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Pumpkin Banana Bread is the best fall recipe: A soft banana bread with pumpkin to keep it moist and tons of pumpkin spice. This quick bread is the easiest recipe and every bite tastes like fall.

sliced banana bread on a drying rack.


Quick breads are my absolute favorite because they are so easy to make. This recipe is like pumpkin bread and banana bread had a baby – the perfect soft and moist loaf with tons of pumpkin spice fall flavor. Such an easy recipe that turns out great every time we make it!

pumpkin banana bread ingredients laid out on a marble counter.

Ingredients Needed

  • Vegetable Oil: I like using oil in my quick bread recipes (instead of butter) to keep them extra moist. You can use canola oil or liquid coconut oil. Since there is no milk in the recipe, this makes it a non-dairy banana bread with pumpkin.
  • Bananas: Save those over ripe bananas for this bread! I freeze any spotted banana in their peels so I can make banana bread whenever I want.
  • Pumpkin Puree: Make sure to get canned pumpkin puree, not pumpkin pie mix.
  • Brown Sugar: Always remember to pack your brown sugar.
  • Spices: Pumpkin Pie Spice and Cinnamon make the bread have a true fall spiced flavor.

Variations & Substitutions

  • Make gluten-free bread by swapping 1:1 GF All-Purpose Flour.
  • You can also use a combination of all-purpose flour and whole wheat flour or white whole wheat flour (use half and half).
  • Add 1/2 cup chopped nuts (pecans or walnuts), or 1 cup chocolate chips.
  • Top the bread with cream cheese frosting!
process shot of pumpkin banana bread being made.
process shot of pumpkin banana bread being made.

How to make Pumpkin Banana Bread

  1. Whisk together flour, pumpkin spice, cinnamon, baking soda, baking powder, and salt in a medium bowl. Set aside.
  2. Stir brown sugar, vegetable oil, pumpkin puree, and mashed bananas in a large bowl (using a wooden spoon or spatula, or you can use a mixer).
  3. Stir in eggs and vanilla, then mix flour mixture into the wet ingredients..
  4. Pour batter into prepared pan. Bake 40-50 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean from the center of the bread.
  5. Let cool 10 minutes before removing from pan and/or slicing to serve.
sliced banana bread on a drying rack.

Expert Tips

  • This recipe is written for a 9 x 5-inch loaf pan. If you only have an 8×4-inch loaf pan you may want to make 2-3 muffins along with it.
  • You know quick bread is done when there is a nice crack in the center, it’s golden brown and a toothpick comes out with just a few crumbs from the center of the crack.
  • Turn this into 12 muffins by baking in muffin liners in a cupcake pan.

Storage

Store leftovers in an airtight container at room temperature for just a few days. When you are going to freeze this recipe, I recommend slicing the bread first instead of freezing the full loaf. This makes it easier to pull out slices and thaw them as you want. Store slices or a wrapped full loaf in the freezer.

FAQs

Why did my pumpkin bread fall after baking?

Quick bread like pumpkin or banana breads will fall in the center after baking if the center wasn’t totally cooked. That’s why you should test in the center of the crack and the toothpick should come out with just a few crumbs.

Why is my banana bread dark on top but raw in the middle?

Be sure to check your oven temperature – if it starts to get dark on top too quickly, you can lower your oven temp to 325° and/or tent the pan with foil. Different ovens cook differently and some get hotter on top which can cause the bread to darken quickly but not bake all the way through.

sliced banana bread on a drying rack.

Pumpkin Banana Bread Recipe

3.67 from 3 votes
This moist banana bread is not just a basic banana bread, but a perfect pumpkin banana bread that has the best flavor for the fall.
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 45 minutes
Total Time 1 hour
Yield 10 servings
Serving Size 1 serving
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Ingredients
 

  • 2 cups (248g) all-purpose flour
  • 2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
  • ¼ teaspoon cinnamon
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • ¼ teaspoon baking powder
  • ¼ teaspoon salt
  • 1 cup (200g) packed brown sugar
  • ½ cup (119g) vegetable oil
  • ¾ cup (180g) pumpkin puree
  • 2 medium overripe bananas
  • 2 large eggs
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
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Instructions

  • Preheat oven to 350°F. Spray a 9×5-inch loaf pan with nonstick cooking spray (or grease and flour it).
  • Whisk together flour, pumpkin spice, cinnamon, baking soda, baking powder, and salt in a small bowl. Set aside.
  • Stir brown sugar, vegetable oil, pumpkin puree, and mashed bananas in a large bowl (using a wooden spoon or spatula, or you can use a mixer).
  • Stir in eggs and vanilla, then mix in dry ingredients.
  • Pour batter into prepared pan. Bake 40-50 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean from the center of the bread.
  • Let cool 10 minutes before removing from pan and/or slicing to serve.

Recipe Video

Recipe Notes

  • Be sure to use pumpkin puree, not pumpkin pie mix.
  • If you want to use spices (not pumpkin pie spice mix), use 1 teaspoon cinnamon, ½ teaspoon ginger, ¼ teaspoon nutmeg, ¼ teaspoon allspice (in addition to the cinnamon called for in the recipe).
  • Store bread covered with plastic wrap at room temperature. It should stay fresh a few days. You can also freeze the whole loaf or freeze individually wrapped slices.

Recipe Nutrition

Serving: 1serving | Calories: 409kcal | Carbohydrates: 67g | Protein: 7g | Fat: 13g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 7g | Monounsaturated Fat: 3g | Trans Fat: 0.1g | Cholesterol: 33mg | Sodium: 189mg | Potassium: 229mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 27g | Vitamin A: 2825IU | Vitamin C: 3mg | Calcium: 45mg | Iron: 3mg
Nutritional information not guaranteed to be accurate
Course Dessert
Cuisine American
Author Dorothy Kern

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Dorothy Kern

Welcome to Crazy for Crust, where I share recipes that are sometimes crazy, often with a crust, and always served with a slice of life.

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3.67 from 3 votes

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9 Comments

  1. I just made this today. I had it in the oven for about 40 minutes, checked it with a toothpick, and it needed more time. Another 10 minute check and it needed another 10 minutes. I checked it and it appeared done, slightly moist. I let it cool and when I inverted the pan, the majority of the inside was mushy. I had to spoon it back into the pan and it is taking forever to solidify. I’m using the correct size pan and baking temperature. What the heck happened?

    Reply

    1. What brand of pumpkin puree did you use? The only other thing could be the oven – I know this new one of mine cooks hotter on top (so a lot of times if something is in the oven for a long time, I have to make sure and have it on a middle rack and/or if something is browning too fast on top I have to tent it with foil or turn the oven temperature down to 325. It sounds like that might be the culprit – either the oven was too hot or you have a similar issue (or it was on too high of a rack), so the outside browned faster than the inside cooked. Do you have an oven thermometer to test the temp? If so, try it on the rack where you put the bread to see if it’s stable at 350 there.

      Reply

    2. I just made this recipe last night and I ended up needing to leave it in the oven for an hour and 15 or 20 minutes to bake it all the way through. But it turned out perfectly with some patience! Be sure to put it on the bottom rack so the top doesn’t burn.

      Reply