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Home » Vegetarian Recipe Ideas

Healthy Pumpkin Banana Bread

Published: Mar 28, 2019 · Modified: Sep 15, 2021 by Amy · This post may contain affiliate links ·

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One of my favorite recipes to make when Autumn comes around is my healthy pumpkin banana bread recipe. It has just the right flavor of pumpkin spice with a touch of banana. You won’t want to miss how moist this quick bread is!

Why You Should Make This

Pumpkin bread on its own has a fantastic Fall flavor, but when you add banana to it, you get a unique flavor profile. The banana gives the pumpkin bread an extra depth that you just can’t get from the pumpkin alone.

On top of that, a moist, flavorful quick bread is simple to make, so you can make it at the last minute. You’ll have a quick dessert in no time, that everyone is sure to love.

Lastly, I believe it’s important to use quality, healthy ingredients in your baking and so I use whole wheat flour in all of my quick bread. Whole wheat flour has some unique cooking properties, though. I will get to how to use it in the recipe a little later on.

Spreading butter on a piece of pumpkin banana bread.

Ingredients

  • Whole Wheat Pastry Flour
  • All-Purpose Flour
  • Ripe Bananas
  • Pumpkin Puree
  • Dark Brown Sugar
  • Eggs
  • Canola Oil
  • Vanilla
  • Baking Soda
  • Baking Powder
  • Salt
  • Cinnamon
  • Nutmeg

How To Make Whole Wheat Pumpkin Banana Bread

  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly grease your 8x4 inch loaf pan.
  2. Mix your flours, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt in a small bowl. Set aside.
  3. Mash your bananas in a medium-sized bowl. Then add in the pumpkin puree, oil, and brown sugar. Mix them well.
  4. Next, add in your eggs and vanilla. Mix to combine, but don't overmix.
  5. Last, combine the wet and dry ingredients. Again, do not over mix.
  6. Place in the oven and bake for 60-70 minutes.
  7. Insert a toothpick to check for doneness.
  8. Remove from the oven and allow the loaf to cool for about 5-10 minutes in the pan.
  9. Then, carefully remove the bread from the pan.
  10. You can either eat it hot, or allow it to cool slightly. I promise it is good either way.
Woman adding cinnamon to a bowl full of flour in a glass bowl.
Woman adding pumpkin puree to a glass bowl.
Woman cracking an egg into batter in a glass bowl.
Woman adding whole wheat flour to a glass bowl with batter in it.
Woman pouring batter into a loaf pan.

Notes

This quick bread has an endless number of variations. Once you’ve made it for yourself, you could try experimenting by making it with chocolate chips, chopped nuts, and much more. I personally love it just as it is, but you can tailor it to your own tastes.

The most important thing is that you don’t overmix your batter or overbake your bread. Overbaking your bread can lead to a tough loaf of bread and that’s not at all ideal for quick bread.

Lastly, your bananas should be super ripe. The riper they are, the better the banana flavor!

Baking With Whole Wheat Flour

If you’ve had a bad experience with whole wheat flour or have just been hesitant to give it a try, I can help you through the process. Whole wheat flour can be a little tricky to work with, but I have the inside scoop.

It’s important that you use whole wheat pastry flour in this recipe if you can find it. Not all flours are equal and that’s because the proteins in the flour have an effect on the whole bake. So be sure you get the right type of flour. A whole wheat pastry flour has a lower amount of protein making the final quick bread nice and soft.

It’s important not to overmix or overbake your bread with whole wheat flour, as well. These can lead to a hard loaf of bread, which is not desired in a quick bread. Part of the problem is that when you pull your bread out of the oven, it’s still baking a little bit. To avoid overbaking, I pull the bread out a little bit early so that it won’t become tough after it has cooled down.

Healthy Pumpkin Banana Bread on a white tray.

FAQ

Do I have to use whole wheat flour in this recipe?

You don't. The great thing about this recipe is you can use 100% all-purpose, or you can use 100% whole wheat. Or you can even do a mix of both like I am showing in the recipe

Can I add other ingredients to this recipe?

You can. Be mindful, however, that it could change your cook time or the amount of batter that you have. I can’t guarantee how the bread will come out, so consider it an experiment.

Can you freeze this bread?

You can. Make sure and wrap it well. It will hold in the freezer for at least a month.

Other Pumpkin Recipes

  • Pumpkin Milkshake
  • Baked Pumpkin donuts with maple glaze
  • Pumpkin risotto with bacon
  • Hearty Pumpkin and lentil soup
  • Tender Pumpkin Cinnamon Rolls
  • Pumpkin Brioche
Sliced pumpkin bread on a white tray.
Print Pin
5 from 3 votes

Pumpkin banana bread

This whole wheat banana pumpkin bread is a great example of healthy, whole grain quick breads that are moist and flavorful.
Course Dessert
Cuisine American
Keyword banana recipes, healthy desserts, healthy pumpkin recipes
Prep Time 10 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 30 minutes
Servings 12 serving
Author Amy

Ingredients

  • 1 cup ripe bananas I used 2 large bananas, this number of bananas will depend on the size of the bananas
  • ½ cup canola oil You can also use olive oil, or melted butter. I love the texture of this bread with canola oil though.
  • ⅔ cup brown sugar I love to use dark brown
  • 2 eggs
  • 1 cup pumpkin puree
  • 1 ½ teaspoons vanilla
  • 1 cups whole wheat pastry flour
  • 1 cup all-purpose flour
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • ½ teaspoon baking powder
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • 1 teaspoon cinnamon
  • ½ teaspoon nutmeg

Instructions

  • Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly grease your 8x4 inch loaf pan.
  • Mix your flours, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt in a small bowl. Set aside.
  • Mash your bananas in a medium-sized bowl. Then add in the pumpkin puree, oil, and brown sugar. Mix them well.
  • Next, add in your eggs and vanilla. Mix to combine, but don't overmix.
  • Last, combine the wet and dry ingredients. Again, do not over mix.
  • Place in the oven and bake for 60-70 minutes.
  • Insert a toothpick to check for doneness.
  • Remove from the oven and allow the loaf to cool for about 5-10 minutes in the pan.
  • Then, carefully remove the bread from the pan.
  • You can either eat it hot, or allow it to cool slightly. I promise it is good either way.
  • Now, sit back and enjoy. You deserve it.
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Hi, I'm Amy! I am a culinary school graduate working to create a balanced approach to healthy recipes. My recipes are ones that the whole family can love.

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