Got ripe bananas? Then you need to make a batch of my soft vegan coconut flour banana cookies. Made without additional flours or starches, they are grain-free, gluten-free, and only 49 calories each.

Banana Coconut Flour Cookies, Made without Eggs or Other Flours

One thing we all need more of is cookies.Truly satisfying cookies. Cookies that are a cinch to make. Cookies that will satisfy a sweet tooth, but are nourishing enough to eat for breakfast.

For example, myVegan Coconut Flour Banana Cookies.

close up of a coconut flour banana cookie

MyChocolate Coconut Flour Cookiesrecipe provided the inspiration for these banana cookies. Specifically, I wanted to create another coconut flour cookie that is egg-free and hasno added flours or commercial starches.

As I mentioned in my chocolate cookie post, egg-free coconut flour baking is a challenge. Coconut flour is highly unusual compared to other flours (e.g., tremendous absorbency, delicate texture, and more), so making it work in the absence of eggs and other flours takes a lot of experimenting.

Cocoa powder made things possible for the chocolate cookies, adding a natural starchiness to the dough. But what to do with a banana cookie, without adding other flours and starches?

Use Slightly Under-Ripe Bananas

The answer? The starchiness of the bananas, specificallyslightlyunder-ripe bananas.

an under-ripe banana next to mashed banana in a measuring cup

Most recipes (including my own!) that call for mashed bananas specify the use of very ripe bananas. Why? Because they are much sweeter and less stiff. During the ripening process, the starch in bananas is transformed into sugars.

I think you know where this is going. I hypothesized that the starch in under-ripe bananas could work in combination with the coconut flour to make a cookie recipe work.

I was right! It took some trials and errors to get the proportions right, but the final results are stellar. Hurray for bananas!

Recipe Benefits

Vegan (egg-free, dairy-free)
Grain-free
Gluten-free
Very straightforward to make

Step by Step Instructions

Note that the complete instructions are also in the recipe card below.

Step One: Preheat Oven and Prepare Baking Sheet

Preheat the oven to 350F (180C). Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.

Step Two: Mash the Bananas

You can whip these cookies up in no time at all. Begin with the under-ripe bananas. For reliable results, choose ones that are mostly yellow, with no significant brown spots, and a little bit of green (see the photo above; you do not want green bananas).

Vigorously mash the banana with a fork until it is very broken down and smooth.

Step Three: Combine All of the Wet Ingredients

The rest of the recipe comes together in one bowl. Combine the mashed banana, flaxseed meal (this also helps to hold the cookies together), coconut sugar, oil, and vanilla in a medium bowl.

wet ingredients for banana cookies in a blue ceramic bowl

These cookies have half the oil and half the sugar of my chocolate coconut flour cookies, yet are perfectly sweet and tender. Give thanks to the bananas.

Step Four: Add the Dry Ingredients

Add the coconut flour, baking soda and salt, stirring until blended. Let the dough stand for a few minutes, to absorb the liquid. It will soon be quite stiff.

Step Five: Portion the Cookie Dough

Scoop the dough into small mounds and place on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. I used my small cookie scoop, but a tablespoon works, too. My small scoop produces exactly 14 cookies.

Step Six: Bake the Cookies

After a short bake (12 to 15 minutes at 350F), you’ll have these scrumptious, banana bread-like cookies.

They are hard to resist. I didn’t.

Storage

Store the cookies in an airtight container at (cool) room temperature for 1 day, the refrigerator for 1 week or the freezer for up to 6 months.

Variations

Gussy up these humble cookies in any number of ways. Consider one, or a combination of several, of the following options:

Extracts or Zests:Add a tsp vanilla extract, almond extract or lemon extract. Or add one to two teaspoons of finely grated lime zest, lemon zest or orange zest.
Spices:Add 1/4 to 1 teaspoon of your go-to spice, such as cinnamon, nutmeg, cardamom, allspice, ginger, or pumpkin pie spice. Or add a combination of spices (no more than 1 teaspoon total).
Dried Fruit:Add up to 1/4 cup of chopped dried fruit, such as raisins, dried cranberries, dried apricots, dried cherries, dried blueberries, or dried figs.
Chocolate:Add up to 1/4 cup of your go-to chocolate chips or chocolate chunks, or add 2 tbsp cacao nibs.
Nuts or Seeds:Add up to 1/4 cup chopped nuts or seeds, such as walnuts, pecans, peanuts, pepitas, or sunflower seeds. Alternatively, sprinkle a few nuts or seeds on top before baking.

If you forget to plan ahead, you can always add some frills post-bake. Melted chocolate is always a winner.

Happy baking, everyone!

Banana Coconut Flour Cookies {Vegan, Paleo, Grain-Free}

Prep Time: 7 minutes
Cook Time: 15 minutes
Total Time: 22 minutes
Servings: 14 cookies

Ingredients

1/2 cup 130 g mashed under-ripe banana (see notes)
2 tablespoons 13 g flaxseed meal
2 tablespoons 18 g coconut palm sugar (see notes for options)
2 tablespoons 30 mL vegetable oil
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/3 cup 37.5 g coconut flour (lightly spoon to measure)
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/8 teaspoon fine sea salt

Method

Preheat oven to 350F (175C). Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper .
In a medium bowl , stir together the mashed banana, flaxseed meal , coconut sugar , oil ad vanilla. Add the coconut flour , baking soda and salt, stirring until blended. Let stand for 2 to 3 minutes, allowing the coconut flour to absorb the liquid.
Using a small cookie scoop or tablespoon, scoop 14 mounds of dough onto the prepared cookie sheet , spacing 2 inches apart.
Bake in the preheated oven 12 to 15 minutes until set at the centers and surface of the cookies appears dry,
Cool on cookie sheet for 5 minutes and then carefully transfer cookies to a wire cooling rack . Cool completely.

Notes

Banana Tip: I used under-ripe bananas here rather than the usual uper-ripe bananas called for in baking recipes. The reason is that under-ripe bananas are starchier (starch has not converted into as much sugar yet). The starch acts in place of added starches such as tapioca or arrowroot . # of Bananas: It will take about 1 very large or 2 small bananas to produce 1/2 cup mashed banana. Since bananas vary in size, reliable results will be achieved by using the exact measurement (1/2 cup) as opposed to general size of bananas. Tip: I used safflower oil to make these, but you can use any oil or fat your prefer. If using melted coconut oil for the oil, combine the banana mixture and flour before adding the melted oil (otherwise, the coconut oil may clump into firm bits). Sweetener Swap: An equal amount of brown sugar or cane sugar can be used in place of the coconut sugar . Storage: Store the cookies in an airtight container at (cool) room temperature for 1 day, the refrigerator for 1 week or the freezer for up to 6 months.