Dessert

Bananas Foster Bread Pudding

Caramelized banana bread pudding with warm rum flavor. No alcohol needed.

Prep 10 min LOW 4 hours HIGH 2½–3 hours Serves 8

Bananas Foster Bread Pudding, finished and plated — Serving suggestion

Bananas Foster was invented at Brennan's in New Orleans in 1951, and the original involves setting rum on fire at the table. This version does not, which is probably for the best in most homes.

The rum flavor here is non-alcoholic, so this is safe for the whole family. What it keeps is everything else — brown sugar, banana, cinnamon and butter caramelizing together into something that smells like a Bourbon Street kitchen.

Use bananas that are past their prime. The spotty brown ones you'd otherwise throw out are sweeter and they mash into the custard instead of sitting in it as chunks.

Why you'll love it

Uses up overripe bananas.

The browner the better. This is the recipe for the bunch nobody wanted.

Non-alcoholic rum flavor.

All the flavor, safe for kids.

Feeds eight from one loaf.

Cheap and generous.

Smells extraordinary.

Brown sugar, banana and cinnamon for three hours.

What's already in the packet

Brown sugar powderGranulated sugarCornstarchAll-purpose flourCoconut oil or butter powderVanilla sugar blendCinnamonInstant milk powderRum flavor powderNutmegFine sea saltBaking powder

Fifty grams of brown sugar leading, with non-alcoholic rum flavor, cinnamon and nutmeg behind it.

Choose your setting

Recommended

LOW · 4 hours

Low and slow gives collagen time to melt and flavors time to build. It is the setting this recipe was written for.

HIGH · 2½–3 hours

For when you started late. It gets dinner done, but the texture is better on LOW.

Done when

A knife in the center comes out mostly clean.

You'll Need

1 packet Cook SLO Bananas Foster Bread Pudding
8 cups Day-old bread, cut in cubes
4 Large eggs
2½ cups Whole milk
3 Ripe bananas, sliced
¼ cup Butter, melted

What you add

8 cups

Day-old bread, cubed

Large eggs

2½ cups

Whole milk

Ripe bananas, sliced

Desserts cook on HIGH. Paper towel under the lid

Toppings & mix-ins

Vanilla ice creamWhipped creamExtra banana slicesCaramel sauceToasted pecansCinnamon

Save a few banana slices to lay on top in the last 20 minutes so they stay intact and look good.

Before anything goes in the pot

1
Toast the bread cubes before they go in
Spread the cubes on a sheet and toast at 300°F for twenty minutes, stirring once halfway. This is faster and more reliable than leaving bread out overnight, and it does the same job — dry bread drinks the custard and holds its shape. Fresh bread collapses into mush.
2
Whisk the batter in a bowl, not in the crock
Lumps mixed in the pot stay lumps. A bowl and a whisk take one minute and the difference is visible in the finished cake.

These happen outside the crock pot, before it's switched on.

Tonight's Plan

1
Put the bread cubes and sliced bananas in the crock pot.
Toss them together so the bananas are distributed.
2
Whisk the packet, eggs, milk and melted butter together until smooth.
In a bowl. No streaks of egg.
3
Pour it over the bread and press the cubes down so they soak.
Press firmly. Dry pockets stay dry.
4
Let it sit 10 minutes, then put the lid on.
Paper towel under the lid.

Right before you serve

Finishing touches

Check the center — it should be set, not wet.

A knife should come out mostly clean.

Let it stand 15 minutes before scooping.

It firms up as it cools.

Stirring

Do not stir once the lid is on

Cakes, cobblers and puddings set in layers. Stirring collapses the separation between the cake and the sauce underneath, and you end up with one uniform wet layer instead of two good ones.

Swaps and add-ins

Add a caramel sauce.

Butter, brown sugar and cream simmered five minutes. Pour over at the table.

Add pecans.

A cup, folded in with the bread. Very New Orleans.

Use brioche or challah.

Richer bread, noticeably better pudding.

Add real rum.

Two tablespoons in the custard if you want the adult version.

Tips for success

Use very ripe bananas. Spotty brown ones are sweeter and they melt into the custard rather than sitting in it.
Day-old bread, not fresh. Fresh bread turns to mush. This is non-negotiable in any bread pudding.
Save a few banana slices for the top. Added in the last 20 minutes so they keep their shape and look good.
Drop in a liner before anything else. Smooth it against the sides and fold the edges over the rim. When you're done, lift it out and throw it away — the crock never needs scrubbing.

Finish it right

Warm caramel sauce.

Poured over at the table. This is the Bananas Foster finish and it's worth the five minutes.

Vanilla ice cream.

Cold against warm custard, the way the original is served.

Toasted pecans.

Two minutes in a dry pan wakes the oils. Then scatter.

Serve it over

Warm with vanilla ice creamDrizzled with caramelWith toasted pecansCold for breakfast

Tomorrow night

Fried in butter.

Sliced and pan-fried until the edges caramelize. Excellent.

Banana pudding parfaits.

Layered with whipped cream.

Breakfast with yogurt.

Cubed over Greek yogurt.

Warmed with cream poured over.

Simple and very good.

Keeping it

Fridge

Covered, up to 4 days

Freezer

2 months, wrapped tightly.

Reheating

Microwave 30 seconds, or a hot buttered pan for crisp edges.

Questions people ask

Recipe card