The Best Banana Coffee Cake (Made Without Butter)

This budget-friendly no-butter banana coffee cake is the best of both worlds: coffee cake and banana bread all in one delicious bite! Can someone pass me a fork?

If you haven’t noticed, butter is pricey! Coffee cake is typically loaded up with the good stuff–butter and sour cream galore! But this coffee cake was made with the cost in mind and can be easily made dairy-free! If you rather use, butter, no problem, go ahead… but if you are trying to cut down on costs– this banana coffee cake recipe is a GREAT option!

Step-by-Step How to Make Banana Coffee Cake

Hello, let me introduce you to the coziest banana coffee cake that you are going to want to make on repeat!

Step 1: Prep!

Preheat your oven as written in the recipe below. Spray a 9×13 baking dish with baking spray. Set aside.

In a small bowl, mash your bananas for the next step.

Step 2: Make the Banana Coffee Cake Batter

In a large bowl, add mashed banana, eggs, oil, vanilla, and granulated sugar. Stir until the mixture is combined.

Then, in a medium-sized bowl, mix together the cake’s dry ingredients: flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Next, add your dry ingredients to the wet. Stir until the mixture is incorporated and set aside.

Step 3: Brown Sugar Cinnamon Mix

In two separate small bowls, mix both the brown sugar cinnamon (middle layer) and the brown sugar cinnamon topping. Set both bowls aside.

Step 4: Layer the Banana Coffee Cake

Pour half of the banana coffee cake batter into the 9×13. Next, sprinkle your brown sugar cinnamon mix evenly over the top of the batter. Then, add the remaining batter to the top of the cinnamon mix. Finally, sprinkle the topping over the cake top layer of cake batter.

Step 5: Bake and Glaze

Bake the cake until it is fully set and slightly browning on the edges.

While the cake is baking, mix together powdered sugar and milk to create a simple glaze. When the banana coffee cake has fully cooked and is cool to the touch, drizzle the glaze on top.

Step 6: Share (Or Don’t 😉 )

Banana coffee cake is great to share with loved ones! It’s so comforting and cozy, who wouldn’t want a slice (or a whole cake)?! But, it’s so good, I don’t blame you if you eat it all yourself.

Whatever you do, you will want to eat it or freeze it within 4-5 days. If you are freezing the cake, I recommend, freezing the cake by slicing and wrapping the slices in plastic wrap, then aluminum foil, and placing them inside a marked sealed freezer bag. Freeze for up to 3 months.

Banana Coffee Cake Ingredients

I grew up eating mostly Pennsylvanian Dutch food, which if you haven’t tried it before, is Amish & Mennonite Soul Food. Most of our recipes growing came from old church books and passed down family secrets, but regardless of where the recipes came from, my PA Dutch recipes usually had two things in common: 1) they were very cost-effective and 2) they were comforting and hearty.

My banana coffee cake recipe uses ingredients that you would commonly find in Mennonite church cookbook recipes and is inspired by some of my favorite, dense, comforting PA Dutch baked goods.

bananas

Make sure to use brown or spotted bananas. Overripe bananas produce the best banana flavor.

eggs

Eggs help to bind the batter together.

vegetable oil

Vegetable oil is a Mennonite church cookbook core ingredient. It’s literally used for EVERYTHING. I use vegetable oil, although you can use any neutral cooking oil you have on hand, instead of butter to keep the costs down. If you have extra butter, you can swap melted butter for the oil if desired.

granulated sugar

The sugar is used to sweeten the cake.

vanilla

Vanilla enhances the existing flavors of the cake.

baking soda & baking powder

These ingredients help our cake to rise in the oven.

salt

A little bit of salt brings out the baked goods flavor. Without a bit of salt, you will likely wind up with a bland baked good.

flour

I used traditional AP flour in this recipe. I have not experimented with other flours in this recipe, if you do, let me know how it goes in the comment section below!

brown sugar

A good coffee cake has to have a layer, right? We will use brown sugar and cinnamon to create a layer in the middle of the cake itself, and then sprinkle brown sugar on top of the cake for a slight crust.

cinnamon

Add cinnamon to the middle brown sugar cinnamon layer of the cake for the perfect comforting, breakfast cake taste.

milk

A little bit of milk is used to make a simple glaze.

powdered sugar

Powdered sugar and milk combine together to make the easiest glaze you have ever made. While the glaze is totally optionally– it really elevates the look of this cake.

Additional Banana Coffee Cake Add-Ins

Walnuts and Chocolate Chips

Want to make this cake extra special? Try adding 1/2 cup chopped almonds and/or chocolate chips to the cake batter.

The mom of one of my best friends growing up made the BEST walnut and chocolate chips banana bread I have ever had. Every time I was over for a sleepover, you could guarantee that there would be the BEST banana bread on the counter in the morning.

Yes, walnuts and chocolate chips add to the overall cost, but if you have these ingredients on hand it can really make this cake extra cozy.

Butter

I know. I said that this cake is made without butter– this recipe does NOT need butter.

BUT, if you want to make it extra decadent and still save a little on the ingredient cost, you can always go light on the butter. Here’s how I would use it.

Add 3 tbsp of softened butter to the brown sugar cinnamon sprinkle. Clump together and distribute small pieces of the topping on top of the cake prior to baking.

Can You Make Banana Coffee Cake Dairy-Free?

100%. I am lactose intolerant–so I actually made this cake dairy-free and used almond milk to create my glaze. You can use any milk of your choice in this recipe, so you can easily make it dairy-free.

More Budget-Friendly Banana Recipes

Bananas are one of my all-time favorite ingredients for budget-friendly recipes! What I love most about bananas is that even as they start to become overripe–they can still be used (and are even preferred in baking to be overripe!). This banana coffee cake recipe is a GREAT way to use up leftover overripe bananas, but check out my notes below for some more budget-friendly banana recipes you are sure to LOVE!

Ripe Banana Recipe Suggestion (For Yellow Bananas)

But if you want to a great recipe for ripe (not overripe bananas), you have to try my Tru Fru Banana Bites Copycat recipe. With a few yellow bananas, you can create these addicting, frozen chocolate-covered banana bites that will satisfy your sweet tooth.

Overripe Banana Recipe Suggestion (For Spotted or Brown Bananas)

I add mashed overripe bananas to pancakes, muffins, and cakes ALL the time! Another one of my favorite banana breakfast recipes is my decadent Banana Bread Baked Oatmeal With a Nutella Swirl recipe! OH. MY.

If you LOVE to eat your banana bread with Nutella (because, yum!). Then, you have GOT to try this Amish-style baked oatmeal recipe!

You May Also Enjoy

Looking for a GREAT breakfast recipe?! You are in LUCK! I love breakfast foods. Check out some more of my most popular breakfast recipes!

• Decadent Blueberry Cheesecake Baked Oatmeal
• Iced Lemon Poppy Seed Baked Oatmeal
• Homemade Pancake Sausage “Corn” Dog Bites (with Pancake Mix)
• Cheesy Breakfast Pizza Bagels (Easy Meal Prep)