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
This is better than any bakery dessert bread I’ve ever had!! So moist and I ate it right out the oven 😀 Delicious!!
I made this today with some changes and I loved it! I am a registered nutritionist so I am aways looking to make things without sugar, stevia, syrup etc. I used 405g of banana and a whole 400g tin of pumpkin puree. I didn’t put the syrup, stevia, or chocolate chips in as I wanted to make something you can have all the time. I added an extra tsp of vanilla. This was sooooo good! I had it for snack with some cream cheese on top and seriously it is the most delicious treat. It is so dense and filling and full of Vitamin A and potassium! I used sprouted whole buckwheat flour because thats all I had to hand. It was great! I am going to bring it into the office tomorrow for everyone to try as we love yummy healthy treats 🙂 I would say next time I may add some more of the spices to it to add even more flavour , but it was wonderful the way it is.
Thanks for a great recipe
Regarding the oat flour, does it make any difference whether you start with quick oats or regular rolled oats? Thank you.
Nope!
I made this as muffins just now and they are delicious! I used 1 cup oat and 1 cup wheat flour. Thanks Katie!
This tastes delicious, but there isn’t much of a pumpkin flavor. I even used an extra 1/2 cup of pumpkin in place of the banana, and it still had little pumpkin taste.
I will definitely make this again, but I’ll be adding a full tsp of each spice next time.
Two weeks ago, I commented that the bread didn’t have much of a pumpkin flavor. Since then, I’ve made another two loaves of this bread, this time making modifications to each one.
For the first loaf, I really only made minor changes, which included using a full tsp. of each spice instead of half, and subbing banana puree for the pumpkin. This was a success, but it was still a bit fudgy in the center.
For the second loaf, I, once again, used a full tsp. of each spice. I wanted to see if I could make it completely free of added sugars, so I substituted mashed banana for the pumpkin, and water for most of the agave. The bread turned out unbelievably delicious and I couldn’t believe there was no oil, and hardly any added sugar (I used only a teaspoon or so of agave.) I also sprinkled some golden raisins on top.
Now, neither of these really qualify as “pumpkin bread”, but oh my goodness, they were delicious. I recommend at least taking my advice on the spices and increasing the amount to a full teaspoon!
I made the muffins instead of bread. Delicious, light and not too sweet, addition of chocolate chips is a must. Approved by my picky teenage son, which rarely happens.
Hi!
Wanted to try this recipe and was wondering if all purpose flour works instead! Has anybody tried it?
Thank you!
Yes it works 🙂
This recipe is seriously delicious! I’m amazed at how most and delicious the bread turned out with no oil (I subbed plant milk)! 10/10 would recommend. This is my first oil free bake, and I’m so glad I found this recipe because now there’s no going back! I used half oat flour and half whole wheat flour because that’s what I had on hand. It was very good!
Hi there,
I was wondering if the nutrition facts were calculated using maple syrup or honey or agave?
Planning to make this today and very excited.
Thanks!
All of those ingredients have pretty much identical nutrition profiles 😉