I’m preparing to host my very first Easter dinner tomorrow – a totally plant-based menu with all the fixins! Go big or go home, I say. Usually we go to my in-laws for Easter, but this year my sister-in-law had to stay close to home for an event so we offered to host. I’m making a ridiculous amount of food including many recipes from my next cookbook. So pumped. I just need to scrounge together enough chairs and pray that we all fit at our table! Ok, that is definitely not happening…but what would a big family get together be without a kids table?!
Cooking has been more fun than usual these days because I have an audience now – a 6 1/2 month old baby who loves to watch her mama in the kitchen! Adriana is very curious as to what I’m doing in there all the time and she smiles at me from the table and even laughs at all the right moments, such as when I bust out Twinkle Twinkle Little Star complete with a made up dance routine. I’m now a cook/entertainer all at once. What an ego boost, let me tell you. Did I mention I burned two desserts last weekend? I can’t imagine why…
This pie, however, came together without a hitch. Sa-weet. If you’re like me, you might even find you have all the ingredients on hand which makes me want to cry happy tears because I didn’t need one more grocery trip on a holiday weekend. Or should I say Eric doesn’t need one more grocery trip on a holiday weekend…bahaha. I don’t know about you, but when I realize that I have all the ingredients for a recipe I’m like that Ikea commercial, only instead of running to the car I’m running to my kitchen… START THE OVEN, START THE OVEN!
I’m not weird, not weird at all.
Last year I had the opportunity to preview Sarah Britton’s debut cookbook, My New Roots: Inspired Plant-Based Recipes for Every Season, based on her beautiful whole foods recipe blog. I’ve long admired Sarah’s unbridled enthusiasm for plant-based food; in fact, I don’t know if I’ve ever come across someone who is so passionate about vegetables, not to mention, knowledgeable about how they impact our health.
This cookbook is gorgeous with beautiful food photography and interior design (I’m a bit of a cookbook nerd these days, often gushing over paper stock of all things). There are 100 creative vegetarian recipes with many vegan options. Some of the ingredients are a bit uncommon or difficult to find, but I expect if you have a solid farmer’s market and health food store handy you’ll be able to find many of the ingredients in the right season. Just in case you aren’t sure which ingredients are in season, the cookbook is conveniently divided into 5 sections by season (spring, early summer, late summer, autumn, and winter). I love that summer is divided into two seasons; it totally makes sense because there’s so much coming into season over the summer months. One thing’s for sure, Sarah’s recipes will help you bust out of a cooking rut and get adventurous in the kitchen.
Here is a sample of recipes from My New Roots:
- Buckwheat Crepes with Creamy Purple String Bean Slaw
- Roasted Red Pepper Walnut Dip
- Shaved Turnip and Radish Salad with Poppyseed Dressing
- Oyster Mushroom Bisque
- Apricot Rhubarb Clafoutis
- Caramelized Fennel on Herbed Polenta
- Roasted Cauliflower with Lebanese Lentils and Kaniwa
- Trippy Tie-Dye Soup
- Butternut Stacks with Kale Pesto, Kasha, and Butter Beans
Today, I’m excited to share this dreamy Banoffee Pie recipe from her new cookbook. I’ll be serving it tomorrow along with a few other desserts. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did (yes, I had to eat a slice before serving it tomorrow…don’t judge). I’m predicting it won’t last long because who on earth can resist the combo of coconut whipped cream, banana, oats, and date caramel? Anyone?
Banoffee Pie
Yield
12 small slices
Prep time
Cook time
Total time
This Banoffee Pie is decadent while still feeling super light and healthy. The almond-oat crust is layered with sticky date caramel, sweet banana coins, luxurious whipped coconut cream, and shaved dark chocolate, for a pie that's sure to impress. This recipe is adapted from My New Roots: Inspired Plant-Based Recipes for Every Season. Copyright © 2015 by Sarah Britton. Published by Clarkson Potter, an imprint of Penguin Random House, LLC.
Ingredients
For the crust:
- 1/2 cup (78 g) raw almonds
- 2 cups (200 g) gluten-free rolled oats
- 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt
- 1/4 cup (60 mL) virgin coconut oil, melted
- 2 tablespoons (30 mL) pure maple syrup
- 1 1/2 tablespoons (23 mL) water, or as needed
For the Raw Caramel Toffee:
- 1 1/2 cups (340 g) pitted Medjool dates
- 3 tablespoons (45 mL) smooth almond butter
- 1 teaspoon (5 mL) fresh lemon juice
- 1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt
- 1 vanilla bean, seeded, or 1/2 teaspoon vanilla bean powder (optional)
For the filling:
- 2 (14-ounce/398 mL) cans full-fat coconut milk, chilled overnight*
- Raw Caramel Toffee (from above)
- 3 large (600 g) ripe bananas, sliced into thick “coins”
- 2 squares (6 g) dark chocolate, shaved
Directions
- Place 2 cans of full-fat coconut milk in the fridge overnight (or for at least 12 hours) to allow the coconut cream to solidify.
- For the crust: Preheat the oven to 375°F (190°C). Grab an 8- to 10-inch tart pan (I use a 9-inch) and lightly grease the base and sides with coconut oil. Cut a circle of parchment paper to fit on the bottom and place it inside. This will prevent the crust from sticking.
- Add the almonds into a food processor and process until they are the texture of coarse sand. Now add in the oats, cinnamon, and salt and process again until the coarse, sandy texture returns. Add the melted oil, maple syrup, and water, then process until the mixture comes together and no dry flour remains. The dough should stick together when pressed between your fingers; if it's still too dry, try adding another teaspoon or two of water and processing again.
- Crumble the dough all over the base of the tart pan in an even layer. Starting at the center, press the dough flat into the pan with your fingers and work your way outward and up the sides. If the dough starts to stick to your hands, lightly wet your fingers every now and then. With a fork, poke the base of the tart about 15 times to allow the air to escape while baking.
- Bake the tart, uncovered, 12 to 14 minutes until lightly golden. Remove from the oven and place the tart pan on a cooling rack for about 15 minutes. If the crust puffed up during baking, you can poke it a few more times with a fork to let the air escape. The crust will firm as it cools.
- Meanwhile, make the Raw Caramel Toffee: Add the pitted dates into a bowl and pour boiling water over top. Let sit for 5 to 10 minutes, or longer if your dates are firm. Drain the dates and add them to the food processor along with the almond butter, lemon juice, salt, and vanilla bean seeds (if using). Process until smooth, stopping to scrape the bowl as needed.
- Open the chilled cans of coconut milk and carefully scoop off the white cream from the top of the can, discarding the water. Add the coconut cream into a medium bowl. With electric beaters, beat the cream until smooth and fluffy.
- When the crust has cooled, gently spread all of the caramel toffee onto the base of the crust—using the back of a lightly wet spoon—until the base is covered. Slice all of the bananas. Place half of the banana slices on top of the caramel, pressing down lightly to adhere.
- Spread all of the whipped coconut cream on top of the banana slices in an even layer. Now place the remaining banana slices on top of the pie in a circular pattern, overlapping and stacking them to create height. Garnish with shaved chocolate (I like to shave it with a vegetable peeler) and serve immediately. Leftovers will keep in the fridge in a sealed container for up to 3 to 5 days. I don't recommend freezing this pie, as the banana slices get mushy after thawing.
Tip:
* To save time, you can swap the homemade coconut whipped cream for store-bought coconut whipped cream (such as So Delicious Coco Whip). Be sure to let it thaw before use.
The raw caramel works best with soft, fresh dates.
Nutrition Information
(click to expand)
Congrats again, Sarah!
To those of you celebrating this weekend, I wish you a lovely Easter! Spring is officially in the air. ahhhh.
For those avoiding refined sugar like my dad, who has cancer, (I’m sorry, but even pure maple syrup is a refined/processed sugar with detrimental qualities) you could substitute it by adding stevia to the water used in the crust along with a little bit of maple flavoring. I’m betting you could also sub out the coconut oil in the crust (again, for those with cancer/diabetes, etc.) with perhaps applesauce or something similar.
(For anyone wanting to know about the dietary restrictions I mentioned, my dad’s doctors at the Weimar Institute in California are the ones who informed him of how best to help beat his cancer with the foods he eats and which ones to avoid. See weimar.org or newstart.com .)
Wow! I’ve never tried combining all these flavors in a pie, but can’t wait to try it. I love the fresh banana idea. Thanks for posting!
How did I miss this post???? This is the perfect recipe for the anniversary dinner I’m putting on this weekend for my parents :) Cannot wait to make it!!!
This Banoffee Pie recipe is pure bliss! Thanks!
I’m picturing you dancing around your kitchen entertaining your little lady while whipping up this beautiful pie! :) That raw caramel toffee sounds so yummy! And with that, my stomach is grumbling and so I’m off to whip up some lunch…
You are making my mouth water! This looks delicious! I just discovered your site and am busily adding new recipes to my collection. I love that you share healthy tasty recipes with great photography.
We all need to more deeply connect with food. We are getting ready to hit the road to explore what we eat, one ingredient at a time. It should be quite an adventure! http://f2ta.com
This was delicious! So goood.
What is this scrumptiousness??? I must have it! It looks amazing! By the way, you have so inspired me on my journey of healthy eating — and getting me to dive into the world of vegan cooking — that I nominated you for the One Lovely Blog award (nomination post here: http://healthylittlechanges.com/2015/04/21/a-blog-award-plus-my-10-favorites/). Thank you for inspiring me and taking the scary (and yucky) out of vegan cooking!
Thi looks tdf! Will definitely try it this weekend.
Look delish! Definitely will have to try this one :)
What A great recipe! Looks delish!
Check my blog out if you have a chance. Newbie vegan blogger on the scene :)
Much Love <3
Hello Sarah. I just discovered your absolutely fabulous blog and I’m excited about trying some of your recipes. I followed you on Bloglovin’ too. I have been a vegetarian for many years but now I am starting to have some minor health issues so I need to get more serious about eating really healthy – no more junk and processed foods.One problem I have is that I don’t like bananas. I know I ought get over it and acquire a taste for this useful and healthy food, but do you have any suggestions for substitutions? Thanks for the all the effort you have put into this beautiful website.
I hate bananas except unless they’re in smoothies. But this looks so good! I wonder what fruit I could replace the bananas with… Strawberries?
This looks so good. We have been loving the whole date=caramel idea for a about a month or two now, but this takes it to a whole new level. Thanks for the recipe, I can’t wait to try it!
Looks AMAZING! I love your blog! Have been following you for a long time and your photography is BEAUTIFUL! I would love that pie, it sounds like a perfect thing to make right now ;)
This looks really amazing and cool!
Thanks a lot for sharing. Will try to cook with daughter :)
Hi Angela
I’m signed to your mailing list but not getting any emails from your site. Can you please let me know what I need to do to fix it.
Thanks
Liz
Looks great! Love your posts. :-)
Wow! looks incredible and what an exciting cookbook. I’m definitely going to look into it. I love that the ingredients are mostly things you would have on hand. Thank you for sharing <3
You haven’t posted since early this month…is everything okay?
Could I use almond meal leftover from making almond milk in replacement for the almonds? If so, how much should I use? If not, I will stick with the recipe. Thanks!
Wow, this looks delicious! And, what a beautiful book. Definitely gotta check that out!
I’ve been looking for a recipe similar to this for my family! Looks amazing, thank you so much!!
Hi Angela,
This looks great!
Im not sure if you are aware but the recipe index search on your blog has been missing for the past week. Its the one where you could search by course or ingredient. Will you bring it back anytime soon? It was so helpful! Thanks!
Ohh myyy looorrrrd! I haven’t had a single slice of banoffee pie since going vegan and my god do I miss it! It’s my absolute favourite pie. Definitely going to make this one soon for my family…or maybe just for, me who knows. Looks ever so devine and indulgent, you’ve done it again, Angela, you’ve done it again. xx
Omg, this looks amazing! Being half British, i absolutely adore banoffee pie … but not all the sugar and fat that normally comes with it! I am excited to give this recipe a try in the near future and thank you for sharing.
Alice x
This recipe sounds amazing!!
You have inspired me to eat in a clean and healthy way and my husband and three littles love the food I have made from your creations! Your cookbook is amazing and I have bought it for all my friends! Thank you for finding time to share such yummy healthy meals! I live in Kentucky and today was the Kentucky Derby, where the very best horses race. Anyway, we always have a Derby pie, which is basically chocolate-bourbon pecan pie. I wondered if you could capture these flavors but in a healthy fashion! If you feel so inspired I would be so appreciative!!!
This was very good, and even the non-vegans in the family enjoyed it, definitely going to look into the book. I stressed about the guar gum comments since I could not find any cans without it. But as another commenter said, if you shake the cans in the market, and buy the ones that don’t slosh (like they are solid) then you will have plenty of solid cream to use even if they have guar gum. Taste of India brand was consistently solid here in Boston. Don’t be afraid of the unsweetened whipped cream (as I was), it will all taste great once assembled. I was able to keep it in the fridge for hours before serving, but the cream does look better right after you make it, it solidifies a little bit in the fridge. Excellent for breakfast the next day!
Wow–this looks so amazing. I have gradually been moving to a grain free diet (I already have Celiac Disease so this isn’t too hard). I’ve also taken dairy out and I just feel so much better. Not sure if I’ll even be 100% vegan but you have a beautiful and inspiring website!
For me desserts comes first. I just want to try your recipe. I love you eat something sweet but healthy and I think your recipe counts. I just make sure I eat healthy and wholesome food.
Oh I love the idea and i love this combinations…
Delicious!Totally want to try your recipe.Voted for you! All the best!
These look fantastic.These are beautiful!
One of my favorite foods for summer.
Definitely trying your version soon .
Absolutely delicious! We LOVED it!! Thanks Angela!
Yes yes yes! Will try this on my next cheat day lol
My God, this looks just INSANELY delicious! I hope that after making it my family will finally understand that something doesn’t have to be filled with butter or sugar to be tasty :)
I had been eying this recipe for a while but me being the lazy baker I am it seemed kind of complicated. Alas it wasn’t at all and it turned out wonderfully. I was concerned about the coconut milk topping as it’s not sweet but put all together it was just the right amount of sweetness. This is probably my 3rd or 4th recipe I’ve made from your blog and once again i was not disappointed. Keep the fantastic recipes coming!
You could go through the process up to spreading the toffee into the crust and then freeze it. Just thaw and do the bananas and coconut cream the day you are ready to serve. Yes?
Just wanted to post to let you know how much everyone enjoyed the pie! One of my best friends has an intolerance to diary and wheat and I made this as part of her birthday dinner. She loved it as well as everyone else who had a sample (there wasn’t much left after the initial dinner). Then I made it for mother’s day and again the whole fam loved it (including those who are cautious about vegan cooking). Thank you for posting as I would not have heard about it otherwise!
This looks really delicious. My mouth is already watering. Hope to have this one day.Anyway, thanks for sharing.
Do you think the crust would be fine prepared ahead of time, like earlier in the day? I want to do the filling right before serving but am looking for ways to spread out the cooking.
I just made this with great success, it was absolutely delicious! Gave the right amount of sweetness for a dessert. Wasn’t sickeningly sweet like a recipe involving cans of pre-made toffee pie filling would have been. Felt like a great treat humans should actually eat, that is!
Made this…LOVED IT!!! It lasted really well for a few days, too. Would love an option to cut the full-fat coconut cream with something a bit lighter, but as-is, totally yummy, too!
I made this and it was good the first day. I really didn’t think the bananas would last a second day but they did. I think the pie was better the second day! I think it all depends on how ripe your bananas are.
This pie looks very delicious and loving all the pictures! To me, banana makes every dessert special, and this one is no exception.
I looooove banoffee seriously, i’ll try this recipe soon ! thankssss ! :)
made this for my birthday, and everyone LOVED it! Of course no one noticed it was “special” in that it was 100% vegetable. I like that. So that when they start to tell you about “how they could never” you can just say “well. I had no complaints when you ate the banoffee…”
I can’t wait to make this! I lived in England for 3 months last year and had traditional Banoffee pie, but I am a plant based gal and this sounds fantastic and much healthier. Thanks for sharing Sara’s recipe. I haven’t purchased her cookbook yet, but intend to, and I intend to buy yours as well! I hope your Easter dinner was a smashing success! Cheers!
I made this and it was a massive hit :) loved it!! HINT: you cannot substitute half fat coconut milk and “shortcut” by putting it in the freezer- the water content just means you will confound your guests with coconut ice which shoots off the plate when you try to break it up with a spoon… however last minute backup soy yogurt does work quite well ;)
Ok… YUM! I actually made a super simple banoffie pie just last night (http://www.furtherfood.com/recipe/banoffie-banana-coconut-cream-pie-recipe-aip-vegan-paleo-allergen-free-diet-dates-shredded-coconut-raw/)
I can’t wait to try this one too!!
I made this pie last night & it was amazing! Crust and filling were delicious. The only problem I had was the whipped coconut cream. I used an electric mixer and I whisked the coconut milk for a veryyyyy long time without it ever becoming light and fluffy. I thought maybe it was the type of coconut milk I was using so I then tried a can of goya coconut milk and I had the same problem. Am I missing something? Any suggestions would be great!! thank you :)