Moist, fluffy, and warmly spiced, this vegan banana pumpkin bread is the perfect cozy fall treat. An easy one-bowl recipe that is naturally gluten-free, healthy, and low sugar.
Other than this recipe, we also love making our banana peanut butter cookies and vegan banana oatmeal muffins whenever we have ripe bananas on hand!
As much as I love a classic banana bread (like my applesauce banana bread), this banana pumpkin bread brings it up a notch! Both ingredients add natural sweetness and moisture, yielding a quick bread that is perfectly sweetened with a soft crumb.
I especially love slathering on some homemade coconut almond butter and serving it with hot protein coffee or a soy latte for a cozy afternoon pick-me-up.
💚Why you will love vegan banana pumpkin bread
- Incredibly moist with a tender bite and perfectly sweetened
- A healthier recipe that is low in sugar, vegan, eggless, and gluten-free
- One-bowl, low-effort, and only calls for simple ingredients
- Great for using up overripe bananas
- Store well and is freezer-friendly, making it great for meal prep!
🎃What you will need
- Bananas - Use ripe and spotty bananas for the best result.
- Pumpkin puree - Either homemade or canned pumpkin puree works fine. Make sure to use pumpkin puree, NOT pumpkin pie filling.
- Oat flour - If you don't have it, make your own by blending some rolled or quick oats in a blender until they turn into flour.
- Cashew butter - Can be swapped for other nut butters, such as peanut butter or almond butter. Make it nut-free by using sunflower seed butter or tahini.
- Maple syrup - Feel free to use other liquid sweeteners, such as agave or date syrup.
- Plant milk - I am using almond milk, but any would work (expect coconut milk as it is stronger in flavor).
- Cinnamon - You can also replace it with 2 teaspoons of pumpkin pie spice for extra cozy flavors.
See the recipe card for full information on ingredients and quantities.
✨Substitutions and mix-ins
- Make it gluten-free - Use certified gluten-free oat flour.
- For a sweeter bread - Following this recipe will yield subtly sweet pumpkin banana bread. You can make it sweeter by adding 1-2 tablespoons of sugar or other granulated sweetener.
- Chocolate chip pumpkin bread - Add up to ½ cup of dark chocolate chips to make a more indulgent pumpkin banana bread.
- Nuts - chopped pecans or walnuts are especially great! Start with ½ cup.
- Spices - Enhance the flavor by adding other warm spices such as pumpkin pie, nutmeg, ground cloves, or allspice. A little goes a long way; I recommend starting with ¼ teaspoon.
🔪How to make vegan pumpkin banana bread
Step 1: In a large bowl, mash bananas until smooth.
Step 2: Mix the rest of the wet ingredients and stir until everything is well-combined.
Step 3: In another large bowl, combine all wet ingredients and mix well.
Step 4: Fold in dry ingredients into wet, then mix until everything is homogenous.
Step 5: Transfer batter to a loaf pan. Optionally, top it with pumpkin seeds and chopped pecans.
Step 6: Bake for 55-60 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean. Let it cool completely before slicing and serving.
✔Helpful tips
- Weigh ingredients for the best result - For the highest accuracy, weigh out ingredients using a food scale. The next best method is to measure flour using the spoon and level method. Do not scoop flour out directly or pack flour into cups.
- Take care not to overbake loaf - This recipe is lower in fat and might dry out quickly if baked for too long. Check for doneness at the 50-minute mark with a toothpick test.
- Cool bread on a cooling rack - After 10 minutes, transfer bread from the pan to a wire rack to cool. This prevents the bottom from turning soggy.
- Allow bread to cool before slicing - Warm bread tends to crumble easily. Waiting for the bread to cool down completely gives cleaner slices.
🥜Serving suggestions
- Spreads - It pairs well with vegan butter or nut butters. I also like slathering on my cookie dough hummus or dark chocolate hummus to make it extra decadent.
- As a dessert - Serve it with a scoop of dairy-free vanilla ice cream and a drizzle of either maple syrup or chocolate syrup.
- Jam - Feel free to use your favorite jam!
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❄️Storing suggestions
Fridge - This gluten-free pumpkin banana bread can be refrigerated for up to 5 days in an airtight container. Store the loaf whole, and only slicing as needed.
Freezer - You can store it as individual slices, half a loaf, or even the whole loaf for up to 3 months. Simply place it in a freezer-safe bag or airtight container. Allow to thaw overnight in the fridge before reheating.
If you're freezing slices, slip a piece of parchment paper between each one to prevent them from sticking together, making it easier to grab just what you need later.
Reheating - You can reheat bread in the oven, microwave, or in a skillet.
- Oven - Heat them in an oven preheated to 350°F (180°C) for 5-10 minutes, covered with foil to prevent drying out the bread.
- Microwave - Microwave on high at 15-second bursts, or until the pumpkin banana bread is warm.
- In a skillet - Melt some vegan butter. Toast bread for 1-2 minutes on each side.
❔Commonly asked questions
You can turn this pumpkin banana bread into muffins by baking them in a muffin tin instead, with each muffin hole filled to around ⅔ of the way. Reduce baking time to 20-25 minutes.
If your vegan pumpkin banana bread turns out dry, you might have overbaked your loaf. As this recipe is lower in fat, overbaking will cause the bread to dry out.
It's also possible that you might have added too much flour. Measuring your flour using a kitchen scale is highly recommended. If using measuring cups, spoon flour into cups, and do not pack flour in.
Remove the pumpkin banana bread about 10 minutes after it comes out of the oven. This allows bread sufficient time to set while preventing excess steam from turning the bottom soggy.
📖 Recipe
Vegan Banana Pumpkin Bread (Gluten-free)
Ingredients
Wet ingredients
- 1 large ripe banana (about 150g/5 oz)
- ¾ cup pumpkin puree homemade or canned
- ¼ cup cashew butter or other nut/seed butter
- ¼ cup maple syrup or other liquid sweetener
- ¼ cup soy milk or another plant-based milk
- 2 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
Dry ingredients
- 2 cups oat flour * (180g)
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon powder
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 180C/350F. Line a 8.5 x 4.5 inch loaf pan with parchment paper, leaving some overhang for easy removal.
- In a large mixing bowl, mash banana until smooth.1 large ripe banana
- Mix in the rest of the wet ingredients into your mashed banana. Stir until everything is well incorporated.¾ cup pumpkin puree, ¼ cup cashew butter, ¼ cup maple syrup, ¼ cup soy milk, 2 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
- In a separate bowl, combine together all dry ingredients and mix well.2 cups oat flour, 2 teaspoons baking powder, 1 teaspoon baking soda, 1 teaspoon cinnamon powder
- Fold in dry ingredients into wet and mix until everything is totally combined.
- Transfer mixture to the loaf pan and top it with chopped pecans and sunflower seeds, if desired. Bake for 55-60 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean when inserted into the middle.
- Let it sit in the pan for 10-15 minutes to set before transferring it to a wired cooling rack to cool further.
- Allow to cool completely before slicing and serving!
Notes
- Weigh ingredients for the best result - For the highest accuracy, weigh out ingredients using a food scale. The next best method is to measure flour using the spoon and level method. Do not scoop flour out directly or pack flour into cups.
- Take care not to overbake loaf - This recipe is lower in fat and might dry out quickly if baked for too long. Check for doneness at the 50-minute mark with a toothpick test.
- Cool bread on a cooling rack - After 10 minutes, transfer bread from the pan to a wire rack to cool. This prevents the bottom from turning soggy.
- Allow bread to cool before slicing - Warm bread tends to crumble easily. Waiting for the bread to cool down completely gives cleaner slices.
- Oven - Heat them in an oven preheated to 350°F (180°C) for 5-10 minutes, covered with foil to prevent drying out the bread.
- Microwave - Microwave on high at 15-second bursts, or until the pumpkin banana bread is warm.
- In a skillet - Melt some vegan butter. Toast bread for 1-2 minutes on each side.
Save this recipe!
Email yourself a link to this page and come back later.
Also get a FREE high-protein vegan recipe eBook + weekly new recipes! Unsubscribe anytime.
Nutrition
Nutrition info calculated is just a rough estimate and is provided as a courtesy. Bear in mind that value will vary based on variables like specific brand or type of product used. To obtain the most accurate representation, it is highly recommended that you calculate it on your own with the actual amount and type of ingredient used.
Erin says
Hi there! This looks delicious - do you have any suggestions about how to make this recipe as muffins instead of as a loaf? Thank you so much for any advice! 😊
Jim Mee Sha says
I have yet to try making muffins with this recipe. However, from past experience, it is possible to make them into muffins. Simply reduce the baking time to 20-25 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean. Hope this is helpful!
Jennifer says
Since I cook and eat with no added sugars, even maple syrup, my Plan: leave out the 1/4 c maple syrup & replace with either 1/4 c pumpkin puree, or 1/4 c unsweetened applesauce
(If replace w pumpkin, amount of pumpkin goes from 3/4 c to 1 full cup)
Meesha says
It would be great if you could revert back if you do make the recipe this way! I am sure some people will find it helpful.😊
Joanna says
Hi Meesha. I finally made this recipe today. I used peanut butter and made muffins instead of bread. Turned out amazing! So light and delicious!! We love cinnamon so I increased to 2 tsp. Thank you for the recipe.
Meesha says
I am really happy to hear that! Enjoy your muffins.😁
Angel Cleary says
Do you think I could replace the maple syrup with another banana?
Meesha says
Sorry, I don't think it will work. However, you can substitute it with date paste if you want it to be sugar-free. 😉
Angel Cleary says
Hi, Meesha! I went ahead with the maple syrup. It isn't a lot and, well, maple syrup is fabulous. =D I used peanut butter this time, but I think that I will try sunflower seed butter next time. It turned out beautifully! Thank you so much!
Rachel says
Just made this! This is one of the most scrumptious breads ever! I topped it with sliced bananas and pecans. It is the perfect amount of sweet with just maple syrup. Thank you!!
Meesha says
I am really happy to hear that!😊
Tori says
can I make it without a nut or seed butter? if not then thinking of using sunflower seed
Meesha says
I would not recommend omitting the nut/seed butter! Yes, sunflower seed butter will definitely work.😊
Swathi says
Pumpkin banana bread looks delicious I like that it is vegan also with oatmeal addition.
meesha says
Thank you !
Debra says
So delicious. We loved this simple recipe.
meesha says
Thanks ! I am really glad you like it
Leslie says
Can't go wrong with a vegan and gluten-free bread! Especially with banana and pumpkin flavors!
meesha says
Yes, I agree 🙋♀️
Chef Dennis says
Oh now I am craving for this! Your Vegan Oatmeal Banana Pumpkin Bread recipe looks really mouthwatering!
meesha says
Thanks !
Capri says
The bread is so fluffy and flavorful! Thanks for the recipe!
meesha says
Its my pleasure ! 😉
Rosario Arecco says
This is delicious!
meesha says
Tq !
Sue says
Pumpkin bread meets banana bread - love this!
meesha says
Glad you like it 🙂
Emily Flint says
I love secretly healthy stuff and my kid is obsessed with all things bread right now. I will be making this for him for sure!
meesha says
Yay ! Enjoy 😊
Kay says
Fabulous, and thank you for the oat flour tip! I couldn't find any so I followed the advice to use a blender to create my own oat flour from oats!
meesha says
Glad you find that helpful !
FOODHEAL says
This is my choice of bread, it's vegan and gluten-free. I know it's super delicious and healthy...
meesha says
It is ! Super yum yet secretly healthy 😉