Tart pineapple, mellow banana and creamy coconut are a dream team made in tropical heaven! As a former skeptic of vegan bakes I can say I’ve been converted. This is a beautiful combo of fresh tropical flavours that doesn’t disappoint.
Of course if you’re vegan or follow a plant based diet this is a no brainer to make but if you don’t you should definitely still make them. Why? Well you’re bringing a little sunshine into your kitchen for starters and baking with fresh fruit is strangely therapeutic. It smells so good as you make them!
I came across the original recipe in Waitrose’s weekly food paper in a feature about the versatility of pineapples. It’s one of the ultimate tropical treats in my opinion. Apparently we’ve also been eating them wrong, check this video out. Other than the classic upside down pineapple cake I haven’t really considered baking with pineapple but this is definitely something to explore further!
Fresh pineapple, coconut and mashed bananas make these muffins lovely and moist. It’s easy enough to play with the ingredients here and swap things in and out. Enjoy these delicious muffins with a cup of tea in the afternoon!
Vegan pineapple and coconut muffins
It’s a Pina Colada in cake form – super sweet, unapologetically tropical and just plain good. Tart pineapple, mellow banana and fragrant coconut are a dream team made in tropical heaven! Being completely vegan these muffins are still moist and light and best of all powered by fresh tropical ingredients. Ideal for a mid morning snack or a just sweet treat when you need a pick me up.
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- 100g soft light brown sugar
- 150g coconut oil
- 1 tbsp cider vinegar
- 250ml cold water
- 300g wholemeal flour, sifted
- 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp bicarbonate of soda
- 50g fresh coconut chunks, grated
- 25g sunflower seeds or pumpkin seeds
- 200g fresh pineapple chunks, roughly chopped
- 2 small ripe bananas, mashed
First line a 12-hole muffin tin with tulip muffin cases. In a medium sized pan put, cinnamon, sugar, coconut oil, vinegar and water and bring to the boil. Simmer for a few minutes and then leave to one side to cool.
Preheat the oven to 180C / gas mark 4 / 160C (fan). In a large bowl sift flour, bicarb of soda and baking powder and fresh coconut (leave some for the topping), seeds, pineapple and mashed banana. Pour in the coconut oil mixture until well combined.
Pour the mixture into the cases and top with the remaining fresh coconut. Bake for 30- 35 minutes, until golden and firm (check by inserting a skewer and if it comes out clean it’s ready).
Leave to cool in the tin for 5 minutes and then transfer to a wire rack. Store in an airtight container and eat within a couple of days.
Adapted from Waitrose’s Tropical Pineapple Banana Muffins
