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!
Hi from Puerto Rico. I made these today with the pecan butter and walnuts. It was so delicious! Hubby loved them. Thanks.
Thank you, Ida! I’m happy to hear that!
These are delicious. My whole family loved them and they are quick and easy to make. Decided at 8:30 pm to make these for a debate snack and we were enjoying them warm and sweet while watching the Republicans go at it at 9:00! Great way to use up your soft bananas too!
Thanks, Chris! Glad you enjoyed them!
Would it be possible to use a different oil other than coconut oil?
No, I’m sorry—you need an oil that is solid when it’s cold (like coconut oil) so you get those flaky pockets. Butter works, if you eat butter.
Hi! I looked through the comments to see if this was answered, so I apologize if I missed it and am repeating :)
Could I sub choc chips for the nuts?? I want to make this to visit a friend and her baby and one of our friends is allergic to nuts!!
Thanks! Love your site!!
Yep, you can either omit them completely (the scones might be done just a couple of minutes earlier than specified), or add chocolate chips! The funny thing is, I’m mildly allergic to chocolate… :)
As a scone lover, I can say these are the best scones I’ve ever had! They’re soft on the inside and slightly crunchy on the outside, the prefect scone, and the glaze takes them over the top!
Made these tonight with the coconut oil and sprouted spelt flour… AMAZING!! First time ever making scones and I have to say, very easy and not time consuming at all. Boyfriend is a fussy eater and he loved these.
Thanks for the great recipe! :)
Dear Kate,
I made these tonight for a morning picnic with my husband of 31 years. He recently changed his diet to plant based and is LOVING IT!
Thank you for sharing your recipes they are truly delicious.
Hello,
Is it 1 Tablespoon or teaspoon for the baking soda?
Thank you
It’s 1 tablespoon, as written!
Made these scones today. Turned out well! Delicious!
Oh wow! Made these today. Delicious. I used date syrup because I didn’t have maple… next time I will try the gluten free option listed in the comments. Thanks for sharing!
What is the batter supposed to be like? I am not sure if I did something wrong but my batter was super sticky and I could not form into a ball or cut it and seperate.
These are delicious! I have made 2.5 batches in 2 days because they get devoured as soon as they come out of the oven. My partner said they were the most amazing scones he had ever eaten. I made the glaze with coconut sugar because that’s all i had and it was super yummy. Well done once again Kate.
Woohoo! Thank you, Shayna!
These were super delicious! I followed the recipe in half because I did not need a bunch made and wanted to try this out first. It’s really fool-proof (because if I can bake it, then anyone can lol). I used different kinds of nuts, and I only had agave in hand so I used that in replacement of the maple. It was still really good. It bakes well in a toaster oven :)
I just made these….phenomenal! So perfectly moist & sweet!! Deeeelicious!! You’re one of my go to’s for vegan recipes. Keep doing what you do!!
Would almond flour work in this recipe instead of the wheat?
Hi Sara! Check my recipe notes for how to turn the scones gluten free. :)
Hi Kate, I just finished baking these. Turned out delicious even though silly me forgot to put in the maple syrup!! I thought oh no, but I had some ground peanut butter so I added a little honey to the peanut butter, stirred in the leftover nuts, spread on the hot scones then set back in the warm oven to melt it some so stayed on top and my husband is saying, mmmm these are soooo good! Thank you!
Peanut butter and honey saves the day. ;) Great thinking on your feet.
Hi there!
Any suggestion for nut free scone recipe ? We have nut allergies.
Thank you !
Hey, Inna! Have you seen my Healthy Blueberry Scones? They don’t have any nuts. I’d also check out my friends, Minimalist Baker and Pinch of Yum– they have some amazing recipes that work for all types of dietary restrictions. Happy baking!
Hi again, just revisiting your comment—you could also just omit the nuts from these scones, no other changes necessary.
Made these for a brunch and they were delicious. Since I needed more than 8, I shaped them into smaller, individual biscuit shapes and they came out perfectly.
I did not get a photo, but will the next time as I think these will be in my regular “line up”.
I love hearing that, Paula! If you put the photo up on Instagram, remember to tag it with #cookieandkate so I can see it. :)
I made these today with walnuts, white whole wheat, 2/3 tsp vietnamese cinnamon, butter, whole fat milk, and maple syrup. My dough was sticky. I dumped it out onto the parchment lined baking sheet to shape. I used a bench scraper to divide into 8 wedges and an off set spatula to separate them. Worked great! I wanted a less sugary topping but I also wanted the walnuts in glaze look. I decided to half the glaze recipe. Perfection! Kids loved them as an after school snack!! Counting down to your book on my doorstep…..
Sounds delicious, Heather! Thank you so much. I can’t wait for you to get the book!
These are absolutely lovely! I used ap flour and topped them with walnuts and toasted coconut. Thank you so much for sharing this recipe :)
Great! I’m so glad they worked out, Julia.
I have been using this recipe for scones for about a year now. It is my go to recipe, (this one and your pumpkin version), for both savory biscuit-like-treats and sweet scones. Perfectly tender inside and crisp on the edges, they come out well every time. Thanks so much for the awesome recipe!
(I also love these recipes for a savory version–whenever I use the pumpkin version to make ‘biscuits’ in the fall (I lessen the sweetener in the recipe) it feels healthier thanks to the pumpkin and whole wheat, yet still they taste awesome and buttery and everyone loves them!)
I’m so glad these are so reliable for you, Caity! I love that you’ve enjoyed them over and over.
Just made these amazing scones. I haven’t baked from scratch for more than two years so it was a fun activity to do when I was home alone. They came out moist and flavorful and the glaze was amazing too. Another thing I appreciated was that I had all the ingredients already so I didn’t have to go out and get them like I usually do! And the scones with a glass of milk were like a taste of heaven. Thanks!
I’m so glad you tried these after a two-year baking hiatus! I hope they were everything you were hoping for. :)
Can you make these as a “dropped” scone vs shaping it into the oval and cutting it?
I don’t see why not, Pam!
Delish. Made with my 5 year old daughter.
Awesome! Thanks, Wendy!
I made your pumpkin scones two days ago and my family demolished them. I decided to make these because I had ripe bananas. Such a nice change from banana bread! I prefer pumpkin over banana but these were still very good. I love the use of coconut oil in baked goods. This recipe is a keeper for sure!!
Glad to hear it! Thank you, Christine for your review.
Hi Kate, these scones are insane! I made them for a special New Year’s eve breakfast and all I can say is wow!! Super yum, and just as good as the one’s in your book – which I make pretty regularly. Thank you so much for all these great recipes – finding your blog was one of the best things that happened this year.
Thank you! You are welcome. I have a lot planned for 2018, so stay tuned :)
HI! The instructions don’t include the temperature of the oven for the scones, only the time, what Tempe do you use or reccomed?
You will find the temperature in the first step, first line. :) Preheat the oven the oven to 425 F.
I’ve now made these twice: first with whole wheat flour (and walnuts), and they were amazingly delicious. Then I made the gluten-free version you mentioned (with pecans), only with 1+1/2 cup brown rice flour and 1 cup almond flour. I added the extra half cup of brown rice flour because the dough was much more moist than the wheat version, consequently a bit more difficult to manage. So — once out of the oven, glazed, and sprinkled with pecans: OMG! Out of this WORLD delicious! My finished GF/pecan version was more moist and a bit more complex than the wheat version (and admittedly, more expensive with the pecans and GF ingredients). Super yummy.
Thank you so much for sharing! I really appreciate it.
I just made this recipe tonight and it turned out AMAZING. The scones turned out pefectly moist and rose a good amount. I just happened to have all the ingediants on hand and was looking for the perfect fall-type recipe. Thank you for posting this great scone recipe. I usally never comment but I was so pleased with these scones I had to come thank you! :D
Wonderful, Ryanne! Thanks so much for your comment and review.
Mine look like ugly blobs because I can’t bake, but they taste amazing! Even without the glaze, it’s very sweet. Thank you for sharing this recipe.
I’m glad you liked the taste! Thanks for your review, Courteney.
Came out soft and moist, but not sweet enough for me! Next batch will need some brown sugar maybe? I skipped the glaze so not sticky. Otherwise, very tasty!!!
Thanks for sharing!
Oh my my my! I’m doing a wellness challenge in my gym & we can’t have butter, white flour or refined sugar…I’m totally making these!!!
Let me know what you think, Lisa!
i love love this recipe! i actually ended up subbing brown sugar for maple syrup because i didn’t have any and i also didn’t have any nuts on hand and it still came out wonderful! they taste like little banana bread loaves with crust all over. a dream!
I’m happy to hear that, Shannon!
Going to try this today!
Would it work to add dark choc pieces instead of nuts?
:)
You could try it! I believe some have in the past and has worked well.
You said feel free to play with recipe so I did!! I generally make it with apple puree and chopped apricots and pecans, no topping as we cut down on sugar. It’s amazing!! I’ve also tried pear puree and chopped dried pears and also crushed pineapple. Equally good!! As vegans we are always searching for good sweet things and this is perfect. As to how long it lasts (other comments) no idea as it all goes first day!! Thank you so much for your recipes…I also have your book.
I’m happy you did! Thanks for sharing your variation, Chris.
I appreciate this recipe! A perfect way to ise leftover bananas and coconut oil. I did find the baking powder to be stronger than my taste. I’m afraid to reduce it because these puffed up so nicely. They look great, but I cant get over the baking powder flavor. I also failed to sift, which I know didnt help me. Thanks! Let me know if touve got any tios to adjust this recipe.
Hey there! Was wondering if you played around at all with making, freezing, and then baking at a different time. Would be nice to bake a few at a time!! Thank you
Hi Aj! I haven’t, sorry.
Just made these scones on the weekend and they are a huge hit. Husband, 6 yr old and 3 yr old all loved them. They are great for a quick morning breakfast when trying to get two kids out the door!
These are delicious! The sweetness of the glaze meshes perfectly with the less sweet scone. I didn’t have powdered sugar so tried your suggestion to make my own. It turned out ok, but feel the glaze consistency would’ve been better with the real thing. Will make sure I have some on hand next time as there will be a next time. :) Thank you for sharing.
Complete hit with my family and disappeared in two days! Loved it
I make my own icing sugar with coconut sugar. When I make a recipe that calls for icing sugar, I replace half with my homemade coconut icing sugar. It is really good and not as sweet, but the icing is not white. Just put your sugar in a NutriBullet.
I just made the gluten-free version with 1/2 the glaze. OMG, are they delishThis will be my go to recipe for old bananas Thanks!
Just baked these!!! Amazing!!!!
I made these with regular butter and w/o the glaze and they turned out great! Very tender and just lightly sweet—a great accompaniment to my coffee! :)
I made these, they are currently in the oven and look amazing!
My dough was quite moist though, and I kept adding flour. They were difficult to lift off my cutting board onto the baking sheet as they were so sticky!! Your pictures look like your dough was much firmer. Any tips?
Hi Stephanie, what type of flour did you end up using? Assuming you measured the liquid and banana correctly too? Sounds like those measurements may have been off for you. How did they turnout?
Just made these and they are truly delicious. I followed the recipe to a tee, but had to add in more flour. I think my bananas were too big :)
Baked for 16 minutes and probably the best scones I’ve ever had. Thank you for your recipe!
Can I use applesauce instead of banana?
Hi Anna! I haven’t tried that, but it seems like it might work well. Please report back if you try it!
id like to make this gluten free as well i hope it doesn’t change the taste that much !
Hi Loreen! Check out the gluten free notes and let me know what you think!
I baked these and trouble separating these so I baked them together like a pie but I am not sure if it’s baked through. The top was golden brown but the inside seems soft even on the sides.
These scones are DELICIOUS! Made them for my daughter who can’t eat dairy and she said I made her morning.
Of course I had to taste test, she almost lost more than one! The maple glaze is to die for. Thanks!