This Healthier Pumpkin Banana Bread is sure to become a staple in your household this fall! Full of comforting, good-for-you ingredients and delicious fall flavors, serve warm and smother with nut butter for a tasty snack or breakfast!
This recipe is a marriage between two of my favorite flavors – banana and pumpkin. I have probably baked banana bread no less than 250 times throughout my life. (Exaggeration? Honestly, maybe not.) I can’t tell you the last time I let overripe bananas go to waste. In fact, the first recipe I published on my blog was a healthy banana bread recipe. It was modified from one of my Grandma Cookie’s old recipes. As you may have guessed from her name, she wasn’t as big into the healthy versions, but I think she would forgive me. ;)
I grew up in a family that believes in eating pumpkin all year round. Because guess what? It tastes equally delicious in the spring and heat of the summer, too! My dad‘s birthday falls in mid-October, so his birthday “cake” was always pumpkin pie. As a result, I have always been a big pumpkin lover.
Throughout my childhood, if any of us was hankering for something sweet during any time of year, or my parents were celebrating their wedding anniversary in January (slightly past what society accepts as pumpkin season), pumpkin pie was still my mom’s go-to. We always had several cans of pumpkin on hand and some pie crust in the freezer in case of emergency. No, we don’t make the crust from scratch. Don’t judge.
This bread, however, is made from scratch, but the good news is it’s super easy to whip up and I bet you have most of the ingredients you need on hand! So whenever your bananas start to turn brown this fall, make this recipe! It’s also freezer-friendly so you can pull out individual servings to reheat as needed for the future. Sprinkle some nuts and dark chocolate chips on top, and the whole family is sure to love it.
I hope you enjoy this recipe as much as we do! Be sure to tag me on Instagram at @wellnessforthewin if you give it a try!
Healthier Pumpkin Banana Bread
- Nonstick cooking spray
- 2 - ripe bananas,mashed,
- 1 - cuppumpkin puree
- 1/4 - cupGreek yogurt,plain or vanilla
- 2 - eggs
- 1/2 - cup unsweetened applesauce
- 2 - cups whole-wheat flour
- 1/2 - cup old-fashioned oats
- 1/4 - cup granulated sugar
- 1 - teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 - teaspoon baking soda
- 1 - dash salt
- 1/2 - teaspoon nutmeg
- 1/2 - teaspoon ginger
- 1 - teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/4 - cup dark chocolate chips, plus additional, for topping (optional)
- 1/4 - cup chopped walnuts or nuts of choice, plus additional, for topping (optional)
- pumpkin spice granola, for topping (optional)
- Preheat oven to 350 F. Spray loaf pan with nonstick cooking spray.
- In large bowl, whisk mashed bananas, pumpkin puree, Greek yogurt, eggs and applesauce. Set aside.
- In medium bowl, use large spoon to stir flour, oats, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt, nutmeg, ginger and cinnamon.
- Add flour mixture to banana and pumpkin mixture; whisk until just moist. Stir in dark chocolate chips and walnuts, if desired.
- Pour batter into loaf pan. Sprinkle granola and additional chocolate chips and walnuts on top, if desired.
- Bake 50-60 minutes, or until knife inserted comes out clean.
Hi! My name is Shanna – I'm a wife, mama to a sweet baby boy named Rhett, dog mom x 2, registered dietitian and born-and-raised Kansas gal with a passion for health & wellness. I am also the blogger behind “Wellness For The Win.” My goal is to help you live a healthy, balanced life you love without dieting OR breaking the bank! At “Wellness For The Win,” you can find healthy, delicious recipes and articles on intuitive eating, body kindness, all things mom life and more.