This soft pumpkin banana bread recipe combines sweet cinnamon, ginger, and pumpkin pie spice for the ultimate Fall inspired healthy breakfast.
Healthy pumpkin banana bread
If you love pumpkin, you need to try this moist pumpkin banana bread.
The delicious recipe is packed with two whole cups of canned pumpkin and mashed banana, adding unbelievable moisture, softness, and flavor without all the extra fat.
I’ve already made the classic pumpkin recipe five times this year, with no plans to stop. It is absolutely wonderful for breakfast, snack, dessert, or any meal in between.
Plus, leftover banana bread slices freeze well too!
You may also like these Sweet Potato Brownies
Easy recipe tips and tricks
When adding the dry ingredients to the liquid, do not over mix.
Instead, stir the batter only until just evenly combined. This step guards against over activating the gluten.
It also prevents too many air bubbles from being introduced into the dough, which could cause tough, dense, and overly chewy final results.
My traditional banana bread recipes consistently come out perfectly after forty minutes in the oven. Due to climate, humidity, elevation, and uncalibrated oven temperature variations, yours may need to bake a little longer.
Do not open the oven even a crack until the cooking time is up. Every time a hot oven door is opened, the internal temperature can decrease by twenty degrees or more.
This pumpkin banana quick bread makes a great healthy snack or dessert. Turn it into a high protein breakfast by serving alongside Greek yogurt or Tofu Scramble.
Spread with almond butter, Coconut Butter, pumpkin butter, or cream cheese if desired. If you love chocolate, the loaf is fantastic with Homemade Nutella.
Finally, be sure to eat a copious amount of chocolate chips while baking, to make up for all of those calories you’re burning!
Leftover pumpkin? Make Applesauce Muffins
The best pumpkin banana bread ingredients
This quick loaf recipe is a great way to use up canned pumpkin and ripe bananas.
To make the bread, you need flour, ground cinnamon, powdered ginger, pumpkin pie spice, baking soda, baking powder, salt, sweetener of choice, milk of choice or water, pure vanilla extract, optional oil and large or mini chocolate chips, and of course the mashed banana and pumpkin puree.
You can roast your own pumpkin to make homemade pumpkin puree. Or go with the easy option of buying regular or organic canned pumpkin puree at the grocery store.
For vegan pumpkin banana bread, use your favorite dairy free and plant based milk of choice, such as almond milk or coconut milk. There are no eggs and no butter required.
Feel free to sprinkle in a handful of walnuts, pecans, shredded coconut, or raisins.
No pumpkin on hand? An equal amount of roasted mashed sweet potato or winter squash (such as butternut squash or kabocha) are great substitutions.
Types of flour that work include spelt, white, or oat flour. Some brands of all purpose gluten free flour also work. And there is a flourless option included below. I have not tried whole wheat flour and do not recommend coconut flour here because it will yield a very dry bread.
Grain free option: Almond Flour Banana Bread
Pumpkin banana quick bread recipe video
Watch the step by step recipe video, above
The recipe was inspired by my Healthy Banana Bread and Carrot Cake Banana Bread.
Adding extra cinnamon and pumpkin took it over the top in deliciousness.
This particular version is hands down the best banana bread recipe I’ve tried so far.
How to make pumpkin banana bread
Start by gathering all of the ingredients and greasing a 9×5 inch loaf pan.
I also like to add a piece of parchment paper to the bottom of the pan, because this helps the homemade pumpkin banana cake loaf pop out easily after it’s baked.
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Whisk the mashed banana, pureed pumpkin, pure vanilla extract, and other liquid ingredients in a large mixing bowl.
The dry ingredients can be combined ahead of time in a separate bowl. Or turn it into a one bowl recipe by stirring the dry ingredients straight into the mixing bowl.
Stir all of the ingredients together, then smooth the banana bread batter into the prepared baking pan.
If desired, sprinkle chopped nuts, coconut flakes, pumpkin seeds, or chocolate chips on top of the pumpkin bread. Place the loaf pan on the center rack of the oven.
Bake the quick bread for forty five minutes or until the pumpkin banana loaf is golden in color and has domed on top. A toothpick inserted into the center of the bread should come out mostly clean.
Remove the loaf pan from the oven, and let the recipe cool before going around the sides with a knife and popping the bread out of the pan.
If you are a true pumpkin lover, serve the quick bread with a Pumpkin Spice Latte.
How to store pumpkin banana bread
Once cooled, I like to loosely cover the recipe on the counter or in the refrigerator and let it sit in the pan overnight.
The taste and texture are even better the next day, because excess moisture evaporates, resulting in a light and fluffy pumpkin loaf.
This makes a fantastic holiday gift and can be wrapped up and given to friends and family who live locally. If you choose overnight shipping, it can also be shipped to friends who live further away.
And if you are tasked with bringing a dish to share at a brunch or a potluck party, the healthy pumpkin recipe is easy to transport and always a hit with guests.
For optimal freshness, it is best to refrigerate any leftovers after a day. In a covered container in the refrigerator, the loaf should stay good for up to four days.
You may also slice and freeze leftover banana bread for up to three months in an airtight covered container. Place a layer of parchment paper in between slices, so they do not stick together.
Thaw frozen pumpkin banana bread slices on the countertop, or in a microwave, stove top, or a warm oven before serving.
For a high protein option, try this Protein Banana Bread
Pumpkin Banana Bread
Ingredients
- 2 cups flour (spelt, white or oat, or try this Keto Pumpkin Bread)
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 3/4 tsp baking powder
- 3/4 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1/2 tsp ground ginger
- 1/2 tsp pumpkin pie spice or additional cinnamon
- 1 1/2 cup mashed banana
- 1/2 cup pumpkin puree
- 1/2 cup pure maple syrup or honey or agave
- 1/3 cup oil or water or milk of choice
- 2 tsp pure vanilla extract
- 1/2 cup mini chocolate chips (optional)
Instructions
- To make pumpkin banana bread, preheat oven to 350 F. Grease a 9×5 loaf pan, and set aside. In a large mixing bowl, combine all dry ingredients. Whisk all liquid ingredients in a separate bowl, then pour wet into dry and stir to form a batter. Smooth into the prepared pan. If desired, press some extra chocolate chips into the top. Bake on the center rack 45 minutes or until golden and cooked through. Let cool completely. Slice and enjoy! Taste and texture are even better the second day if you can wait. Leftovers can be sliced and frozen if desired.View Nutrition Facts
Video
Notes
The Best Pumpkin Recipes
Cream Cheese Pumpkin Swirl Bread
From the Hello Breakfast Cookbook
So good & so easy! Great flavor & I love that there are no eggs. Oat flour is easy to make of you don’t have any in hand. Just use a good mixer with oats until it’s a very fine flour.
This was so good! I made it with oil and white flour and it turned out so well. Moist and flavorful.
This is my go-to pumpkin bread recipe. I’ve been baking it for satisfied gluten-sensitive family members for years.
This made us so happy 🙂
I hardly ever bake but was inspired by the season and tried this recipe. I loved that it was so light and moist and so I made it again. However, there is a very subtle bitter flavor. I thought maybe the first time I had measures something incorrectly but it happened the second time as well. Could this mean my baking soda or powder has gone bad? I checked the dates but I’m not sure what else would cause that???
Hmm yes it could definitely be that! Or that your flour or pumpkin went bad? Flour can definitely go rancid.
Did anyone ever try using almond flour Ennis? What else needs to change in the recipe to accommodate a nut flour?
Hi! This is not exactly the same recipe, but you could try exchanging some of the pumpkin for banana to get something similar using almond flour: https://lett-trim.today/keto-pumpkin-bread/%3C/a%3E%3C/p%3E
Best banana bread recipe I ever made. My husband loved it too. Easy. I made it w/the maple syrup. Also to accomodate my oven, Icooked it five extra minutes (after the ten minute wait when I turned off the oven). Fyi, unlike a lot of banana bread recipes this one uses a fair number of bananas (about 4 medium bananas). I came up a little short on the bananas so I added the 23 grams I was short in bananas to the pumpkin in the recipe and that worked beautifully.
Thank you so much for making it 🙂
Does it make a difference whether I use sprouted spelt flour, whole spelt flour, or white spelt flour when baking? (ex: quick breads, cookies, etc.)
It shouldn’t! Katie uses whole grain spelt flour (brands such as Arrowhead Mills, Bobs Red Mill, or One Degree Organics).
love all your recipes! would be great to have a “jump to the recipe” at the top of your webpage! TY
Hi! It is on the list for the next time Katie’s site gets a redesign 🙂
Delicious! Excellent flavor, a light texture with just enough moisture – not like many vegan quick breads that are a bit too moist and dense. I used half organic all purpose flour and half organic whole wheat pastry flour, maple syrup, brown sugar for the additional sweetener, and instead of chocolate chips I swapped dried cranberries and chopped toasted pecans. Even with a longer loaf pan it needed 10 extra minutes cooking time, perhaps due to the ww pastry flour. Truly a new favorite… one of the best quick breads I’ve made. As a longtime vegan and avid baker I’m so impressed. Definitely a keeper and perfect homemade gift.
This makes us so happy 🙂
This is the Best and most deliciously moist and flavorful Banana Bread I’ve ever made and eaten! The pumpkin is what drew me to this recipe for several reasons, I’m a Pumpkin freak and Pumpkin adds great fiber and delicious moisture to this delicious Banana Bread! It is a game changer for Banana bread! I really think the pumpkin accentuates the banana flavor, yum yum!
The only tweak I made was eliminating the (milk of choice or oil) and substituting 2 pasture raised eggs, as I am not a vegan but eat gluten free! The reason for using the eggs was to change the bread texture to more bread like and not “the raw center” you mentioned, which I must say is not a favorite of my husband. The eggs made it just perfect for us. I left off the chocolate chips (this time) to really experience the taste of the bread. I cooked it 35 minutes, turned the oven off and let it sit for the 10 minutes and it was just perfect. I’ll be making this all season long and beyond, it’s the best! Thank you Katie, your recipes are just great and I just love your creativity!