Bourbon Banana Butter ~ this fruit spread is the stuff of your wildest B&B fantasies ~ silky, rich, and a little bit decadent. Spread it on toast, biscuits, croissants, pancakes… let’s just say mornings are about to get a whole lot more interesting.
This is my favorite kind of stuff to share — something neither of us probably even knew existed, but turns out to be fantabulous. Banana butter is definitely unusual, but, when you think about it for a minute, it makes perfect sense. Every other fruit has been jammed, jellied, or made into a butter…why not bananas?
This amazing banana butter takes just 10 minutes to make!
I admit I wasn’t sure what I was in for as I sliced up my 2 pounds of bananas and pureed them with some brown sugar, and then set it all on the stove top to reduce down — but very soon my nose told me it was going to be good. The banana puree thickens up quickly. I cooked it until there was a clean trail when I ran my spoon across the bottom of the pan, it only takes about 5 minutes. I stirred in lots of vanilla bean paste and a pinch of cinnamon, and then filled a couple of small jam jars.
The butter continues to thicken even more as it chills in the refrigerator.
Team this up with the obvious — toast, scones, hot biscuits…but after that, why not make a to-die-for peanut butter and bourbon banana sandwich? Or even bake it into the best banana bread you’ve ever tasted, or use it as a filling for crumble bars.
Bourbon Banana Butter
Ingredients
- 2 lbs bananas peeled and sliced (weigh your bananas BEFORE peeling)
- 1/2 cup brown sugar
- 2 Tbsp bourbon
- 1 Tbsp vanilla bean paste or extract
- 1/4 tsp cinnamon
Instructions
- Peel the bananas and break them up as you add them to the bowl of a food processor. Add the sugar and pulse a few times and then puree to a smooth consistency. You don't have to get out ALL the lumps. Your puree will be quite thin.
- Transfer to a heavy bottomed saucepan and add the bourbon. Bring to a boil, stirring constantly. Cook and stir until the mixture thickens. Be careful not to let it scorch. Turn down the heat if necessary. This should not take more than 5 minutes or so.
- Remove from the heat and add the vanilla and cinnamon. Pour into a small jar, or jars, and let cool to room temperature. Cover and refrigerate until needed.
- Plan to eat within a couple of weeks.
notes:
- No need to wait for your bananas to turn black, I used yellow bananas and the flavor was great.
- Leave out the bourbon if you don’t like it.
- Change out the cinnamon for nutmeg, or cardamom for a different flavor.
- You can experiment with using honey or maple syrup in place of the sugar.
Thanks for pinning!
51 Comments
Adell Daugherty
February 3, 2021 at 10:06 amI plan on making this very soon. Question…have you tried freezing it? Thank you in advance!
Sue Moran
February 3, 2021 at 10:20 amI haven’t, but I don’t see any problem with freezing it.
elana
May 2, 2020 at 6:42 amI made my first banana bread today. I’m mostly anti sugar in all I do, so I cheated on the recipe and ended up putting very little sugar in my banana loaf. The result was that I could barely taste any banana at all… so I thought, alright, all is not lost on my low- sugar banana bread, I just need to add some extra banana-ness. So I thought, does banana butter exist? I found this recipe, followed it to the tee, except I used Sherry instead of bourbon. I spread my delicious banana butter on the relatively tasteless banana loaf, and it saved the day! Thanks!
Olga Payne
March 31, 2020 at 6:34 amWith only 1.5 lbs of over ripe bananas on hand, I proceeded with the recipe. Used less sugar but full amount of bourbon – result: perfect Covid-19 isolation breakfast. Thank you Sue!
Sue
March 31, 2020 at 8:34 amGlad I could help 😉
Sue
March 31, 2020 at 1:25 pm🙂 Stay healthy!
Steve Wichman
August 28, 2019 at 9:41 amWith access to “more than I can use, but too cheap not to buy” bananas I went looking for banana butter on the interwebz as I was unfamiliar with it. Out of the roughly dozen options this one caught my eye. Wouldn’t you know I forgot to replace my brown sugar and had plenty of maple syrup (75% vs. sugar). It then dawned on me that I also had a half a bottle of maple flavored bourbon. Perfect! As my fruit was well past ripe and being too lazy to pull the food processor I simply used a wooden spoon and whisk while heating the mixture. Consistency was fine, and the flavor even better. Thanks for for posting your recipe Sue.
Sue
August 28, 2019 at 2:13 pmYou made this even easier Steve, and the maple bourbon is pure genius!
Lydia Avery
May 10, 2019 at 11:03 amDo I have to wait two weeks before consumption or can I eat it after I wait one or two hours?
Sue
May 10, 2019 at 11:47 amYou can eat it right away.
Big Al
August 3, 2018 at 12:04 amThis looks awesome. But please don’t can it! https://nchfp.uga.edu/how/can_02/fruit_puree.html
Bananas are too thick and not acidic enough for canning, according to all reputable sources including the University of Georgia Extension and NCHFP. Just a word of caution!
Anne
July 23, 2018 at 6:27 pmMust this be refrigerated prior to opening? I want to make some and ship to a friend out of state. TIA
Sue
July 23, 2018 at 7:52 pmThis is a refrigerator jam, Anne, so it should be kept refrigerated at all times.
Dani Mabie
January 24, 2018 at 5:37 pmGoggled banana butter on a whim to see if it had been done. This looks delicious now – golden and lovely.
I’m wondering about its appearance after a few days in the fridge; does the bourbon prevent any browning? Or does it inevitably turn an unpleasant color after some air exposure? I realize the taste is probably still divine, I just have a very picky child in my home! 😉
Sue
January 24, 2018 at 5:39 pmIn my experience it turns a light brown no matter what, because of the cooking, but I don’t find it unappealing, Dani. I hope it’s a hit with your little one!
Cheryl K
August 6, 2016 at 12:54 pmThis sounds so good! I’ve got a bunch of overly ripe bananas right now…they’re pretty soft. Could I use those, do you think?
Sue
August 6, 2016 at 1:06 pmSure, I think they’d be great, I think you can use ripe or unripe bananas for this.
Cheryl K
August 6, 2016 at 1:38 pmExcellent! Thanks 🙂
Ruth Neagle
July 28, 2016 at 4:05 amDo you know what modifications would be required to make this into processed preserves? I process and can apple butter using a 10 minute water bath but that has a lot more acid (I think).
Veronica Deceder
August 2, 2018 at 6:21 amI have seen a few recipes for canning this they add 1/2 c lemon juice and 1 pkg fruit pectin for 4 lbs bananas. And then water bath for 10 minutes in jelly (8 oz) jars. But there isn’t any bourbon so don’t know what effect the bourbon would have on the canning process if any. Let the experimenting begin. Lol.
Gayatri Mantra
May 14, 2016 at 3:26 amThis looks fantastic!
Sue
May 14, 2016 at 7:20 amthanks Gayatri!
Laura | Tutti Dolci
May 7, 2016 at 11:05 pmI love the butter and those scones look divine. Now this is the way to do breakfast!
Jeff @ Make It Like a Man!
May 7, 2016 at 5:34 pmNever heard of such a thing! What a great way to use up some bananas.
Susan
May 7, 2016 at 10:22 amWhat a delicious combination and I love how you used it – to spread on scones!
Melissa | Bits of Umami
May 7, 2016 at 12:01 amA huge heaping spoon of this on some scones? Can I take 10 of them? I need this in my life.
[email protected] is How I Cook
May 6, 2016 at 2:22 pmI’ve had this post all week and finally got over here. So glad I did not delete. This sounds fabulous!
Denise Tyrrell
May 5, 2016 at 10:46 pmThis sounds marvelous … and different!
Robyn @ Simply Fresh Dinners
May 5, 2016 at 1:55 pmAs I was reading this my eyes kept getting bigger and bigger and I was saying OMG, OMG over and over, lol. I was in a trance and started laughing at myself once I finished. I can’t imagine anything more delicious on my scone in the morning, Sue, and I’ve GOT to have this on the weekend. You’re right – why haven’t we had this before?? Can’t wait to try! I’ll report back on Monday morning 🙂 Thanks for a great recipe!
Eniola
May 5, 2016 at 9:24 amBanana butter? Hmmmmm gonna try this one. Thanks sue
Adina
May 5, 2016 at 7:32 amThis is really original, never heard of banana butter before. I think I am going to make it! 🙂
Sue
May 5, 2016 at 8:34 amThanks so much Adina, I was really excited to try it and even more excited when it worked out so well 🙂
Jennifer @ Seasons and Suppers
May 4, 2016 at 2:36 pmThis is awesome! I can just imagine how perfect it is, for all kinds of things (but loving the looks of it with those scones 🙂
Susan
May 4, 2016 at 12:26 pmYum! Yes, please! On a scone … that’s oozing with real butter! Not that I’m decadent or anything!
Sam | Ahead of Thyme
May 4, 2016 at 11:47 amYum!! I love banana bread! I can’t wait to try this, it looks delicious!
Tricia @ Saving room for dessert
May 4, 2016 at 11:33 am“leave out the bourbon if I don’t like it” yeah right! Not a problem for me! I cannot believe how creative you are – this sounds absolutely over the top fantastic. Can’t wait to hear more about those pretty scones hiding in your photos!
Sue
May 4, 2016 at 11:34 amI have to say that because someone ALWAYS asks 🙂
Sue
May 4, 2016 at 11:44 amAnd I almost included the scone recipe but I was too tired 😉 They’re basic almond scones:
3 cups (15 ounces) all purpose flour
4 tablespoons granulated sugar
1 tablespoon baking powder
½ teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
12 Tablespoons cold unsalted butter, cut into pieces
1 cup cream (or half & half) plus more for brushing
1 teaspoon almond extract
1/2 cup sliced almonds
set oven to 400F
Pulse the dry ingredients in a food processor to combine. Pulse in the butter until it resembles coarse crumbs.
Mix the cream with the extract and drizzle in while pulsing, just until the dough starts to come together.
Turn the dough out onto a floured surface and knead just until smooth. form a flat disk about 8-10 inches in diameter. Cut into 8 triangles.
Chill the scones for 20 minutes, then brush with a little cream, cover with sliced almonds, and bake for about 15-18 minutes until golden brown.
Lucy
May 4, 2016 at 11:01 amI literally cannot believe this only has 5 ingredients. Amazing! Since I have a 3-year-old, we always have bananas on hand. I can’t wait to try this–I know he will love it on his morning toast.
Renee
May 4, 2016 at 10:48 amI use bourbon in my apple butter, but I’ve never tried banana butter. I have quite a few collecting in my freezer that might work well for something like this. Thanks for sharing!
Sue
May 4, 2016 at 11:33 amBourbon apple butter sounds pretty nice…
Chris Scheuer
May 4, 2016 at 10:21 amSo fun Sue. I’ve actually been working on a banana jam. Different than this but similar. I had it when I was in Nashville served with hot biscuits. It was amazing and I’m determined to figure out how it’s made. I’m sure this butter is wonderful and a great thing to do with extra bananas besides making banana bread.
Sue
May 4, 2016 at 10:24 amIf you had it in Nashville, it might just have had some bourbon in it 😉
Nancy
May 4, 2016 at 10:14 amIs that 2 pounds peeled bananas?
Sue
May 4, 2016 at 10:23 amGood question, no 2 pounds with the peel on, I’ll clarify, thanks Nancy
Sarah @ Champagne Tastes
May 4, 2016 at 9:54 amI’ve never heard of banana butter, but I happen to have a few bananas that are too ripe for my liking at home right now. And I have bourbon (of course!- I’m too close to KY to not have bourbon!). This would be amazing on my toast in the morning. Thanks!!
Sue
May 4, 2016 at 10:25 amLet me know if you give it a try Sarah 🙂
John/Kitchen Riffs
May 4, 2016 at 9:46 amBanana butter? Brilliant? Adding bourbon? Even better! This really does look good. Thanks for the creation — trust me, we’ll all be making it!
Willow
May 4, 2016 at 9:12 amI have been seeing a lot of recipes lately with bourbon in it. I think I am going to have to buy a bottle just to cook with! This sounds amazing and I am glad it’s vegan! I pinned for later.
Sue
May 4, 2016 at 9:22 amThat’s what I do, Willow — the flavor really adds that special touch so a lot of different types of food.
Sara
May 4, 2016 at 8:20 amI have never heard of banana butter before but it looks SO incredibly good! Definitely going on my must-try list!