Why It Works
- Caramelizing bananas with brown sugar, butter, and spices deepens their flavor and enhances their natural sweetness.
- A splash of aged rum balances the sweetness and adds complexity to the caramel.
- Cooling the banana mixture before blending ensures the butter emulsifies properly and sets into a smooth, apple butter–like texture.
For too long, pumpkin spice has held the title of fall flavor. We’ve infused it into coffee, ice cream, and even tiramisu. But there’s a new flavor contender this year: banana bread. Banana bread, once just a way to use up overripe fruit, has grown into something more. This recipe—which was developed by our colleague Anna Theoktisto in our Birmingham, Alabama test kitchen—takes the key flavors of banana bread in an unexpected direction: a spreadable, spoonable butter perfect for topping pancakes, toast, biscuits, or anything else that could use a touch of flair.
The flavor profile for this recipe is inspired by Daniel Gritzer’s classic bananas Foster. But here those flavors are transformed into a spread that channels banana bread’s sweetness and comforting vibes. Butter and brown sugar melt into a bubbling caramel, warmed with cinnamon and cardamom, before bananas are added to deepen their flavor. A splash of rum enhances the caramelized bananas, adding just enough boozy depth to keep it lively.
Serious Eats / Robby Lozano, Food Stylist: Jasmine Smith, Prop Stylist: Keoshia McGhee
4 Key Techniques for Making Banana Bread Butter
Anna’s recipe draws inspiration from an EatingWell recipe for banana bread butter, but the bananas Foster twist is all Anna. Here are the key techniques that Anna uses to make this banana bread butter flavorful and luxuriously smooth and rich.
1. Caramelization creates the flavor profile. Like bananas Foster, this recipe starts with melting butter with brown sugar and warm spices, then heating the mixture to create a bubbling caramel. Cooking the bananas amplifies the fruit’s sweetness and complexity.
2. Rum adds depth and balance. Aged rum brings a molasses-rich sweetness and warmth that rounds out the caramel. Anna found in testing that using 1/4 cup of rum and cooking it for just 30 to 45 seconds yielded a sauce with the perfect syrupy consistency and a nuanced rum flavor that doesn’t overshadow the other flavors in the butter. A dark rum, such as Myers’s, works especially well here, adding a rich, robust flavor that melds seamlessly with the warm spices.
3. Flambé or simply cook off the alcohol. It’s important to heat the mixture after you add the rum to let the alcohol cook off and the caramel thicken. And while you can just let the mixture simmer, if you’re feeling dramatic, go ahead and carefully light it on fire. The flames may look flashy, but flambéing is easier than it might seem. Just be safe and don’t pour directly from the bottle— measure the rum into a small cup first, then add it to the pan. Whether you choose to flambé or not, you’ll end up with the same rich, concentrated flavor.
4. Cool the caramel for a silky spread. It’s critical to let the banana-caramel mixture cool before processing it with the butter and bananas. Skip this, and the warm caramel will melt the butter and break the emulsion; wait, and you’ll be rewarded with a smooth spread—with a consistency more like apple butter—that holds its shape in the fridge and softens beautifully at room temperature.
5. Almond butter adds richness and stability. A couple of spoonfuls of almond butter bring a warm, nutty flavor reminiscent of banana bread, ensure that the mixture comes together smoothly, and help it stay emulsified.
Serious Eats / Robby Lozano, Food Stylist: Jasmine Smith, Prop Stylist: Keoshia McGhee
How to Use Banana Bread Butter
Spread this banana butter over pancakes, toast, and biscuits, or swirl it into oatmeal. Like banana bread itself, the butter is endlessly adaptable—nutmeg, allspice, or pumpkin pie spice all work well here. And it keeps well in the fridge for two weeks, so you can keep it on hand for whenever you want to give your breakfast an upgrade.
Editor’s Note
This recipe was developed by Anna Theoktisto. The headnote was written by Kelli Solomon.
Banana Bread Butter Is the Genius Spread You’ll Put on Everything This Fall
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2 ripe but firm medium bananas, peeled and halved lengthwise
16 tablespoons (226 g) cold unsalted butter, cubed, divided
1/3 cup packed light brown sugar (2 1/2 ounces; 72 g)
1/2 teaspoon Diamond Crystal kosher salt; for table salt, use half as much by volume
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon cardamom
1/4 cup (60 ml) dark aged rum (see notes)
2 tablespoons almond butter
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
In a large 12-inch stainless-steel skillet over medium-high heat, melt 4 tablespoons butter with brown sugar, salt, cinnamon, and cardamom while stirring and swirling, until butter is melted and mixture blends into a grainy liquid and begins to bubble, about 2 minutes. Add bananas, cut side down, and continue to cook, swirling gently, until liquid begins to resemble a smoother caramel, about 2 minutes longer.
Serious Eats / Robby Lozano, Food Stylist: Jasmine Smith, Prop Stylist: Keoshia McGhee
Add rum (do not pour directly from the bottle if working over an open flame), then tilt pan to ignite the alcohol from a gas burner, or carefully light with a match. Cook, shaking the pan, until the flames have died out and the caramel has thickened to a honey consistency, 30 to 60 seconds. Cook, shaking the pan, until the flames have died out and the caramel has thickened to a honey consistency, about 1 to 2 minutes. Alternatively, you can add the rum and not light it on fire, instead simmering until the rum has mostly cooked off and the caramel has reached a honey consistency.
Serious Eats / Robby Lozano, Food Stylist: Jasmine Smith, Prop Stylist: Keoshia McGhee
In a food processor bowl, add almond butter, vanilla, and remaining 12 tablespoons butter and process until smooth and combined, about 1 minute. Serve immediately on pancakes, toast, biscuits, and more; or transfer to an airtight container and store in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks.
Serious Eats / Robby Lozano, Food Stylist: Jasmine Smith, Prop Stylist: Keoshia McGhee
Special Equipment
10-inch skillet, food processor
Notes
A dark rum, such as Myers’s, works especially well here, adding a rich, robust flavor that melds seamlessly with the warm spices.
Make-Ahead and Storage
Butter can be refrigerated in an airtight container for up to 2 weeks.
