Get ready to go wild over these delicious banana flambe sundaes! I caramelize ripe bananas into syrupy goodness and top it over cold vanilla ice cream. This flambe banana recipe is awesome in so many ways!
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I overbought bananas this week, which is pretty common for me. I love bananas and including bananas in many of my gluten free banana recipes. I decided not to bake this time because it is already getting hot here in the Bay Area. I decided to try a copycat of a dessert I had a few years ago.
The ripe bananas cook in the brown sugar, honey, cinnamon, and cardamom…and they end up with a thick caramel-like syrup. This is my new favorite topper for ice cream!
This is my new summer favorite! If you love ice cream as much as we do, you will want to check out all of my gluten free ice cream recipes on the blot!
Why this banana flambe recipe is so good:
- This recipe is one of my favorites because it is full of caramelized sweet banana flavor.
- This flambe banana recipe can be made with whole, sliced, or mashed ripe bananas.
- It is delicious over ice cream, or add on top of my gluten free brownies with ice cream and bananas.
Top this delicious dessert with my sweet cinnamon candied walnuts!!
This is one of our favorite desserts! It reminds me of bananas foster I had
taryn, bog comment
many years ago in New Orleans.”
Allergen Information:
This homemade banana flambe recipe is gluten-free, nut-free, soy-free, egg-free, and oat-free.
Ingredients Notes:
For the full list of ingredients and amounts, please go to the recipe card below.
- Bananas – The riper, the better! See below for easy tips to ripen your bananas if you need them riper.
- Honey – There is no need to use expensive honey for this recipe. Use a cheap one, as it won’t affect the final flavor.
- Butter – Use unsalted butter. To make this recipe dairy-free, use vegan butter.
- Vanilla Extract and Dark Rum/Rum Extract
How to ripen bananas:
If your bananas are not ripe, don’t worry; these quick and easy tips should help!
- Place your bananas on a baking sheet and bake at 225º F for 20 minutes.
- If you are not in a rush, you can place your bananas in a brown paper bag and let them sit on the counter for a few days. (Don’t forget to close the bag!)
- You can grill the bananas. Use a knife to slit down the peel. Place the bananas on the grill. Close the lid and cook at 300º F for 15 minutes.
Step-By-Step Photos and Directions:
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Step 1: Melt the butter over medium heat in a large skillet. Add the sugar and cinnamon and stir until all the sugar melts.
Step 2: Add the sliced bananas, cardamom, and vanilla and stir to blend.
Step 3: Continue to cook the banana mixture on low heat while the sauce thickens. Flambe is optional; if you choose NOT to flambe the bananas, add the rum to step 2 with the bananas so the rum cooks down as it caramelizes.
Flambe safety tips!
The choice to flambe the bananas is totally optional. When you flambe your bananas, it further cooks off the dark rum. To flambe, add the rum, then tilt the pan very slightly so the rum in the bananas catches the flame. (You can also use a LONG fireplace match to start the flame.)
- NEVER pour the alcohol from the bottle into the pan. It’s dangerous. Measure the alcohol in a small dish and pour it into the pan.
- Have a fire extinguisher handy on the counter, just in case. There is so little alcohol it burns off very quickly in just 3-4 seconds.
Step 4: Allow to cool to warm and serve over ice cream.
Frequently Asked Questions:
You can use different fruits like apples or pineapple in this recipe.
I used dark rum because it works with the ripe caramelized banana flavors. You can also use brandy.
Yes, hard alcohol is gluten free. The gluten is removed in the distillation process.
The alcohol will cook down, but you want to make almost a reduction sauce to cook down the alcohol.
The bananas will keep fresh for up to 4 days in the refrigerator.
You may also love this Air Fryer Banana recipe because it is a quick way to caramelize bananas.
More Delicious Ice Cream Recipes:
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If you made and enjoyed this recipe, I would be incredibly grateful if you could leave a comment below. This will help others know this recipe is delicious. Thank you!
Banana Flambe Sundaes
Ingredients
- 4 ripe bananas * see note
- ¼ cup unsalted butter
- ½ cup brown sugar
- 2 tablespoons honey * see note
- ¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon ground cardamom
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 2 tablespoons dark rum * see note
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Instructions
- In a large skillet, melt 1/4 cup unsalted butter over medium heat. Add the 1/2 cup brown sugar, 1/4 teaspoon ground cardamom, 2 tablespoons honey, and 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon. Stir until all the sugar melts.
- Add the sliced 4 ripe bananas, 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract, and 2 tablespoons dark rum and stir to blend. Cook for 3 or 4 minutes until the bananas are warm. Turn the heat to low and simmer until the sauce is thickened.
- Scoop ice cream into individual serving bowls and top with the bananas and sauce. Serve at once.
Notes
- Traditionally the bananas are sliced in half and then vertically, but you can simply slice them into bite-size rounds.
- The dark rum is optional. It will cook down if it is reduced in the banana flambe caramel sauce.
- Also, once the rum is hot, you can remove the skillet from the burner and set fire to the rum to remove the alcohol content but leave the flavor.
- This banana flambe mixture will keep up to 4 days in the refrigerator.
Flambe safety tips:
The choice to flambe the bananas is totally optional. When you flambe your bananas it further cooks off the dark rum. To flambe, add the rum, then tilt the pan very slightly so the rum in the bananas catches the flame. (You can also use a LONG fireplace match to start the flame.)- NEVER pour the alcohol into the pan from the bottle. This is dangerous. Pour the measured amount of alcohol into a small dish and pour into the pan from that.
- Have a fire extinguisher handy on the counter just in case. There is so little alcohol, it burns off very quickly in just 3-4 seconds.
How to ripen bananas:
- Place your bananas on a baking sheet and bake at 225º F for 20 minutes.
- If you aren’t in a hurry, you can put your bananas in a brown paper bag and let them sit on the counter. (Don’t forget to close the bag!)
- You can grill the bananas. Just slit down the skin and place on a grill. Close the lid and cook at 300º F for 15 minutes.
SPECIAL NOTE
Please know that every gluten free flour blend has a different starch to grain ratio. If you use a blend I didn’t test, my rule of thumb is to add more flour if your dough or batter is wet and add more liquid if the dough or batter is too dry!
Nutrition
Nutrition Disclaimer
Nutritional information is an estimate provided to you as a courtesy. You should calculate the actual nutritional information with the products and brands you are using with your preferred nutritional calculator.
I don’t know if I miss a step or something. In the ingredients it is calling for cardamom and vanilla. Sit is not mentioned in the steps when to use these ingredients. Can you help with this?
Hi Maria, add the cardamom and vanilla with the bananas. I will clarify more in the recipe. Thank you!
I like to prepare the spices in the rum, using fresh spice and grinding them with a small spice grinder. I add the spices to the rum and let it sit for 24-48 hours to allow the spices to diffuse into the rum. The rest of the recipe works beautifully as is.
That sounds delicious and I appreciate your tips, Sara. Thank you so much.
I freeze overripe bananas: can you use them from frozen?
That should be fine to use frozen 🙂