Soft, fluffy, pumpkin banana bread muffins taste like fall! They're packed with flavors of cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, and allspice.
Table of Contents
The batter for these pumpkin banana bread muffins is full of fall flavors. It's adapted from my pumpkin banana bread loaf. These muffins are perfect for when you have some overripe bananas that need using!
You want the bananas to be quite ripe for this recipe. They shouldn't be all yellow. There should be some brown spots on there.
You can make these muffins plain or top them with some pumpkin seeds or chocolate chips. Or, use my maple pecan topping! You can also mix nut, seeds, and/or chocolate chips into the batter, if you like, for even more texture and flavor.
These muffins are light and fluffy, and they're budget-friendly, too! I love having them on hand for quick breakfasts.
If you love a good muffin recipe, also check out my peach cobbler muffins (that streusel topping would be great on these muffins, too!), orange sesame muffins, matcha muffins, and double chocolate muffins.
💖 Why You'll Love this Recipe
- light, fluffy muffins with deep flavors from cinnamon, ginger, and nutmeg.
- quick, easy, and full of fall flavor
- affordable, everyday ingredients
- naturally soy-free and nut-free with easy gluten-free option
✓ Ingredients and Substitutions
- bananas and pumpkin - You want your bananas to be nice and ripe for this recipe. For the pumpkin, you can use homemade or store-bought puree. Do not use pumpkin pie filling, since that has sugar and spices added to it that this recipe doesn't account for.
- brown sugar - Brown sugar adds sweetness, of course, but also a lovely molasses flavor and a little more moisture.
- oil - You can use extra pumpkin or some applesauce in place of the oil, but the texture of the muffins will change. I have reduced the oil a lot in this recipe, but a little bit really helps the texture.
- flavorings/spices - You will need vanilla extract, ground cinnamon, ground ginger, ground nutmeg, and ground allspice for these muffins. You can add a little cardamom, too, for even more flavor, if you want!
- flour - White wheat or all-purpose flour both work in this recipe. You can also use a 1:1 gluten-free flour, if needed.
- baking powder, baking soda, and salt - To condition the batter.
- optional toppings/mix-ins - You can top your muffins with pumpkin seeds, walnuts, pecans, and/or chocolate chips. Or, mix any of these into the batter for more texture and flavor. Or, you can make my super easy cinnamon-maple walnut, pecan, or pumpkin seed topping!
🔪 How to Make Pumpkin Banana Muffins
Preheat the oven to 375° F, and line a muffin tin with paper muffin liners. Combine the wet ingredients in your blender, and puree until they're nice and smooth.
In a large bowl, combine the dry ingredients, whisking until they're evenly combined.
Pour the wet ingredients into the dry, and mix well. If you are mixing anything into the muffin batter (like chocolate chips or nuts), this is your moment!
If you're using the pecan topping, combine the chopped walnuts, pecans, or pumpkin seeds in a small bowl. Stir in the cinnamon, maple syrup, and salt. Mix well.
Use a large spoon or an ice cream scoop to drop the batter into your muffin pan. You want the cups to be most of the way full. Then, sprinkle your topping(s) of choice onto the tops of the muffins.
Bake for 18 to 22 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out of the center of the muffins batter-free. Cool for at least 15 minutes before removing from the pan. Cool completely before storing in a closed container for up to 5 days.
🫙 Storage Directions
Leftover pumpkin banana bread muffins will keep up to five days on the kitchen counter or in the pantry. To store, let them cool completely, and store it in an airtight container lined with a piece of paper towel on the bottom.
💬 Frequently Asked Questions
To make this oil-free, you can use ¼ cup of extra pumpkin puree or ¼ cup of applesauce in place of the oil. The texture of the finished muffins will be a bit different, but they will still be delicious!
🎃 More Ways to Use Canned Pumpkin
📖 Recipe
🎃🍌 Pumpkin Banana Bread Muffins
Ingredients
Wet Ingredients
- 3 overripe bananas
- 1 ¼ cups pumpkin puree canned or homemade is fine
- ¾ cup loosely packed brown sugar
- ¼ cup light oil like sunflower (see Notes for oil-free)
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Dry ingredients
- 1 ½ cups white wheat flour
- 2 tablespoons flax meal
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon ground ginger
- ½ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- ½ teaspoon allspice
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon salt
Optional Cinnamon Maple Topping
- ½ cup chopped pecans or walnuts or pumpkin seeds
- ¼ teaspoon cinnamon
- 1 tablespoon maple syrup
- pinch of salt optional
Instructions
Make the pumpkin banana bread muffin batter.
- Preheat the oven to 375° F, and line a muffin pan with paper liners.
- Combine the wet ingredients in your blender, and puree until they're nice and smooth. In a large bowl, combine the dry ingredients, whisking until they're evenly combined. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry, and mix well. If you are mixing anything into the batter, this is your moment!
Make the optional topping.
- Combine the chopped walnuts, pecans, or pumpkin seeds in a small bowl. Add the cinnamon, maple syrup, and salt. Mix well.
Bake and cool.
- Use a large spoon or an ice cream scoop to drop the batter into your muffin pan. You want the cups to be about ¾ of the way full. Sprinkle on your topping of choice, or you can bake them without a topping.
- Bake for 18 to 22 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out of the center of the muffins batter-free. Cool for at least 15 minutes before removing from the pan. Cool completely before storing in a closed container for up to 5 days.
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