Sticky Toffee Walnut Banana Bread

Fluffy banana bread filled with dates and walnuts and coated in a sticky toffee sauce.

This Sticky Toffee Walnut Banana Bread filled with dates and walnuts and covered in a creamy toffee sauce is inspired by sticky toffee pudding.

Sticky toffee pudding meets banana bread. This banana bread recipe is out of this world delicious and happens to be 100% vegan. It’s filled with gooey and caramely medjool dates and chunks of crunchy walnuts and covered in a creamy and sweet toffee sauce.

Why you’ll love this Sticky Toffee Pudding Banana Bread:

Moist and fluffy. This banana bread stays moist for days and is perfectly fluffy and tender.

Simple and easy to make. Made all in one bowl with simple, easy-to-find baking ingredients.

Easily adaptable. This recipe can easily be modified to meet your needs, desires, and cravings! Full adaptations below.

Ingredient Breakdown:

• Ripe bananas – it’s crucial to use extra ripe bananas for this recipe for a perfectly moist texture and sweetness level.
• Butter – I recommend unsalted butter. You can use either regular or vegan butter.
• Maple syrup – this, of course, adds sweetness to the recipe, but also a delicious maple flavor that pairs well with the banana and cinnamon.
• Almond butter – adds a delicious nutty flavor that pairs deliciously with the almond butter and walnuts.
• Egg – to help with binding and moisture.
• Brown sugar – for added sweetness and moisture.
• Flour – I recommend all-purpose flour for this recipe.
• Almond flour – after multiple tests, I love the addition of almond flour for extra nuttiness and texture.
• Cinnamon – elevates the flavor, especially paired with walnuts and dates.
• Walnuts – added crunch and nuttiness.
• Medjool dates – I recommend medjool variety since they’re more caramely and sweet.

How to make Sticky Toffee Walnut Banana Bread:

1. In a medium saucepan over medium-high heat, melt the butter. Add the brown sugar and molasses. Bring the mixture to a simmer, whisking occasionally, and simmer for 4-5 minutes. Whisk in vanilla, salt, and coconut cream and simmer for 1 minute more until slightly thickened. Remove from heat, transfer to a jar, and set aside to cool.
2. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Grease a 9×5″ loaf pan with nonstick cooking spray and line with parchment paper.
3. In a large mixing bowl, mash ripe bananas until mostly smooth (a few clumps are ok). Whisk in melted butter, maple syrup, almond butter, brown sugar, egg, and vanilla until creamy.
4. Add flours, cinnamon, baking powder and soda, and salt. Use a wooden spoon or spatula to combine until a smooth and pourable batter forms. Fold in walnuts and dates. Pour into prepared loaf pan.
5. Bake for 60-65 minutes until top is golden brown and toothpick inserted comes with a few moist crumbs. If top browns too quickly, you can cover top loosely with foil.
6. Remove from oven and cool in the loaf pan for 10 minutes before transferring to a wire cooling rack. Cool for at least 45 minutes before pouring over desired amount of toffee sauce. Slice and enjoy. Banana bread texture is best after 24 hrs, so alternatively you could wait until the next day to slice into.
7. Cover or tightly wrap in plastic wrap and store at room temperature for up to 5 days or in the refrigerator for up to 1 week.

Recipe Modifications:

Make vegan…

• substitute butter with vegan butter (my favs are Earth Balance or Country Crock)
• substitute egg with 1 flax egg (1 tbsp flax seed meal + 2 tbsp water)

Substitute walnuts for chopped pecans, almonds, or hazelnuts.

Substitute almond butter for peanut butter or sunflower seed butter.

Make gluten-free by substituting flour for a gluten-free all-purpose 1-1 flour.

Storage Instructions:

Cover or tightly wrap in plastic wrap and store at room temperature for up to 5 days or in the refrigerator for up to 1 week. Banana bread can be stored at room temp after covered in toffee sauce, just make sure it’s completely cooled.

Store leftover toffee sauce in fridge for up to 4 days.

Banana bread tastes best on day 2 after flavors and texture has settled.

More Delicious Banana Bread Recipes…

• Dark Chocolate Almond Butter Banana Bread
• Chocolate Coconut Walnut Banana Bread
• Dark Chocolate Banana Bread Brownies
• Chewy Dark Chocolate Banana Bread Cookies

Also, if you make this recipe and decide to share it on Facebook or Instagram don’t forget to tag me @healthienut + #healthienut! I love seeing your mouthwatering recreations!