Name: Lemon Pistachio Date Banana Bread (Vegan Gluten-Free)
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 50 min
Total time: 1 h
Yield: 10
Cuisine: British
Ingredients: 120ml plant-based milk; 1 tbsp lemon juice; 2 large ripe bananas (220g once mashed); 60g light brown sugar; 60g caster sugar; 60g thick dairy-free yoghurt; 3 tbsp light olive oil; 1 lemon, zested; 1 tsp vanilla extract; 1 tbsp ground flaxseed or chia seeds; 210g plain or GF plain flour; 50g pistachios, blitzed to a fine flour texture; 2 ½ tsp baking powder; Pinch of salt; 80g medjool dates, pitted and chopped small

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A moist, tender and fluffy Lemon Pistachio Date Banana Bread made with vegan and easily gluten-free ingredients. This cake is perfect for summer and tastes zesty, nutty and sticky in every bite.

If you love banana bread, welcome back to my banana bread of the month series. The recipe for May is great for early summer as it’s zesty, fruity and packed with lemon zest and lemon juice. This one-bowl bake takes less than 10 minutes to prepare and bakes in 50 minutes, and it’s an ideal weekend or lazy afternoon bake that the whole family/friends will love.

A few slices of Lemon Pistachio Date Banana Bread — Lemon Pistachio Date Banana Bread

Why will I love this banana bread?

This cake is amazing:

Moist, tender, fluffy and squishy
Zesty and lemony
Nutty with lots of pistachios
With chunks of squidgy medjool dates
Made in one bowl
Ready in less than one hour
Great to use up ripe bananas
Made with wholefood ingredients
Can be made without refined sugars
Egg-free, dairy-free and vegan
Easily gluten-free
Full of healthy fats
Gut-healthy ingredients
Source of fibre and omegas
Delicious all day long
- Try for brunch toasted with yoghurt and berries
- Enjoy with tea/coffee
- Pour over some warm (vegan) custard for dessert
Everyone will love it
Ideal all year round, especially for summer

If you already love the sound of this banana bread, then skip ahead to the recipe card below. Or, first let’s discuss the recipe in more detail.

A loaf of Lemon Pistachio Date Banana Bread — Lemon Pistachio Banana Bread

A sliced up loaf of Lemon Pistachio Date Banana Bread — Lemon Pistachio Banana Bread

What ingredients do I need?

You can see the ingredients with weights in the recipe card below and see my favourite and recommended products in the “shop the recipe” section.

For the banana bread:

Dairy-free milk: use your preferred drink like oat, almond, soya or coconut (from the carton) for this cake.
Lemon: the zest and juice.
Ripe banana: the riper the better as they are sweeter and softer to mash.
Light brown and caster sugar: I love to add both as the brown sugar adds richness while the white caster sugar is lighter, so the loaf isn’t too dense. You can make this with all coconut sugar, the loaf will be richer in colour and denser.
Dairy-free yoghurt: this adds a lot of moisture to the loaf, making it squishy and delicious. Make sure it’s thick and creamy, like Cocos Organic or NUSH original yoghurt.
Light olive oil: to add fat and moisture, to make the loaf delicious.
Ground flaxseed or chia seeds: to also bind the egg-free batter while adding fibre and omegas.
Vanilla extract: for flavour.
Plain flour: or use gluten-free plain flour to keep if GF. Make sure the GF blend of flour contains xanthan gum, or add ½ tsp of your own.
Baking powder: for the rise.
Pistachios ground up: make sure these resemble ground almonds. I just add them to a small blender or food processor and pulse to a fine crumb.
Medjool dates: to add bites of fruity squishy dates throughout the loaf. You can use other varieties of dates, too.
Salt: to enhance the flavour.

Three slices of Lemon Pistachio Date Banana Bread — Lemon Pistachio Date Banana Cake

Is this gluten-free and nut-free?

This is easily gluten-free as long as you use gluten-free flour – make sure it contains xanthan gum or add ½ tsp of your own. This is not nut-free as the pistachios are vital for the flavour, but you can make a lemon and date cake instead – swap the 40g pistachios in the cake for more flour and skip the pistachios on top.

How do I make this?

This cake is ready to go in a few steps:

Combine the milk and lemon juice: to leave to curdle for 5 minutes.
Mash the banana: and weigh out.
Add the banana and other wet ingredients to a bowl: and whisk.
Sift in the dry ingredients: and whisk again until smooth.
Fold in the chopped dates: and pour into the loaf tin.
Sprinkle over more pistachios: and bake for 50 minutes.
Cool in the tin for 10 minutes then remove: to cool fully on a wire rack.

A slice of Lemon Pistachio Date Banana Bread on a plate — Lemon Pistachio Date Banana Bread

A piece of Lemon Pistachio Date Banana Bread — Lemon Pistachio Date Banana Bread

How long will it last?

This cake will keep for 3-5 days in a sealed container, in the fridge overnight. You can freeze the cake for 1 month, wrapped well, and allow to defrost before eating.

What other recipes can I try?

For more banana breads: