Banana Caramel Sauce


By Emma
Certified Culinary Professional
Ingredients
- 225 g lightly packed dark brown sugar
- 75 ml pure maple syrup
- 4 ripe bananas, cut into 1.2 cm (half-inch) thick rounds
- 60 g roughly chopped toasted pecans
- 240 ml full-fat coconut milk (use canned, shaken, not stirred)
About the ingredients
Method
- Heat brown sugar and maple syrup in a wide nonstick skillet over medium-high. Let sugar dissolve completely without stirring so it bubbles and deepens to a reddish-amber caramel. Watch carefully—color shifts fast; I tap the pan to swirl gently, no spoon scraping. A deep caramel smell, slight smoke, and almost syrupy bubbles tell you to stop.
- Drop banana slices and pecans gently into caramel. They’ll sizzle and foam aggressively—this is the hot phase. Stir carefully just enough to coat evenly, watch bananas darken and soften after about 3 minutes. Avoid mushing them; want tender but intact.
- Slowly pour in coconut milk—expect bubbling; it cools sauce slightly and thickens it simultaneously. Stir continuously till thick, smooth sauce formed. Remove from heat when sauce clings to spoon but runs slowly off edge like honey.
- Serve warm over toasted oat almond waffles, traditional buttermilk waffles, or vanilla ice cream. Sauce thickens more as it cools; reheat gently if needed.
- Leftover sauce stores covered in fridge for 5 days. Rewarm in pan over low heat, adding splash of coconut milk if needed to loosen.
- If caramel hardens or crystals form, add teaspoon of lemon juice or water before cooking next time to prevent crystallization.
- Instead of pecans, almonds or walnuts work fine; for no nuts, stir in a teaspoon of almond butter at last step for richness.
- For dairy version, swap coconut milk with heavy cream (35%) but watch sauce as cream can speed cooking; adjust heat down.
- Nonstick pan heavily recommended. Avoid stainless unless well seasoned; caramel sticks badly otherwise.
- If caramel smells burnt, discard and restart. Begin again with moderate heat and patience. Rushing caramel leads to bitter sauce.
Cooking tips
Chef's notes
- 💡 Patience first. Heat sugar and maple syrup no stirring until fully dissolved. Watch color from pale to deep reddish-amber. Smell changes nutty toasted—stop there. Early stirring yields grainy sauce; crystals form fast. Slow caramelization avoids bitterness but requires constant eyeballing. My pan tapping swirl moves sugar gently.
- 💡 Bananas must be ripe but firm. Thin or overly soft slices ruin texture. Add gently to hot caramel—intense foaming happens. Stir briefly just to coat; crush ruins sauce. Bananas soften over 2-3 minutes but stay intact. Pecans toast beforehand for crunch. Almonds or walnuts swap well, or a bit of almond butter if no nuts.
- 💡 Pour coconut milk slowly into caramel, expect bubbling and foaming. It cools caramel but thickens sauce as fats emulsify. Stir constantly till smooth, no lumps, sauce clings to spoon yet runs slowly off edge. Remove heat immediately to prevent burn or quick drying. Sauce thickens more as it cools—reheat gently with splash coconut milk if stiff.
- 💡 Nonstick pan is crucial. Stainless steel often burns caramel or sticks badly unless well seasoned. Heavy bottomed pans help avoid hot spots that scorch sugar. Wooden spoon or silicone spatula recommended for gentle stirring. Metal can scrape sugar residue causing premature graininess and bitter notes. Heat control mid-level; too high scorches, too low won’t caramelize fully.
- 💡 Crystallization common if stir too early or sugars not fully dissolved. Adding lemon juice or water teaspoon before heating breaks grain formation. If caramel hardens or gritty, discard and restart using acid fix next batch. Burnt smell means restart immediately; patience trumps speed. Storage in fridge 5 days covered; reheat low, loosen with coconut milk as needed.
Common questions
Why no stirring during caramelization?
Stirring first makes sugar crystals, grainy nasty texture. Let dissolve by itself, watch bubbles and color. Patience needed; early stir wrecks. Sound help—bubbles slow then syrupy signals ready.
Can I use other nuts?
Yes almonds, walnuts fine toasted same way. No nuts? Almond butter last step works rich texture. Swap nuts but taste differs. Toasting nuts unlocks flavor and crunch, skip it and sauce feels flat.
Sauce too grainy or crystallized?
Add acid like lemon juice or water teaspoon before heating next time. Stirring too soon, impure sugar causes crystals. Scrape bottom carefully or use nonstick pan. Discard and restart if burnt, burnt equals bitter. Avoid shortcuts.
How to store sauce?
Cover in fridge, lasts about 5 days max. Reheat on low, add splash coconut milk if too thick. Don’t microwave hard sauces; pan gives control. Leftovers won’t keep caramel snap, sauce softens but stays tasty.