Healthy Pumpkin Banana Bread

This recipe was originally published in September 2021. It has since been updated with an improved recipe and new pictures.

As much as I love my cinnamon crunch banana bread and my cheesecake swirl pumpkin bread, I felt like I was missing something that combined the two. This pumpkin banana bread is the perfect recipe for when you're craving something for Fall and pumpkin-y, but still want it to be healthyish. This basically tastes like fall in a loaf!

Looking for more pumpkin breakfast recipes? Check out my pumpkin muffins with streusel!

Why you'll love this healthy pumpkin banana bread

• This pumpkin banana bread is chock full of good for you ingredients like bananas, pumpkin, shredded carrots, and pecans.
• Instead of using regular sugar, I have sweetened this loaf with some maple syrup and coconut sugar.
• If you use vegan milk then you can make this recipe dairy free!
• You don't need a mixer to make this pumpkin banana loaf, all you need are 2 bowls and a whisk.

Ingredient Notes

• Maple Syrup: make sure to use real maple syrup for this and not pancake syrup or golden syrup, which is just corn syrup with additives.
• Pumpkin Puree: you need to use real pumpkin puree and not pumpkin pie filling!
• Bananas: use ripe bananas for this as that will make it easier to mash plus they will be sweeter
• Carrots: I recommend grating your own carrots rather than using pre-shredded carrots, as those will be too dry.
• Pecans: finely chop up pecans in a food processor, if the pieces are too big they will sink to the bottom of the loaf. You can substitute this for walnuts if you prefer!
• Milk: use any milk you like for this, regular whole dairy milk or vegan milk.
• Flour: I tested this recipe with all purpose flour.
• Coconut Sugar: you can find coconut sugar at Target, Amazon, Whole Foods, Waitrose or any health food store. I haven't tested this recipe with regular sugar or brown sugar.

Step by Step Instructions

One: Preheat your oven to 350°Fahrenheit/175°Celsius and grease and line a 8.5x4.5 inch loaf pan with parchment paper. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, spices, and salt.

Two: In a large bowl, whisk together your pumpkin puree, mashed banana, grated, carrot, maple syrup, milk, oil, eggs and vanilla extract.

Three: Pour the dry ingredients into the wet and use a rubber spatula to combine everything until there are no more pockets of flour. Pour in the chopped pecans and stir to combine.

Four: Pour the batter into a greased and lined 4.5x8.5" loaf pan and tap firmly on your counter to remove any air bubbles. Bake for 80-90 minutes. A toothpick inserted should come out clean. If it browns too much in the oven, tent it with foil.

Recipe Tips:

• Use a weighing scale – I highly recommend using a weighing scale and measuring out your ingredients the metric way. It makes a huge difference to your baking and is the most accurate way to bake!
• Use the fluff and sprinkle method to measure your flour – if you aren’t using a scale to measure ingredients then make sure you are measuring your flour correctly! Go to this link here to find out how to do that. If you use too much flour, then you won’t have those delicious moist crumbs!
• Watch for browning - if your loaf is browning too much, quickly take it out of the oven and cover it with foil, then place it back in the oven.
• Let cool completely - allow the loaf to cool completely before slicing, otherwise it might fall apart.

Try these pumpkin recipes next!

Have you made this recipe? Make sure to tag me on Instagram @alpineella and leave a review below if you have! If you want more baking ideas, you can follow me on Pinterest.