These pumpkin banana bread muffins are perfectly moist, nutrient-rich muffins with a subtle pumpkin flavor and natural sweetness from bananas. The whole family will love these seasonal favorites as a snack or easy on-the-go breakfast!
It can’t be just me who craves baked goods as soon as the leaves start to fall. These pumpkin banana bread muffins satisfy my cravings for seasonal flavors. They're sweet but hearty, with whole grains and a fruit and veggie boost.
I love baking with bananas for their natural sweetness, potassium boost, and the moisture they add to breads and muffins without needing extra oil. With a cup of pumpkin puree and pumpkin pie spice, these are a favorite all througout the fall–warmed with a little butter spread on top; you really can’t beat it!
While your cupboard is stocked with cans of pumpkin puree and pumpkin pie spice, use the rest with pumpkin and sweet potato soup and pumpkin protein balls.
Each muffin has 2 grams of fiber and 3 grams of protein along with 42 percent of the daily value (DV) of vitamin A. Eat them alongside a protein-rich breakfast or as a snack, and don’t forget to top them with a sprinkle of pumpkin seeds for an extra boost of healthy fats, protein, and crunch!
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Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Made with wholesome ingredients like oats, bananas, and pumpkin, these muffins are the perfect mix of nutrition and fun, satisfying a sweet tooth and improving your nutrition.
- Using banana helps cut down on added sugars while keeping the muffins sweet. Only ⅓ cup of brown sugar is used for the entire recipe.
- Simple to make. Even with the addition of banana and pumpkin, this recipe using the simple muffin technique of adding wet ingredients to dry and baking. Prep time takes less than 10 minutes!
- These muffins are great for meal prep! Make a big batch over the weekend and grab one on the go for snacks or for an on the go breakfast.
- These muffins are kid-friendly. I like to top mine with pumpkin seeds and leave a few without since my kids like them just plain with butter!
🛒 Key Ingredients
- Flour. All purpose flour makes up the base of this recipe. You can use white whole wheat flour for added whole grains without changing the recipe or outcome.
- Oats. Use old-fashioned rolled oats for this recipe as they add a nice texture, fiber, and boost of whole grains. Do not use steel cut oats or instant oats as they won’t give these muffins the same texture.
- Pumpkin pie spice. Pumpkin pie spice adds the spiced flavor you love. You can make your own pumpkin pie spice by combining ____
- Bananas. Add natural sweetness and moisture to this recipe, helping reduce added sugars and adding moisture to the muffins without extra oil.
- Pumpkin puree. Adds moisture, a beautiful orange color, and extra nutrition to these muffins.
- Milk. I use 1% cow’s milk, but you can use any type of milk you’d like for this recipe.
- Brown sugar. Adds extra sweetness and helps with browning while the muffins bake. We’re able to keep the amount of brown sugar in these muffins low wiht the banana and pumpkin, which have naturall sugars and sweetness.
- Avocado oil. Just a little bit of avocado oil helps keep these muffins tender. I like using avocado oil for its neutral, light taste and excellent fatty acid profile.
See recipe card for quantities.
🥣 Step by Step Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Spray a muffin tin with cooking spray.
- Combine all dry ingredients in a large mixing bowl.
- In a small bowl, stir the wet ingredients and sugar until the egg is blended and everything is well incorporated.
4. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry and stir gently until just combined. Avoid over-stirring, as this can make the muffins tough.
5. With a large spoon, fill each muffin cup to the top (about ¼ cup).
Optional: Add a sprinkle of brown sugar and a few pumpkin seeds to the top of each muffin.
6. Bake for 15-20 minutes or until a toothpick or knife comes out clean. Let sit in muffin tin for 2-3 minutes then remove and let cool on cooling rack.
Hint: The muffins are ready even when the tops seem a little underdone! 20 minutes has been the sweet spot for me– if you wait until they LOOK totally cooked through, they’re going to be too done and dry.
🗯 Tips and Tricks
- Do not over mix the muffins when you’re adding the wet to the dry ingredients. By just incorporating the ingredients so no clumps of flour remain you’ll keep the texture light and tender. Overmixing will resutle in denser, dryer muffins.
- Make sure you take these muffins out before they look completely done. The banana keeps things looking a little wet, but as you let them sit out of the oven, they’ll firm up— trust me on this! Baking them for 20 minutes has been the perfect amount for these (several times in a row), and keeping them in for 30 minutes (when they “looked” done) led to a much dryer muffin.
🛍Substitutions
- Flour: All purpose flour will give you a lighter texture for these muffins, but you can acheive similar results with white whole wheat flour or by mixing 50/50 whole wheat flour and all purpose flour.
- Milk: For a dairy-free option, use plant-based milk like soy milk, oat milk, almond milk, or coconut milk. You can also use any fat variety of cow’s milk. We drink 1%, so that’s what I use in the recipe.
- Oil: I love baking with avocado oil, but you can also use canola, light olive oil, or melted butter.
- Canned pumpkin: Use homemade pumpkin puree instead or substitute for butternut squash puree.
↔️ Customize it
- Make it gluten-free. Use a gluten-free all-purpose flour and certified gluten-free oats.
- Make it vegan: Swap milk for plant-based milk and use an egg substitute (1 tablespoon ground flaxseed mixed with 3 tablespoons of water and let sit for 5 minutes).
- Optional add-ins. Stir in ¼ to ½ cup of anything from chopped pecans or walnuts, chocolate chips, pumpkin seeds, or coconut flakes.
- Add a streusal topping. For a sweeter muffin, make a cinnamon struesel and sprinkle on top of each muffin before baking.
- Make mini muffins: Make the recipe as is but add them to a mini muffin pan and bake for only 10 minutes, or until done.
- Make pumpkin banana bread loafs: Pour the batter into a bread pan that’s been sprayed well with cooking spray. Increase the baking time to closer to 35-40 minutes or until done.
🍽 Equipment
- Aside from mixing bowls and utensils, you’ll just need a muffin tin!
🍲Make ahead and storage instructions
These pumpkin and banana muffins are excellent for making ahead of time and meal prepping. Store extras on the counter for up to 2 days or in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
To keep them longer, add the muffins to a freezer-safe bag and store in the freezer for up to 3 months.
Unthaw in the refrigerator or wrap loosly in a paper towel and microwave in 15 second increments until warmed through.
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🍲 Recipe
Recipe
Pumpkin Banana Bread Muffins
Ingredients
- 1 ½ cup all purpose flour
- 1 cup old fashioned oats
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 2 ripe bananas mashed approx 1 cup mashed
- 1 cup pumpkin puree
- 1 egg
- ½ cup milk
- ⅓ cup brown sugar packed
- 3 tablespoon oil avocado or light olive oil recommended
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Spray a muffin tin with cooking spray.
- Combine all dry ingredients (flour, oats, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, pumpkin pie spice, salt) in a large mixing bowl.
- In a small bowl stir the wet ingredients + sugar (banana, pumpkin, egg, milk, brown sugar, and oil) until the egg is blended and everything is well incorporated.
- Pour the wet ingredients into the dry and stir gently until just combined. Avoid over-stirring, as this can make the muffins tough.
- With a large spoon, fill each muffin cup to the top (about ¼ cup).
- Optional: Add a small pinch of brown sugar and a couple of pumpkin seeds to the top of each muffin.
- Bake for 15-20 minutes or until a toothpick or knife comes out clean. Let sit in muffin tin for 2-3 minutes then remove and let cool on cooling rack.
Melissa says
These turned out great! I followed the recipe exactly. Toddler and Mom approved. Thank you!
Kelsey Kunik, RDN says
So happy you made and loved them! Thanks so much for sharing!