Pumpkin Banana Bread

Moisture-rich and subtly spiced, this pumpkin banana bread is easily one of the best fall goodies to add to your baking list!

Why this recipe works

This pumpkin banana bread really shows up and shows out! Thanks to the pumpkin puree and mashed bananas, it’s packed with moisture. Possibly one of the best ways to jazz up banana bread, in my opinion.

This loaf is soft, incredibly moist, and gently warmed with cinnamon and pumpkin pie spice. It’s giving everything you want in a baked good for fall. You can easily add in chocolate chips, nuts, or dried fruits to give it a little more oomph, heck, you could even make it into pumpkin banana bread muffins. But truly, it’s perfect all on its own!

Ingredients you will need

Get all measurements, ingredients, and instructions in the printable version at the end of this post.

Ingredient Info and Substitution Suggestions

BANANAS – While you wouldn’t think there’s a science to mashing a banana, the amount of mashing you do CAN affect the science of the baking process. Be sure to mash them up well, large chunks of banana can cause moisture pockets. This can affect the rise of your bread and make you think it isn’t done. If you insert a toothpick into a section with a moisture pocket, you may continue baking and end up drying out your quick bread.

FLOUR – We are using cake flour in this recipe which gives this bread a soft and supple texture as opposed to regular all-purpose flour which produces a denser, chewier loaf. You should measure cake flour the same way you measure flour, by either weighing it or using the spoon and sweep method. Cake flour is finer than all purpose flour, which means it’s even more important to not overmeasure. I highly recommend weighing it and using a kitchen scale.

Pumpkin Banana Bread Variations

You can choose up to 1 1/2 cups of additions for your pumpkin banana bread. Here are some of my favorites.

• Baking Chips – For any kind of baking chips, we recommend 1/2 – 3/4 cup or they can be overwhelming. If you are using cinnamon chips, 1/2 cup is more than enough! White chocolate or semi-sweet chocolate chips are excellent as well.
• Nuts – If adding nuts, 3/4 cup chopped is a nice amount. We like chopped pecans or walnuts for this recipe.
• Dried Fruits – Raisins or other dried fruits work great too. We do suggest rehydrating raisins or dried cranberries first by soaking them in hot water (or juice or alcohol) for a minimum of 15 minutes. You can soak them longer if you like, just remember to drain them and pat dry with a paper towel before adding them to the batter.
• Toppings – Aside from the additions, you can easily add a topping to this loaf. Coarse sugar, cinnamon sugar, chopped nuts, or baking chips are all great! Add the toppings right before baking.

How to Make Pumpkin Banana Bread

These step by step photos and instructions are here to help you visualize how to make this recipe. You can Jump to Recipe to get the printable version of this recipe, complete with measurements and instructions at the bottom.

1. Preheat oven to 350 F. Generously butter/grease and flour an 8×4 loaf pan.
   
   TIP – Whenever I grease and flour a loaf pan for quick bread, I always wipe away the top 1/2-3/4” of flour with a piece of paper towel. This can help the bread pull away from the sides and dome in the center better.
   
   
2. Whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, and pumpkin pie spice.
3. With a stand mixer, beat butter and brown sugar on medium speed until creamy.
4. Add eggs and vanilla and beat just until combined.
5. Beat in pumpkin and bananas, beating just until combined.
6. With a rubber spatula, stir in half of the dry ingredients. Stir in the buttermilk. Stir in remaining dry ingredients. Do not overmix, it’s okay if there are small traces of flour still showing.
7. If adding chips, nuts, or fruit, fold them into the batter now.
8. Let batter rest 30 minutes. This allows the oven to get nice and hot as well.
9. Scrape batter into the prepared loaf pan. Place loaf pan on an insulated baking sheet.
10. Bake in preheated oven for 60–75 minutes, or until a butter knife poked into the center comes out clean.
11. Remove from oven and allow to cool in pan for 10 minutes, then remove to wire rack to cool completely.

Frequently Asked Questions & Expert Tips

If you don’t have cake flour on hand, here’s how to substitute with all-purpose flour. First, weigh out 320g of all purpose flour. Next, remove 40g of that flour and replace it with 40g of cornstarch. Sift that mixture 3 times. If you don’t have a kitchen scale, the general rule is to remove 2 tablespoons from every cup of flour and replace that with 2 tablespoons of cornstarch. We highly recommend that you weigh your ingredients for the best results.

Allow the loaf to fully cool before transferring to an air-tight container, or you can wrap it well with plastic wrap or foil. Keep at room temperature for up to 3 days. If you wrap the loaf while still warm, you’ll end up with condensation and potentially soggy bread.

Absolutely! Allow your loaf to fully cool before wrapping a few times in plastic wrap, followed by a layer of aluminum foil. Optionally place the loaf in a large freezer safe bag, or leave as is, and freeze for up to 2 months. To thaw, allow the loaf to rest (still wrapped) at room temperature for a few hours.

Serving Suggestions

Serve your pumpkin banana bread warm or at room temperature. It’s amazing either way! If serving warm, a smear of butter or cinnamon honey butter makes it even better.

More Quick Bread Recipes

• Apple Bread
• Chocolate Chip Banana Bread
• Chocolate Chip Pumpkin Muffins
• Pumpkin Bread with Maple Glaze

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