Skip to main content
Dessert

Banana Casserole

A baked dish of sliced bananas layered with brown sugar, butter, raisins, pecans, and brandy.

From the Recipes Wiki (Fandom) · 6 ingredients
Jump to recipe ↓

Why it works: Butter and pecans are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 11% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 2,416 recipes. Both carry 2,3-pentanedione, which smells butter, sweet. The science ↓

Banana Casserole

Oven350 °F
Time30 minutes

Ingredients

Directions

Assemble

  1. Line the bottom of a heavily buttered 9x13-inch pan with half of the bananas.

  2. Sprinkle the bananas with brown sugar and dot with butter.

  3. Sprinkle with half of the raisins and pecans.

  4. Repeat the layers until all ingredients are used.

Bake and serve

  1. Bake at 350 °F for 30 minutes.

  2. Let cool for 5 minutes, sprinkle with brandy and serve.

Nutrition, whole recipe (rough)

514Calories
5 gProtein
33 gFat
60 gCarbs

Counts 5 of 6 ingredients. The other 1 aren't in our nutrition table and add nothing above, so the real totals are higher.

What these numbers assume: 5 portions
IngredientPortion assumedkcal
Pecans1 oz (28g / ~19 halves)196
Banana1 medium (118g)105
Butter1 tbsp (14g)102
Grape1/2 cup (76g)62
Sugar1 tbsp (12.5g) granulated49
Brandynot in our table0

One typical portion per ingredient; the recipe's quantities are not counted. A rough guide only, not for medical or dietary planning.

Recipe from the Recipes Wiki (Fandom).

Steps grouped into stages for easier reading; the method is the source's own.

Explore the science

The flavor team

The pairs that carry this dish. Each one is judged two ways: how much their aromas overlap, and how often cooks already put them together.

  1. Butter + pecanstop 11% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together2,416 recipes

    Shared aroma: 2,3-pentanedione (butter, sweet).

  2. Raisin + brandytop 13% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together2,768 recipes

    Shared aroma: beta-damascenone (apple, rose).

  3. Banana + pecanstop 13% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together211 recipes

    Shared aroma: 1-octen-3-ol (mushroom, earthy).

  4. Sugar + raisintop 13% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together12,481 recipes

    Shared aroma: beta-damascenone (apple, rose).

  5. Banana + buttertop 15% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together1,536 recipes

    Shared aroma: ethyl caproate (fruity, apple peel).

Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs

What each ingredient does

Bananas
Form the soft, sweet fruit base that bakes into the casserole layers.
Light brown sugar
Adds sweetness and caramel-like flavor as it melts and bakes into the fruit.
Unsalted butter
Adds richness and moisture, and helps the sugar melt and coat the bananas.
Raisins
Add chewy texture and concentrated sweetness between the banana layers.
Chopped pecans
Add crunch and toasty, nutty flavor that contrasts with the soft fruit.

The step that matters

Let cool for 5 minutes before adding the brandy. Brandy is volatile and its aroma fades quickly when heated, so adding it after a short rest preserves more of its flavor.

Swap the pecans

How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (banana, sugar, butter, raisin, brandy):

  1. Almondfits better
  2. Chestnutfits better
  3. Walnutfits about as well
  4. Pecansthe original

Fit is the average pairing score against banana, sugar, butter, raisin, brandy. Candidates are from the same food group and used in at least 100 recipes.

“What each ingredient does” and “The step that matters” were written by Claude from this recipe’s own method and reviewed in samples by CompKitchen.

You might also like

Brandy PeachesBrandy Peaches68 recipesBrandy CreamBrandy Cream21 recipesBanana FillingBanana Filling16 recipesBrandy PuddingBrandy Pudding13 recipes