Pumpkin Banana Bread Recipe – Moist, Easy and Perfect for Fall

Pumpkin bread is a fall classic. Banana bread is a year-round favourite. Put them together and you get something genuinely better than either one on its own.

This pumpkin banana bread is unbelievably moist, warmly spiced, and soft all the way through. The banana is not overpowering — it works in the background, adding sweetness, moisture, and a depth that makes this bread taste more complex than a standard pumpkin loaf. And the pumpkin spice comes through beautifully in every slice.

One bowl, simple pantry ingredients, and about ten minutes of actual prep before it goes in the oven. The hardest part is waiting for it to bake. And then waiting for it to cool before you slice it.

Love all things pumpkin? Do not miss my full collection of the best pumpkin dessert recipes — cheesecakes, bars, rolls, cookies, and more all in one place.

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Why You Will Love This Recipe

• The best of banana bread and pumpkin bread in one impossibly moist loaf
• The banana adds moisture and sweetness without overpowering the pumpkin spice
• Oil-based batter stays moist and tender for days
• One bowl, no mixer, about 10 minutes of prep
• 4.99 stars from nearly 400 bakers — basically a perfect recipe
• Freezes beautifully — make ahead and slice whenever you need it

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Ingredients

• 2 cups all-purpose flour (250g), spooned and leveled
• 2 tsp pumpkin pie spice
• 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/2 cup vegetable oil (120ml)
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar (100g)
• 1/2 cup packed light brown sugar (110g)
• 2 large eggs, room temperature
• 2 tsp pure vanilla extract
• 2 medium ripe bananas, mashed
• 1 cup pure pumpkin puree (225g)
• 1/2 cup chopped walnuts, optional

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Ingredient Notes and Substitutions

Bananas — Must be very ripe with lots of brown spots — the riper the better. Ripe bananas are sweeter, softer, and mash more easily. A firm yellow banana will not give you enough sweetness or moisture. If your bananas are not ripe yet, you can ripen them in the oven: place unpeeled bananas on a lined baking sheet and bake at 300 degrees Fahrenheit for 30 to 40 minutes until the skins are completely black. Cool before using.

Pumpkin puree — Pure canned pumpkin only, not pumpkin pie filling. This recipe uses 1 cup — just over half a 15 oz can. Transfer the leftover puree to a freezer bag and freeze for up to 4 to 6 months.

Oil — Vegetable oil is what keeps this bread incredibly moist for days. Do not swap for melted butter — the texture and keeping quality both suffer. Avocado oil and melted coconut oil work at the same quantity.

Both sugars — Granulated sugar gives structure and sweetness, brown sugar adds moisture and a warm caramel depth that pairs beautifully with the pumpkin spice.

Pumpkin pie spice — Store-bought blend is perfect. Or make your own with cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, allspice, and cloves.

Walnuts — Completely optional but add a lovely crunch and textural contrast. Pecans work just as well. Leave them out entirely for a nut-free loaf.

Flour — Spoon into the measuring cup and level off. Do not scoop directly from the bag — too much flour makes a dry, dense loaf.

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Step-by-Step Instructions

Step 1: Prep the Pan and Oven

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Grease and flour a 9×5 inch loaf pan, or line it with parchment paper leaving overhang on the two long sides for easy lifting. Set aside.

Step 2: Mix the Dry Ingredients

In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, pumpkin pie spice, cinnamon, baking soda, baking powder, and salt until evenly combined. Set aside.

Step 3: Mix the Wet Ingredients

In a large bowl, whisk together the vegetable oil, granulated sugar, brown sugar, eggs, and vanilla extract until smooth and no lumps remain.

Step 4: Add the Pumpkin and Banana

Stir the mashed bananas and pumpkin puree into the wet mixture until well combined and uniform.

Step 5: Combine

Add the flour mixture to the wet ingredients. Using a rubber spatula or wooden spoon, stir gently until just combined — stop as soon as no dry streaks remain. Do not overmix. Overmixing develops gluten and makes the bread tough and dense.

Fold in the chopped walnuts if using.

Step 6: Bake

Pour the batter into the prepared loaf pan and spread it evenly to the edges.

Bake at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for 50 to 60 minutes. Start checking at 50 minutes by inserting a toothpick into the center of the loaf — it should come out clean or with just a couple of moist crumbs. The top should feel firm to the touch and the loaf should not wobble when you gently nudge the pan.

If the top is browning too quickly before the center is baked through, tent a piece of aluminium foil loosely over the top for the last 15 minutes of baking.

Step 7: Cool

Leave the bread in the pan for 10 minutes, then lift it out using the parchment overhang or tip gently onto a wire rack. Cool completely before slicing — at least 1 hour. Slicing warm quick bread gives you a gummy, underset interior even when the loaf is fully baked.

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Tips for the Best Results

• Use very ripe bananas — lots of brown spots means maximum sweetness and moisture
• Spoon the flour into the measuring cup and level off — never scoop directly from the bag
• Do not overmix — stir until just combined and stop
• Tent with foil if the top is browning too fast — check after 45 minutes
• The loaf is done when a toothpick comes out clean and the top is firm — not when the timer goes off
• Cool completely before slicing — at least 1 hour on a wire rack
• This bread gets even better on day two as the flavours deepen

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Variations

• Chocolate chips — fold in 1/2 cup of mini chocolate chips alongside or instead of the walnuts for a pumpkin banana chocolate chip bread
• Pecans — swap walnuts for chopped pecans for a slightly sweeter, buttery crunch
• Cream cheese swirl — beat 4 oz softened cream cheese with 3 tbsp sugar and 1/2 tsp vanilla, dollop over the batter before baking, and swirl through with a skewer for a pumpkin banana cream cheese bread
• Streusel topping — mix 1/4 cup flour, 1/4 cup brown sugar, 1 tsp cinnamon, and 2 tbsp cold cubed butter into crumbs. Sprinkle over the batter before baking for a crunch-topped version
• Mini loaves — divide the batter among 2 to 3 mini loaf pans (5 and 3/4 x 3 x 2-inch) and bake for 25 to 30 minutes
• Muffins — divide batter among 12 lined muffin cups and bake at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for 18 to 20 minutes

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What to Serve With It

• Sliced warm and spread with salted butter — the classic way
• With a drizzle of honey over each slice
• Spread with peanut butter for a heartier treat
• With a hot coffee or spiced apple cider alongside
• Toasted and spread with cinnamon butter for the most cozy fall morning
• On a fall dessert board alongside pumpkin bars and pumpkin cookies

Pumpkin banana bread is one of those recipes that sounds like a simple combination but tastes like something really special.

The banana does not make this taste like banana bread — it makes this taste like the best pumpkin bread you have ever eaten. Deeper, moister, richer. The kind of loaf that gets better every hour it sits and is even more incredible the next day.

Slice it warm with butter. Or wait until it is completely cool and cut it thick. Either way, it is one of the coziest things you can make all fall.

For more pumpkin dessert recipes you will love:

• Moist Pumpkin Bread
• Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Muffins
• Pumpkin Cream Cheese Muffins
• Pumpkin Bars with Cream Cheese Frosting
• Pumpkin Cheesecake
• Pumpkin Dump Cake

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