Hi, hello friends! I am here with my first pumpkin baked good of the fall season. Never mind that it’s not technically fall for another week…the evening lows dropped down to 60 degrees in Charlotte this week and the highs are only in the 80s so that basically feels like fall after a sweltering summer.
I decided to keep my first pumpkin recipe simple with a pumpkin spice themed spinoff of our favorite banana muffins.
PUMPKIN SPICE BANANA MUFFINS
Here’s what you need to know about these pumpkin-spice banana muffins:
- They are made with a blend of white and wheat all-purpose flour.
- They aren’t packed with sugar and the ingredients used to sweeten the muffins are unrefined sugars.
- They’re fluffy, soft and moist thanks to a blend of mashed banana, pumpkin and greek yogurt.
- They freeze well and make for a great easy breakfast, lunchbox item or snack!
PUMPKIN SPICE BANANA MUFFIN INGREDIENTS
Here’s what you need to bake these pumpkin spice banana muffins:
- All-purpose flour – I always bake with King Arthur’s unbleached all-purpose flour
- Whole wheat flour – again, I opt for King Arthur’s stone-ground whole wheat flour or their white whole wheat flour. You could also use oat flour here.
- Salt – can’t make a baked good without salt!
- Baking soda – for levening
- Pumpkin pie spice – this blend of cinnamon, ginger, allspice, nutmeg and cloves adds that pumpkin spice flavor to these muffins. You can find this blend in the spice section of your local grocery store or make your own homemade version. If you’re really in a pinch and don’t have the spice or the ingredients to make it, you can double the ground cinnamon in this recipe.
- Ground cinnamon – for that warm spice flavor!
- Overripe bananas – go with medium-sized bananas that have lots of brown spots.
- Canned pumpkin puree – make sure you’re using 100% pumpkin puree and not pumpkin pie filling.
- Coconut oil – you can sub melted unsalted butter but I really like the coconut oil in this recipe.
- Coconut sugar – I always keep coconut sugar on hand these days when I’m baking things like muffins and quick breads. While it’s still sugar, I like it because it’s unrefined and a little more natural than traditional sugar. You can totally sub brown sugar for the coconut sugar in this recipe. No big deal at all!
- Maple syrup – love baking with maple syrup for fall-themed goodies!
- Eggs – make sure they’re at room temp!
- Vanilla extract – a must in baking recipes for flavor development.
- Plain yogurt – I used plain greek yogurt but any kind of plain yogurt would work well here. I’m sure a dairy-free yogurt would be great too if you’re trying to keep this recipe dairy-free.
TIPS AND TRICKS
Here are a few of my favorite tips and tricks for perfectly fluffy and delicious muffins!
- The batter for these muffins is super simple to whip up. I like to use a handheld mixer or stand mixer because I find that the easiest way to mash the bananas and incorporate all of the ingredients together easily. You can totally skip the mixers all together and make the batter by hand. These muffins are forgiving!
- I like to double up with muffin tin liners and cooking spray. I line the tin and then give each liner a quick spray of cooking spray to ensure no sticking.
- Fill the muffin tins all the way up the the top. I know we’ve all been conditioned to only fill 2/3 of the way but you want to fill these up!
- You’ll start at a high oven temp of 425 degrees for the first 5 minutes and then reduce down to 350 for the final 15 minutes. I know it seems counter intuitive to bake at high oven temps but this initial high-temperature bake really helps with the big rise and doming of these muffins. No flat muffin tops here! 🙂
PUMPKIN SPICE BANANA MUFFIN RECIPE
Here’s the recipe for these muffins. I know you’re going to love them!
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Pumpkin Spice Banana Muffins
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 20 minutes
- Total Time: 35 minutes
- Yield: 12 muffins 1x
Description
Soft and fluffy banana muffins packed with pumpkin spice flavor! Made with a mixture of whole wheat and white flour, unrefined sugars and an option for dairy-free.
Ingredients
1 cup all purpose flour
1 cup whole wheat flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
3/4 teaspoon salt
2 ripe, spotty medium bananas
1 cup pumpkin puree
1/4 cup melted coconut oil
1/3 cup coconut sugar
1/3 cup maple syrup
2 large eggs at room temperature
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/3 cup plain yogurt
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. Line a 12-count muffin pan with liners or spray with nonstick spray. I like to do both…use liners and give them a quick spray.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together flours, baking soda, cinnamon, pumpkin pie spice and salt together. Set aside.
- In a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment (or in a large bowl using a hand mixer), mash bananas on medium speed.
- Keep the mixer on medium speed and mix in pumpkin puree, melted coconut oil, coconut sugar, maple syrup, eggs, vanilla extract and yogurt.
- Reduce mixer speed to medium low and slowly add dry ingredients. Mix until just combined, careful not to overmix. You may have to stop and scrape down the sides of the bowl with a spatula once or twice. Batter will be thick.
- Spoon into prepared muffin pan, filling each cup nearly to the top.
- Bake at 425 for 5 minutes and then reduce oven temperature to 350 (resist the urge to open the oven door!) and bake for another 15-18 minutes. Total baking time is about 20-23 minutes.
- Allow muffins to cool in the pan for about 5 minutes and then remove and place on a wire rack to cool completely.
- Store in an airtight container at room temperature for 1-2 days or wrap individually and store in the freezer for 3-4 months.
Notes
- Of course you can add in things like nuts or chocolate chips but we love these muffins plain and simple.
- Don’t skip the high temperature bake to start. It really helps the muffins rise and get that high dome shape!
I made these this afternoon. My first pumpkin bake of the season. Thank you SO much for the recipe. My nieces and I loved them. We topped them with a bit of pumpkin cream cheese from Trader Joe’s. I love that the bananas were mashed in the stand mixer. What a clever idea! Will be making these throughout the fall season; along with your apple pumpkin bread we absolutely love! Take care!
How did you know EXACTLY what I wanted to make? haha
I 100% am in love with your muffin/bread recipes, so will def be making this!
I recently made these and they’re absolutely delicious! I subbed the flours mentioned for 1 cup of almond and 1 cup of oat flour and it came out very tasty! I did have a question about baking powder. It is mentioned in the steps but there isn’t a measurment listed under the ingredients. I did 1 teaspoon of baking powder and 1 teaspoon of baking soda. Do you recommend a different increment? Thanks for a great fall recipe!
I was so surprised this recipe only has 4 comments! I would have never thought to use pumpkin and banana together but the flavor is spot on. I love making these for my kiddos! My house smells heavenly right now.