These banana nut scones are deliciously moist, flaky, and crumbly. Combining the flavor of banana bread and the texture of scones, this banana scone recipe is everything you crave for breakfast. Don’t skip the maple icing because it’s one of the best parts!
These banana scones were a complete spur-of-the-moment recipe. When I have a bounty of extra ripe bananas, I usually bake a couple loaves of banana bread or my favorite banana muffins. My mom was visiting, so I decided to try something new and special. We both love scones and banana bread, so I decided to combine the two.
We ended up LOVING them, especially the walnuts in each bite. I tweaked the recipe a few times after that and I’m confident these are the best banana scones. They’re crumbly and flaky on the outside, but have that deliciously soft banana bread texture inside. We topped them with crunchy coarse sugar and a generous drizzle of maple icing.
These banana nut scones turned out 19385x better than I dreamed and instantly climbed to the top of my favorite scone list. Admittedly, I have about over a dozen favorite scone recipes, including these chocolate chip scones, apple cinnamon scones, and blueberry scones!
Banana Bread & Banana Muffins Vs. Banana Scones
What banana scones have that banana bread and banana muffins do not:
- Crackly crunchy top
- Irresistible crispy crumbles
- Nooks & crannies for delicious icing absorption
- Flaky center
Banana bread and banana muffins will never be banana scones!!!
Banana Scone Ingredients
You need a handful of basic ingredients for banana scones including flour, brown sugar, bananas, egg, butter, and a few others. The best performance award goes to the following 4 power ingredients: mashed bananas, yogurt, frozen butter, and brown sugar.
- Bananas: You need about 3 medium or 2 large ripe bananas. Make sure they are spotty brown. When mashed, they should yield 1 cup (230g). The most efficient way to mash bananas is to use your handheld or stand mixer. Try to rid all those banana lumps!
- Greek Yogurt: The first time I made these banana scones, I used heavy cream. Heavy cream is my favorite standard scone ingredient. The scones were good, but they spread all over baking sheet even though I increased the flour. Rather than add even more flavorless flour, I swapped the cream for yogurt. The yogurt helps keep the scones moist, a far cry from the cardboard scones we’ve all tasted before.
- Grated Frozen Butter: Not just cold butterโfrozen butter. Why? Itโs important to use cold butter in scone baking. When the little bits and pieces of butter melt as the scones bake, they release steam and create little pockets of air. As a result, the scones are a little airy on the inside while remaining crisp on the outside. You want the butter to melt in the oven, not before the scones even hit the oven. Frozen butter is easy to grate and grated butter is easy to cut into the dry ingredients. You’ll use frozen butter in these ham & cheese scones, too.
- Brown Sugar: Why use flavorless white sugar when you can use deliciously moist and rich-tasting brown sugar? I have the same mindset when making banana bread!
I call these power ingredients because they make a POWERFUL difference in how the scones taste. For mega banana scone success, I recommend you follow this recipe closely.
How to Make Banana Scones
- Mix the wet ingredients. This includes the mashed bananas.
- Mix the dry ingredients.
- Cut in the butter. You can use a pastry cutter, two forks, or your hands.
- Mix the wet & dry ingredients together.
- Spoon dough onto baking sheets. Use a 1/4-cup measuring cup.
- Brush with milk and sprinkle with coarse sugar.
- Bake. Then drizzle with icing!
This banana scone recipe yields about 12 palm-sized scones. Expect a sticky and craggily dough. Like biscuits, avoid overworking the dough. You’ll notice that I brush the scones with milk before baking. This is an essential step! This layer of liquid “sets” on top and drizzles down the sides as the scones bake, creating an even crispier exterior.
How to Make Triangle-Shaped Scones
I make these as drop scones, but if you’d prefer to make them triangle shaped like we do in many other scone recipes, press the dough into an 8-inch disc and, with a sharp knife or bench scraper, cut into 8 wedges. For smaller scones, press dough into two 5-inch discs and cut each into 8 wedges.
Place the scones on a plate or baking sheet lined with parchment paper and refrigerate for 15โ20 minutes before baking, to help set the shape. You can brush the scones with milk and top with coarse sugar either before or after refrigerating.
The baking time varies depending on size. See recipe Notes below for suggested baking times for 8 larger triangle-shaped scones as well as 16 mini scones.
Can I Use Frozen Bananas?
Yes and I do this often. Thaw the frozen bananas at room temperature. Drain off any excess liquid, mash, then use as instructed in the recipe below. See How to Freeze & Thaw Bananas for Baking.
My #1 Scone Trick
My #1 tip when making any scones is to keep the scone dough as cold as possible. If the scones are room temperature or warm going into the oven, they will overspread and the texture will be ruined. Don’t be afraid to refrigerate your wet ingredients as you’re working on the dry ingredients. And you can refrigerate the scone dough prior to baking too.
The Best Finishing Touch: Maple Icing
These banana scones have all the flavor from banana bread including cinnamon spice, brown sugar, and banana. Maple icing is the BEST finishing touch… because everything is better blanketed with maple!! Simply melt butter and maple syrup together, then whisk in sifted confectioners’ sugar. The icing seeps into all the cracks and crevices. That top maple-soaked surface is the best part!
This banana scone recipe yields such a unique textureโan incredible mash up of banana bread and scones. Get those bananas browning and start pre-heating your oven!
More Favorite Banana Recipes
- Banana Cake & Banana Cream Pie
- Banana Bread & Banana Muffins
- Banoffee Pie
- Chocolate Banana Muffins & Banana Chocolate Chip Streusel Muffins
Banana Nut Scones with Maple Glaze
- Prep Time: 30 minutes
- Cook Time: 25 minutes
- Total Time: 1 hour
- Yield: 12 scones
- Category: Breakfast
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: English
Description
Deliciously moist, flaky, and crumbly banana nut scones with maple glaze. A tasty alternative to banana bread or banana muffins, and everything you crave for breakfast!
Ingredients
- 1 cup (230g) mashed bananas (about 3 medium or 2 large ripe bananas)
- 1/4 cup (60g) plain Greek yogurt (or any plain yogurt or sour cream)
- 1/2 cup (100g) packed light or dark brown sugar
- 1 large egg
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 2 and 1/2 cups (313g) all-purpose flour (spooned & leveled)
- 2ย and 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 and 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 5 Tablespoons (71g) unsalted butter, frozen
- 1 cup (125g) chopped walnuts (optional)
- top before baking: 3 Tablespoons (45ml) milk and coarse sugar
Maple Glaze
- 2 Tablespoons (28g) unsalted butter
- 1/3 cup (80ml) pure maple syrup
- 1 cup (112g) sifted confectioners’ sugar
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400ยฐF (204ยฐC). Line 2 large baking sheets with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat. Set aside.
- In a stand mixer or medium bowl with a handheld mixer, beat the mashed bananas, yogurt, brown sugar, egg, and vanilla extract together. Set aside.
- In a large bowl, whisk the flour, baking powder, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt together. Grate the frozen butter (I use a box grater to grate it; a food processor also works for grating). Toss the grated butter into the flour mixture and combine it with a pastry cutter, two forks, a food processor, or your fingers until the mixture resembles coarse meal. Set aside.
- Drizzle wet ingredients over flour mixture, add the walnuts, and then toss the mixture together with a rubber spatula until everything appears moistened. Try your best to not overwork the dough at any point. Dough will be sticky and a little wet. Drop scones, 1/4 cup of dough each, at least 3 inches apart on the prepared baking sheet. Brush scones with milk, then top with a little coarse sugarย if desired for extra crunch. Tastes great!
- Bake for 20โ25 minutes or until lightly golden and cooked through. Remove from the oven and let cool as you make the icing. The scones taste even better after they cool down!
- Make the icing:ย In a small saucepan over low heat, melt the butter and maple syrup together, whisking occasionally. Once the butter has melted, remove from heat and whisk in the sifted confectioners’ sugar.ย Drizzle over scones.
- Scones are best enjoyed right away, though leftover scones keep well at room temperature or in the refrigerator for about 3โ5 days.
Notes
- Make Ahead & Freezing Instructions: Some options here. The baking powder is initially activated once wet and if you hold off on baking, the scones wonโt rise as much in the oven. However, the decrease in rise is so slight that it doesnโt make a noticeable difference. That being said, you can shape this scone dough into wedges and refrigerate overnight before baking. You can also freeze before baking. Freeze scone dough wedges on a plate or baking sheet for 1 hour. Once relatively frozen, you can layer them in a freezer-friendly bag or container. Bake from frozen, adding a few minutes to the bake time in the recipe below. Or thaw overnight, then bake as directed. You can also freeze the baked and cooled scones before topping with icing. To thaw, leave out on the counter for a few hours or overnight in the refrigerator. Warm in the microwave for 30 seconds or on a baking sheet in a 300ยฐF (149ยฐC) oven for 10 minutes.
- Special Tools (affiliate links): Electric Mixer (Handheld or Stand) |ย Glass Mixing Bowls |ย Box Grater |ย Pastry Cutter | Baking Sheet | Silicone Baking Mat or Parchment Paper |ย Pastry Brush | Coarse Sugar (optional)
- Frozen Bananas:ย You can use frozen bananas here. Thaw the frozen bananas. Drain off any excess liquid, mash, then use as instructed in the recipe. Seeย How to Freeze & Thaw Bananas for Baking.ย
- How to Shape as Triangles: Instead of drop scones, you can make these as triangles. Press the dough into an 8-inch disc and, with a sharp knife or bench scraper, cut into 8 wedges. For smaller scones, press dough into two 5-inch discs and cut each into 8 wedges. Place the scones on a plate or baking sheet lined with parchment paper and refrigerate for 15โ20 minutes before baking, to help set the shape. You can brush the scones with milk and top with coarse sugar either before or after refrigerating. The baking time depends on the size; 8 larger scones take around 25 minutes, and 16 mini scones take around 18โ20 minutes.
See more scone recipes.
See more breakfast recipes.
Reader Comments and Reviews
Made them this morning. Very nice scone. Not too sweet. Made icing with 1/3 powder sugar, butter and a Tablespoon of real maple syrup. Added a tiny bit of water as I was out of maple syrup. It was perfect!
I followed this recipe exactly as written and it is perfect! I donโt think I can make banana bread ever again. This was such an easy recipe to follow!
Easy to make plus delicious. I am not a big scone lover but my husband loves them so I make them from time to time. I liked these because they were tender vs. crumbly and dry. I made one change and that was to add a little bit of bourbon in the glaze and it did indeed elevate the glaze. Yummy! I will definitely make these again next time I have a couple of extra bananas.
Thanks Sally’s Baking for another great scone recipe.
I just made these and they are really good. I could not wait until cooled to try one! I will definitely make again to use up the gazillion frozen bananas I have in the freezer. I might try adding cranberries the next time, and see how that turns out. I did not do the glaze only because I prefer scones without icing/glaze. If I do make for guests, I would add it.
A keeper for me!
Made these for the first time and they are delicious. Will definitely be making them to freeze and have on hand โ that is if I can keep my husband from eating them all!
What brand Greek yogurt do you use?
Hi Gina, you can use whichever brand is available to you. Fage and Oikos are popular choices.
Okay, I made them this morning. The ‘dough’ was very runny, close to thick pancake runny. I added 1/2 cup regular oats and that helped a LOT. They baked up beautifully. I would probably not do them again unless one likes banana bread in the form of a soft cookie. Also, the topping is sticky which makes storing them almost impossible. Can’t stack them, can’t put them in a container unless you use about 8 of them…not child friendly. But the flavor of the cookie/scones is really good. They would be really good in a cupcake. Just leave off the sticky ‘frosting’.
My dough came out like very thick pancake batter…..is this normal?
Hi Susan, the dough should be thick and somewhat sticky, but not pourable like pancake batter. Were any of the ingredients accidentally left out or mis-measured by chance?
This is delicious! The only drawback is that the dough is incredibly sticky – much stickier than the other scone recipes.
The maple glaze is delicious! These are like donuts!
This is a must try! Question. Could 1/2 cup of quick oats be added to buff it up a bit?
Hi Susan, We havenโt tested it, so we’re unsure. It will require playing around with the recipe. Let us know what you try!
Forgot to add sugar to the list of ingredients in my scones.
I’ve made countless drop scones and the ingredients were flour, refrigerated butter cut in chunks, baking powder, baking soda, add ins and buttermilk (or a combination of buttermilk and another ingredient such as pumpkin to add up to the same volume of liquid as the buttermilk), in that order. What is the purpose of the egg and also what is the purpose of brushing the exterior of the scone with milk/cream?
Hi Deb, the egg adds flavor, lift, and structure in our recipe. For a golden brown, extra crisp and crumbly exterior, we brush with liquid before baking. Hope this helps!
I know the Candy Addiction cooked is not published anymore. Is there anywhere you can buy it.
Some readers have been able to find it in second hand bookstores. Or it is available as a Kindle Book (if you have that option available to you): https://amzn.to/45BV6Pk
Banana scone is not common,glad you posted this recipe! However, my scones turned out to be rather cakey and not scone-like texture, I think it is because I substituted sugar (sugar-free diet) with dates paste. Can you please give me your suggestion to improve the result with dates?
Hi Beth, we do not have any experience baking scones with date paste, so unfortunately we can’t offer much advice on how to best incorporate them here. They will certainly change the texture as you mention. Thank you for giving them a try!
Can this recipe be used with sour dough starter in place of the Greek yogurt and egg?
Hi Robin, we haven’t tried that to know how it would turn out.
I’ve made these so many times before. They’re always a crowd pleaser! I’m curious if subbing all or some of the all-purpose flour for some whole wheat flour might work.
Hi Sarah, whole wheat flour would produce a rather dense and dry scone. You could try half all-purpose flour, half whole wheat flour first and then adjust for more or less in future batches based on those results and your preferences.
PS Thanks so much for including the weight measurements, makes baking so much easier!! ๐
These scones are delicious! I just made them – a big it! I followed the recipe the only addition I made was 1/2 t soda with the baking powder. They are crispy outside and light and tender inside. Thank you so much for sharing this recipe!!!
These were not the texture I was expecting for a scone, but they were delicious and I would definitely make them again. Great way to use your overripe bananas up. Iโm not sure why some folks seem to have trouble with the temperature or time – I followed the recipe precisely and they turned out perfectly โโ๏ธ