Easy Dairy-Free Banana Coconut Cream Whoopie Pies

Last updated on January 26th, 2024 at 08:20 pm

If you haven’t yet experienced the joy of sinking your teeth into a soft, cakey sandwich filled with delicious cream, you’re in for a treat. I’m so excited to share this easy recipe for dairy-free banana coconut cream whoopie pies, made easy with a boxed cake mix. These delightful, handheld desserts bring happiness with every bite.

Whoopie pies are like a cross between a cookie and a cake, with a pillowy, moist texture that’s downright amazing. These sweet treats consist of two rounded morsels of cake-like goodness, sandwiching a velvety filling that can range from classic vanilla to inventive flavors like our star of the day: dairy-free coconut cream.

Pro Tips for Making Whoopie Pies

Before we dive into the world of dairy-free banana cream whoopie pies, let’s go over some pro tips to ensure your baking adventure is a resounding success.

Precision in Measurements

For best results with your whoopie pies, use a cookie scoop or an ice cream scoop so you get even cake rounds. Make sure you leave some room between each of your cake rounds to expand while they bake, too!

Room Temperature Ingredients

Bringing your ingredients to room temperature, especially eggs and dairy alternatives, helps create a smoother batter. You don’t want chunky whoopie pies!

Invest in Parchment Paper

Nothing spells disaster quite like your beautifully baked whoopie pies sticking to the pan. Avoid the heartbreak by lining your baking sheets with parchment paper. This not only prevents sticking but also makes cleanup a breeze.

Cover Everything in Powdered Sugar

You definitely want moist whoopie pie rounds, but those moist rounds tend to stick to everything. I usually store my finished whoopie pies in a container lined with parchment paper, and then sprinkle a generous amount of powdered sugar on top of that parchment paper. You can also coat your whoopie pie rounds in some powdered sugar while you work with them to fill them, so that they don’t stick to your fingers or to your preparation surface as much.

Variations on Flavors for Banana Coconut Cream Whoopie Pies

Vegan Option:

You can definitely make these vegan! Really, the only non-vegan ingredient in this recipe as written is eggs. You could substitute the eggs for about ¼ cup of applesauce. If you go with the applesauce, you’re whoopie pie rounds won’t expand quite as much, but they’ll still taste good!

What if I Just Want Vanilla Cream?

I hear you! I’m not a huge coconut cream person either. If you want a vanilla-flavored cream filling rather than coconut, I would remove the coconut cream from the filling recipe I have here. If you want a strong vanilla flavor, replace the coconut oil with vegetable shortening and use 2 teaspoons of vanilla instead of 1.

Also, if you want a non-dairy-free version of vanilla whoopie pie cream, check out my recipe here for regular whoopie pies.

How to Make Dairy-Free Banana Cream Whoopie Pies Using a Cake Mix

And now, the moment you’ve been waiting for – let’s whip up some dairy-free banana, coconut cream whoopie pies using a cake mix! This recipe is not only a breeze to make but also promises a burst of banana goodness in every bite.

Ingredients:

Banana Whoopie Pies

– 1 box of dairy-free yellow cake mix (I used Duncan Hines)

– 1/2 cup mashed ripe bananas (about 2 medium-sized bananas. See my notes below for measuring instructions.)

– 1-ish cups water (More on that below!)

– 2 eggs

– 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Coconut Cream Filling:

– 1/2 cup coconut oil, room temperature

– 2 ½ cups powdered sugar

– 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

– 3 tablespoons coconut cream

– 2 Tablespoons coconut milk

Instructions:

1. Preheat the Oven:

Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C) and line your baking sheets with parchment paper.

2. Prepare the Batter:

To make sure your whoopie pie rounds aren’t too watery, you’ll have to do some special measurements.

I used a Duncan Hines yellow cake mix, which called for ½ cup of oil and 1 cup of water. To make this recipe, I pretty much replaced the oil with mashed bananas. But I had a little more than a ½ cup of banana, and I wanted all that banana flavor!

To do this, I first separated out my ½ cup of mashed banana. Then, I figured out how much I had left and subtracted that from the water I was going to add. So, I had about ¼ cup of extra mashed banana. Rather than throwing that banana goodness away, I just added the ¼ cup of banana and only used ¾ cups of water. I think this really helped the banana flavor come through even more!

In a large bowl, combine the cake mix, mashed bananas, eggs, water and vanilla extract. Mix until well combined and a smooth batter forms.

3. Portion and Bake:

Using a cookie scoop or ice cream scoop, drop rounded portions of batter onto the prepared baking sheets, leaving space between each for spreading. Bake for 10-12 minutes or until the edges are lightly golden. Let them cool completely before filling.

4. Prepare the Filling:

  While the whoopie pies are cooling, whip up the coconut cream filling. In a bowl, mix together the coconut oil, powdered sugar, vanilla, coconut cream and coconut milk until smooth and creamy.

5. Assemble the Whoopie Pies

  Once the cakes are completely cooled, spread a generous dollop of coconut cream filling on the flat side of one cake and sandwich it with another. Repeat until all the whoopie pies are assembled.

I like to make mine pretty and put my filling in a piping bag with a star tip. For these, I used a Wilton 4B tip, but that’s optional!

6. Chill and Indulge:

  Pop your banana cream whoopie pies into the refrigerator for about 30 minutes to allow the filling to set. Make sure you line whatever plate or container you are using with parchment paper, and then sprinkle a generous amount of powdered sugar on top of the parchment paper.

There you have it – a quick and easy recipe for dairy-free banana, coconut cream whoopie pies that will have your taste buds doing a happy dance. Get ready to savor the joy of homemade dairy-free whoopie pies – a dessert that’s bound to become a household favorite. Happy baking!

Dairy-Free Banana Coconut Cream Whoopie Pies

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 20 minutes mins

Cook Time 10 minutes mins

Servings 10

Ingredients

  

Banana Whoopie Pie Rounds

• 1 Yellow cake mix I used Duncan Hines
• 1/2 cup plus some mashed, ripe bananas about 2 bananas
• 1 cup water minus the amount of banana you have over 1/2 a cup
• 2 eggs
• 1 tsp vanilla

Coconut Cream Filling

• 1/2 cup coconut oil room temperature
• 2 1/2 cups powdered sugar
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 3 Tbsp coconut cream from a can
• 2 Tbsp coconut milk from a can

Instructions

 

For Banana Whoopie Pie Rounds

• Preheat oven to 350°F and line some cookie sheets with parchment paper
• Place cake mix, eggs and vanilla in a large mixing bowl.
• Add 1/2 cup of mashed bananas and measure how much extra you have.
• Take your one cup of water and subtract how much extra mashed banana you have from that one cup. For example, if you have 1/4 cup of extra mashed banana, use 3/4 cups of water.
• Add your extra mashed banana and water to the cake mix.
• Stir until everything is smooth.
• Using a cookie scoop or an ice cream scoop so you get even amounts, place rounded dollops of cake batter on your prepared cookie sheets, leaving plenty of room for them to spread. I had to bake mine in 2 batches, as I got about 20 rounds and could only fit 12 in the oven at a time.
• Bake for about 10-12 minutes, or until golden on the bottom and the center of the round seems firm and does not collapse if you gently touch it.
• Let whoopie pie rounds cool completely before adding the filling. You can store them on pieces of parchment paper sprinkled generously with powdered sugar, but note they will stick to each other if you pile them one on top of the other!

For Coconut Cream Filling

• Add all of your coconut cream filling ingredients to a large mixing bowl. Beat on a low speed, eventually increasing speed, until you have a smooth filling mixture.

Assembly of Dairy-Free Banana Coconut Cream Whoopie Pies

• Place your cooled whoopie pie rounds flat side up on a surface dusted with powdered sugar.
• On half of your rounds, add a generous amount of filling and spread out carefully. To make this easier, I put my filling in a piping bag and make a swirl from the middle going outward.
• Place the other half of the rounds on top of the rounds with filling.
• Store in the fridge on a plate or container lined with parchment paper and sprinkled with powdered sugar.