Holy moly are these pumpkin banana muffins delicious! They're soft, moist, cinnamon-y, just the right amount of sweet and filled with warm fall flavor. It only takes 30 minutes to make this mouthwatering autumn treat. Eat them for breakfast or enjoy as a healthy-ish dessert.
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Start your ovens! It's time for some fall baking.
Pumpkin season is truly my favorite time of the year. Does your kitchen constantly smell of cinnamon and cloves once September rolls around? I'm glad it's not just me.
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More Pumpkin Recipes
If you enjoy these pumpkin banana muffins you have to try my Healthy Pumpkin Banana Bread. You can actually use the batter from my healthy quick bread to create a refined sugar free variation of these muffins.
Also, you may want to try my Pumpkin Zucchini Muffins for some hidden veggies, or Pumpkin Baked Oatmeal for some hearty whole grains.
For a single serve dessert check out my Gluten Free Pumpkin Mug Cake!
Why You'll Love This Recipe
Great breakfast! I love these muffins for breakfast, they're the perfect grab-and-go option to pair with your morning coffee. They also make a good snack or dessert.
Low sugar: Lots of muffin recipes call for 1-2 whole cups of sugar! Because overripe bananas are already super sweet, we can add less sugar to supplement the natural sweetness of bananas.
Quick and easy: Whip them up in just 30 minutes using simple, pantry staple ingredients.
Freezer friendly: Make a big batch of muffins and freeze them for later! Microwave for about a minute before eating and they're good as fresh.
Ingredients & Substitutions
- Flour: Unbleached, all-purpose flour.
- Baking powder: Our leavening agent!
- Salt: Adds depth to the flavor in your muffins.
- Pumpkin pie spice: Typically a blend of cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves and ginger.
- Ground cinnamon: You can't go wrong with a little extra cinnamon!
- Bananas: Nice and overripe! The browner, the sweeter.
- Pumpkin puree: Any brand will do, you can also homemade pumpkin puree if it's sold out in store during peak fall baking season.
- Eggs: For extra fluffiness and flavor.
- Vanilla: Pure vanilla extract tastes best, but imitation vanilla will do the trick.
- White sugar: Or sub maple syrup!
- Butter: I love using unsalted butter in this recipe, it adds fantastic flavor. Salted butter will also work, but reduce added salt if you go this route. Coconut oil also works well!
How To Make Pumpkin Banana Muffins
Keep scrolling for the full recipe card and measurements. We’ll start here with a quick overview!
Combine wet ingredients:
- First things first, preheat your oven to 375°F.
- Peel two overripe bananas and place them in a large bowl, then mash with a fork until a pudding-like texture is reached.
- Add pumpkin purée, eggs, vanilla and sugar to the bowl with mashed banana. Whisk until well combined!
Melt butter:
- Melt unsalted butter in the microwave, then allow it to cool slightly.
- Thoroughly whisk melted butter into the other wet ingredients and set this bowl to the side.
Mix dry ingredients:
- Add all purpose flour, baking powder, salt, pumpkin pie spice and ground cinnamon to a separate bowl and whisk everything together.
Combine wet and dry:
- Transfer dry ingredients to the bowl containing wet ingredients. Use a spatula and gently fold everything together. Do not overmix, it's okay if the batter is lumpy!
Portion batter:
- Place paper liners in a 12 count muffin pan or coat with generously with non-stick cooking spray.
- Divide batter evenly between the muffin cups!
Bake muffins:
- Place muffin tin in the preheated oven and bake for 22 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean. Allow muffins to cool a bit, then enjoy!
Expert Tips
- Overripe bananas: It's key to use super ripe bananas in this recipe. Let them sit on the counter until they're nice and brown and spotted! This will make your muffins extra sweet and scrumptious.
- Pumpkin puree: This recipe calls for ¾ cup pumpkin puree, which is about half of a 15 ounce can. Make a double batch of muffins to use up the whole can or use leftovers to make this amazing pumpkin chia pudding!
- Store leftover puree: I don't recommend leaving leftover pumpkin puree in the can. I always transfer mine to a small, lidded container and place it in the refrigerator. It lasts much longer this way.
- Measure flour properly: Use a scoop or spoon to fill your measuring cup to overflowing, then level it off with a knife. If you dip your measuring cup directly into the flour container, it creates a packing effect and you risk adding too much flour to your batter.
- Avoid overmixing batter: Overmixing can make your muffins dense and tough, rather than moist and fluffy. Mix until all dry ingredients are just barely incorporated, if the batter is a little bit lumpy, that's okay.
- Don't overbake muffins! As soon as your muffins are passing the toothpick test, remove them from the oven (note: your toothpick doesn't need to be bone dry in order for the muffins to be done, a crumb or two is okay)
Recipe Variations
Add chocolate chips: Add a handful of dark or semi-sweet chips to your muffin batter. You can also use sugar free chocolate chips!
Sprinkle in some raisins: Some sweet, dried raisins would go really nicely in these muffins.
Stir in some chopped nuts: Walnuts are my fav, but feel free to use whatever you've got on hand!
Pumpkin seeds: Add some roasted pumpkin seeds or pepitas to your batter! These also look pretty sprinkled on top.
Mini muffins: Make 24 mini muffins instead of 12 larger ones. Keep in mind that these will bake a lot faster so adjust your timer accordingly, I would check progress after 8-10 minutes.
Pumpkin bread: Use your batter to make bread instead of muffins! Coat an 8x4" loaf pan with non-stick cooking spray and spread batter evenly into the pan, then bake approximately 45 minutes.
How To Store
- Storage: Allow muffins to cool and place them in a ziploc bag, reusable silicone bag or airtight container. Muffins will last at room temperature for 2-3 days, they'll last a little longer in the refrigerator (about a week)!
- Freezer instructions: You can also store these muffins in the freezer for 2-3 months. I put mine in a Ziploc bag for freezing.
- How to reheat: Muffins are tasty at room-temp, but I like them even better warm. I generally pop them in the microwave for 30-60 seconds, or a bit longer if reheating from frozen.
Frequently Asked Questions
Definitely! You can store these muffins in the freezer for 2-3 months and simply microwave around 60-90 seconds to thaw.
I consider these muffins to be healthy-ish. They do contain some sugar, but not a whole lot. Some muffin recipes call for 1-2 whole cups of sugar, here we're using just ⅔ cup to supplement the natural sweetness of over-ripe bananas. You can use maple syrup if you'd prefer to avoid refined sugar!
100% yes! White or dark chocolate chips are super yummy in pumpkin banana muffins. You can also add chopped nuts, roasted pumpkin seeds or pepitas.
Even More Pumpkin Recipes
- Pumpkin Spice Sauce (For Coffee)!
- Maple Pecan Pumpkin Cookies
- Low Carb Pumpkin Cheesecake
- Pumpkin Cheesecake Jars
- Eggnog Pumpkin Pie
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Easy Pumpkin Banana Muffins
Equipment
- 2 Large mixing bowls
- 1 Muffin pan (12 count)
- Muffin liners or cooking spray
Ingredients
Wet Ingredients
- 2 medium over-ripe bananas
- ¾ cup pumpkin puree *not pumpkin pie filling *see note below
- 2 large eggs
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract *imitation also works
- ⅔ cup white sugar *or maple syrup *see note below
- 6 tablespoons unsalted butter *melted *see note below
Dry Ingredients
- 1 & ¾ cups all purpose flour *see note below
- 1 & ¼ teaspoons baking powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 & ½ teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
- ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
Recipe notes:
Pumpkin puree: This recipe doesn't use a full can of pumpkin, I recommend storing leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge, they won't last as long if left in the can. Sugar: I've made these muffins with only ½ cup of sugar before and they were still very good! If you want to reduce sugar this is a good option. Unsalted butter: Salted butter works in a pinch, reduce added salt if you go this route. Coconut oil can also be substituted! Flour: Use a scoop or spoon to fill your measuring cup to overflowing, then level it off with a knife. Don't dip your measuring cup directly into the flour container, this creates a packing effect and can result in too much flour.Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 375°F.
- Peel bananas and place them in a large mixing bowl, mash with a fork until a pudding-like texture is reached.2 medium over-ripe bananas
- Add pumpkin puree, eggs, vanilla extract and sugar to the bowl. Whisk well.¾ cup pumpkin puree, 2 large eggs, 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract, ⅔ cup white sugar
- Melt unsalted butter in the microwave, then allow it to cool slightly and whisk into the other wet ingredients. Set aside.6 tablespoons unsalted butter
- Add all purpose flour, baking powder, salt, pumpkin pie spice and ground cinnamon to a separate mixing bowl and whisk everything together.1 & ¾ cups all purpose flour, 1 & ¼ teaspoons baking powder, ½ teaspoon salt, 1 & ½ teaspoons pumpkin pie spice, ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- Transfer dry ingredients to the bowl containing wet ingredients and fold together with a spatula. Avoiding overmixing! It's okay if the batter is thick and lumpy.
- Place paper liners in a 12 count muffin pan or coat with generously with non-stick cooking spray. Divide batter evenly between the cavities.
- Bake 20-25 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean. Allow muffins to cool on a wire rack, then enjoy!
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Nutrition
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Sally says
These had the perfect amount of sweetness and are the perfect fall treat!
Garlic Salt & Lime says
So glad you enjoyed this recipe, Sally! 🙂