These low carb Bananas Foster Pancakes start with a simple and super fluffy banana pancake, then gets topped with caramelized banana and a rum caramel sauce for the ultimate breakfast indulgence!
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Banana Pancakes are my favorite indulgent breakfast and if you are going to have banana pancakes, you might as well have bananas foster pancakes!
Are Bananas keto friendly?
The best thing about the keto diet is that there is only one rule ... keep your daily carbohydrate intake low enough that your body enters the metabolic state of ketosis. For most people, this is around 20 grams of net carbs per day.
There are no other 'rules' for being on a keto diet, there are no forbidden foods, and there are no products that you need to buy.
You can eat at the McDonald's drive-through for every meal or you can get every meal from whole foods - regardless, as long as you keep your carbs low enough you will be in ketosis and likely get results.
Of course, we should all strive to have a diet that is as wholesome as possible and full of real food vs highly processed food, but that is simply a personal preference and not a "Keto requirement."
Furthermore, how you choose to 'spend' your 20ish net carbs per day is also a matter of personal preference. If you want to spend it on half of a can of soda that's your choice. Not necessarily one that I would recommend, but definitely yours to make.
With all that said, this recipe uses a single banana which has about 24 grams of net carbs. Divided across 6 servings, that's only 4 net carbs. Well within the daily allowance of 20. But still, if you don't want to use a real banana, I have listed some possible substitutions below.
Bananas Foster Pancake Ingredient Substitutions:
- Banana Extract - Since this recipe only uses one real banana, I like to add a little banana extract to amp up the banana flavor. I don't usually like the fake banana flavor that extracts usually have, but I've found that when combined with real banana, the fake flavor isn't noticeable at all. If you don't want to use banana extract feel free to leave it out, just be aware that the end result won't have as strong of a banana flavor.
- Banana - If you don't want to use a real banana, you can substitute about 60 grams of pure pumpkin and an additional 1-2 teaspoon of banana extract in the pancakes and just an additional 1 teaspoon of banana extract in the topping.
- Brown Sugar Substitute - I don't recommend substituting this if at all possible, but in a pinch, you can substitute any granular sweetener plus 1-2 teaspoon of molasses.
My favorite brand for the brown sugar substitute and the sugar-free maple syrup is Lakanto.
Lakanto is a monk fruit and erythritol blend. It has no effect on blood glucose. Plus, since it's a blend, it doesn't have any icky aftertaste and doesn't recrystallize as much as other low carb sweeteners tend to do.
Lakanto Sugar-free maple syrup has the cleanest ingredients of any sugar-free syrup I've seen and the flavor and consistency is as close to the real thing that you are going to get.
Right now you can get 10% off of all Lakanto products with the code "THISMOMSMENU" when you order from the Lakanto Website!
Helpful tips for making these keto bananas foster pancakes:
- Unlike with traditional pancake batter, you don't want to leave this batter lumpy. While you can achieve this mixing by hand or with a handheld mixer, I find that using a blender is easier and faster.
- Also, unlike traditional pancakes, these won't bubble on top when they are ready to flip. When they are ready, you will notice that they become less shiny and will easily release from the pan.
- In traditional bananas foster, you want the bananas to stay intact throughout the cooking process, but that isn't a concern here. Letting the banana's fall apart a bit allows more banana flavor in each bite.
- You can stir the pecans into the sauce at the end of the cooking process, serve them sprinkled on top of the pancakes or leave them out completely.
- Store leftover pancakes and sauce separately in the fridge for up to a week. They also freeze really well.
Be sure to check out these other great recipes:
- Sausage Pancake Muffins | Keto, Gluten Free
- Keto Pumpkin Pancakes | Gluten Free
- Keto Banana Pudding
- Keto Banana Bread | Gluten Free
- Keto Banana Bread Bottomed Cheesecake | Instant Pot
- Keto Blueberry Pancake Casserole with Blueberry Topping
Keto Bananas Foster Pancakes | Gluten Free
Ingredients
For the pancakes:
- 4 Large Eggs
- 1 teaspoon Vanilla Extract
- ½ teaspoon Banana Extract Optional
- 4 oz Cream Cheese
- 1 cup Almond Flour
- ⅓ cup Flax Seed Meal
- 2 teaspoon Baking Powder
- ½ Medium Banana slightly overripe works best
- Liquid Stevia to taste, optional
For the Bananas Foster Topping
- 2 tablespoon Dark Rum or Bourbon optional
- 8 tablespoon Salted Butter
- ½ teaspoon Vanilla Extract
- ½ teaspoon Banana Extract
- ½ Medium Banana sliced into rounds
- ½ cup Brown Sugar Substitute
- ½ teaspoon Cinnamon
- ¼ cup Sugar Free Maple Syrup
- ⅛-1/4 teaspoon Xanthan Gum Optional
- ¼ cup Pecans Chopped, optional
Instructions
- Start by preparing the pancake batter. Combine all the ingredients for the pancakes in a blender. Pulse until the batter is smooth and well combined. Set aside and begin to heat a large griddle or non-stick skillet over medium heat.
- Pour ¼ cup of batter into the skillet and flip when the pancake easily removes from the pan and the edges begin to no longer look shiny. (These pancakes won't bubble like traditional pancakes when they are ready to flip) Repeat with the remaining pancake batter.
- To prepare the topping to combine the rum or bourbon, butter, vanilla, and banana extract in a medium to large heavy-bottomed skillet over medium heat.
- Once the butter has melted and just begun to bubble, add the sliced bananas in a single layer. Let them cook undisturbed for 2-3 minutes.
- Next, add the brown sugar substitute, cinnamon, and sugar-free maple syrup to the pan and gently stir. Allow the mixture to simmer, stirring frequently until the brown sugar has melted and is well integrated with the butter.
- If you prefer a thicker topping, or you are having a hard time getting the butter to blend with the sweetener, sprinkle ⅛ - ¼ teaspoon of xanthan gum over the simmering sauce and stir it in. This will thicken it slightly, as well as help emulsify the butter and sweetener.
- If desired, you can toss the chopped pecans into the sauce or wait and serve them sprinkled over the top of the pancakes.
- One serving is two pancakes and approximately 2 ½ tablespoon of the topping.
Notes
Be sure to read the entire post for tips, tricks, and help troubleshooting.
The nutrition information listed here is only an estimate and is simply provided as a courtesy. It nor any other information within this post should constitute medical or nutritional advice. Be sure to read all packaging and ingredient labels for potential allergens. Optional ingredients are not included unless otherwise specified.
Kris says
I love your recipes, but when I saw this, I had to say something.
"There are no other 'rules' for being on a keto diet, there are no forbidden foods, and there are no products that you need to buy."
This is completely untrue. Keto is not a diet, but a lifestyle. It's about ingredients first, and there are absolutely certain things you should not eat, including grains, legumes, starchy vegetables, etc. Sure, you can eat anything in a small enough portion to remain under 20 daily net carbs, but that doesn't make it Keto.
Sabra says
Here is the deal. Keto may be a lifestyle for you, but that isn't the case for everyone. If this recipe doesn't fit your lifestyle then don't make it. But the absolute fact is that you can eat these pancakes and still be in a state of ketosis if that is your goal. Therefore they fit into a keto diet. In addition, I would also like to add that multiple studies have shown that adhering to very restrictive diets (or lifestyles as you call it) actually lead to long term weight gain, poorer mental health outcomes, and an increase in eating disorders (particularly binge eating) Making certain foods completely off-limits gives you zero bonus points and may in fact prove to be detrimental in the long run. If it works for you, great. But that would likely not be the case for many other people and I will never in good conscious advocate for those kinds of eating practices.
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/28131005/ https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/10082698/