This one bowl vegan pumpkin banana bread recipe is soft, moist and loaded with warm fall flavors. Easy to make with simple ingredients, it's a fantastic seasonal treat to enjoy for breakfast, a snack, and dessert!
Pumpkin season just got a whole lot better! If you're a fan of banana bread or pumpkin desserts, you're going to love this fall recipe. This easy vegan banana pumpkin bread is the perfect combination of banana, warm spices and pumpkin flavor. It's the best of banana bread and pumpkin bread rolled into one and truly takes them to the next level.
It's a quick bread that's great to enjoy throughout fall and the holiday season. It's great as is or even more delicious if you choose to customize it with chocolate chip or nuts!
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Why you'll love this recipe
- The perfect fall sweet treat: it's a classic recipe we all know and love with a fall twist! It's great for when you're just craving something sweet or if you need a delicious dessert for Thanksgiving.
- Quick and easy to make in just one bowl with simple ingredients
- Super moist texture that stays moist for days on end
- Uses up overripe bananas before they go bad!
- No egg alternatives: this recipe is completely eggless and doesn't require any egg replacers, like flax eggs, thanks to the banana and pumpkin puree.
equipment
- Loaf pan: a standard 9x5 loaf pan will do! For best results, use a light-colored, metal loaf pan.
- Parchment paper: use parchment paper to ensure the bread doesn't stick to the pan. If you don't have parchment paper, just be sure to grease the pan really well!
- Whisk & Rubber spatula
- Mixing bowl: since this is a one bowl recipe, you just need one large mixing bowl.
- Kitchen scale: for the best result! A scale is the best when it comes to measuring ingredients for baking.
- Measuring cups & spoons: if you don't want to use or don't have a scale.
Ingredients
- Flour: I used all-purpose flour, but you can easily use whole wheat flour, spelt flour or 1:1 gluten-free all purpose flour instead.
- Pumpkin Purée: be sure to use 100% pure pumpkin puree, not pumpkin pie filling. I use Libbys canned pumpkin puree, but you can definitely make homemade pumpkin puree if you're feeling up for it.
- Mashed Banana: make sure you're using overripe bananas to get the most out of their natural sweetness. Mashing them will help add moisture to the bread. Feel free to leave a few small chunks for added texture.
- Leavening agents: we'll be using baking soda and baking powder to help the bread rise and give it that soft texture.
- Sugar: light brown sugar will help make the bread extra moist!
- Vegan butter: I always recommend using vegan butter sticks for all your vegan baking.
- Vanilla extract
- Spices: We'll be using pumpkin pie spice to add warming flavors to the bread.
- Salt: just a pinch to balance out the sweetness.
See recipe card below for a full list of ingredients and measurements.
Variations & Substitutions
- Make it gluten-free by replacing the all-purpose flour with your favorite all-purpose gluten-free flour at a 1:1 ratio. The Bob's Red Mill one is great. This has not been tested with almond flour or oat flour.
- Use add-ins by tossing in either chocolate chips, chopped walnuts, pecans, or pumpkin seeds. It's also delicious as is without any add ins. You could also even top it with a maple glaze or cream cheese frosting like I did.
- Make your own pumpkin spice by mixing 1½ teaspoons cinnamon, ½ teaspoon ground ginger, ¼ teaspoon allspice and a pinch of nutmeg or ground clove.
- Change up your sweetener by using granulated sugar, or make it refined-sugar free, by using coconut sugar.
- Use oil instead of vegan butter at a 1:1 ratio. You can use coconut oil, canola oil, vegetable oil, avocado oil, or olive oil. If you use melted coconut oil, make sure all other wet ingredients are at room temp so the coconut oil doesn't seize up.
- For a more cake-like banana bread, cream the butter and sugar together until light and fluffy.
- Make pumpkin banana bread muffins by dividing the batter across a 12 cups muffin pan and baking at 350°F for 25-30 minutes.
This recipe has not been tested with any other substitutions or variations than the ones listed above. If you replace or add any ingredients, please let us know how it turned out in the comments below!
Instructions
- In a large mixing bowl, add the wet ingredients and whisk until combined.
- To the same bowl, add the dry ingredients.
- Mix until just combined. The moment there are no longer streaks of flour, stop mixing!
- Pour batter into the prepared loaf pan and bake for 50-55 minutes at 350°F, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Let cool in the loaf pan for 15 minutes then on a cooling rack for at least 1 hour before slicing.
Serve as is or with butter, peanut butter, almond butter or a drizzle of maple syrup!
EXPERT Tips
- Use ripe bananas for optimal sweetness! The more brown spots the banana has, the sweeter it usually is. Just make sure they haven't actually gone bad!
- Do not over-mix. Stop mixing when you no longer see streaks of flour in the banana bread batter. If you overmix, your banana bread will likely be tough and dense.
- Use fresh baking soda. The best way to ensure that your bread rises properly is to use fresh baking soda. If it's older than 3 months you might want to grab a new one.
- Banana measurement: be sure the bananas are mashed first before measuring to ensure the proper measurement.
- Use a light-colored, metal loaf pans like aluminum. Light-colored metal pans reflect heat more evenly, preventing over-browning on the edges while the center is baking. Dark pans can absorb too much heat, causing the cake to bake unevenly or develop a thick, dark crust. Avoid glass or ceramic pans. While glass or ceramic pans can be used, they retain heat differently and must be baked at 325°F to prevent overbaking.
- If your banana bread is browning too much or too quickly, lightly tent the top with foil.
- Make sure you let the bread cool completely before cutting it! This will ensure that the bread won't flatten or sink in the middle. Also, use a serrated bread knife for the best slice.
- For the best and most accurate results, use a kitchen scale to weigh your ingredients or use the spoon and level method. This means using a spoon to fluff the flour first, then spoon it into your measuring cup and level it with the back of a knife.
Storage
Room Temperature: Store this vegan pumpkin bread wrapped in plastic wrap or aluminum foil, or in an airtight container, at room temperature for up to 3 days.
Refrigerator: Store leftover pumpkin banana bread in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5-7 days. You can eat it chilled or warm up a slice in the oven before enjoying.
Freezer: Banana bread is freezer friendly! Allow the bread to cool completely before transferring to an airtight container. Freeze for up to 3 months as individual slices or the whole loaf. Allow to thaw at room temperature before enjoying.
FAQ
If you have a few days before you have to bake your banana bread, you can use the paper bag method! Place bananas in a brown paper bag with either an apple or an already overripe banana. This will speeding up the ripening process and will be ready to use in 2-3 days.
If you want to bake right away, put your bananas in the oven! Bake unpeeled bananas at 300°F on a baking sheet until they turn black, or for 15-20 minutes. Let the bananas cool completely, peel and you're good to go!
Nothing too bad! The bananas just aren't as soft and not nearly as sweet, which results in a drier, less flavorful banana bread.
Yes, you can use frozen bananas to make this vegan banana bread, just follow these steps:
Step 1: thaw frozen bananas at room temperature in a large bowl until they are completely defrosted.
Step 2: drain the excess liquid that's produced from thawing them. Don't skip this step otherwise the bread will end up with too much moisture.
Step 3: use in the recipe as directed!
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📖 Recipe
Vegan Pumpkin Banana Bread
Ingredients
Vegan Pumpkin Banana Bread
- 1 cup (225 g) mashed banana
- 1 cup (144 g) pure pumpkin puree
- ⅓ cup (76 g) vegan butter melted
- ¾ cup (150 g) light brown sugar packed
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 cups (240 g) all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons baking soda
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- 2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ½ cup chocolate chips or walnuts optional
Maple Glaze (optional)
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- 1 tablespoon maple syrup
- 1-2 tablespoons unsweetened dairy-free milk
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 350°F and line a 9x5-inch loaf pan with parchment paper or grease well.
- In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the mashed banana, pumpkin puree, melted vegan butter, light brown sugar and vanilla extract until combined.1 cup mashed banana, 1 cup pure pumpkin puree, ⅓ cup vegan butter, ¾ cup light brown sugar, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- To the same bowl, add in the flour, baking soda & powder, pumpkin pie spice and salt. Mix until just combined, stopping the moment there are no longer streaks of flour running through the batter. If you're adding chocolate chips or walnuts, gently fold them in now.2 cups all-purpose flour, 2 teaspoons baking soda, ½ teaspoon baking powder, 2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice, ¼ teaspoon salt, ½ cup chocolate chips or walnuts
- Pour batter into the prepared loaf pan and bake for 50-60 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Let the banana bread completely cool for at least 1 hour before slicing.
- Optional: in a small bowl, whisk together powdered sugar, maple syrup and non-dairy milk to make the maple glaze. Drizzle over top the cooled pumpkin banana bread.1 cup powdered sugar, 1 tablespoon maple syrup, 1-2 tablespoons unsweetened dairy-free milk
- Slice and and enjoy!
Jaclyn says
SO SO GOOD. Have made multiple times and will continue to make. So easy to follow and so delicious
Lauren Casolaro says
Thank you so much for you review, I'm so glad you love it!!
John says
DELICIOUS!! Also love that you have the measurements of each ingredient at the step it’s needed, I’ve never seen that on any other food blog and it’s so helpful
Lauren Casolaro says
I'm so glad you loved the bread and find that feature helpful!
Sharon Slobodow says
I subbed out applesauce for the butter as we're trying really hard to be low to no oil in our diet. Also used a mix of wheat and Bob's Mill 1-1 gluten free flour as I didn't have enough of either one. The flavor was awesome! It was a little denser than I would've liked, but probably because of my own alterations to the recipe. I topped ours with a coconut, walnut and brown sugar streusel. Perfect late October treat!
Lauren Casolaro says
Hi Sharon! Thank you so so much for trying this recipe so quickly and for your review!! From the changes you made, it sounds like the swap from oil/butter to applesauce (rather than using it in place of the pumpkin or banana) is likely the reason for why it was a bit denser. I'm so glad you still loved the flavor and the toppings you added sound delicious!
Samantha says
So unbelievably good!! The perfect fall recipe
Lauren Casolaro says
Thank you! So glad you like it