Bananacue is a classic Filipino street food where fried, caramelized bananas are threaded onto skewers for a sweet, crunchy treat.

What is Bananacue?

Bananacue or banana-cue is a popular Filipino snack food, which can also be found being sold in the streets of the Philippines. Sometimes these are sold alongside other Filipino street foods such as turon, kwek-kwek, or even kamote cue.

Bananacue is almost always made with Filipino saba bananas, though other variants may also use plantains if saba is unavailable.

The bananas are coated with brown sugar while being deep fried in oil, which allows the sugar to caramelize and coat the bananas before being skewered onto bamboo sticks.

The name itself is a portmanteau of the words “banana” and “barbecue”, which refers to the banana being fried and skewered “barbecue” style.

In Filipino culture, barbecue is referred to as any meat that’s skewered and grilled over a fire. In a similar, yet clever way, Filipinos began serving these banana snacks in skewers for ease when eating, which is most likely how the name “banana-cue” came to be.

My family loves having our merienda (mid-afternoon snacks), and so these quick and easy treats are able to satisfy that craving almost all the time!

Ingredients for Bananacue

The great thing about this recipe is that we only need 3 ingredients, that’s it.

Saba Bananas: For most authentic Filipino banana recipes, you’ll need saba, which is the primary cooking banana originating from the Philippines. It’s quite firmer and thicker than standard Western bananas, which can hold up to the heat upon frying. If you’re able to, go for fresh, ripened saba bananas. Otherwise, frozen may also work (both of which you can find in most Asian/Filipino groceries).

As for substitutes, plantains are your next best bet. Just be sure that your plantains are ripe, with some visible black spots and slight bruisings to signify its sweetness. I once tried this recipe with Thai bananas as well, which wasn’t exactly the same, but still tasted good!

Brown sugar: Any brown sugar can work, so long as it has molasses in it to give our bananacue that traditional caramelized taste. Dark or light brown sugar, and even muscovado sugar is fine to use.

Oil: Any neutral or flavorless oil that has a high smoke point can work. Examples include peanut, canola, safflower, or corn oil.

Quick tips

It’s a simple recipe, but technique is key. You’ll want your heat on high when initially frying the bananas to get them to a light golden color (frying over lower heat will cause your bananas to absorb too much oil, making them greasy). As soon as you introduce the brown sugar, lower the heat to medium-high to avoid the sugars from burning and becoming overly bitter.

Cool your bananacue on wire racks! This will help cool down the bananas on both their top and bottom sides, while also letting any excess oil drip down to the tray below. Letting the bananacue cool on paper towels may cause the sugars to stick.
After about 7-10 minutes of cooling, the sugars should begin to harden, which is the perfect time to consume these as they give a really great crunch. Do note that the longer these sit, the more likely the sugars are to melt and soften over time (altering its texture), so be sure to enjoy these fresh (just don’t burn your tongue).

Instructions for Bananacue

Heat the oil in a large pan or wok over high heat. Fry the bananas for about 3-5 minutes, just until they just become light-golden in color.

Sprinkle in the brown sugar, and lower the heat to medium-high to prevent the sugar from burning too fast. The brown sugar should begin to caramelize and “melt”, which will coat the bananas. You’ll want to gently stir and/or occasionally flip the bananas while frying to ensure the caramelized sugar adequately coats each banana.

Once the bananas are golden brown in color and coated with the caramel, transfer to a wire rack to drain and cool completely until the sugar hardens.

Thread the cooled bananacues into skewers or simply enjoy with a fork. Serve warm, enjoy!

FAQs

Can I use other bananas?

You definitely can. While traditional bananacue uses saba, you could also use ripe plantains, Thai, burro, or regular bananas as substitutes.

Can I use any type of sugar?

Most recipes will use brown sugar as the molasses helps give the bananacue their classic brown color and rich caramel taste. If you find yourself out of brown sugar, or just want an alternative, any sugar should really work for this recipe.

Can I use less oil?

You can use less oil. Traditionally, bananacue is meant to be deep fried, though I have experimented with shallow-frying and simply pan-frying these, and they still tasted delicious. The sugars may not caramelize or melt as well when using the other methods, but this recipe would still work if you wanted to lessen the oil for health or personal reasons.

How long does bananacue keep?

These are best enjoyed immediately after letting them cool. This is because the sugars have a tendency to soften and become gooey the longer it sits, altering the ideal texture and making the bananas soggy.

If you really did need to save them, keep the bananacue in the fridge, which should keep for about 2-3 days. To reheat, you can coat them again with a layer of brown sugar and quickly re-fry them in hot oil.

If you loved this recipe, here are some other desserts and snacks you might enjoy: