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This incredibly moist pumpkin banana bread is an easy, healthy, quick bread recipe! It all comes together with a whisk and bakes into a soft, spiced pumpkin loaf that stays moist for over a week!
This will be the most moist and tender quick bread that you will ever have! It has all the powerhouses that create a moist and tender texture: brown sugar, coconut oil, pumpkin, and banana.
It is a healthier version of my signature moist banana bread recipe, plus pumpkin bread and pumpkin coffee cake, all in one!
This pumpkin banana bread recipe is perfect to make for a quick breakfast or easy afternoon snack. Come fall, I always have this bread and these apple crisp energy bites in my freezer.
Why You Will Love This
- Made in one bowl! This super-easy, quick bread is made in just one bowl by hand! Your house will be smelling of fall spices in under 20 minutes.
- Best of both worlds. Have perfectly ripe bananas and are craving pumpkin? I got you! Time to make this autumnal quick bread.
- Tender, moist, and perfectly spiced. Made with banana, pumpkin, and coconut oil, this bread is tender and moist without being greasy, and it is perfectly spiced, giving you that cozy pumpkin pie spice flavor.
Table of Contents
Ingredients & Substitutions
- All-Purpose Flour: All-purpose flour has the perfect amount of gluten to create a light and tender crumb. You can substitute whole wheat or buckwheat flour for additional nutrition and flavor, like I do in my vegan chocolate chip banana bread.
- Ground Cinnamon, Ginger, Nutmeg, Allspice, and Clove: All of these spices come together to create a perfectly spiced quick bread. You can also substitute 2 ¾ teaspoons of my pumpkin spice recipe or this apple pie spice.
- Ripe Bananas: In an ideal world, I choose bananas that are just beginning to spot. This is the peak banana flavor for both pumpkin banana bread and banana brownies.
- Pumpkin Puree: I use Libby’s pumpkin puree because it is consistent, and that is what I use to develop all my recipes. Use whichever brand you prefer.
- Coconut Oil: I use organic extra virgin coconut oil in quick breads because it makes a moist, tender crumb and has all the added health benefits. Winning. You can substitute canola oil or vegetable oil. You can also use olive oil, but it will impart a flavor. I suggest saving it for this pumpkin olive oil cake.
See the recipe card for full information on ingredients and quantities.
Variations for Pumpkin Banana Bread
- Adorn with a buttercream or streusel. Top with a cream cheese buttercream frosting, or a decadent maple cream cheese frosting made with salted maple caramel sauce. It would also be scrumptious with a cinnamon streusel topping from this banana crumb bread.
- Super healthy pumpkin banana bread. Substitute the all-purpose flour for 1 ¾ cups (255g) whole wheat flour or gluten-free all-purpose flour. I added ½ cup unsweetened almond milk to the batter with the wet ingredients because whole wheat flour needs more hydration than all-purpose flour.
- You can also substitute the brown sugar for ½ cup (85g) date sugar.
- Add your favorite mix-ins. Fold in some pecans or walnuts for a crunchy addition. Try adding dark or milk chocolate chips for a decadent treat. It would also be delightful with dried cranberries or cherries.
How to Make Pumpkin Banana Bread
Use these instructions to make this perfectly spiced pumpkin banana bread! Further details and measurements can be found in the recipe card below.
Step 1: Preheat the oven to 350°F conventional (no fan) and spray a 1-pound loaf pan with non-stick cooking spray or brush with butter.
For easy removal, line the pan with a sheet of parchment paper with overhang and use mini binder clips to hold the flaps in place while baking to prevent them from falling onto your loaf.
Step 2: Whisk dry ingredients. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, and spices (photo 1).
Step 3: Whisk wet ingredients. In a separate large mixing bowl, whisk together the bananas, pumpkin, oil, sugar, eggs, and vanilla extract (photo 2) until smooth and homogenous.
If your bananas aren’t super ripe, mash them before adding in the pumpkin and oil to prevent large clumps.
Step 4: Add the flour mixture to the bowl with the wet ingredients and fold in with a rubber or silicone spatula just to combine.
Step 5: Bake the loaf. Pour into the prepared pan and smooth out the top with your spatula (photo 3). Bake until a cake tester or toothpick comes out clean. It will take 45 minutes to an hour (photo 4).
Step 6: Cool for 10 minutes in the pan, then turn out onto a wire rack to cool completely before slicing.
Chef Lindsey’s Recipe Tip
I can never find perfectly ripe bananas at the store. I like to buy at least two bunches and let them ripen in a brown bag for 2-3 days, then peel and freeze them. This way, I always have perfectly ripe bananas ready for Nutella banana bread and smoothies.
Recipe FAQs
Store baked and cooled pumpkin banana bread well wrapped in plastic wrap or an airtight container at room temperature for up to three days.
Store in the fridge for up to a week or in the freezer for up to two months. Slice and wrap individually before freezing for easy defrosting and snacking.
Overmixing or overbaking can cause your quick bread to become tough. To avoid this, mix your wet ingredients together well before adding the dry, and then gently fold in your dry until just combined.
Yes! Allow them to defrost before adding them to the batter, and be cognizant of any excess liquid you may need to drain.
While this pumpkin banana bread is just perfect on its own, you can serve it with some crème anglaise, pumpkin butter, or homemade maple butter. It would also be delicious served with a smear of Greek yogurt for extra protein.
Recommended Quick Bread Recipes
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Pumpkin Bread
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Moist Banana Bread Recipe
Easy Quick Bread Recipes
Nutella Banana Bread
Breakfast Pastry Recipes
Vegan Chocolate Chip Banana Bread
If you tried this recipe and loved it please leave a 🌟 star rating and let me know how it goes in the comments below. I love hearing from you; your comments make my day!
Pumpkin Banana Bread
Ingredients
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon ground ginger
- ¼ teaspoon nutmeg
- ¼ teaspoon allspice
- ⅛ teaspoon cloves
- 1 cup ripe bananas mashed (2 large)
- 1 cup pumpkin puree
- ½ cup coconut oil melted (or vegetable oil)
- ¾ cup dark brown sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 1 ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F conventional (no fan) and spray a 1-pound loaf pan with non-stick cooking spray or brush with butter.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, and spices.
- In a separate large mixing bowl, whisk together the bananas, pumpkin, oil, sugar, eggs, and vanilla extract until smooth and homogenous.
- Add the flour mixture to the bowl with the wet ingredients and fold in with a rubber or silicone spatula just to combine.
- Pour into the prepared pan and smooth out the top with your spatula. Bake until a cake tester or toothpick comes out clean. It will take 45 minutes to an hour.
- Cool for 10 minutes in the pan, then turn out onto a wire rack to cool completely before slicing.
Notes
Nutrition
Before You Go
I hope you enjoyed this autumnal quick bread recipe. Check out our other delicious pumpkin dessert recipes like this creamy pumpkin cheesecake or these delightful pumpkin cream cheese muffins!
Today is October 23rd, 2017. I’m a little bit late to the party here. I stumbled onto you through a lasagna thread on Pinterest. I almost NEVER post comments. (WHO HAS THE TIME!) But I HAVE to say this to you: this blog is beyond amazing. I love every bit of it. Yes, there are 20 million+ other food sites out there, but this one is now my all-time fave. It’ll be my #1 go-to from here on. I love your theme…..America does offer the best food hands down. Thank you for offering it to the world!!
Can’t wait to dive into the pumpkin banana bread and the maple caramel pecan bars! Yum.
Oh Jana, thank you so much! Your comment made my day! You are never too late to join this party! Happy to have you here. 🙂
Your photographs are spectacular.
Could I use almond flour instead?
Hi Michelle, I’ve never tried it with almond flour so I am not sure. Almond flour is a lot coarser and heavier than all-purpose, which will impact the texture of your bread.
Just found this on Pinterest–thank goodness! Don’t hate me, but what would happen if I used skim milk or soy milk instead of buttermilk, less sugar and wheat flour instead of regular? My husband is super extreme… : ( but I want him to eat it! Many thanks for any insights you might have for me…
I’m glad you found it Lisa! I’m not 100% positive what would happen if you made those substitutions because I haven’t tried them, but these are my best guesses. Substituting anything for the buttermilk will compromise the texture but I am sure you could do it. I use low fat buttermilk (2%), so it’s really not the worst offender in this recipe. I always worry that soy milk will alter the flavor but it might work here because there are a lot of spices going on. You can definitely reduce the sugar…there is a lot of sugar. You could probably safely halve it. I would taste it before you bake it just to make sure it doesn’t need more. If you can tolerate it, try only substituting half the flour for whole wheat flour OR use whole wheat pastry flour to avoid a completely dense bread.
Thank you so much for the fast response and great suggestions. I will let you know how it goes! : )))
Please do! Another reader substituted coconut oil for the canola oil in addition to reducing the sugar, and she said it worked well, so you could try that too!