10 Banana Dessert Recipes Worth Saving Room For

Pictured: Banana Pudding Pie recipe from CHOW

Bananas really are the ideal fruit. They’re a natural fit for breakfast, after school, or before a workout, and they taste great blended in a smoothie, as the highlight of a peanut butter sandwich, and, of course, eaten out of hand. But easy as they are to devour mindlessly, bananas shine most when they’re the star of a dessert. They lend a light sweetness and almost floral quality to everything they touch, and when incorporated into baked goods, bananas impart a rich, earthy flavor that can’t be replicated. Don’t believe us? Here are 10 desserts that prove otherwise.

1. Easy Banana Bread

CHOW

This banana bread is a stupid-simple, know-by-memory, back-pocket treat to have in your arsenal for any occasion: a last-minute dinner party, people over for brunch, or when you just need to get rid of all those browning bananas on your counter. Get our Easy Banana Bread recipe.

2. Salted Caramel Banana Bread Puddings

Serious Eats

If your kitchen’s prone to both stale bread and over-the-hill bananas, then you’re a prime candidate to make these single-serving salted caramel banana bread puddings. Get the recipe here.

3. Bananas Foster Milk Shake

CHOW

Re-create the flavors of classic bananas Foster—bruléed bananas, with a waft of rum—with just three ingredients, no lighter required. Get our Bananas Foster Milk Shake recipe.

4. Chocolate Chip Birthday Cake with Bananas and Dulce de Leche

CHOW

Birthday cake layered with bananas, dulce de leche, and whipped cream: What more could a birthday boy or girl ask for? Get our Chocolate Chip Birthday Cake with Bananas and Dulce de Leche recipe.

5. Banana Bread Scones with Brown Sugar Glaze

The Kitchn

Let’s be honest: These brown-sugar-glazed banana bread scones give all of us an excuse to eat banana bread for breakfast. Get the recipe here.

6. Peanut Butter–Honey Banana Bread

Peanut butter and bananas are an obvious sandwich combination, so why not incorporate the pairing into banana bread? This version, with its deep and nutty flavor profile, will give your go-to banana bread a run for its money. Get our Peanut Butter–Honey Banana Bread recipe.

7. Banana Tartes Tatin

Bon Appétit

Because of their high sugar content, ripe bananas caramelize well, which means they make a particularly mean tarte Tatin. Get the recipe here.

8. Thai Upside-Down Cake

Serious Eats

For an upside-down cake of the Thai variety, try this easy recipe that combines three popular Southeast Asian pantry ingredients: banana, coconut, and sesame. Get the recipe here.

9. Carolina Banana Pudding

Saveur

Does any banana lover not crave the banana pudding of yesteryear? This old-timey spoon dessert, dressed generously with whipped cream and Nilla wafers, is proof that even simple, unrefined desserts can stand the test of time. Get the recipe here.

10. Bananas Foster

CHOW

Don’t be scared to light bananas and rum on fire for your next dinner party—it’s guaranteed to spark great conversation (no pun intended) and earn you pretty much a lifetime of kitchen cred. Get our Basic Bananas Foster recipe.

Susannah Chen is a San Francisco–based freelance writer. When she's not cooking or writing, she's on the hunt to find the world's best chilaquiles. Follow her on Twitter and Instagram.