Vegan Banana Nut Scones
Banana pecan scones made with coconut oil instead of butter. These healthy, hearty vegan scones are a wonderful breakfast or snack.
Updated by Kathryne Taylor on August 29, 2024
Today is just not my day. It’s one of those days when every earnest attempt at productivity is slowed by unforeseen circumstances. Like, my dog ate my lunch. My sidebar doesn’t look right. And I need to hurry to the post office so I can mail my life savings to Uncle Sam. So it goes.
If these scones look familiar, it’s because they are a riff on last fall’s pumpkin pecan scones. Those scones have quite a few fans and the banana version turned out so well that I couldn’t keep it to myself. Frankly, I don’t think banana scones get better than this.
Feel free to play with this recipe. I made my scones with solid coconut oil instead of butter, which means that these scones are vegan/dairy free. Bonus: it’s much easier to cut coconut oil into the flour than butter. You could swap in other nuts or skip the nuts altogether. I think whole spelt flour would be a fine substitution for the whole wheat flour, too.
The scones are lightly sweet before topping with the maple glaze. If you want to avoid processed sugar altogether, try topping the scones with pecan butter or another nut butter and a light drizzle of maple syrup or honey. Let me know how you like them!
Vegan Banana Nut Scones
Hearty banana pecan scones made with coconut oil and whole wheat flour.
Ingredients
Scones
- 1 cup raw pecans or walnuts
- 2 cups white whole wheat flour or regular whole wheat flour
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon ground ginger
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ⅓ cup solid coconut oil or 5 tablespoons cold butter
- ¾ cup mashed ripe banana (about 2 medium bananas)
- ¼ cup milk of choice (almond milk, low fat milk, etc.)
- 2 tablespoons maple syrup or honey
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
Maple glaze
- 1 cup powdered sugar*
- ⅛ teaspoon fine grain sea salt
- 1 tablespoon melted coconut oil or butter
- ½ teaspoon vanilla
- ¼ cup maple syrup, add more if needed
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit. Place the nuts in a single layer on a rimmed baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Toast the nuts in the oven until fragrant, about 3 minutes. Chop the nuts into very fine pieces.
- In a medium mixing bowl, combine the flour, ¾ths of the chopped nuts, baking powder, cinnamon, ginger and salt in a bowl and whisk together.
- Use a pastry cutter to cut the coconut oil or butter into the dry ingredients. If you don’t have a pastry cutter, use a fork to cut the coconut oil into the flour, or use a knife to cut the butter into tiny pieces and mix it into the flour.
- In a liquid measuring cup, measure ¾ cup mashed banana. Add milk until you have a total of 1 cup liquid. Pour in the maple syrup and vanilla extract, and mix well.
- Pour the banana mixture into the dry mixture and combine with a big spoon. At first it will seem like there isn’t enough liquid to wet the dough, but keep mixing until you have thoroughly incorporated the wet and dry ingredients. If you must, use your hands to knead the last of the flour into the dough.
- On a flat surface (like a cutting board), form dough into a circle that’s about an inch deep all around. Use a chef’s knife to cut the circle into 8 even slices.
- Separate slices and place on the baking sheet covered with parchment paper. Bake for 15 minutes to 17 or until lightly golden brown.
- While the scones are baking, whisk together the glaze ingredients in a small bowl until smooth and creamy. (If you’re using coconut oil and it solidifies on contact with cold syrup, gently warm the glaze in the microwave or on the stove, then mix again.) Let the scones cool for a few minutes, then drizzle the glaze generously over the scones. While the glaze is wet, sprinkle it with the remaining chopped nuts.
Notes
Scones adapted from my pumpkin pecan scones.
*To make your own powdered sugar: Blend sugar in a blender or food processor until it is a fine powder. I used organic cane sugar but I have read that turbinado sugar works, too.
Change it up: For a less sugary topping, spread homemade pecan butter and a light drizzle of maple syrup just before serving.
Storage suggestions: These scones keep well, covered, for a couple of days at room temperature. They also freeze well for longer term storage.
Make it gluten-free: Claire commented to say that her scones turned out great when she substituted one cup brown rice flour and one cup almond meal/flour for the two cups whole wheat flour.
Make it vegan: Be sure to stick to maple syrup instead of the honey when making the scones.
Make it nut-free: Skip the nuts!
Nutrition
The information shown is an estimate provided by an online nutrition calculator. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice. See our full nutrition disclosure here.
More banana goodness: gluten-free banana oat pancakes, honey-sweetened banana bread, banana coconut muffins, banana almond smoothie, banana trail mix bread and banana nut waffles!
I’m with you, today is not my day either but I think one (if we’re being honest, 2) of these scones would turn things around!
Hope your week is looking up, Laura!
How many calories without the glaze? I prefer it that way.
Hi Kelley! Sorry, I don’t have that without redoing it. You can input your specifics in an online calculator if you like.
These look heavenly. I love coconut oil in baked goods, and with banana and pecans these must be so good!
Love your suggestion to slather them in pecan butter instead of the glaze.
I started cooking 5 years ago and got hooked. I have never tried to bake. Thought I might try. So excuse my ignorance. How long do scones last? So you refrigerate them? Thanks.
Great questions, and I’m sorry my recipe didn’t include those details. My scones have been just fine in a ziploc bag at room temperature for the past couple of days, but they might keep better in the fridge. They also freeze well.
I’m am drooling over these! I just attempted and perfected [I think! haha] GF scones for the first time a few weeks ago. I can’t even remember when I’ve had a scone last but I probably ate a year’s worth during the testing. And somehow you just made me want more. :) I know what you mean about days where things just don’t get done. Sometimes I find that using those days to sort of rest [not sleep but just take it easy] and not harp on my non-productiveness ends up making the rest of the week much more successful. :) Hope the end of the week turns around for you! xo
I love that glaze!! These scones look perfect!
I can’t even think about Uncle Sam (and the money he took from me) without wanting to bake and eat everything in sight! so…I guess this post is super fitting because now i want to bake and eat these!
My bill was enormous this year! Ugh! You should totally bake these scones.
Wonderful recipe.. bookmarked!!
I hate those days! It never rains but it pours eh? I always find that little things stop me doing the things I want to but that my train to work will always be perfectly on time and I won’t get ill until the evening when I want to go out and see friends!
At least you have delicious vegan scones to keep your spirits up :) they sound absolutely delicious! I will have to have a scour of the local stores to see if I can find some of these ingredients.
Honestly, I feel like the little things slow me down every day! Drives me nuts. Hope you can find these scones ingredients, they are really good.
These scones look and sound so delicious!
I think I may make these for Easter brunch. My mother is vegan and would love these. Is it ok to make them the day before? And should the glaze be put on right before serving?
Laura, I’m sorry for not answering your question sooner. You can definitely make them the day before. My glazed scones tasted great the next day, but you could wait to glaze them until the next day if you’d like. The glaze hardens up (in a good way) as it comes to room temperature.
Ooooh, banana is a scone flavor I don’t think I’ve tried yet. Well looks like I have another recipe to make. :) Loving the addition of maple glaze too.
i hope the day will go better for you..and these scones look perfect. somebody hand me coffee now.
These scones are the highlight to my morning! Yum.
These scones look incredible! Love the banana and maple combination. What a lovely pair :)
These look like they would put a smile on anyones day – even if it is “one of those”. Wishing you a happy end to the week and week end :-)
I love the flavor combo of Banana and nut, so these look totally delicious and like something I totally NEED to make for breakfast this week :)
You totally need to make these scones! :)
These scones look like the perfect way to make a bad day better!
Your pumpkin scones are relish, these look fab too! Cant wait to try them :)
Thanks, Emma!
Hey Kate,
I am totally going to make these scones, probably on Saturday. I’ve made so many of your pumpkin scones with that luscious maple glaze that Joe has asked for a different flavor! Kate to the rescue!
Many thanks and I will let you and Cookie know how they come out,
Mary Ann and 7 collies, 5 of whom are outside playing in the cool air, while the other 2 are patiently waiting for a walk!
Mary Ann, happy to offer another flavor! Hope you both love the banana flavor. I think it’s even better than the pumpkin. Cookie says hi.
These scones look absolutely delicious – what a great recipe. I’m so glad to have found your blog your recipes are wonderful!
Mary
Thank you for commenting, Mary! I’m glad you found my blog. Welcome!
I love scones. They take me back to my childhood days of reckless carb abandon, lavishly slathered in cream and jam. These are much healthier, of course, I adore the wholesome ingredients you’ve used. Banana nut is a winning combination. Hope that the rest of this week gets better for you lovely xx
Oh, the days of reckless carb abandon! My childhood included a lot more Cheez-Its and pizza than cream and jam. :)
Thanks for the great receipe – had to make them right away. Though I used walnuts (from my parents garden) and instead of the ginger I out in nutmeg and clove – was just fine
Ate four (on two days) of them, the others are in the freezer. My only mistake: made the glazing to wet, so it was very thin and most of it went on the kitchen board.
Thanks for idea of creating your own powerdered sugar, works perfectly!
Thanks, Petra! So glad you’re enjoying the scones. Good idea to save some for later in the freezer. :)
That maple glaze just looks so appetizing!
I agree with your philosophy here, Kate. When life gets a bit hair-raising, make and eat something sweet!
By the way, your side bar looks fine. ;-)
Thanks, Helen! I finally got that sidebar figured out. :)
These are some of the best looking scones I’ve seen, and I love the flavor combination! Can’t wait to try. :)
Made these for an Easter treat. They were legitimately amazing. Thanks for the inspiration :)
You’re welcome, Jen! So glad you loved the scones.
Oh my, these are so good! I figured the maple glaze would rescue a ‘too-healthy’ scone but my husband and I loved the scone too. It’s hard to believe it’s all whole wheat flour (I used ww pastry flour btw) and dairy free. (Sometimes looking at baking cookbooks can be so depressing, with all the butter and cream).
Thank you! Looking forward to trying the pumpkin version too.
Thanks, Becky! So glad you both enjoyed the scones. The whole wheat flour and coconut oil play so nicely with the other flavors.
Yum! Such a nice scone and a perfect way to use up old bananas… I opted for butter, buttermilk and honey (thus not vegan) and they came out great. I added 1/4 cup extra buttermilk witch made the dough a bit sticky but I think it lighten the texture (my experience from the pumpkin version was that it was slightly dry for my taste). For the glaze I went for a brown butter frosting (4bs brown butter, 1.5tbs milk + confection sugar to reach a think consistency). The scones themselves are (as many have said) not very sweet but it’s then perfect to add a glaze – balances it out perfectly.
Marie, so glad you enjoyed the banana scones! Thank you for sharing your notes. That brown butter frosting sounds stellar.
Ohhh wow! These look absolutely incredible!!!!
Made these yesterday, they were absolutely delicious! I’m a huge fan of your blog. Have you tried swapping the whole wheat flour for oat flour? I’m wondering if they’d turn out ok and thought you might be able to provide insight!
Thanks!
Thank you, Michelle! Happy to hear that you are enjoying the recipes. I love your idea of substituting oat flour for the whole wheat. I think scones were originally made with oat flour. I’m not sure how this recipe would turn out with oat flour, but it might be worth a shot. I’m pretty sure you could try a simple 1:1 substitution. Half oat flour and half whole wheat might be a safer bet if you’re not trying to make gluten-free scones. Please let me know if you try!
I’ve had a little addiction to scones lately! I love the addition of banana! The maple and coconut oil glaze looks heavenly, can’t wait to try this recipe!!!
I just tried this recipe but made it gluten free with one cup brown rice flour & one cup almond meal/flour. SO good!! Thank you! My pups Kaspian & Teyla thank you as well; they love a bit of extra banana while baking ;)
Claire, thank you! I’m happy to hear that the scones turned out great with your simple GF flour substitutions. I’m going to share your suggestion in my recipes notes! Cookie loves banana, too. :)
Yea!! They were a huge hit at the birthday party I took them too :) The batter is wetter I think than with whole wheat flour (almond meal by nature has a ton of moisture in it), but I formed it into a rectangle & cut them to squares & they were fall apart in your mouth tasty! Thank you again for the recipe!!!
This recipe looks soooo delicious! I just printed it out so I can make them for breakfast! I’m opting for the gluten free version, but whenever I use gluten free flours (like brown rice, almond meal, etc), the finished product comes out so crumbly. Just curious if Claire had this issue. I have xantham gum, and I’m wondering if I should add a little to keep things sticking together. Thanks for the awesome recipe!
Hmm, sorry Jillian, I don’t know! I don’t have any experience with those flours. Please let us know how your scones turn out!
I actually just finished making these and they came out great! I added about 1 tsp of xantham gum with the dry ingredients and the scones came out super moist and held together. Not sure if the xantham gum even made a difference or not, but I’m really happy with how they turned out!
Woohoo! Well, I’m glad they turned out well!
Never made scones and only scone I’d ever tasted was purchased from a bakery/coffee shop and it was dry and crumbly, thus I’d told myself “I don’t like scones”. I don’t know if it was the photo or banana nut that peaked my interest, but I had to make these. Followed your recipie exactly except nutmeg for ginger (because I had no ground ginger), and I halved the recipie because my family has been known to turn their noses up to new stuff, especially if I say it’s vegan. Didn’t tell them it was vegan; just said they’re banana nut scones, try it if you’d like. I had one with my tea and came back to the kitchen to an empty plate! Full amount next time and I look forward to eperimenting with other fruits. Thanks so much for introducing our house to scones!
Angela, I’m so happy your family loved the scones! Thank you for commenting to let me know.
I e-mailed you a while back how much I enjoy your recipes for 1 or 2, how difficult I had always found turning recipes for 6-8 into a small portion for me to try and also how I enjoy your photos! Well I am back again.
This past year Consumers reports investigated Rice and did a report saying that one should not eat brown rice because of the arsenic. Some white rice was better than others but I decided to eliminate all rice from my diet. Problem was two fold. First I love Japanese food and since I don’t often get to eat at a restaurant I would buy sushi for my lunch at whatever Market I went to. I avoided brown rice because my doctor had told me it was too rough for me. That was before we knew about arsenic. Also I had a protein drink for breakfast everyday because it was quick and satisfying but the protein base was; RICE.a No,No!
It took a while to find a substitute, meanwhile I tried other breakfasts since my routine in the morning had changed: after 38 year of starting out 3 mornings a week by going to the Y and exercising in their pool for an hour and then going home for a quick breakfast after which I did a number of errands including, the last 5 years, a visit to my husband in Assisted Living (because he had Alzheimers and when he got really bad I couldn’t get decent help for him at home, couldn’t leave him alone and finally had to move him to Assisted Living. He passed away last November at the age of 86.
Now I have a little more time in the morning but habit is habit and I like to get out early, get my errands done and then work at my computer, do “desk work” etc after I’ve gone out to do errands. The stores are less busy in the morning, there is less traffic on the roads, frankly, fewer crazy young drivers.
So I am looking for more breakfast recipes. The requirements: I can’t tolerate gluten or milk protein. I use no added salt, reserve citrus for AFTER lunch or supper and now avoid all rice, my doctor says bananas don’t mix with my blood pressure medication. I make a version of your buckwheat pancakes (I use buckwheat groats: I like the texture better than buckwheat flour tho the pancakes come out funny looking but I don’t care, they are delicious!). Ideas?
Hi Ellen! I’m sorry I haven’t responded sooner. I got behind again. Do you eat oats? Certified gluten-free oats are pretty easy to come by these days. If you do eat oats, I think you’ll enjoy my banana pancakes and pumpkin pancakes. They are among the most popular recipes on the blog. Steel-cut oats reheat well, so this morning glory oatmeal would be another option. There’s also granola. Oat-free options include my egg and potato breakfast scramble, which you could easily halve for a single serving. I love to throw together huevos rancheros at any time of day—any combination of eggs, good salsa and corn tortillas is delicious. If you miss your protein shake, you could make a smoothie and add protein powder. I love this banana, almond and flax smoothie. Hope these ideas are helpful!
I just made these today….so yummy!!!! thank you for sharing this gorgeous recipe :)
I used half whole wheat and half white with Walnuts. I have an aga so 13 mins in the top oven created soft lovely scones.
Jenny, thank you! Happy to hear that your scones turned out great!
Just found your site this week. Made your Vegan Banana Nut Sconces and they were amazing! Used coconut oil, maple syrup, almond milk, and turbinado (sp?) sugar when options were given. Also, didn’t have any pecans or walnuts so I used almonds. Thank you for sharing!
Kerry, welcome and thank you for commenting! So glad the scones turned out well for you. I bet they’re delicious with almonds!
fabulous recipe! easy and delicious, and I didn’t even have to adapt to make it Vegan. just what I was craving, thanks!
Thanks, Aylee! Glad you enjoyed the scones!
I love your pumpkin scones! I was looking at that recipe and wondering if I could substitute banana for the pumpkin, when lo and behold, I saw that you had already done it! Thank you!
Ta da! :) I want to try sweet potato purée next.
Hi there,
I made these tonight and they turned out so yummy with a perfect texture. I made them vegan with the sugary glaze but ran into some stickiness when I added the wet to dry…it didn’t turn into a manageable dough as in your photo but I put it in the fridge for ten minutes and it seemed to help briefly. I placed the dough on the silipat but had to again put it in the fridge for a bit before cutting it. What could have been the cause, you think? Well, then I mixed the glaze ingredients and it turned out dry and clumpy so I added hot water a little at a time until it was the right consistency. That may have been because the maple syrup was cold. Anyhow, they turned out great! My guests were impressed. Thanks for a “keeper” recipe!
Hi Angelica! It sounds like you needed to mix in a little more flour to your scones to make them more manageable. The amount of flour required can be affected by the humidity in the air and how you measure the flour. I bet the glaze seized up because your maple syrup was cold—coconut oil solidifies below 74 degrees, so it probably solidified when it came into contact with the maple syrup. I’ll add a note to the recipe about that. Thank you for your feedback! I’m glad the scones turned out well despite your troubles.
Thanks for the awesome recipe. I was searching for a good vegan healthy scone and came up short when I checked the Food Network, my usual site. These were super easy to make and didn’t require too many unusual ingredients–I had almost everything I needed at home. And they were super delicious! I will definitely be checking out your other recipes.
Hooray! Thank you, Rose! I’m delighted to hear that you’re enjoying the scones.
I love scones! I never thought I could make them. Your easy, simple and amazing recipe has filled me with pride… My kids adored them and I know that my husband will be so very impressed! Thank you!!! ❤
Awesome! Happy to hear that, Nahal.
These were the best scones I have ever made/ingested! Thank you for sharing this amazing recipe :) The maple glaze was a nice touch~
Hooray, thanks Victoria!
Just made these and added some chocolate chips. Super tasty!
Thanks, Deena!
Hi Kate! Thank you so much for this recipe, it is absolutely divine! Since my family is gluten free, I altered the recipe a bit to use only rice flour, and they worked perfectly! I also added an additional banana for some more oomph. ;) So delicious, and definitely a keeper.
I actually popped up a blog post about this recipe, if you want to check it out, and see my alterations. Though the recipe was fail proof before. So tasty!
Oh good, glad to hear they turned out well with rice flour! Thanks for sharing!
I made these today and both the hubby and I really liked them. He doesn’t have much of a sweet tooth, so I’m definitely going to make them again and try them with the pecan butter. I love your blog. Thank you for all the recipes, and all that they add to our family’s meals :)
Thanks for saying so, Ally! I’m so glad you’re enjoying my recipes.
vegan banana nut scones…the recipe does say at what temp to bake them at…help as I am in the process of doing this NOW!
The temp is listed in step 1. I’m sorry you missed it!
Wow! These are delicious! Thank you for sharing the recipe. I am taking my scones to an Easter brunch today. I’m sure they will be a hit!
I’ve never made a scone before-this was so easy!
Thank you, Heidi! Hope they go over well at the event. Happy (early) Easter!
Thank you for this delicious recipe!! It was sooo amazing :)
Congrats for your website!
http://www.zeromiette.com/2015/04/scones-aux-noix-vegan/
Thanks Kate for this awesome recipe. This is my 3rd recipw from your site and I continue to be impressed. I was skeptical about this so I did only 1/3 of the recipe. It was amazing. I used honey. Will try maple syrup next time. I was too lazy to make the glaze and the scones were a bit dry without it (still tasted good). So I glazed with just almond butter and I was just amazed. I could only imagine if I had actually done the glaze. Very impressive. And will do this over n over. And it was not too sweet.
Thanks much for taking the time to share the love :)
KD
KD, so glad to hear you’re enjoying my recipes! Thank you for saying so. Have a great day!
I made this yesterday and it turned out great.simply amazing!
just a problem,after I mixed wet and dry ingredients it looked too sticky and wet.and when I cut it and wanted to transfer it to baking sheets it kind of didn’t hold up the shape.I measured everything carefully so I don’t know what was the problem.
and I had a question about coconut oil,since this was the first time I was using it.how do you store it? I kept it in refrigerator but it got so hard and I couldn’t spoon it into measuring cups.and now that I’ve kept in pantry it’s all melted.so where should I store it?
thank you very much
Hi Zahra, I’m sorry you had trouble with the scones! If you have that problem again, I’d suggest adding a bit more flour to firm the scones up. I wonder if the oil melted a bit. You can store coconut oil at room temperature. It will be solid below about 74 degrees and liquid above it. If it’s solid and I need melted, I just warm it up in the microwave for a bit, or if it’s liquid and I need it to be solid, I’ll measure out what I need and put it in the fridge for a while. It’s fickle like that. :)
This recipe turned out great! I was searching online today for something different to do with bananas that were turning soft (I normally make banana bread). I used pistachios instead. My brother happened to come over just after I made them, and after taking the first bite, his reaction was “oh my god, oh my god, oh my god”. So, thank you!
Haha, I love your brother’s reaction! Thanks, Kelly!
This turned out great! I’ve had this page tab open for weeks and yesterday I finally made them. I used whole spelt flour and pecans.
The dough was a sticky nightmare to work with (then again my scone dough always seems to have that problem haha) but I added I think about an extra cup of flour while mixing and it turned out great that way :)
I’d been looking for a way to veganise scones and this is great, so thanks for the recipe!
I’m glad these turned out well for you! Not sure why your dough is always sticky—do you live in a humid climate?