Banana Cue is a beloved Filipino street food with skewered fried saba bananas and a sweet, crunchy coating made with caramelized brown sugar. With just three simple ingredients and under 30 minutes, you can recreate this nostalgic treat at home!
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What is Banana Cue?
Banana Cue is a beloved mid-afternoon snack in Filipino food culture, with fried caramelized saba bananas skewered on bamboo sticks. The name "banana cue" combines "banana" and "barbecue," although it's fried, not grilled.
The bananas are coated in sticky brown sugar or panutsa, creating a deliciously caramelized exterior. Perfect when paired with a glass of cold soda, this treat is a sweet staple in the Philippines.
Ingredients you'll need
Notes and substitutions
- Saba bananas: These are like Asian plantains with a starchy texture, not too sweet, and perfect for cooking. Choose ripe but firm saba bananas with yellow skin and black spots, signs of perfect ripeness. Frozen saba bananas work just as well. You can use ripe plantains, burro bananas, Thai bananas, or even regular banana as substitutes.
- Sugar: I used half of the brown sugar for a smooth first caramel layer, then added the remaining brown sugar for a chunkier second coating. Granulated sugar or muscovado sugar are other options.
- Oil: Use a high-temperature neutral oil, like vegetable, canola, peanut, or avocado oil. These have high smoke points, so they're great for cooking at high heat without burning.
How to make this recipe
Step 1: Fry bananas
Heat your skillet over medium-high heat. Pour in enough oil to cover the bananas at least halfway. When the oil is hot, gently drop in the bananas and fry them for about 2 minutes until they start to soften.
Step 2: Add sugar
Add half of the brown sugar and let it melt into a light amber caramel. Keep tossing the bananas around in the pan to make sure they get evenly coated with the caramel.
Step 3: Add more sugar
Sprinkle the rest of the brown sugar over the bananas.
Step 4: Drain
Keep tossing until the sugar starts to clump. Before the second batch of sugar completely melts, take the cooked bananas out of the oil and turn off the heat.
PRO TIP: To get a beautifully crunchy coating, take the bananas out of the oil just before the second batch of sugar fully melts. This allows the sugar to crystallize and harden on the bananas, adding a nice crunch to every bite.
Step 5: Drain excess oil
Place the caramelized bananas on a wire rack to drain any excess oil.
Step 6: Skewer the bananas
Once they've cooled down a bit, use tongs to thread the bananas onto individual skewers.
Enjoy your Banana Cue with a refreshing Sago at Gulaman, Avocado Shake, Mango Shake, or Watermelon Slushie.
Recipe FAQs
Banana Cue gets its name because it combines the words "banana" (specifically saba bananas) and "cue," short for "barbecue." This name reflects the main ingredient and the preparation method, where the bananas are skewered much like food on a barbecue.
Saba bananas are a type of banana popular in the Philippines and other parts of Southeast Asia, mainly used for cooking. They're bigger, firmer, and not as sweet as your typical banana when raw. Recognizable by their thick skin and unique angular shape, saba bananas turn yellow with dark spots when they're fully ripe.
Most Banana Cue recipes suggest using brown sugar for that classic caramelized coating, but feel free to try white sugar or coconut sugar. Brown sugar adds a rich, molasses flavor that's hard to beat, but switching it up can be a fun way to tweak the flavor to your liking!
More Filipino recipes using saba bananas
- Maruya: Fried banana fritters with sliced saba bananas coated in a rice flour batter.
- Turon: Fried spring rolls filled with saba bananas and jackfruit. Ube Turon is a variation that includes ube.
- Banana Chips: Thinly sliced bananas deep-fried to a crisp, often sweetened.
- Halo-Halo: Shaved ice dessert with sweetened fruits and beans, Ube Halaya, sago, nata de coco, gulaman, topped with Leche Flan, ice cream, and pinipig.
- Minatamis na Saging: Saba bananas sweetened with sugar syrup.
- Saba con Yelo: Shaved ice dessert with sweetened saba bananas and evaporated milk.
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📖 Recipe
Banana Cue (Caramelized Bananas)
Equipment
- Wok or Skillet
- Bamboo skewers (optional)
Ingredients
- 8 saba bananas (see note)
- ¾ cup brown sugar divided into 2 equal parts (see note)
- Oil for frying (see note)
Instructions
- Heat your skillet over medium-high heat. Pour in enough oil to cover the bananas at least halfway. When the oil is hot, gently drop in the bananas and fry them for about 2 minutes until they start to soften.
- Add half of the brown sugar and allow it to caramelize to a light amber color. Keep tossing the bananas to ensure they are uniformly coated with the caramel.
- Sprinkle the remaining brown sugar over the bananas. Toss continuously until the sugar begins to clump.
- To get a beautifully crunchy coating, take the bananas out of the oil just before the second batch of sugar fully melts. This allows the sugar to crystallize and harden on the bananas, adding a nice crunch to every bite.
- Place the caramelized bananas on a wire rack or colander to drain any excess oil.
- Once they've cooled down a bit, thread the bananas onto individual skewers.
Notes
- Saba bananas: Select ripe but firm saba bananas with yellow skin and black spots, which indicate ripeness. Frozen saba bananas work just as well. You can use ripe plantains, burro bananas, or Thai bananas as substitutes.
- Sugar: I used half of the brown sugar for a smooth first caramel layer, then added the remaining brown sugar for a chunkier second coating. Granulated sugar or muscovado sugar are other options.
- Oil: Use a high-temperature neutral oil, like vegetable, canola, peanut, or avocado oil. These oils have high smoke points, making them ideal for frying.
MesinEsBatu says
Your post is worthy of everyone's attention. I'm excited to learn more and more. Thanks for sharing!
Mesin Es Batu
Nora Reyes says
Aww, thank you so much! That truly means a lot. I’m so glad you found it helpful—I can’t wait to share more with you! 😊
Myra says
Looking really good! I should make these. Did you use frozen bananas? Thanks!
Nora Rey says
Yes, I did use thawed frozen bananas for this recipe. They worked really well! 🍌