Easy Vegan Skillet Banana Cornbread with Maple Walnut Butter
This fluffy, sweet, rustic banana cornbread is a heavenly combination of two American icons: cornbread and banana bread. It's tender and cakelike, and baked in a cast iron skillet for mouthwatering buttery, crispy edges. And there's some luscious, creamy maple walnut butter to slather on the top when the bread is hot out of the oven. This is comfort food at its finest, and it's so special to enjoy with friends and family!
Ingredients
Maple walnut butter
- 8 tablespoons (112 g) salted vegan butter
- 4 tablespoons (32 g) walnut halves or large pieces
- 1 tablespoon (15 ml) maple syrup
Banana cornbread
- 1 cup (150 g) medium-grind cornmeal
- 1 cup (125 g) all-purpose flour
- 1¼ teaspoons baking powder
- ¾ teaspoon baking soda
- 1¼ teaspoons fine salt
- 7 tablespoons (105 ml) maple syrup
- 1 cup (240 ml) full-fat nondairy milk
- 4 tablespoons (56 g) salted vegan butter, melted
- 1 tablespoon (15 ml) apple cider vinegar
- 1¼ cups (325 g) mashed overripe bananas, about 3 medium, at least half-brown
Skillet prep
- 1 tablespoon (14 g) salted vegan butter
- 1½ teaspoons (4 g) medium-grind cornmeal
Instructions
Soften the butter, toast the walnuts
- Set out the butter for an hour to soften at room temperature. Or, see notes below for a faster option. Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C). Place the walnuts in a single layer on a small baking sheet and toast, shaking or stirring occasionally, until fragrant and golden. This should take about 7-9 minutes. Let cool, then finely chop and set aside while you prepare the ingredients.
Increase heat, add skillet to oven, mix dry ingredients
- Increase oven temperature to 375°F (190°C). Place a 10-inch (25 cm) cast iron skillet in the oven to heat up. In a large mixing bowl, add the cornmeal, flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Whisk until combined, breaking up any chunks until smooth.
Mix the wet ingredients
- Mash the bananas in a bowl with a fork or potato masher until smooth. In a separate bowl, add the maple syrup, oat milk, melted butter, and apple cider vinegar. Add the liquid mixture to the mashed bananas and whisk until well combined.
Gently mix wet and dry ingredients
- Pour the wet ingredients into the dry and fold gently until just combined.
Add butter and cornmeal to skillet
- Carefully remove the hot skillet from the oven. Quickly add the 1 tablespoon of vegan butter, swirling and brushing to uniformly coat the bottom and sides. Sprinkle the 1½ teaspoons of cornmeal evenly over the bottom.
Add batter and bake
- Pour the batter into the prepared skillet and spread evenly. Bake for 20–25 minutes, until golden brown, with a quick springback when pressed gently in the center, and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Cool for at least 15 minutes before slicing.
Make the maple walnut butter
- As the banana cornbread bakes, mix the softened butter, finely chopped toasted walnuts, and maple syrup in a medium bowl with a fork or spatula until combined and smooth. Serve by spreading onto the banana cornbread. Or see notes for other serving options. Enjoy!
Notes
To soften the butter more quickly, you can cut it into cubes and place in a single layer on a plate. Microwave at low power in 5-minute increments until the butter holds its shape but has a slight give when pressed.
Please make sure to toast the walnuts. The deep, nutty flavor will really enhance the maple walnut butter. The same goes with using genuine maple syrup. This mouthwatering cake is so worth these elevations in flavor!
Use medium grind cornmeal. This will really give a nice chew to the cake along with the smoothness from the bananas.
Don’t overmix the batter. Stir it gently until just combine to ensure the maximum fluffy texture.
You can serve the maple walnut butter while soft and spreadable, or refrigerate it while the banana cornbread bakes if you’d like it slightly firmer. Or you can optionally roll the butter into a log with parchment paper and chill for 30+ minutes for sliceable rounds.
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!