This moist Vegan Pumpkin Banana Bread is bursting with delicious fall flavors. Similar to my 5-Ingredient Vegan Banana Bread it includes only a couple of simple ingredients and is very quick and easy to make with no fancy equipment needed.
Plus, there's no milk, eggs or butter included making it a healthier choice.
In this Vegan Pumpkin Banana Bread recipe the creamy pumpkin purée and sweet ripe bananas meld together to create some warm and cozy fall flavors. The pumpkin puree adds a richness and subtly earthy flavors while the ripe bananas add some natural sweetness.
It's also made without eggs, dairy or butter, making this a satisfying yet wholesome breakfast, sweet treat or dessert.
For more recipes using ripe bananas see No Butter Banana Muffins, Vegan Banana Cookies or these Healthy Banana Brownies.
Or check out Pumpkin Spice Oatmeal, Vegan Pumpkin Brownies or Oat Milk Pumpkin Spice Latte for more pumpkin puree recipes.
Why you'll love this recipe
- It’s super moist like my No-Butter Banana Bread but with some additional pumpkin spice flavors.
- It's a quick and easy recipe, perfect for fall season and only requires a couple of simple ingredients.
- It’s dairy-free, eggless and made without butter (even without vegan butter).
- Perfect to utilize any leftover pumpkin puree or overripe bananas during the holiday season.
Ingredients & Substitution Notes
- Flour: I used regular white all-purpose flour but if you want you could try using whole grain or spelt flour instead. The taste might be slightly different though.
- Mashed Bananas: I highly recommend using overly-ripe, spotted bananas. They are naturally sweeter than green bananas. The mashed bananas not only add flavor but also also act as an egg replacement (no flax eggs required).
- Brown Sugar: Is used to further sweeten this bread. Alternatively you could used coconut sugar or cane sugar at a 1:1 ratio.
- Pumpkin Puree: I used my Homemade Pumpkin Puree for this recipe. It can easily be made on the stovetop or in an instant pot (it can be made without an oven). You could also use canned pumpkin puree instead. Make sure that your puree is thick and creamy and not on the runnier side.
- Olive Oil: I like olive oil because it includes lots of high quality monounsaturated fats. You could replace it with other types of oils such as coconut oil, avocado oil, canola oil or any other neutral vegetable oil of choice.
- Walnuts: Adds some crunchiness and additional healthy fats to this bread. Could be replaced with pecans or omitted to keep it nut-free.
- Chocolate chips (optional): I also love adding a handful of chocolate chips to the dough.
- Icing (optional): I highly recommend our 2-Ingredient Vegan Caramel as glaze!
See recipe card for quantities.
How to Make Vegan Pumpkin Banana Bread
Because of its simple ingredients this easy banana bread is really easy to prepare!
STEP 1: Mash your bananas with a fork on a flat surface or in a soup bowl. Make sure to only use very ripe bananas.
STEP 2: Then add all of your dry ingredients (flour, sugar, baking powder, pumpkin pie spice, salt) to a large bowl and whisk well.
STEP 3: Then add all the wet ingredients (mashed bananas, olive oil and pumpkin puree) to a separate mixing bowl.
STEP 4: Whisk until well combined.
STEP 5: Add wet ingredients to dry ones and gently stir until a thick batter forms. Don't overmix! Add in chopped walnuts.
STEP 6: Transfer the batter to a loaf tin (~20 x 10cm/ 8x4 inch) lined with parchment paper and bake in preheated oven for 45 – 55 minutes. Then transfer the bread to a wire rack and let cool completely.
Top tips
- Use ripe bananas: Use bananas with lots of brown spots- they are naturally much sweeter and mash more easily.
- Measure ingredients accurately: To end up with the perfect consistency, I highly recommend measuring out the required amount of mashed banana using a cup.
- Don't overmix the batter or you'll end up with a dense, chewy bread.
- Use pumpkin puree: Ensure that you're using pumpkin puree not pumpkin pie filling as the ladder often contains added sweetener and spices.
- Check doneness: Insert a toothpick into the center of the bread. If it comes out clean, the pumpkin bread is ready.
- Cool properly: Allow the bread to cool in the pan for 10 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack and let cool completely.
Optional add-ins
- Nuts: This bread already includes some walnuts. You could use pecans or almonds or any other nuts of choice instead.
- Seeds: Adding some pumpkin seeds or sunflower seeds would make an amazing addition as well.
- Vanilla Extract: For some additional vanilla flavours feel free to add a bit of vanilla extract.
- Chocolate Chips: I love adding a handful or dark chocolate chips to the dough!
- Dried Fruit: such as raisins or cranberries can infuse your bread with a sweet and chewy texture.
- Lemon or Orange Zest: Add some grated citrus zest for a refreshing, zesty aroma.
- Cinnamon: Add a teaspoon of cinnamon to the dough for some warm flavors.
Serving ideas
- Caramel: I love drizzling it with my 2 Ingredient Vegan Caramel Sauce.
- Powdered sugar: Or dust some powdered sugar on top.
- Peanut butter: Another one of my favorite topping ideas! Instead you can use almond butter or for a nut-free version stick to sunflower seed butter.,
- Your favorite jam such as strawberry jam
Pairing suggestions
Variations
- Vegan/ dairy-free: This recipe is vegan as is.
- Low fat: You could try replacing parts of the olive oil with unsweetened almond milk. However, I haven't tried this myself.
- Nut-free: Skip the walnuts or use sunflower seeds instead.
- Gluten-free: Using a store-bought gluten-free flour blend might be your best bet. Don't simply substitute with oat flour or almond flour- this won't work.
Storage
- To store: Keep the bread in an airtight container in the fridge for 4-5 days.
- To freeze: It’s also freezer friendly. Slice it and freeze the individual slices or freeze it as a whole. Let thaw in the fridge or on the countertop overnight.
FAQs
To achieve a super moist pumpkin bread, usually oil is needed. However, you could try replacing parts of it with almond milk but I haven't tried this myself.
I haven’t tried it yet but you could try replacing the regular flour with gluten-free flour (ratio 1:1) . The bread’s texture might be different though!
Yes, either sliced or the whole load can be put in the freezer. Let thaw overnight at room temperature.
Using a liquid sweetener with change the flour-liquid ratio of the bread so I recommend sticking to (coconut) sugar.
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📖 Recipe
Vegan Pumpkin Banana Bread
Equipment
- 2 mixing bowls
- 1 whisk and/or spatula
- 1 loaf pan + parchment paper (mine was 8×4 inches)
Ingredients
Dry Ingredients
- 1 ½ cups white all-purpose flour
- ⅓ cup brown sugar *or use coconut sugar
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
- pinch of salt
Wet Ingredients
- ⅓ cup oil *see notes
- 1 cup pumpkin puree *canned or homemade pumpkin puree
- 1 cup mashed bananas (2-3 bananas) *see notes
Optional add-ins
- handful of nuts (walnuts/ pecans)
- handful of chocolate chips
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F (180°C) and line a loaf pan (8×4 inch/ 20 x 10cm) with parchment paper.
- Mash your bananas on a flat surface or a medium bowl using a fork. For best results, transfer mashed bananas to a measuring cup and measure the exact amount. You could use a kitchen scale instead.1 cup mashed bananas (2-3 bananas)
- Add all dry ingredients (flour, sugar, baking powder, pumpkin pie spice, salt) to a large mixing bowl and sift together thoroughly.1 ½ cups white all-purpose flour, ⅓ cup brown sugar, 1 teaspoon baking powder, 1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice, pinch of salt
- In a separate mixing bowl, include all the wet ingredients (olive oil, pumpkin puree, mashed bananas). Mix until well combined.⅓ cup oil, 1 cup pumpkin puree, 1 cup mashed bananas (2-3 bananas)
- Gently fold wet ingredients into dry ingredients just until combined and a thick batter forms (don’t overmix or you’ll end up with a very dense bread). Add in walnuts and/or chocolate chips (optional).
- Transfer the batter to the prepared loaf pan and bake for 45- 50 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
- If your bread is starting to look brown towards the end of baking time, cover with foil.
- Allow the loaf to cool in the pan for 10 min. Then transfer the bread to a cooling rack. Let cool completely (~1 hour).
- Optional: Generously drizzle with some 2-Ingredient Caramel Sauce before slicing and serving.
- Enjoy your slice of vegan pumpkin banana bread with some Homemade Almond Butter and a cup of Oat Milk Hot Chocolate.
Video
Notes
- Oil: I used a light olive oil because of it's nutritional benefits and I like the taste. If you don't like the taste of olive oil, you could replace it with other types of oils such as coconut oil, sunflower oil or any other neutral tasting vegetable oil of choice.
- Use ripe bananas: Use bananas with lots of brown spots- they are naturally much sweeter and mash more easily.
- Measure ingredients accurately: To end up with the perfect consistency, I highly recommend measuring out the required amount of mashed banana using a cup.
- Don't overmix the batter or you'll end up with a dense, chewy bread.
- Use pumpkin puree: Ensure that you're using pumpkin puree not pumpkin pie filling as the ladder often contains added sweetener and spices.
- Check doneness: Insert a toothpick into the center of the bread. If it comes out clean, the pumpkin bread is ready.
- Cool properly: Allow the bread to cool in the pan for 10 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack and let cool completely.
- Storage? Store in an airtight (glass) container in the fridge for 4-5 days.
- Freezer Friendly? Yes.
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