Vegan Pumpkin Banana Bread is a delicious twist on traditional banana bread. Made with only whole food plant-based ingredients, this gluten-free pumpkin banana bread is moist, sweet, and bursting with pumpkin spice flavor.
Banana bread with all the fall vibes? I think yes.
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This Vegan Pumpkin Banana Bread is a jazzed up version of my classic blender banana bread. It's got all the basic ingredients of a good banana bread (i.e. really ripe bananas) plus a lovely addition of pumpkin puree and pumpkin pie spice.
The result is a sweet, aromatic, fall-themed bread that you'll love.
Why I love this Vegan Pumpkin Banana Bread
- Dietary needs - this banana bread recipe is dairy-free, plant-based, oil-free, gluten-free, and refined sugar-free
- Made in one bowl - all the ingredients mix together in just one bowl or blender for easy prep and even easier cleanup
- Sweetened with bananas - there's no sweetener in this recipe besides bananas! Not even date sugar (which I often use in baked goods). Very ripe bananas are super sweet and also come with fiber and nutrients that you don't typically find in sugar.
- Rich pumpkin spice flavor - pumpkin by itself doesn't have much flavor, so the key is to add pumpkin pie spices to really create that classic pumpkin pie flavor
Ingredient Notes & Substitutions
- Bananas: for best results, use bananas that are very brown and spotty. The bananas are the only sweetener in this bread, so maximize the sweet flavor with the ripest bananas you can get your hands on.
- Pumpkin Puree: use canned pumpkin puree, not pumpkin pie filling
- Nut Butter: I used my homemade cashew butter. You could also use homemade almond butter, or a store-bought nut butter with no added sugar or added oils
- Baking Powder & Apple Cider Vinegar: the combination of an acid (ACV) and a base (baking powder) creates a reaction that allows the bread to rise properly. The reaction causes air bubbles to form, leaving your bread light and airy. Don't skip these ingredients!
- Flours: Oat Flour & Almond Flour. I've used a combination of flours in this recipe to achieve a perfect texture! Banana breads with all oat flour turn out very mushy while banana breads with almond flour aren't soft enough. Using both oat flour and almond flour helps create a soft bread consistency
- Ground Flaxseed: flax serves as replacement for an egg. It helps bind the bread together. You could also use ground chia seeds.
- Pumpkin Pie Spice: a mixture of cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, and ginger. I provided individual measurements for each spice but you can also just use one teaspoon of pre-mixed pumpkin pie spice
- Pepitas: these are optional but add a delicious crunch on the top of the bread
How to Make Vegan Pumpkin Banana Bread
Step 1. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line a loaf pan with parchment paper.
Step 2. In a large bowl or food processor, mash or blend the bananas until smooth.
Step 3. Stir in the pumpkin puree, nut butter, baking powder, apple cider vinegar, cinnamon. nutmeg, cloves, and ginger. Mix or blend until smooth.
Step 4. Add the oat flour, almond flour, and ground flaxseed and mix or pulse until combined.
Step 5. Spread the mixture into the lined loaf pan. Sprinkle with pepitas if using.
Step 6. Bake for 55-60 minutes or until the top is lightly brown and a toothpick inserted into the center of the loaf comes out clean. Remove from the oven and allow to cool for at least 15 minutes. Store leftovers in the fridge for up to a week. Enjoy!
FAQ & Expert Tips
This bread is naturally sweetened with bananas. The riper your bananas are, the sweeter the bread will be. If you're looking for an even sweeter bread, replace 2-3 tablespoons of the pumpkin puree with 2-3 tablespoons of maple syrup.
Yes. Oats are naturally gluten-free. Some oats have cross contamination with gluten during processing, so if you are especially sensitive buy certified GF oats.
This recipe would work fine with all purpose flour. Though it wouldn't be as healthy! - strive for minimal processing.
You have a couple of options:
Use all oat flour. You might need to cook the bread for 5-10 minutes longer, because oat flour cooks more slowly than almond flour.
Use cassava flour in place of the almond flour. I haven't tested this, but cassava flour is similar to almond flour, so it will likely bake the same way.
Use coconut flour in place of the flour. Coconut flour is probably the most similar to almond flour in terms of texture, but you may get a coconut taste, so use it at your own risk
Instead of using almond or cashew butter you could use tahini or sunflower seed butter. Pumpkin seed butter would be especially delicious! Any seed butter will have a stronger flavor than almond and cashew butters, so using them would change the taste slightly.
This bread would taste great with chocolate chips. vegan white chocolate chips, or some pepitas stirred into the batter. If you want to add any of these, add ⅓ cup before you place the batter in the pan.
Since this banana bread is made from whole food plant-based ingredients, it will not last very long on the counter. Store your leftovers in the fridge wrapped in foil for up to a week. You can also slice and freeze this bread for up to 12 months.
Recipe Prayer
Thank you God for this pumpkin banana bread. Thank you for fall flavors and delicious baked goods. Amen.
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📖 Recipe
Vegan Pumpkin Banana Bread (Gluten-Free)
Equipment
Ingredients
- 2 Medium Very Ripe Bananas
- ¾ Cup Pumpkin Puree
- ¼ Cup Nut Butter
- 1 Tablespoon Baking Powder
- 1 Tablespoon Apple Cider Vinegar
- 1 Cup Oat Flour gluten free if necessary
- ¾ Cup Almond Flour
- 2 Tablespoons Ground Flaxseed
- ½ Teaspoon Cinnamon
- ¼ Teaspoon Nutmeg
- ⅛ Teaspoon Cloves
- ⅛ Teaspoon Ginger
- ¼ Cup Pepitas optional for topping
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line a loaf pan with parchment paper.
- In a large bowl or food processor, mash or blend the bananas until smooth.
- Stir in the pumpkin puree, nut butter, baking powder, apple cider vinegar, cinnamon. nutmeg, cloves, and ginger. Mix or blend until smooth.
- Add the oat flour, almond flour, and ground flaxseed and mix or pulse until combined.
- Spread the mixture into the lined loaf pan. Sprinkle with pepitas, if using.
- Bake for 55-60 minutes or until the top is lightly brown and a toothpick inserted into the center of the loaf comes out clean. Remove from the oven and allow to cool for at least 15 minutes. Store leftovers in the fridge for up to a week. Enjoy!
Nutrition
Nutrition information is an estimate.
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