Easy pumpkin banana muffins combine the delicious flavors of pumpkin pie and banana bread! These moist and fluffy muffins are quick to make in less than 30 minutes. The best healthy gluten-free homemade muffin you can make!
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Why You Will Love This Recipe
- Best healthy muffin recipe for baby-led weaning, toddlers, hungry kids, and adults!
- A delicious mix between pumpkin bread and banana bread.
- Just the right mix of banana flavor and pumpkin pie spice.
- Healthy pumpkin banana muffins are gluten-free and can be made vegan, dairy-free, and without sugar.
- Made with no egg and no oil.
- Easy to make into quick bread (like walnut pumpkin bread) or mini loaves.
- Perfect healthy snack or easy breakfast to meal prep or make ahead to freeze.
- Use up overripe bananas for this healthy oatmeal bar too!
- Try more of our favorite muffin recipes like protein blueberry muffins, chocolate zucchini muffins, healthy pumpkin muffins, zucchini pumpkin muffins, and matcha muffins!
Ingredients & Substitutions
Here are the ingredients you need to make this recipe. Reference the recipe card at the bottom for exact measurements and the notes below for substitution ideas.
Dry Ingredients
Gluten-free flour provides the base of the dry ingredients.
Do not use almond flour or coconut flour in place of oat flour or gluten-free flour. Make these almond flour banana muffins for an almond flour muffin recipe
Pumpkin spice consists of warm spices like nutmeg, cinnamon, and cloves. It gives the warm spice flavor that is familiar in pumpkin pie.
Salt balances the sweet flavor of the muffins.
Baking soda and baking powder work to provide a moist and fluffy texture, along with helping the pumpkin banana muffins to rise.
Wet Ingredients
Maple syrup is a refined-sugar-free sweetener that gives a warm sweet flavor. Other sweetener options are honey, coconut sugar, brown sugar, or monk fruit sweetener for a no-sugar option.
Eggs help the muffins to rise and create a fluffy texture. Applesauce may be substituted.
Canned pumpkin puree provides the base of the pumpkin flavor. Do not use pumpkin pie filling.
Fresh pumpkin puree may be used.
Overripe bananas work with pumpkin puree to create delicious banana flavor, natural sweetness, moisture, and nutrition in this recipe.
Use spotty bananas with lots of dark spots for optimal flavor and sweetness.
Vanilla extract helps to bring out another layer of warm flavor.
How to Bake This Recipe
Below are step-by-step instructions for how to cook this recipe with the best results. The recipe card at the bottom shows the exact cooking time and temperatures.
Step 1
Start by preheating your oven to 425F and mixing together the wet ingredients in a large bowl.
Step 2
Whisk together dry ingredients in a separate medium bowl.
Step 3
Use a wooden spoon to gently fold dry ingredients into wet ingredients until just combined.
Step 4
Line a muffin tin with silicone liners or muffin liners sprayed with coconut oil spray and fill with the muffin batter using an ice cream scoop.
Fill the muffin cups almost to the top for a domed top.
Bake at 425F for 5 minutes. Lower heat to 350F and bake for 15-20 minutes.
Check banana pumpkin muffins for doneness by inserting a toothpick in the center and when it comes out clean, they are done.
How to Store Banana Pumpkin Muffins
Store leftover pumpkin banana muffins in an airtight container or in plastic wrap at room temperature for 2-3 days. Refrigerate for up to 5 days.
To freeze, wrap cooled muffins in a freezer-safe container or a freezer bag for up to 3 months.
Expert Tips for the Best Results
- Measuring dry ingredients using a kitchen scale helps to create the most accurate results. Alternatively, spoon and level the flour.
- Spray paper liners with cooking spray for easier removal.
- Mix in mini chocolate chips (like our pumpkin cookies with cake mix), dried cranberries, nuts, or seeds for a fun twist.
- Sprinkle cinnamon sugar mixed with melted butter over the top of the muffins for a streusel topping.
- Follow the recipe card exactly without substitutions for optimal results. Bake the muffins for 5 minutes at 425F then reduce the heat to 350F for optimal lift and height.
- Allow muffins to cool on a wire rack completely before eating or storing.
Recipe FAQs
Yes, you can make either one. Follow the instructions up until baking.
Rather than using muffin liners use a bread pan sprayed with coconut oil spray or lined with parchment paper.
For a full-sized loaf bake at 350F for 55-60 minutes. For mini loaves bake at 350F for 35-40 minutes.
Eggs, pumpkin puree, and bananas all work together to make these muffins moist and delicious.
Storing muffins in the refrigerator will make them lose moistness. Store at room temperature for moist muffins.
This is likely due to overmixing. Be sure to only mix the dry and wet ingredients until moistened.
Not really! The darker the better for baking this recipe or any banana bread recipe. Overripe bananas help to add natural sweetness.
More Healthy Pumpkin Recipes
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Healthy Pumpkin Spice Banana Muffins (Gluten-Free & Dairy-Free)
Equipment
- 12 silicone baking cups
- coconut oil spray
- 1 ice cream scoop
Ingredients
- 1 cup pumpkin puree
- 1 medium banana mashed
- ½ cup maple syrup
- 2 large eggs
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Dry Ingredients
- 1 ¼ cups gluten-free flour
- 2 teaspoon pumpkin spice
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ¼ teaspoon baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon salt
Instructions
- Start by preheating your oven to 425F and mixing together the wet ingredients.1 cup pumpkin puree, 1 medium banana, ½ cup maple syrup, 2 large eggs, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- Whisk together dry ingredients in a separate bowl.1 ¼ cups gluten-free flour, 2 teaspoon pumpkin spice, 1 teaspoon baking soda, ¼ teaspoon baking powder, ¼ teaspoon salt
- Gently fold dry ingredients into wet ingredients until just combined.
- Line a muffin tin with silicone liners or muffin liners sprayed with coconut oil spray or cooking spray and fill with batter using an ice cream scoop.
- Bake at 425F for 5 minutes. Lower heat to 350F and bake for 15-20 minutes. Check muffins for doneness by inserting a toothpick in the center and when it comes out clean, they are done.
Notes
- Recipe Update: The recipe has been tested and updated as of December 2023 to reflect reader comments regarding the rise of the muffins and pumpkin spice. Oat flour has been replaced with gluten-free flour and the pumpkin spice has been reduced.
- Yield depends on the size of scoop used.
- Mix in mini chocolate chips, dried cranberries, nuts, or seeds for a fun twist.
- Storage: Store leftover pumpkin banana muffins in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days. Store in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
- Freezer: Wrap cooled muffins in a freezer-safe container for up to 3 months.
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Rhiannon says
My muffins turned out great and my kids love them. They didn’t rise a ton, but they were not dense. The middle of the muffins were also cooked perfectly. I followed all of the directions and added pumpkin seeds and dried cranberries. The only thing I would change is adding more pumpkin spice. Thanks for the great recipe.
Lyndsey Piccolino says
Thanks Rhiannon! Glad you liked it!
Amy says
I actually loved the original recipe!! Could you share it to me as I’m so sad it is gone!!
Lyndsey Piccolino says
Hi Amy, I think if you check the Pumpkin Protein Muffin Recipe, it is more of what you are looking for! It matches the original recipe more than this updated one. Hope that helps!!
Dejah says
Why post a recipe that you yourself admit does not always work, even without substituting anything? These were undercooked in the middle and did not rise. Do not recommend at all. Waste of ingredients.
Lyndsey Piccolino says
Thank you for your feedback Dejah. However, I will state that that is not what my comment said. I said that when you bake with oat flour, sometimes the baked goods do not rise. It is the nature of oat flour which is more dense than all-purpose. That does not mean that the muffins are inedible, it means they do not rise as similarly to using all-purpose flour.
Michelle says
Do you think I could use half oat flour half rice flour? Thanks Michelle
Lyndsey Piccolino says
I haven't tried rice flour yet!
Lori Buckley says
Wouldn’t cook in the middle and the pumpkin pie spice was overpowering.
Lyndsey Piccolino says
Hi Lori, I'm so sorry these didn't work out for you! You can always dial back the pumpkin pie spice if it's too much.
Liz says
They are great for an on the go breakfast! However I found the middle of mine did not cook through even after cooking them for an extra 10 mins at 350. I will try another 5 mins next time I make them.
Lyndsey Piccolino says
Hi Liz! Thanks so much for your comment. I'm sorry that they didn't cook all the way through. It's hard to know without being there what went wrong but it could be a actual oven temperature, size of bananas used, or type of flour. I haven't had the issue of them not cooking through before.
Lindsay says
My muffins did not turn out. I used oats instead of oat flour so that was probably the issue. They didn’t rise and weren’t cooked in the time listed.
Lyndsey says
subbing out flours definitely can yield non-optimal results. I've found that even when baking with oat flour sometimes they do not rise. Sorry they didn't work out for you!