it into a bread pudding, we create a more substantial, comforting pud that’s ideal for finishing a Sunday roast or impressing guests at a dinner party. It’s the kind of dish that gets murmurs of appreciation before anyone has even taken a bite.

If you love a boozy dessert with layers of flavour, this is for you. It’s got the sweetness of ripe bananas, the deep, molasses notes from the dark brown sugar and rum, and the creamy, familiar goodness of a well-made bread pudding. It’s a bit like our Maple Pecan Sticky Buns in spirit—utterly indulgent and worth every single calorie.

Recipe Overview

This recipe combines a classic baked bread pudding with a rich, rum-spiked Bananas Foster sauce. The pudding itself is soft and custardy, while the topping provides a spectacular finish of sweet, caramelised bananas. The first time I made this, I was a little timid with the rum, but I’ve since learned that using a good, flavourful dark rum makes all the difference to the final taste.

• Prep Time: 25 minutes
• Cook Time: 50 minutes
• Total Time: 1 hour 15 minutes
• Servings: 8 people
• Difficulty: Medium

Why You’ll Love This Bananas Foster Bread Pudding

• Genuine Flavour: The taste is wonderfully complex. You get the creamy vanilla custard, the sweetness of ripe bananas, and a deep, warm kick from the dark rum and brown sugar caramel. It’s rich without being cloying.
• Hands-on Time is Minimal: The active preparation comes together in about 25 minutes. The rest of the time is hands-off while the pudding bakes in the oven, filling your kitchen with an incredible scent.
• A Flexible Recipe: You can easily adapt this. Use challah or even day-old croissants instead of brioche. If you don’t have dark rum, a good quality bourbon works beautifully, adding a lovely, smoky note.
• Great for a Dinner Party Finale: This baked pudding works wonderfully for a special occasion. It can be assembled ahead of time, and the final sauce can be made just before serving for a bit of kitchen theatre.
• Family Tested: My family adores this recipe. It always gets compliments, and there’s a friendly squabble over who gets the last serving, especially if there’s vanilla ice cream involved.

Bananas Foster Bread Pudding

⏱️ 20 min prep  •  🍳 50 min cook  •  👥 8 servings

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Ingredients You’ll Need

For the best results, use day-old brioche; its rich, buttery texture is perfect for soaking up the custard. When it comes to the rum, I prefer a dark, spiced rum like Kraken or Mount Gay for its deep molasses flavour, which complements the brown sugar and bananas so well.

• For the Bread Pudding:
• 450g day-old brioche loaf, cut into 2-3 cm cubes
• 4 large free-range eggs
• 450ml whole milk
• 250ml double cream
• 150g caster sugar
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• ½ tsp ground cinnamon
• A pinch of salt
• 25g unsalted butter, softened, for greasing the dish
• For the Bananas Foster Topping:
• 100g unsalted butter
• 200g soft dark brown sugar
• ½ tsp ground cinnamon
• 4 large, ripe but firm bananas, sliced 1cm thick
• 120ml dark rum

Marcus’s Tip: Don’t be tempted to use fresh, soft bread. Stale, slightly dry bread is much better at soaking up the custard without turning to mush, giving you a much better texture in the final pudding.

How to Make Bananas Foster Bread Pudding

The process is straightforward. We’ll make a simple custard, let the bread soak it all up, and bake it. While it’s in the oven, we create that spectacular Bananas Foster sauce to pour over the top. The final step is a showstopper!

1. Prepare the Dish and Bread: Preheat your oven to 180°C (160°C fan). Generously grease a 2.5-litre baking dish with the softened butter. Spread the brioche cubes in the prepared dish in an even layer.
2. Make the Custard: In a large mixing bowl, whisk the eggs and caster sugar together until pale and slightly thickened. Whisk in the whole milk, double cream, vanilla extract, cinnamon, and salt until everything is well combined.
3. Soak the Bread: Pour the custard mixture evenly over the brioche cubes. Gently press the bread down with a spatula to ensure every piece is submerged and starting to soak up the liquid. Let it stand at room temperature for at least 20 minutes. I used to struggle with a dry pudding until I discovered this step is essential for a moist, even bake.
4. Bake the Pudding: Place the baking dish in the preheated oven and bake for 45-50 minutes. The pudding is ready when the top is golden brown, puffed up, and a knife inserted into the centre comes out clean. Let it cool for about 10 minutes while you make the sauce.
5. Start the Sauce: While the pudding cools, melt 100g of butter in a large, deep skillet or frying pan over medium heat. Once melted, stir in the dark brown sugar and cinnamon. Cook, stirring constantly, for about 2 minutes until the sugar has dissolved and the mixture is bubbly.
6. Add the Bananas: Gently add the sliced bananas to the pan in a single layer. Cook for 1-2 minutes per side, until they begin to soften and are coated in the caramel sauce.
7. The Flambé (Optional but Recommended!): This is the fun part! Carefully pour the dark rum over the bananas. If you feel confident, tilt the pan slightly towards the gas flame to ignite it, or use a long-handled lighter. **Please be extremely careful and stand back.** Let the flames burn out, which takes about 30 seconds. This step burns off the harsh alcohol, leaving behind a wonderful, deep rum flavour. If you’re not comfortable with this, simply let the sauce simmer for another minute to cook off some of the alcohol.
8. Serve: Spoon the warm Bananas Foster sauce and bananas over the top of the warm bread pudding. Serve immediately, ideally with a scoop of vanilla ice cream or a drizzle of cream.

Tips From My Kitchen

• Custard Temperature: For the smoothest custard, make sure your milk, cream, and eggs are at room temperature before you begin. This helps them emulsify properly without any risk of curdling.
• The Secret to a Moist Pudding: I learned that the 20-minute soaking time is non-negotiable. It gives the stale bread enough time to fully hydrate. If you skip this, you can end up with dry patches in your finished pudding.
• Make-Ahead Magic: You can assemble the bread and custard in the baking dish a day in advance. Cover it tightly with cling film and pop it in the fridge. Just remember to take it out 30 minutes before baking to bring it to room temperature. The sauce is best made fresh.
• Storage: Leftovers are fantastic! Store the pudding in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days. Reheat individual portions in the microwave for 30-60 seconds until warm.

Equipment You’ll Need

• 2.5-litre ovenproof baking dish
• Large mixing bowl and whisk
• Large, deep skillet or frying pan
• Long-handled lighter (for the flambé)
• Spatula

Common Mistakes to Avoid

• Using Fresh Bread: This is the most common pitfall. Fresh bread is too soft and contains too much moisture, which results in a dense, soggy pudding. Stale bread acts like a sponge, creating the perfect texture.
• Overbaking the Pudding: Keep a close eye on it towards the end of the baking time. An overbaked pudding can become dry and the custard can get a bit rubbery. It should have a slight wobble in the very centre when you take it out.
• Skipping the Soaking Time: Rushing the recipe and not allowing the bread to properly soak will leave you with dry spots. That 20 minutes makes all the difference between a good pudding and a great one.

Delicious Variations to Try

Once you’ve mastered the classic, feel free to experiment. This banana recipe is a great base for your own creative touches.

• Add Some Crunch: Toast 75g of chopped pecans or walnuts and fold them into the bread mixture before baking. They add a wonderful nutty flavour and texture that pairs brilliantly with the bananas.
• Chocolate Indulgence: Scatter 100g of dark chocolate chips amongst the bread cubes before pouring over the custard. Banana, chocolate, and rum are a phenomenal combination.
• A Hint of Spice: Add a quarter teaspoon of ground nutmeg and a pinch of ground cloves to the custard along with the cinnamon for a warmer, more autumnal spice profile.

What to Serve With Bananas Foster Bread Pudding

This is a rich dessert that stands proudly on its own, but a few simple accompaniments can elevate it even further. It’s the perfect sweet course after a savoury, comforting meal like our Creamy Chicken and Rice.

• Vanilla Bean Ice Cream: The contrast of the warm, boozy pudding with cold, creamy ice cream is simply sublime.
• A Drizzle of Cream: If ice cream feels too much, a simple pour of cold double cream or crème fraîche offers a lovely tang that cuts through the sweetness.

– A Glass of Rum: For the adults, a small glass of the same dark rum used in the recipe makes for a sophisticated pairing. A strong, dark coffee also works very well.

Frequently Asked Questions

Bananas Foster Bread Pudding

A decadent dessert combining the rich, custardy texture of bread pudding with the classic caramel, banana, and rum flavors of Bananas Foster.

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Prep Time 20 minutes mins

Cook Time 50 minutes mins

Total Time 1 hour hr 30 minutes mins

Servings: 8 servings

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: American

Calories: 775

Ingredients Method Notes

Ingredients

  

For the Bread Pudding

• 450 g day-old brioche loaf cut into 2-3 cm cubes
• 4 large free-range eggs
• 450 ml whole milk
• 250 ml double cream
• 150 g caster sugar
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• ½ tsp ground cinnamon
• A pinch of salt
• 25 g unsalted butter softened, for greasing the dish

For the Bananas Foster Topping

• 100 g unsalted butter
• 200 g soft dark brown sugar
• 4 large ripe but firm bananas, sliced 1cm thick
• 120 ml dark rum

Method

 

1. Prepare the Dish and Bread: Preheat your oven to 180°C (160°C fan). Generously grease a 2.5-litre baking dish with the softened butter. Spread the brioche cubes in the prepared dish in an even layer.
2. Make the Custard: In a large mixing bowl, whisk the eggs and caster sugar together until pale and slightly thickened. Whisk in the whole milk, double cream, vanilla extract, cinnamon, and salt until everything is well combined.
3. Soak the Bread: Pour the custard mixture evenly over the brioche cubes. Gently press the bread down with a spatula to ensure every piece is submerged and starting to soak up the liquid. Let it stand at room temperature for at least 20 minutes. I used to struggle with a dry pudding until I discovered this step is essential for a moist, even bake.
4. Bake the Pudding: Place the baking dish in the preheated oven and bake for 45-50 minutes. The pudding is ready when the top is golden brown, puffed up, and a knife inserted into the centre comes out clean. Let it cool for about 10 minutes while you make the sauce.
5. Start the Sauce: While the pudding cools, melt 100g of butter in a large, deep skillet or frying pan over medium heat. Once melted, stir in the dark brown sugar and cinnamon. Cook, stirring constantly, for about 2 minutes until the sugar has dissolved and the mixture is bubbly.
6. Add the Bananas: Gently add the sliced bananas to the pan in a single layer. Cook for 1-2 minutes per side, until they begin to soften and are coated in the caramel sauce.
7. The Flambé (Optional but Recommended!): This is the fun part! Carefully pour the dark rum over the bananas. If you feel confident, tilt the pan slightly towards the gas flame to ignite it, or use a long-handled lighter. **Please be extremely careful and stand back.** Let the flames burn out, which takes about 30 seconds. This step burns off the harsh alcohol, leaving behind a wonderful, deep rum flavour. If you're not comfortable with this, simply let the sauce simmer for another minute to cook off some of the alcohol.
8. Serve: Spoon the warm Bananas Foster sauce and bananas over the top of the warm bread pudding. Serve immediately, ideally with a scoop of vanilla ice cream or a drizzle of cream.

Notes

Serve warm with vanilla ice cream. The 20-minute soaking time for the bread is crucial for a moist result. Leftovers can be stored in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.

This Bananas Foster Bread Pudding is pure, unadulterated comfort. It’s the kind of dessert that makes people lean back in their chairs and sigh with contentment. I really hope you give it a try for your next special meal or just as a weekend treat. Let me know how you get on in the comments below – I’d love to hear about it! Happy baking.
– Marcus