Pumpkin Banana Bread

If you’ve got a few spotty bananas on the counter, don’t toss them.. transform them. This Pumpkin Banana Bread is the coziest kind of fall magic: warm spices, sweet pumpkin and rich banana all swirling together in one perfectly moist loaf. The smell alone is worth it… but that first bite? Pure heaven.

Original post: August 2018 | Updated: October 2020 and September 2025

Why Try This Easy Pumpkin Banana Bread Recipe 

• Pumpkin + bananas = heaven
  I swear I should open a banana-aging facility because we somehow both eat and ignore bananas in our house. The upside? They turn into the perfect excuse to bake, and this pumpkin banana bread is the best flavor combo yet.
• Perfect recipe for pumpkin season
  When I first made this years ago, I had no idea how it would turn out… and it came out of the oven tall, moist, and absolutely heavenly. It’s super easy to throw together with ingredients you probably have on hand.
• It’s beautiful!
  This bread is a show-stopper.. tall, evenly baked, and so pretty. The banana and pumpkin keep it incredibly moist, and the chocolate chips on top add a sweet little something (totally optional, but highly recommended).

Pumpkin and Banana Bread Ingredients

Simple ingredients combine to create a fantastic flavor you have to taste to believe!

Bananas – Make sure your bananas are nice and ripe before mashing them and adding them to the batter. Unripe bananas will not produce a moist and perfectly baked bread.

Pumpkin puree – This is not the same as canned pumpkin pie filling. You can purchase a can of pumpkin puree for this recipe. Or consider making homemade pumpkin puree in your Instant Pot.

Pumpkin pie spice – If you don’t have pumpkin pie spice mixture on hand, you can combine 2 tbsp ground cinnamon, 1 1/2 tsp ground ginger and 1 tsp each allspice, cloves, and nutmeg.

Salted butter – softened

Light brown sugar – you can also use dark brown sugar if that’s what you have. It just contains a little more molasses.

Eggs – I find room temperature eggs make for a better batter.

Vanilla extract

All-purpose flour

Baking powder

Baking soda

Salt

Milk chocolate chips – optional, but highly recommended!

How to Make Moist Pumpkin Banana Bread

Follow recipe card directions at the bottom of this post for best results.

Step 1

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Coat a 9×5 loaf pan with cooking spray and set prepared pan aside. 

Step 2

Fit your stand mixer with the paddle attachment (or use a hand mixer and a large mixing bowl) and beat the butter, brown sugar, eggs and vanilla until combined.

Step 3

In a separate bowl, combine the remaining dry ingredients and use a fork or whisk to mix well. 

Gradually add the flour mixture to the wet ingredients and beat on medium-low speed until just combined. Stir in the pumpkin and bananas.

Step 4

Pour the batter into the prepared loaf pan, spreading in an even layer. 

Sprinkle chocolate chips over the top, if using, and bake for 60-70 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. 

Remove from the oven and let bread cool in the pan for 10 minutes before removing.

Slice and serve.

Banana Pumpkin Bread Recipe Notes & Tips

• Use a trusted gluten free flour if needed.
• Make sure you are using pure pumpkin purée and not pumpkin pie filling. You don’t want too much pumpkin spice flavor.
• Be sure to use in-date, fresh baking soda and baking powder for best rise results. Also, these two ingredients are not the same and are not equally interchangeable.
• Use your favorite add-ins like chopped nuts, chocolate chips, or extra banana slices or other fresh fruit.
• Allowing the bread to cool completely to room temperature will ensure that it keeps its shape, but it is best served just a little bit warm.
• This bread is best served solo or with a simple pat of butter.
• If you feel your bread is dry after baking, you can top it with a drizzle of this Simple Icing Glaze.

How to Serve Pumpkin Banana Bread

• Serve with a big pat of butter or nut butter or eat with a Greek yogurt for an easy breakfast or as an afternoon snack. 
• Turn individual slices into a fall-inspired French toast.
• Try a slice of pumpkin bread with some vanilla or pumpkin ice cream for a delicious dessert

How to Store Leftover Pumpkin Banana Bread

Allow the banana bread to cool fully before covering for storage. This will help to avoid any condensation forming.

Store fresh banana bread in an airtight container for up to 3 days at room temperature or 1 week in the refrigerator. Let refrigerate banana bread sit at room temp for 10-15 or zap it in the microwave for 10 seconds to loosen up the crumb and regain its softness.

You can also freeze leftover banana bread for up to 1 year! Slice the loaf and place a piece of parchment paper between each slice. Then wrap in plastic wrap and place in a freezer safe bag. 

Allow the frozen banana bread slices to thaw at room temperature or in the refrigerator, or reheat slices in the toaster.

How Do You Keep Banana Bread Moist?

Banana bread will be moist if you have a good ratio of flour to bananas and the more overripe the bananas, the better for the purpose of baking. Banana bread also keeps its moistness better when stored at room temperature rather than the fridge. 

Canned Pumpkin vs Pumpkin Puree

Canned pumpkin is a straight-up pumpkin that has been put into a can. Some pumpkin puree contains other ingredients that flavors it, making it pumpkin-pie ready. Read your labels to see what you’re getting in your next can of pumpkin! You can also avoid extra ingredients by making this Easy Homemade Pumpkin Puree.

What To Do With Pumpkin Puree

Aside from the obvious (pie!), you might be wondering What To Make With Pumpkin Puree so you can use up all of those scrumptious cans! Read on for some delicious pumpkin puree recipes!

Substitute For Pumpkin Puree

You can use an equal amount of cooked, mashed sweet potatoes or canned butternut squash as a great substitution for canned pumpkin, and you might not even be able to tell the difference!

How To Store Bananas

• Leave bananas in their little bunches on the counter or hanging from a banana tree. Be careful not to crack the top.
• Keeping the bananas at room temperature is optimal for bananas that are not yet past their prime. But the warmer the room, the faster they’ll ripen. If you wish to extend the life of the banana, wrap the stems in plastic wrap.
• Once bananas start to show signs of excessive ripeness (brown or even black spots), throw them into the fridge if you know you’ll be using them in a recipe in the next few days.
• If you don’t yet have a plan for your overripe bananas, put them in the freezer for a while. Before you freeze ripe bananas, it is ideal to remove them from the peel first and then place them in a freezer safe bag or container. You can also just toss the entire banana in the freezer, if you only have one or two and don’t want to mess with a peel at this point.
• When you are ready to use the frozen bananas in a recipe, allow them to thaw completely before mashing and adding them to your next batch of banana bread or any of the great recipes using ripe bananas! You can also add frozen bananas directly to your morning smoothie before blending!

What To Do With Ripe Bananas?

• Make this Best Banana Bread. It’s tried, tested, delicious and EASY! Great way to use up those ripe bananas staring at you from your counter!
• These Banana Bars With Maple Brown Sugar Frosting are in my Top 3 list of Best Desserts Ever to use up ripe bananas, in my opinion.
• Make Banana Crumb Muffins. You will love the brown sugar crumb topping on these tender muffins.
• Banana Chocolate Chip Cookies – Adding bananas to chocolate chip cookies is a great way to make cookies super moist and delicious!

More Delicious Pumpkin Recipes

• Enjoy the flavors of pumpkin pie covered by delicious dark chocolate all in a single bite with these Pumpkin Truffles.
• Pumpkin Layer Cake is the perfect festive dessert to bring to your next Halloween or fall themed party and is a great Thanksgiving dessert. 
• Give those chilly fall days a slice of heaven with this delicious Pumpkin Bread. It has a secret creamy middle that transforms each slice into a special treat!

Will you help add value to Pip and Ebby?
If you make this recipe and love it, stop back and give it a 5-star rating ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ and leave a comment. THANK YOU!