Banana Caramel French Toast

By
Leah Maroney
Leah Maroney
Leah Maroney
A recipe developer and food photographer, Leah Maroney is an ardent home cook and food blogger who has written over 300 recipes for The Spruce Eats.
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Updated on 09/9/19
banana caramel french toast
Leah Maroney
Prep: 10 mins
Cook: 25 mins
Total: 35 mins
Servings: 12 servings

 Banana Caramel French Toast is a fun and decadent variation on the delicious French breakfast treat. Using a nice crusty baguette makes for a hearty and rich base for the caramelized bananas. I love making french toast for all of our weekend guests. It's delicious, it's a great way to use up leftover bread, and it's really easy to assemble. You also don't need to serve anything else with it! It has many of the food groups already included! Although we would never turn down serving it with a side of bacon!

Caramel sauce is so much easier to make than you may imagine. It just requires a little water, sugar, butter, and heavy cream. It is important to only stir it with a wooden spoon. A metal spoon will agitate the sugar and cause it to crystalize.

You can easily replace the bananas with apples in this recipe. You can also add a little rum and turn it into bananas foster french toast! 

Ingredients

  • For the French Toast:
  • 1 large baguette (or loaf of brioche)
  • 5 eggs
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla
  • 2/3 cup milk
  • 1 teaspoon cinnamon
  • 2 teaspoons sugar
  • For the Caramel Sauce:
  • 1 cup water
  • 2 1/2 cups sugar
  • 3 tablespoons butter
  • 1/3 cup half and half (or heavy cream)
  • 1 pinch salt
  • 1 to 2 large bananas (sliced)

Steps to Make It

  1. Gather the ingredients.

  2. Whisk together the eggs, vanilla, milk, cinnamon, and sugar in a large bowl or baking dish. Slice the baguette into thick slices and dip into the egg mixture. Soak each side for about 2 minutes, depending on the staleness of the bread. (The moister the bread, the less time it will need to sit in the egg mixture.)

  3. While the bread is soaking, heat the sugar and water on the stove until it turns light brown. You may stir it but only with a wooden spoon. (A metal spoon will agitate the sugar and cause it to crystallize).

  4. Once it turns light brown, shut off the heat and add in the butter and stir to combine. Add in the heavy cream and stand back because it will steam and foam. 

  5. Stir until completely combined and let cool slightly.  Keep covered on the stove while you prepare the french toast. 

  6. Cook french toast in a buttered pan on medium heat until each side is golden brown. Keep the bread slices warm in a 200 F oven while cooking the remaining bread.

  7. Add sliced bananas to the caramel sauce and serve over the french toast!

  8. Enjoy!

Nutrition Facts (per serving)
293 Calories
9g Fat
49g Carbs
7g Protein
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Nutrition Facts
Servings: 12
Amount per serving
Calories 293
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 9g 11%
Saturated Fat 5g 24%
Cholesterol 106mg 35%
Sodium 110mg 5%
Total Carbohydrate 49g 18%
Dietary Fiber 1g 2%
Protein 7g
Calcium 62mg 5%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.
(Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate.)