Pumpkin Spice Banana Bread
This pumpkin spice banana bread is your favorite banana bread made with a pumpkin twist! It’s loaded with pure pumpkin puree, pumpkin spice mix, crunchy walnuts, and sweet banana flavor. Perfect for breakfast or dessert, this pumpkin spice loaf is moist and light and so so good!
A spiced pumpkin loaf is just what you need on a cool fall morning. Baking is such a relaxing activity and the fall is the peak baking season for many of us. This pumpkin loaf is made with a few whole ingredients and it doesn’t take a whole lot of time to put together. A warm slice is so good to enjoy with a cup of tea and a good book cozied up by the fire.
Have more bananas that need using up? Check out these other delicious banana recipes ->
- Starbucks Copycat Banana Nut Bread
- Banana Bread Bundt Cake
- Banana Walnut Muffins
- Strawberry Banana Blueberry Smoothie
- Strawberry Banana Peanut Butter Smoothie
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- It’s the perfect balance of banana bread and pumpkin bread without being overly pumpkin-y. If you love banana bread and all things pumpkin spice you’ll love this recipe!
- This banana bread has just the right amount of sweetness. It’s moist, light, and slightly dense with a nice balance of sweetness and warm fall flavor. So it’s perfect for morning coffee or tea or as a delicious after-dinner treat.
- It’s ridiculously easy to make! Even if you are a beginner baker, this pumpkin banana bread is super enough for anyone to make. Everything comes together inside of one bowl then it’s baked inside of a loaf pan. Super simple!
Recipe Ingredients
Bananas – Use ripe bananas with plenty of brown spots on them- the more the better! Overripe bananas will be the sweetest and give your banana bread the best flavor.
Pumpkin – Pure pumpkin puree gives a light but delicious pumpkin flavor to this banana bread. I used organic canned pumpkin puree for this recipe, but you can also use homemade pumpkin puree if you have it.
Pumpkin spice mix – A blend of ground cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg, ginger, and allspice truly gives your pumpkin bread that pumpkin pie flavor that we all enjoy.
Cane sugar – Used to give the perfect amount of sweetness to your loaf.
Eggs – allow them to sit on the counter for at least 30 minutes so they will bind all the ingredients together more easily.
Oil – I’ve used melted butter and vegetable oil with similar results. Oil can sometimes give a lighter texture to the loaf over butter. If you are using butter make sure it’s unsalted or use less salt in this recipe. For oil, I like to use either avocado oil or olive oil.
Buttermilk – this gives the bread a tender crumb. If you don’t have buttermilk make your own by adding 1 teaspoon of lemon juice or white vinegar into a measuring cup and then pouring enough milk to make ¼ cup. Let it sit for a few minutes then use it like normal in this recipe.
Nuts – We love a little bit of crunchy walnuts in our pumpkin spice banana loaf. Pecans are also a great option too or if you are nut-free chop up your favorite chocolate bar or use chocolate chips.
Vanilla extract – makes any baked good extra delicious. Vanilla bean paste can be used as well.
How to Make The Best Pumpkin Spice Banana Bread
All ingredients, measurements, and instructions are in the recipe card at the bottom of this post.
Step one. Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Line a loaf pan with parchment paper, then set aside.
Step two. In a small mixing bowl whisk together all-purpose flour, baking powder, baking soda, pumpkin pie mix, and salt then set aside.
Step three. Peel overripe bananas then place in a large bowl. Using a fork or potato masher, mash the bananas until they have small chunks, it will have a liquidty consistency.
Step four. Next, to the mashed bananas, add cane sugar, vegetable oil or melted butter, vanilla extract, eggs, pumpkin puree, and buttermilk. Whisk until everything is well combined.
Step five. In the same bowl pour in the flour mixture Stir to combine using a spoon or silicone spatula.
Step six. Lastly, fold in the chopped walnuts.
Step seven. Transfer mixture to prepared loaf pan, spreading it out evenly.
Optional: Top the banana-pumpkin mixture with a few more chopped walnuts.
Step eight. Place in the center of the preheated oven to bake for 50 – 60 minutes or until nicely browned and a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean.
Step nine. Once fully baked, allow the banana bread to cool in the loaf pan for at least 30 minutes, before serving and slicing.
Step ten. Enjoy!
Recommended Tools
Whisk
Potato masher or fork for mashing bananas
Parchment paper
Pro Tips
- A quick way to brown your bananas is to put them into a paper bag for a day or two. Then they will be soft and sweet enough to use for banana bread.
- Make sure you are using pure pumpkin puree and NOT pumpkin pie filling. The pie filling often already has sugars and seasonings already mixed into it, which isn’t what we want.
- If your bread is browning too fast on the top, cover it with a piece of aluminum foil to trap in the heat better without it burning.
How To Store/ Reheating
Store banana bread in the refrigerator in an air-tight container or tightly wrapped in plastic wrap for up to 5 days.
Freeze bread tightly wrapped in plastic wrap or inside a freezer-safe container for several months.
When ready to enjoy, allow the bread to thaw on the counter or wrap it in parchment paper then gently reheat in the oven at 350 degrees for 5 minutes (if coming from the refrigerator) 10 – 15 minutes (if frozen), or until heated through.
Frequently Asked Questions —
This usually happens when the wet ingredients and dry ingredients are mixed together for too long. For this recipe, after adding the dry ingredients only mix until just combined without any streaks of flour.
Usually, this bread will take at least 50 minutes to bake. You’ll know it’s done when the loaf is nicely browned all around and a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean or with just a few crumbs on it. If the toothpick has wet batter stuck to it, bake it for another 5 – 10 minutes or until this is no longer the case.
Looking For More Recipes?
Banana Nut Bread (Starbucks Copycat Recipe)
Pumpkin Spice Pancakes without Pumpkin Puree
Carrot Cake Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting
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Pumpkin Spice Banana Bread
Equipment
- 9.5 x 5-inch loaf pan lined with parchment paper
- Small mixing bowl
- Potato masher
Ingredients
- 1 ½ cup all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 2 teaspoon pumpkin spice mix
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 2 ripe bananas 3/4 cup mashed
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- ½ cup vegetable oil or melted unsalted butter
- 1 ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 large eggs room temperature
- ¾ cup pumpkin puree not pumpkin pie filling
- ¼ cup buttermilk or sour milk
- ½ cup chopped walnuts or pecans
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Line a 9.5 x 5-inch loaf pan with parchment paper, then set aside.
- In a small mixing bowl whisk together all-purpose flour, baking powder, baking soda, pumpkin pie mix, and salt then set aside. 1 ½ cup all-purpose flour 1 teaspoon baking powder 1 teaspoon baking soda 2 teaspoon pumpkin spice mix ¼ teaspoon salt
- Peel overripe bananas then place in a large bowl. Using a fork or potato masher, mash the bananas until they have small chunks, it will have a liquidy consistency. 2 ripe bananas
- Next to the mashed bananas, add cane sugar, vegetable oil or melted butter, vanilla extract, eggs, pumpkin puree, and buttermilk. Whisk until everything is well combined. 1 cup granulated sugar ½ cup vegetable oil 1 ½ teaspoon vanilla extract 2 large eggs 3/4 cup pumpkin puree ¼ cup buttermilk or sour milk
- Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients then stir to combine using a spoon or silicone spatula.
- Lastly, fold in the chopped walnuts. ½ cup chopped walnuts or pecans
- Transfer mixture to prepared loaf pan, spreading it out evenly.
- Optional: Top the banana-pumpkin mixture with a few more chopped walnuts.
- Place in the center of the preheated oven to bake for 50 - 60 minutes or until nicely browned and a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean with a few crumbs stuck to it.
- Once fully baked, allow the banana bread to cool in the loaf pan for at least 30 minutes, before serving and slicing.
Notes
Nutrition
All nutrition information is automatically generated and should be only used as a rough estimate. This recipe card may contain affiliate links.
