Baklava-Style Banana Bread (Vegan Gluten-Free)
This Baklava-Style Banana Bread is moist, tender and cakey filled with a nutty pistachio and walnut cinnamon topped with a nutty cinnamon crumble. It’s the perfect vegan, easily gluten-free bake for the season.
This is October’s banana bread and it’s a really good one. It has lots of cosy cinnamon spices with pistachios and walnuts for a really delicious Baklava-inspired bake. With cinnamon sugar inside and on top in the crumble, it’s the perfect cosy bake that combines two amazing desserts into one. With whole-food ingredients, this simple bake is perfect for all of your family and friends, and can be easily gluten-free, too. You can see all of my previous banana bread recipes here.
Why will I love this?
This banana bread is amazing:
- Moist, tender and cake-y
- Cinnamon-y sweet and nutty
- Filled with pistachios and walnuts
- Tastes like Baklava in every bite
- Made with wholesome ingredients
- Naturally plant-based, egg-free and dairy-free
- Easily gluten-free
- Perfect as a cosy bake
- Smells amazing as it bakes
- Great as dessert or a snack
- Delicious as a breakfast with some plant-based yoghurt and fruity
- Easy to prep in a few steps
- Bakes in less than one hour
- Delicious with a (vegan) honey glaze
- Has a nutty cinnamon sugar middle
- Topped with a nutty oat-y crumble top
If you already love the sound of this bake, then skip ahead to the recipe card below. Or, first let’s discuss the recipe in more detail.
What ingredients do I need?
You can see the ingredients with weights in the recipe card and also see my recommended favourite products in the “shop the recipe” section.
For the nutty top and middle:
- Walnuts and pistachios: these pair beautifully together and are classic in Baklava desserts. Chop them up small and make sure they’re 100% natural, unroasted and unsalted.
- Cinnamon: for flavour.
- Coconut sugar: this is richer than regular sugar and is great for the cinnamon sugar middle and topping. You can use demerara or light brown sugar here, too.
- Coconut oil: this creates the “buttery” crumble texture.
- Plain flour: or gluten-free, as you need.
As for the banana bread:
- Ripe banana: the riper the better as they are sweeter and softer.
- Plant-based milk and apple cider vinegar: when mixed together, this curdles to form a buttermilk which is great for binding egg-free cakes.
- Golden granulated sugar: to make the cake gently sweet. You can also use caster sugar or use coconut sugar for a slightly denser loaf.
- Thick coconut yoghurt: this is great for adding fat and moisture to the cake. Make sure it’s a thick and creamy, high-fat one like Cocos Organic. I also like NUSH almond-based yoghurt, too.
- Light olive oil: this is rich and soft, making for a moist and tender bake. You can also use sunflower, rapeseed or avocado oil. Or, try melted and cooled coconut oil.
- Vanilla extract: for flavour.
- Chia seeds or ground flaxseed: these help to bind the batter while also adding omega goodness and fibre.
- Plain or GF plain flour: make sure you use gluten-free, where needed, with xanthan gum (or add your own, about ¼ tsp to the main bake) to make it soft and delicious. Or, I recommend using plain white flour.
- Baking powder: for the rise.
- Cinnamon and salt: for flavour.
To glaze this bake, I like to drizzle over some (vegan) honey and add some extra nuts.
Is this gluten-free and nut-free?
This bake is easily gluten-free, as long as you use gluten-free flour (with xanthan gum or add ¼ tsp of your own). This is not nut-free and the flavour does rely on nuts, so I suggest looking at my other banana bread recipes.
How do I make this?
This cake is ready in a few steps:
- Mix together the crumble top ingredients: to form a clumpy mix.
- Stir the middle ingredients: until combined.
- Mash the banana and combine the milk and vinegar: and leave for 5 minutes.
- Combine all the wet ingredients: and whisk.
- Sift in the dry ingredients: and whisk until smooth.
- Pour half the batter into the tin: and sprinkle over the middle nuts.
- Add the rest of the batter: and top with the crumble mix.
- Bake for 55 to 60 minutes: until golden brown, well-risen and an inserted skewer comes out clean.
- Allow to cool and then serve warm or cold: with vegan honey and extra nuts.
How long will it last?
Once cool, keep this banana bread in a sealed container 3-5 days (in the fridge overnight). Store the banana bread in the freezer, wrapped well, for 1 month, and allow to defrost before eating.
What other recipes can I try?
For more banana bread ideas:
- Cinnamon Streusel Banana Bread
- Apple Crumble Banana Bread
- Caramel Latte Banana Bread
- Espresso Toffee Nut Banana Bread
- Pumpkin Spice Caramel Banana Bread
Baklava-Style Banana Bread (Vegan Gluten-Free)
This Baklava-Style Banana Bread is moist, tender and cakey filled with a nutty pistachio and walnut cinnamon topped with a nutty cinnamon crumble. It’s the perfect vegan, easily gluten-free bake for the season.
Ingredients
For the Crumble Topping:
- 25g plain or GF plain flour
- 25g coconut sugar
- 25g walnuts and pistachios (mixed), chopped small
- ¼ tsp cinnamon
- 15g softened coconut oil
For the Nutty Middle:
- 25g walnuts, chopped small
- 25g pistachios, chopped small
- ½ tsp cinnamon
- 1 tbsp coconut sugar
For the Banana Bread:
- 120ml plant-based milk
- 1 tbsp apple cider vinegar
- 2 large ripe bananas, 200g once mashed
- 120g golden granulated sugar
- 60g thick coconut yoghurt
- 3 tbsp light olive oil
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 tbsp chia seeds or ground flaxseed
- 250g plain or GF plain flour
- 2 ½ tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- A pinch of salt
To Serve:
- 2-4 tbsp vegan honey
- 2 tbsp chopped walnuts and pistachios
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 160Fan/180ºC and line a loaf tin with parchment paper (9x5-inches). Combine the milk and vinegar for the banana bread and leave to curdle for 5 minutes.
- For the crumble top, stir together the flour, sugar, nuts and cinnamon in a small bowl and stir in the coconut oil to a clumpy mix.
- To make the nutty middle, stir together the ingredients in a small bowl.
- Mash the bananas and add to a large mixing bowl. Now pour in the milk-vinegar mix, sugar, yoghurt, olive oil and vanilla. Stir to combine.
- Add in the chia seeds and sift in the flour, baking powder and cinnamon. Add the salt and whisk to a smooth, thick batter.
- Pour half of the batter into the tin and smooth over the top. Sprinkle over all of the nutty middle and scoop or spoon over the rest of the batter.
- Smooth over the top and then add on all the crumbly top. Press down lightly and bake for 55-60 minutes, until well-risen and an inserted skewer comes out clean.
- Allow to cool in the tin for 10 minutes and then carefully lift out to cool fully on a wire rack.
- Drizzle over the vegan honey and add the nuts before slicing and eating.
- Store leftover banana bread in a sealed container in the fridge for 3-5 days, eating at room temperature. You can freeze the banana bread, wrapped well, for 1 month. Allow to defrost before eating.
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Stay in touch
I look forward to hearing what you think of this Baklava-Style Banana Bread so please let me know in the comments below and leave a star review above. If you do make these, I’d love to see so please tag me, I’m @nourishing.amy on Instagram and use the hashtag #nourishingamy. I’m also on Twitter, Facebook and Pinterest so please say hello!
With baklava love x
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