This post may contain affiliate links. For more information, read my disclosure policy.
Obviously I’m obsessed with Pumpkin Spice All The Things right now…but you’re okay with that, right? This Pumpkin Spice Banana Bread will satisfy your cravings too: it’s my favorite banana bread recipe full of warm pumpkin spices with a pumpkin spice glaze!
Table of Contents
Banana Bread for Fall
I never thought I could make my mom’s banana bread better…but I did. (Have you tried that recipe yet? It gets a gorgeous crack right down the center that’s perfect EVERY time.) I added pumpkin spices and a pumpkin spice glaze to the top. Add this to your fall bucket list, people, you won’t be sorry.
- Easy one bowl banana bread – no fail – it works I promise!
- A hint of pumpkin spice in the bread
- The easy glaze is SO good!
- Freezes great too!
Important Ingredients Needed
- Bananas – make sure they’re overripe – lots of brown spots. Bananas get sweeter as they age, and softer, and they’ll make your bread perfect.
- Sour Milk – my mom’s bread recipe calls for this and I use it in every banana bread recipe I have. Basically it’s buttermilk, which you can substitute, but if you don’t have that I add vinegar or lemon juice to my milk.
- Pumpkin Spice – this isn’t pumpkin bread, it’s pumpkin spice bread – just those warm flavors in the quick bread and frosting.
How to make Banana Bread with pumpkin spice
- Mash your banana with a fork in a large bowl.
- Mix in eggs, vegetable oil and granulated sugar using a hand mixer or stir by hand with a spatula or wooden spoon.
- Stir in baking soda, vanilla, pumpkin pie spice, and salt.
- Add all-purpose flour and milk.
- Stir until combined.
- Pour into a loaf pan sprayed with nonstick cooking spray. You can use an 8×4-inch loaf pan or a 9×5-inch loaf pan.
Pumpkin Spice Glaze
This banana bread is delicious plain but the glaze takes it over the top with pumpkin spice flavor!
- Whisk powdered sugar with pumpkin spice and heavy cream.
- Stir until the glaze is thick but spreadable.
- Spread over banana bread and allow to dry. It won’t dry hard, but the outside will crust.
Tip From Dorothy
Expert Tips
- Don’t skip the sour milk part! You can use buttermilk (7 tablespoons) OR you can mix 1 teaspoon vinegar or lemon juice and 7 tablespoons milk and let sit for a few minutes. You can even use nondairy milk (it won’t “curdle” like regular milk will, but the chemical reaction will still work).
- Cool the bread before frosting.
- Banana Bread is done baking when a toothpick comes out clean from the center of the crack.
- The bread will get very dark on top but be perfect in the middle. Always bake in a metal pan for best results!
FAQs
It’s pumpkin SPICE bread, not pumpkin bread.
This happens when it’s not done baking. Be sure to check with a toothpick in the center of the crack. The bread will get very dark on top but be perfect in the middle. Always bake in a metal pan for best results!
Pumpkin Spice Banana Bread
Ingredients
For the bread:
- 2 overripe bananas
- ¾ cup (150g) granulated sugar
- ½ cup (118ml) vegetable oil
- 2 large eggs
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 ½ teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
- 7 tablespoons sour milk or add 1 teaspoon vinegar to the milk to sour it (see note)
- 2 cups (248g) all purpose flour
For the glaze:
- 1 ¾ cups (198g) powdered sugar
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
- 1 ½ teaspoons vanilla
- 2-3 tablespoons heavy whipping cream
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease a 9×5 or 8×4” loaf pan with shortening or butter and coat it with sugar. (You do this like you would grease and flour a pan. Grease it first, then add about 2 tablespoons sugar to the pan and move the pan side to side until the bottom and sides are coated with sugar. Do NOT substitute cooking spray for the butter. You can skip the sugaring and just use cooking spray, if you wish.)
- Mash bananas in a large bowl with a fork or potato masher. Stir in oil, sugar, and eggs with wooden spoon or spatula. Set aside.
- Add pumpkin spice, salt, baking soda, and vanilla and stir.
- Mix in flour and sour milk and stir until just incorporated. Pour into prepared pan.
- Bake for 45-60 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean in the middle of the crack. The edges will be a dark brown and there will be a nice crack down the center. (There is a wide range of cooking time because all ovens bake differently. Make sure to use a METAL pan, not glass.)
- Cool completely before removing loaf from pan and frosting.
- To make the frosting: whisk powdered sugar, pumpkin pie spice, and salt in a medium bowl. Whisk in vanilla and 1 tablespoon heavy whipping cream, adding more cream as needed for consistency (up to 3 tablespoons). Frost banana bread. Chill to set. Store in an airtight container for up to 3 days or slice and freeze for up to 1 month.
Recipe Video
Recipe Notes
- Don’t skip the sour milk part! You can use buttermilk (7 tablespoons) OR you can mix 1 teaspoon vinegar or lemon juice and 7 tablespoons milk and let sit for a few minutes. You can even use nondairy milk (it won’t “curdle” like regular milk will, but the chemical reaction will still work).
- Cool the bread before frosting.
- Banana Bread is done baking when a toothpick comes out clean from the center of the crack.
- The bread will get very dark on top but be perfect in the middle. Always bake in a metal pan for best results!
Congratulations, Dorothy! How wonderful, to have accomplished that! I miss running my doctor advised me to save my creakey knees. The bread is a brilliant idea.
Congrats on your half marathon! That is so awesome and you should be proud of yourself. I took up running again after a 10+ year break. I feel like I am starting all over but I am doing it. My husband and I have scoped out some 5k races locally and once I feel confident, I will look for some 10k. My goal is to run a half before my 50th birthday….I have three years to work on it. This banana pumpkin bread looks FABULOUS! I think I could use it as motivation to go that extra mile on my runs. Thanks for sharing.
I knew that you could do it! Congrats on the race and one changing up this bread. It sounds wonderful.
Dorothy you are amazing!! And inspiring! And I love that you made up a new word:) but this bread totally deserves it.
YES to pumpkin baking! So excited to see what you churn out and can I say that the pumpkin spice glaze is just genius?
Featured In
Rate This Recipe
Recipe Ratings without Comment