Much like Sundays and BBC crime dramas, banana and chocolate are a dream match, which is why banoffee pie is one of the best desserts of all time. A less obvious perfect pairing is pudding and good gut health – but this decadent recipe is about to change that. To start, it’s made with a host of prebiotic, fibre-rich ingredients, including an oat and peanut base and layers of sweet dates and bananas. It’s then topped off with creamy kefir – a fermented milk that not only contains calcium and protein, but also a load of gut-loving probiotics.

The combination of fibre and good bacteria is ideal for well-functioning digestion – and the benefits go beyond just the stomach. You have a gut-brain axis and a gut-joint pathway, which means a happy stomach also makes for improved mental and physical strength. Best served in front of the TV, post-veggie-loaded roast. 

Serves: 8-10

Cooking time: 40 minutes 

For the oaty base: 

80g rolled oats

2 tbsp coconut oil

1 ripe banana

1 tsp ground cinnamon

½ tbsp cacao powder

2 tbsp smooth peanut butter

Pinch of sea salt

For the date filling: 

200g stoned Medjool or soft dates

For the cream topping: 

4 tbsp milk kefir yoghurt

1 large ripe banana, sliced into rounds

20g 70% cocoa solids dark chocolate, cut into shavings

1. Preheat the oven to 180°C fan or 200°C. 

2. Soak the dates in a bowl in warm water. Leave to soak for 15 minutes, then drain, add to a blender and blitz to a paste.

3. Make the base while the dates are soaking. Place the oats in a food processor and pulse until roughly ground. 

4. Melt the coconut oil in a small saucepan over a low heat.

5. Mix the oats, cinnamon, cacao and salt in a mixing bowl and stir to combine. Add the banana and mash with a fork, then add the coconut oil and peanut butter and stir to combine.

6. Once mixed, line a 20cm (8-in) cake tin with baking paper (if using a cake tin with a removable base, there’s no need to line it). Add the base mix and bake for 15–20 minutes until golden. Remove from the oven and leave to cool.

7. Build the pie by spreading the date paste over the oaty base, top with the sliced bananas, drizzle with kefir yoghurt and finish with a sprinkle of dark chocolate shavings. Cool in the fridge before removing from the tin and cut into slices before serving.

The banana will begin to brown quite quickly, so store in the fridge and eat within a day.

Recipe and images courtesy of The Gut Loving Cookbook by The Gut Stuff.