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Tender, bouncy, and so moist, these pumpkin banana muffins are the perfect Fall baking treat! They’re perfect for on-the-go mornings or whenever you’re craving something spiced and sweet.
Moist, bouncy, and full of delicious fall flavor, these pumpkin banana muffins bring together sweet bananas with rich pumpkin and plenty of cozy spice. If you love seasonal recipes like my pumpkin spice chocolate chunk muffins and moist pumpkin cream cheese muffins, you’re going to gobble up these delicious, soft, homemade banana muffins packed with real pumpkin. Or maybe it’s a pumpkin muffin filled with bananas? Either way, these muffins are the perfect sweet treat!
Why You’ll Love These Pumpkin Banana Muffins
- Easy to make. This recipe uses simple ingredients that you most likely have in your pantry already. The batter is quick and easy. Plus, I’m sharing how to bake muffins that stand up tall and fluffy!
- Full of fall flavor. These soft pumpkin banana muffins combine everything you love about homemade banana bread and moist, flavor-packed pumpkin muffins, filled with fall spice.
- Take them on the go. You’re going to love having a batch of these fluffy pumpkin banana muffins on hand all season long! Breakfast, snacking, or dessert – they’re perfect for an on-the-go, sweet treat at any time of the day.
Ingredients for Pumpkin Banana Muffins
Below is a quick overview of the ingredients you’ll need to make these easy pumpkin banana muffins, along with some notes. Don’t forget to refer to the recipe card for the full recipe amounts and instructions.
- Flour
- Baking powder
- Baking soda
- Ground cinnamon – You can also use homemade pumpkin pie spice.
- Granulated sugar
- Salt
- Vegetable oil or avocado oil – Or another neutral-tasting oil that won’t overpower the flavors in the muffins.
- Vanilla bean paste – I like using vanilla bean paste because the flavor is more intense. If you don’t have it, vanilla extract works just as well.
- Pumpkin puree – Make sure to use plain, pureed pumpkin and not pumpkin pie filling that has added spices and sweeteners.
- Mashed bananas – Go ahead and use the ugliest, spottiest, nearly all-brown bananas you’ve got. This means they’re incredibly ripe, the perfect candidates for all things banana in baking!
How to Make Pumpkin Banana Muffins
Make the ultimate fall treat in just 3 quick steps!
- Mix the dry ingredients. Start by whisking together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, sugar, and salt.
- Add the wet ingredients. In a separate bowl, combine the mashed bananas with oil, vanilla bean paste, eggs, and pumpkin puree. Afterward, make a well in the center of your dry ingredients, pour in the wet ingredients, and gently fold everything together.
- Bake. Portion the muffin batter evenly into lined standard-sized muffin tins. Bake at 400ºF for 5 minutes, then reduce the temperature to 350ºF and bake for another 12 minutes. Make sure that the muffins are cooled completely before storing them.
Recipe Tips and Variations
The following are some of my best tips and tricks for baking perfect pumpkin banana muffins:
- Don’t overmix. Overmixing the muffin batter is the leading cause of tough, dense muffins that refuse to rise in the oven. Make sure to only fold the ingredients together until they’re just combined.
- Remember to line the pan. If you don’t have cupcake liners, make sure that you at least grease the muffin tin well with shortening or butter. This ensures that the muffins are easy to remove.
- Avoid overfilling. Only fill the wells of your muffin tin about 2/3 of the way full so that they don’t overflow in the oven. Using a large cookie scoop makes it super easy to portion out your muffin batter.
- Don’t let the muffins cool completely in the pan. The residual heat can cause the muffins to become dry. Take the muffins out of the muffin tin after 10 minutes, and transfer them to a wire rack to finish cooling.
- Add a topping. Give the tops of your muffins a sprinkle with coarse sugar or borrow the streusel topping from my banana toffee streusel muffins.
- Add-ins. Customize these muffins with your favorite mix-ins like white or dark chocolate chips, chopped pecans or walnuts, raisins, or shredded coconut.
- Make mini muffins. If you’d prefer to make your batter into mini muffins instead, you certainly can! You’ll have to adjust for a shorter cooking time.
Frequently Asked Questions
Don’t over-bake them! Keep a kitchen timer on and stick a toothpick in the center of the muffin; if it comes out clean, remove the muffins from the oven immediately!
The key to sky-high muffin tops is to start your oven hot, at 400ºF, and then take the temperature down to 350ºF after the first 5 minutes. The high heat kickstarts the leavening agents.
I prefer to use metal because it’s more even cooking and it holds the muffin shape better. With silicone, it’s definitely easier to release but they don’t hold their shape and you get lopsided muffins, which could equal uneven baking.
Serving Suggestions
You can really get into the spirit of fall and enjoy these pumpkin banana muffins with a homemade Pumpkin Cream Cold Brew or Iced Sugar Cookie Latte. I love slicing muffins in half and slathering them with Cinnamon Spiced Almond Butter or Bourbon Apple Butter. You can even drizzle on some Salted Caramel Sauce for extra decadence!
How to Store Pumpkin Banana Muffins
- To store. Allow muffins to cool to room temperature then store them in an airtight container or resealable bag. The muffins can remain on the counter for up to 3 days, or up to 5 days in the refrigerator.
- To freeze. These pumpkin banana muffins freeze wonderfully, so you can make a double batch! One for now, and one to stash airtight in the freezer for up to 3 months. Defrost the muffins at room temperature before serving.
More Easy Pumpkin Recipes
- Pumpkin Spice Snickerdoodles
- Pumpkin Blondies
- Pumpkin Apple Olive Oil Muffins
- Oatmeal Pumpkin Cookies
- Pumpkin Pecan Muffins
Pumpkin Banana Muffins
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 ½ cup (188 g) all purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon or pumpkin pie spice
- 1 cup (200 g) granulated sugar
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 3 ripened bananas, mashed, total weight of mine were 389 grams
- ⅓ cup (79 ml) neutral oil such as avocado or vegetable oil
- ½ teaspoon vanilla bean paste
- 2 large eggs
- ¾ cup (195 g) pumpkin puree
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400 °F (204 °C). Line a standard 12-cup muffin pan with muffin liners and set aside. This recipe makes 16 so you can either line a second muffin pan with 4 more or use the same muffin pan after the first batch is done baking.
- In a large bowl, whisk together dry ingredients (flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon/pumpkin pie spice, sugar, and salt. Set aside.
- In another bowl, whisk together liquids (mashed bananas, oil, vanilla bean paste, eggs, and pumpkin puree) until combined.
- Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients then pour the liquid mixture into the well. Using a spatula, gently fold the mixture together until all incorporated and no flour or clumps (aside from mashed banana chunks) remain.
- Using a large cookie scoop, scoop batter into lined muffin pan, filling about 2/3 full.
- Bake at 400 °F (204 °C) for 5 minutes then reduce oven temperature to 350 °F (177 °C) and bake for another 12 minutes.
- Insert a toothpick into the center of the muffin and if it comes out clean, remove from oven and allow to cool for 10 minutes then carefully remove muffins and place them on a wire cooling rack to cool completely.
Notes
- If you need to bake a second batch, turn the oven back to 400 °F and follow the directions again from step 5.
