Pumpkin Banana Bread

What do you get when you have two brown bananas and a leftover open can of pumpkin puree – pumpkin banana bread. Perfectly moist and fluffy, good balance of pumpkin and banana and all the fall spices. 

The real truth is, I only made this post because I was obsessed with this loaf pan and I forgot to use it in my pumpkin bread recipe… 

So yes, this is a double batch of my pumpkin banana muffin recipe and it deserved it’s own post because she’s stunning. 

Why you’ll love this pumpkin banana bread

• Convenient because it uses up leftover pumpkin and two brown banana
• Can be halved to make 6 large muffins
• Flavor is balanced between the banana and the pumpkin and tied together with all the fall spices
• Super tender and stays moist for days
• Although it still has sugar, the rest of the ingredients can be healthy. 

I also have a pumpkin muffin with maple glaze and pumpkin chocolate chip muffins. Make sure to also check out my pumpkin bread and banana bread recipes!

Ingredients

• Flour: I use all purpose flour in most of my recipes and I HIGHLY recommend using a digital scale, as flour is so often over measured.
  • If you want to make these a little healthier, you can swap half the flour for whole wheat flour or all of the flour for white whole wheat flour. 
  • 1:1 Gluten-free flour substitutes also work. 
• Baking Powder & Baking Soda: Ingredients like pumpkin and banana can really weigh down the batter so I use a little extra baking powder and baking soda then I normally would.
• Sugar: I used light brown sugar but granulated or dark brown will work well in this recipe as well.
• Oil: I used oil in this recipe because I wanted to keep the bread a little spongier whereas my pumpkin bread uses butter and it’s more “melt in your mouth”. I used olive oil but any neutral oil works fine as well. 
• Eggs: I use room temperature, large eggs. Pop them in hot water for a few minutes if they’re cold.
• Bananas: I used two medium/large bananas, make sure they’re ripe.
  • If you don’t have ripe bananas, you can pop them in the oven at 400F for 10ish minutes until they’ve browned a bit.
• Pumpkin: I usually use Libby’s pumpkin puree (not pumpkin pie filling). I’ve also used Kroger brand or Whole Foods 365 brand. 
• Spices: I make my own pumpkin pie spice at home or you can just buy some. It’s just a combination of spices with a higher ratio of cinnamon. 

Step-by-Step Instructions

Step 1: Mash the bananas well, until there are no more large chunks and it looks like puree.

Step 2: Add the sugar and the oil, and whisk aggressively until they’re well combined.

Step 3: Whisk in the eggs. This is important; whisk in one egg at a time for about 30 seconds, until it’s completely combined, pale and fluffy. Then add the other egg, etc. 

Step 4: Add the pumpkin whisk in the pumpkin until it’s completely smooth.

Step 5: Add the dry ingredients together whisk in the flour, baking powder, baking soda, spices and salt into the wet ingredients until they’re completely combined.

Step 6: Bake for about 60-70 minutes at 350F (177C), until a knife inserted in the tallest section comes out clean or with a few moist crumbs (not gummy batter).

How to know when it’s done baking:

Loaves and breads can be difficult to assess when they’re done baking so keep these tips in mind when testing for doneness.

• You can start checking for doneness at around 55 minutes. Gently press on the tallest part of the bread, if it’s done baking, it should spring back. 
• If it’s not done baking but browns too much, feel free to cover it with aluminum foil.
• Stick a knife into the tallest part and it should come out with a few moist crumbs and no gummy batter. 

Frequently Asked Questions 

How to store these pumpkin banana bread

I place the banana bread under a cake dome or in an airtight container at room temperature for 2-3 days. If it’s longer you can refrigerate for a couple of days but it does dry out quicker in the fridge, so I recommend freezing instead. You can freeze it and bring it back to room temperature before serving.

How to freeze the bread

Bakes stay more fresh when they’re frozen. Place bread in an airtight container and then place the container in a freezer bag. 

You can also wrap each slice individually in plastic wrap and then place those in a freezer bag so you can easily remove one at a time.

Freeze for up to a couple of months. Bring back to room temperature before serving. 

Thanks so much for reading today’s post, if you have any questions just comment down below. Make sure to leave it in the comment section because I can’t answer in the rating section :).

If you try this pumpkin banana bread recipe, I’d love it if you left a star rating for me. If it’s less than five stars, please leave a comment with the rating so I know why! 🙂

As always, have a blessed day and happy baking!

Love, B