Pumpkin Banana Bread Recipe
Pumpkin bread and banana bread are both good on their own, but combining them makes an incredibly moist fall quick bread. This Pumpkin Banana Bread recipe uses ripe bananas, real pumpkin puree, brown sugar, butter and warm spices to create a soft loaf that's packed with autumn flavor.
The bananas bring natural sweetness and moisture, while the pumpkin gives the bread its beautiful golden-orange color and tender texture. Cinnamon, pumpkin pie spice and a little nutmeg pull everything together without overpowering the banana flavor.
It's also an easy way to use those brown bananas sitting on your counter and the leftover pumpkin puree hanging around in the refrigerator.
Serve a thick slice warm with butter for breakfast, pair it with coffee for an afternoon snack, or turn it into an easy fall dessert.
Why You'll Love This Pumpkin Banana Bread
This recipe gives you the best parts of two classic quick breads in one loaf.
The bread is soft and extremely moist without becoming wet or gummy in the center. You can taste both the pumpkin and banana, while the brown sugar and warm spices give it a cozy fall flavor.
It's also easy to customize. Add chocolate chips for something sweeter, toasted pecans for crunch, or a cream cheese swirl if you want to turn a simple loaf into more of a dessert.
And because this is a quick bread, there's no yeast, kneading or rising time required.
Ingredients
You'll need:
2 very ripe medium bananas, mashed (about 1 cup)
¾ cup pumpkin puree
½ cup unsalted butter, melted and slightly cooled
¾ cup light brown sugar, packed
¼ cup granulated sugar
2 large eggs, room temperature
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1¾ cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon baking powder
1½ teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
½ teaspoon salt
Optional Add-Ins
½ cup chopped pecans
½ cup chopped walnuts
½ cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
½ cup white chocolate chips
Coarse sugar for topping
Ingredient Notes
Bananas
The riper the bananas, the better.
Use bananas that are heavily spotted or mostly brown. Overripe bananas are sweeter, softer and easier to incorporate into the batter than firm yellow bananas.
You'll need approximately 1 cup of mashed banana.
Pumpkin Puree
Use 100% pure pumpkin puree, either canned or homemade.
Do not accidentally grab pumpkin pie filling. Pumpkin pie filling already contains sweeteners and spices and will change the flavor and texture of the recipe.
Brown Sugar
Brown sugar does more than sweeten the bread. Its molasses content adds moisture and gives the loaf a deeper caramel-like flavor that works especially well with pumpkin and banana.
Butter
Melted butter gives this bread a richer flavor than neutral oil.
Allow the butter to cool slightly before adding it to the eggs so the heat doesn't begin cooking them.
Pumpkin Pie Spice
You can use a store-bought pumpkin pie spice blend or your favorite homemade version.
Because we're also adding cinnamon and nutmeg separately, the bread has plenty of fall spice without completely covering up the banana.
How to Make Pumpkin Banana Bread
1. Prepare the Pan
Preheat your oven to 350°F.
Lightly grease a 9x5-inch loaf pan and line it with parchment paper. Leave some parchment hanging over the sides so you can easily lift the finished loaf from the pan.
2. Mash the Bananas
Place your ripe bananas in a large mixing bowl.
Mash them thoroughly with a fork or potato masher. A few tiny banana pieces are fine, but there shouldn't be any large chunks.
Measure the mashed banana if possible. You want approximately 1 cup.
Too much banana can make quick bread overly wet and prevent the center from baking correctly.
3. Combine the Wet Ingredients
Add the pumpkin puree, melted butter, brown sugar and granulated sugar to the mashed bananas.
Whisk until combined.
Add the eggs and vanilla extract and whisk again until the mixture is smooth.
4. Combine the Dry Ingredients
In a separate bowl, whisk together:
Flour
Baking soda
Baking powder
Cinnamon
Pumpkin pie spice
Nutmeg
Salt
Whisking these ingredients separately helps distribute the leavening and spices evenly throughout the loaf.
5. Make the Batter
Add the dry ingredients to the bowl containing the pumpkin-banana mixture.
Use a rubber spatula to gently fold everything together.
Stop mixing as soon as you no longer see dry streaks of flour.
Overmixing develops too much gluten and can turn a soft quick bread into a dense or rubbery loaf.
If you're adding chocolate chips or nuts, fold them in now.
6. Fill the Loaf Pan
Transfer the batter to your prepared loaf pan.
Use the spatula to gently smooth the top.
For a bakery-style finish, sprinkle a small amount of coarse sugar over the batter before baking.
7. Bake
Bake at 350°F for approximately 55–65 minutes.
Begin checking the bread around the 50-minute mark.
Insert a toothpick into the center of the loaf. It's ready when the toothpick comes out clean or with a few moist crumbs attached.
If the top is becoming too brown while the middle still needs additional baking time, loosely tent the loaf with aluminum foil.
8. Cool Before Slicing
Allow the pumpkin banana bread to cool in its pan for about 15 minutes.
Use the parchment paper to carefully lift it from the pan and transfer it to a wire rack.
Let it cool for at least another 30 minutes before slicing.
It may be tempting to cut into it immediately, but the bread's internal structure continues setting as it cools.
How Do You Know When Pumpkin Banana Bread Is Done?
Quick breads can be deceptive because the outside may look completely baked while the very center is still wet.
The easiest test is inserting a toothpick into the thickest part in the center of the loaf.
You want either a clean toothpick or a few moist crumbs.
Wet batter means it needs more time.
You can also use an instant-read thermometer. Most quick breads are finished when the center reaches approximately 200–205°F.
What to Serve With Pumpkin Banana Bread
This bread is delicious on its own, but it's even better slightly warm.
Try serving it with:
Salted butter
Maple butter
Cream cheese
Honey
Maple syrup
Cinnamon butter
Peanut butter
Apple butter
For breakfast, pair it with coffee, chai, hot chocolate or a pumpkin spice latte.
Why Is My Pumpkin Banana Bread Gummy?
A slightly moist crumb is exactly what you want.
A wet or gummy center, however, usually means something went wrong.
Common causes include using too much banana or pumpkin, underbaking the loaf, cutting it while it's extremely hot, incorrectly measuring the flour or using a loaf pan that's smaller than the recipe calls for.
If the outside is browning too quickly but the center remains wet, cover the loaf loosely with foil and continue baking.
Pumpkin Banana Bread With Chocolate Chips
Chocolate and pumpkin work beautifully together, and banana makes the combination even better.
Fold ½ cup semi-sweet chocolate chips into the finished batter.
Reserve a tablespoon or two of chocolate chips and scatter them across the top before baking.
Milk chocolate will make the loaf sweeter, while dark chocolate creates more contrast with the sweet banana.
Pumpkin Banana Nut Bread
For a little crunch, add ½ cup chopped pecans or walnuts.
Toasting the nuts first makes them even more flavorful.
Spread them on a baking sheet and toast at 350°F for approximately 5–8 minutes, watching carefully so they don't burn.
Cool before folding them into the batter.
Pumpkin Cheesecake Banana Bread:
You can also add a cheesecake-style center.
Beat together:
8 ounces softened cream cheese
¼ cup granulated sugar
1 egg
½ teaspoon vanilla
Pour approximately half of the pumpkin banana batter into your loaf pan.
Spread the cream cheese mixture down the center, then carefully cover it with the remaining bread batter.
A cream cheese-filled loaf may require a little additional baking time because of the extra moisture in the center.
Can I Use Frozen Bananas?
Yes. Allow frozen bananas to thaw completely before using them. Frozen bananas release quite a bit of liquid as they thaw.
You can incorporate some of that liquid, but if the bananas are swimming in a large amount of watery liquid, drain off the excess before measuring your mashed banana.
You still want approximately 1 cup of mashed banana.
Can I Use Fresh Pumpkin?
Yes, homemade pumpkin puree can work.
However, homemade puree can contain significantly more water than canned pumpkin.
If your homemade puree looks watery, place it in a fine-mesh strainer or cheesecloth briefly to remove some excess moisture before measuring.
Can I Make Pumpkin Banana Muffins Instead?
Yes.
Divide the batter among lined muffin cups, filling each approximately ¾ full.
Bake at 350°F for approximately 18–24 minutes, checking with a toothpick for doneness.
The exact baking time will depend on the size of your muffins.
How to Keep Pumpkin Banana Bread Moist
There are three major things that determine whether this loaf comes out moist.
First, use very ripe bananas. They provide both moisture and sweetness.
Second, measure your flour correctly. Scooping flour directly from the container can compact it into the measuring cup and cause you to accidentally use too much. Spoon the flour into the measuring cup and level the top, or use a kitchen scale.
Finally, don't overbake the bread. Pumpkin and banana both create a naturally moist batter, so the loaf should remain tender once baked.
How to Store Pumpkin Banana Bread
Allow the loaf to cool completely before storing it.
Once cool, wrap it tightly in plastic wrap or place it in an airtight container.
It can stay at room temperature for approximately 2 days. For longer storage, refrigerate it for up to about 5–7 days.
The refrigerator can make bread feel firmer, so warm individual slices briefly before serving.
Can You Freeze Pumpkin Banana Bread?
Yes. Pumpkin banana bread freezes very well.
You can freeze the entire loaf, but individual slices are much more convenient.
Allow the bread to cool completely, slice it, and individually wrap each piece. Place the wrapped slices inside a freezer-safe bag or airtight container.
Freeze for up to approximately 3 months.
Thaw slices at room temperature or warm them briefly in the microwave.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does pumpkin banana bread taste more like pumpkin or banana?
You should be able to taste both. Banana naturally has a stronger aroma, while pumpkin contributes more to the bread's moisture, color and texture. The pumpkin pie spices help bring the pumpkin flavor forward.
Can I reduce the sugar?
You can reduce it somewhat, particularly if your bananas are extremely ripe. However, sugar also contributes to the bread's moisture and texture, so dramatically reducing it can change the final loaf.
Why did my bread sink in the middle?
A loaf can sink if the center isn't fully baked, if too much wet ingredient was added, if the batter was overmixed, or if the oven door was opened repeatedly before the structure had set.
Can I make this without pumpkin pie spice?
Yes. Increase the cinnamon slightly and add small amounts of ground ginger, nutmeg and cloves if you have them.
Should pumpkin banana bread be refrigerated?
Plain pumpkin banana bread can stay at room temperature for a short period when properly wrapped. Refrigeration is better for longer storage. A version containing a cream cheese filling should be refrigerated.
Can I make it ahead?
Absolutely. In fact, quick breads often taste even better the following day after the flavors have had time to settle.
Final Tips for the Best Pumpkin Banana Bread
Use bananas that are well beyond the point you'd want to eat them plain, measure the pumpkin instead of dumping in the entire can, and avoid overmixing the batter.
Most importantly, keep an eye on the loaf during the final 15 minutes of baking. The difference between incredibly moist pumpkin banana bread and dry pumpkin banana bread can simply be leaving it in the oven too long.
Serve a thick slice slightly warm with butter melting over the top, and you've got one of the easiest ways to combine banana bread season with pumpkin season in a single loaf.