The BEST Pumpkin Banana Muffins

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

I know I’ve made a lot of muffins lately but I couldn’t not share these with you. I don’t want to just create content that I think will perform well, I want to also share stuff that will be useful and things I make on repeat for my own family (although my family does eat everything I make lol). 

Really though, these muffins came to be because I had one brown banana and an open can of pumpkin puree. I called them “the BEST” because I’m honestly obsessed with them and they may be my new favorite muffin…after blueberry of course, lol. 

Why you’ll love these pumpkin banana muffins

• Convenient because they use up leftover pumpkin and a brown banana
• They’re large and have perfectly domed muffin tops but can also be made smaller.
• Flavor is balanced between the banana and the pumpkin and tied together with all the fall spices
• Super tender and stay moist for days
• Although they still have sugar, the rest of the ingredients can be healthy. 

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

Ingredients & Substitutions

• 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: We’re going to need both here and a lot of them to get that gorgeous muffin top.
• 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 muffins a little fluffier and spongier. I used olive oil but any neutral oil works fine as well. 
• Egg: I use one room temperature large egg. Pop them in hot water for a few minutes if they’re cold.
• Banana: I used one medium/large ripe banana. Make sure to mash it really well so there are no chunks left.
  • If you want to make these and you don’t have a ripe banana, you can bake it unpeeled at 300F (150C) for 10-20 minutes.
• 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 banana 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 egg. This is important; whisking the egg for about 30-60 seconds, until it’s completely combined, pale and fluffy.

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: Rest the batter – another important step – Cover the bowl and let the batter rest at room temperature for 1 hour. This allows the gluten to relax and the leaveners to get a head start. (If you’re in a rush, 30 minutes is fine but definitely don’t go past 90 minutes or you’ll get a wonky bake).

Step 7: Fill 12 muffin tins all the way to the top rim (or make 18 smaller ones).

Step 8: Bake for five minutes at 425 F (218C) and then reduce oven temperature to 375 F (190C) and bake for another 13-15 minutes. 

Step 9: Once the muffins have cooled, make the glaze by whisking together all the ingredients in a saucepan, over medium heat, until they’re completely smooth. Drizzle onto the muffins.

Pro Tips for the best muffin tops:

• The baking powder and baking soda seem excessive but you’ll need that much to get a nice muffin top, especially on a batter with heavy ingredients like pumpkin and banana, so don’t reduce or skip one of them.
• The resting allows the baking soda to activate before it hits the oven, helping you get that nice large muffin top. 
• Make sure to whisk each ingredient well before adding the next. This is especially important with the eggs. Beating a little air into the batter with each egg will help make these muffins fluffier. 
• If you’re baking in a regular sized pan with 12 muffin tins, bake the muffins in every other tin to allow equal air flow. 
• If you double the recipe and make 12 muffins, feel free to bake them all in one batch, right next to each other. 

How to store these muffins

I place the muffins 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 they dry out quicker in the fridge, so I recommend freezing instead. You can freeze them and bring them back to room temperature before serving.

How to freeze muffins

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

You can also wrap each one 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 make this pumpkin banana muffins recipe I would love to see it so make sure to tag me @baranbakery on instagram!

As always, have a blessed day and happy baking!

Love, B