This pumpkin spice banana bread has mashed bananas, pumpkin pie spice, and pumpkin purée to create the perfect fall treat. I even sprinkled on top of the bread pumpkin spice sugar before baking to add a nice crunch!
This recipe was originally published in September of 2020, but was updated on August 9, 2023 with newer content.
This banana pumpkin bread is a great recipe to use up those overripe bananas sitting on your counter.
The banana flavor really shines when paired with the fall flavors of pumpkin. The bread is moist, while also being sturdy and dense. It's so good!
Looking for more pumpkin recipes? Then check out these: pumpkin oatmeal muffins, pumpkin s'mores cookies, and pumpkin chocolate chip cupcakes.
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Why You'll Love This Bread
- It's full of warm flavors and Fall spices.
- The bread has a moist texture, while also being sturdy.
- It has both pumpkin puree and bananas mixed into the batter.
- All you need are simple ingredients.
- It makes for a perfect fall breakfast!
I made my own pumpkin spice sugar to sprinkle over the top of the bread. It adds a touch of sweetness and a nice crunch!
Expert Baking Tips
- Bread Pan: Line your 9×5-inch loaf pan with parchment paper, creating "handles" that hang over the sides. Then spray the pan with non-stick spray.
- Measuring Flour: To help ensure you don’t add extra flour, follow these three simple steps: 1) Fluff up the flour using a fork. 2) Spoon the flour into your measuring cup. 3) Scrape a knife across the top of the measuring cup to level out the flour.
- Folding: When we are ready to combine the wet and dry ingredients we will “fold” them together just until you see no more white flour. Folding: This means we carefully combine our ingredients without stirring or beating.
- Pumpkin Spice: If you do not have pumpkin pie spice at home, you can easily make your own. Here is my recipe for how to make your own pumpkin spice.
- Pumpkin Spice Sugar: To make about a ½ cup of pumpkin spice sugar, combine ½ cup of sugar, 1 teaspoon cinnamon, ½ teaspoon ground ginger, ¼ teaspoon ground cloves, and ¼ teaspoon of ground nutmeg.
Ingredients Needed
Here are some notes on the ingredients we'll be using. For the full ingredients list, look at the recipe card below.
- Flour: I used all purpose flour.
- Spices: A combination of both pumpkin pie spice and cinnamon are used. If you don't have pumpkin spice you can easily make your own (check out above under "expert baking tips").
- Oil: Use either canola or vegetable oil.
- Pumpkin Puree: Be sure not to confuse this with pumpkin pie filling for they are not the same. If you don't know what brand to buy, Libby's pumpkin puree is always great! Pumpkin puree only contains one ingredient, and that's pumpkin.
- Banana: Just one will do! A brown and wrinkly banana is perfect.
Instructions
Here are the step by step instructions on how to make this maple banana bread recipe.
Step 1: Dry ingredients. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, pumpkin spice, cinnamon, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.
Step 2: Wet ingredients. In a large mixing bowl, mash the banana using a fork. Then add the sugar, brown sugar, oil, eggs, pumpkin puree, and vanilla extract and whisk together until completely combined.
Step 3: Combine the ingredients. Add the flour mixture into the wet and fold everything together using a rubber spatula just until combined.
Step 4: Pumpkin spice sugar. In a separate bowl, whisk together the sugar, cinnamon, ginger, cloves, and nutmeg.
Step 5: Bake. Pour batter into the prepared loaf pan and sprinkle on the pumpkin sugar. Then bake for 40-50 minutes.
Cool in the pan for 30 minutes before transferring the bread over to a wire rack to cool completely.
Storing Tips
Keep any leftover bread slices in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 7 days.
You can also leave the bread at room temperature for 4 days before refrigerating. Feel free to cover the whole bread pan with aluminum foil or plastic wrap.
Frequently Asked Questions
I recommend this 9x5 inch bread pan. It's glass, so the bread doesn't over bake too quickly. If you use a dark pan you run the risk of burning it.
If you wanted to make pumpkin chocolate chip bread, then fold in a ½ cup of chocolate chips to the batter. You could even top the bread with extra chocolate chips too!
If you made this recipe, please leave a comment and star rating below. I love hearing from you! Also, please tag me on Instagram and check out my Pinterest for even more recipe ideas.
It brings me so much joy to see you make my recipes. 🙂
Happy Baking!
More Fall Breakfast Treats
📖 Recipe
Pumpkin Spice Banana Bread
Equipment
- 9x5-Inch Bread Pan
- Mixing Bowls
Ingredients:
- 1 ¾ cups all-purpose flour
- 1 ½ teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
- ¾ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 large overripe banana
- ⅓ cup sugar
- ⅓ cup brown sugar
- ¼ cup vegetable oil (or canola)
- 2 large eggs
- ¾ cup pumpkin puree
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Pumpkin Spice Sugar
- ½ cup sugar
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon ground ginger
- ¼ teaspoon ground cloves
- ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
Instructions:
Pumpkin Spice Banana Bread
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and line a 9x5-inch bread pan with parchment paper, creating "handles" that hang over the sides. Then spray the pan with non-stick spray.
- In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, pumpkin pie spice, cinnamon, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.
- In a large bowl, mash the banana using a fork and then whisk in the sugar, brown sugar, oil, eggs, pumpkin puree, and vanilla extract until thoroughly incorporated.
- Add the dry ingredients into the wet and use a rubber spatula to carefully fold everything together. Pour the batter into the prepared bread pan.
Pumpkin Spice Sugar
- In a small bowl, whisk together the sugar, cinnamon, ginger, cloves, and nutmeg.*You could also use 2 teaspoons of pumpkin pie spice if you have it.
- Sprinkle over the top of the bread and bake for 40-50 minutes, using a toothpick to check for doneness (the toothpick should come out clean). Cool for 30 minutes in the pan and then use the parchment paper "handles" to remove the bread. Serve warm or continue to let the bread cool on a wire rack.
- Keep any leftovers in an airtight continer in the refrigerator for up to 7 days.
Notes:
- Bread Pan: Line your 9×5-inch loaf pan with parchment paper, creating "handles" that hang over the sides. Then spray the pan with non-stick spray.
- Measuring Flour: To help ensure you don’t add extra flour, follow these three simple steps: 1) Fluff up the flour using a fork. 2) Spoon the flour into your measuring cup. 3) Scrape a knife across the top of the measuring cup to level out the flour.
- Folding: When we are ready to combine the wet and dry ingredients we will “fold” them together just until you see no more white flour. Folding: This means we carefully combine our ingredients without stirring or beating.
- Pumpkin Spice: If you do not have pumpkin pie spice at home, you can easily make your own. Here is my recipe for how to make your own pumpkin spice.
- Pumpkin Spice Sugar: To make about a ½ cup of pumpkin spice sugar, combine ½ cup of sugar, 1 teaspoon cinnamon, ½ teaspoon ground ginger, ¼ teaspoon ground cloves, and ¼ teaspoon of ground nutmeg.
Nutrition
I’ve made this recipe twice and it turned out perfect both times! I was surprised how well the banana and pumpkin flavors worked together. Thanks for another great go-to recipe!
So glad you loved it, Jess!
Hello! I made this recipe with high hopes and I did everything to a T and it looks like the loaf didn't rise up as much as it probably should've. Could it be from something like over folding?
Hi Madison. I'm so sorry to hear that the pumpkin bread did not rise properly! A few reasons for that could have been overfolding the ingredients like you mentioned. If you fold the ingredients together too much, then that could result in a dense and dry bread. Another possibility could have been the baking powder. Was it expired? Sometimes we don't realize ingredients such as baking soda or baking powder are no longer good and that can effect the way our baked goods bake and rise. Again, I am so sorry your recipe did not turn out as planned and I hope these suggestions will help for next time!
Welp. It looks like the Baking Powder I used expired Sep. 24, 2020! Ugh how embarrassing! Lol thank you so much for responding!!
I'm glad we were able to figure it out! And you're welcome 🙂