Vegan Banana Bars with Pina Colada Frosting
Vegan Banana Bars with Pina Colada Frosting are a soft, banana-sweetened traybake topped with a whipped coconut cream frosting flavored with pineapple and a splash of rum. The base bakes up moist and lightly spiced with cinnamon and vanilla, while the frosting sets firm in the fridge so you can slice the whole thing into neat squares. Think of them as a tropical twist on banana bread, made fully plant-based with a flax egg and coconut oil.
A tropical dessert that tastes like a beach holiday in bar form — coconut, pineapple, ripe banana, and just a hint of rum.
A Banana Lover’s Tropical Dessert
Growing up, I was never a big fan of bananas, but as I got older, I started to appreciate their sweetness and versatility. Now I reach for ripe bananas all the time — I can use them in tons of desserts and also have delicious homemade ice creams ready in just a couple of minutes, all with the amazing ripe bananas. These bars are one of my favorite ways to use them, because the banana does double duty: it sweetens and binds the base, then shows up again as fresh slices on top. If you love this natural banana sweetness, my classic vegan banana bread and my quick banana nice cream are both built on the same idea.
What Goes Into These Banana Bars
The recipe splits into two easy parts: a banana base and a pina colada frosting. Here is what each ingredient brings to the table.
- Ground flax seeds + water: whisked together and left to thicken, this is the flax egg that binds the base without any eggs.
- Ripe bananas: mashed into the batter for natural sweetness and moisture. The riper and spottier, the better.
- Coconut oil: the fat that keeps the crumb tender and adds a soft coconut note.
- Brown sugar + wholegrain flour: brown sugar deepens the flavor, while wholegrain flour gives the bars a little more body.
- Baking powder, cinnamon, vanilla, salt: the warm backbone that makes the base taste like banana bread.
- Coconut cream + powdered sugar + cornstarch: the frosting trio. Full-fat coconut cream whips up thick, powdered sugar sweetens it, and cornstarch helps it set firm.
- Rum (or rum extract): just a tablespoon carries that unmistakable pina colada flavor.
- Banana slices, diced pineapple, coconut flakes: the toppings that turn a simple frosted bar into a tropical dessert.
How to Make Them, Step by Step
Start by mixing the ground flax with water and setting it aside so it can thicken while you heat the oven to 180 C and grease your baking dish. In one bowl, combine the brown sugar, mashed bananas, coconut oil, vanilla, and the thickened flax mixture until everything is fully incorporated, then stir in the flour, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt. Spread the batter into the greased tray and bake for 25 to 30 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
While the base cools, make the frosting: beat the coconut cream with the powdered sugar, then add the rum and cornstarch and keep mixing until the cream thickens and turns smooth. This part needs patience, so chill the frosting in the fridge for at least an hour before you use it. Once both the base and the frosting are ready, spread the frosting over the crust in one even layer, arrange the banana slices and diced pineapple on top, cut into squares, and finish with a sprinkle of coconut flakes.
The Secret to a Firm Pina Colada Frosting
The frosting is what makes or breaks these bars, and the trick is all in the coconut cream. Use the thick cream scooped from full-fat coconut milk, not the watery liquid at the bottom of the can, because that thick fat is what whips up into something spreadable. The cornstarch and the chilling time work together here: the starch tightens the cream as it mixes, and the hour in the fridge lets it fully set so it holds a clean edge when you slice. If your frosting still feels loose, give it more time in the cold rather than adding extra cornstarch. A firm, well-chilled frosting means every square keeps its shape.
Make-Ahead and Storage Tips
These bars are best kept in the fridge, since the coconut frosting softens at room temperature. Store them in an airtight container and they will hold well for a few days. If you want to get ahead, bake the base and prepare the frosting separately, then assemble and add the fresh banana and pineapple closer to serving so the fruit stays bright. Add the banana slices last of all, since cut banana browns quickly once it sits out.
More Sweet Vegan Treats to Try
If these tropical bars win you over, there are plenty more plant-based desserts to bake next. For another coconut-forward treat, try my crustless coconut pumpkin pie, or keep things simple with a batch of vegan whole grain cookies. And when you have a few extra ripe bananas on the counter, blend up my banana breakfast smoothie to use them up.
I hope you enjoy making and eating these sweet vegan bars with Pina Colada frosting! If you give them a try, please leave a star rating and drop a comment below to tell me how your frosting set and whether you went for real rum or the extract — I love hearing how your bars turned out.
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Vegan Banana Bars with Pina Colada Frosting
Ingredients
For the crust:
- 2 tablespoons of flax seeds ground
- ¼ cup water
- 1 cup brown sugar
- 2 ripe bananas mashed
- ⅓ cup coconut oil
- 1 cup wholegrain flour
- 1 teaspoon of baking powder
- 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract
- ½ teaspoon cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon salt
For the pina colada frosting:
- 2 cups of coconut cream from two cans of full-fat coconut milk
- ¾ cup powdered sugar
- 3 tablespoons of cornstarch
- 1 tablespoon of rum or a few drops of rum extract
- 1 banana cut into slices
- 1 cup diced pineapple
- Coconut flakes for decoration
Instructions
- In a small bowl, mix the ground flax seeds with water and set aside until the mixture thickens.
- Heat the oven to 180 C.
- Spray or grease the baking dish with a little bit of oil.
- In a bowl, mix the sugar, bananas, oil, vanilla and the flax seeds mixture until completely incorporated.
- Add flour, baking powder, cinnamon and salt to the mixture.
- Transfer the composition to the greased baking tray, and put it in the oven for 25-30 minutes, or until it passes the toothpick test.
Meanwhile, prepare the frosting:
- In a bowl, add coconut cream, powdered sugar and start mixing with a mixer. Add the rum and starch and continue to mix until the composition hardens and becomes homogenous. Transfer the cream to the refrigerator for at least an hour before using it.
- After the crust and the frosting are ready, assemble the dessert.
- Spread the frosting onto the crust evenly in one layer.
- Place the banana slices and pineapple on the surface of the frosting. Cut into squares and serve with sprinkled coconut flakes.
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes, they are fully plant-based. The base uses a flax egg (ground flax seeds mixed with water) instead of eggs and coconut oil instead of butter, and the frosting is made from full-fat coconut cream rather than dairy. Every ingredient in the recipe is vegan.
Yes. The recipe calls for one tablespoon of rum, but you can swap it for a few drops of rum extract to keep that pina colada flavor without the alcohol. If you prefer, you can leave it out entirely and the coconut-pineapple combination will still shine.
The most common reason is using the thin liquid instead of the thick coconut cream. Scoop only the firm cream from full-fat coconut milk, then let the cornstarch mix in and chill the frosting in the fridge for at least an hour. The cold set is what firms it up enough to slice cleanly.
Use very ripe, spotty bananas for the batter. The riper they are, the sweeter and more moist the base becomes, and they mash smoothly into the mixture. Save a firmer banana for the slices on top so they hold their shape.
Both work for the diced pineapple topping. Fresh pineapple gives a brighter, juicier bite, while canned pineapple is convenient year-round — just drain it well so extra liquid does not loosen the frosting.
Keep them in an airtight container in the fridge, since the coconut frosting softens at room temperature. They stay good for a few days. For the freshest look, add the banana slices close to serving, because cut banana browns quickly once exposed to air.
