Vegan Pumpkin Banana Bread

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This moist and flavorful vegan pumpkin banana bread is the perfect quick bread for the fall season, or anytime of year! This easy recipe requires minimal effort, with only 10 minutes of prep time. It makes a delicious breakfast, snack, or sweet treat!

When autumn arrives everything pumpkin floods the shelves of the grocery store! I absolutely love pumpkin season, where all of my favorite things get a boost of pumpkin. Pumpkin is one of those amazingly versatile flavors that can be either savory or sweet. However, when you look up the top pumpkin bread recipes, they are quite sugary and unhealthy.

That is why I made this healthier pumpkin bread recipe, which is comforting, warm, easy to make, and filled with subtle fall flavors. We made some secret swaps (like the addition of bananas!) to make this bread sweet without needing a ton of sugar. It’s like a mashup of a traditional banana bread and pumpkin bread – and is delicious and tempting all year long!

This easy vegan pumpkin banana bread recipe is loaded with warm spices and rich pumpkin flavor. It bakes up tall and makes 12 large slices.

The best part? No one will be able to tell this pumpkin spice banana bread is plant based or healthier. It is moist, fluffy, and has the perfect amount of sweetness. 

It will disappear before you know it! So keep this recipe handy because you’ll be making it again and again! And if you like this recipe, be sure to check out my vegan gluten free zucchini bread too!

👩🏽‍🍳 Why You’ll Love This Recipe

• Nutrient Rich: This healthy banana pumpkin bread is loaded with healthy ingredients like chia seeds, pumpkin puree, banana, and almond milk. While snacking on this tasty treat you’ll be benefiting from nourishing vitamins, minerals, fiber, and healthy fats!
• Easy To Customize: This vegan pumpkin banana bread is super easy to customize with different mix-ins, toppings, or flavors. See our variations below for ideas!
• Lower in Sugar: While most pumpkin breads are packed with refined sugar, this recipe uses coconut sugar, and is lower in sugar and calories than most pumpkin bread recipes out there. That means you can enjoy a big slice without a huge blood sugar crash!
• Kid-Friendly: Kids love quick breads, and with the moist texture and sweet flavor it is easy to see why!
• Quick And Easy: You only need 10 minutes to spare in order to make this recipe for vegan pumpkin bread. After it’s in the oven you can clean up the dishes, and then sit back and relax as the pumpkin aroma fills your home.

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🥘 Ingredients

This homemade vegan pumpkin banana bread comes together easily and is made with simple ingredients! For the full ingredients list and instructions, see the recipe card below.

• Ground Chia Seeds: Chia seeds will serve as the egg in this vegan recipe. When mixed with water it will create a gel like texture that helps hold the batter together!
• All-Purpose Flour: Using all-purpose flour in this recipe gives you that classic pumpkin bread texture that we all know and love.
• Baking Powder & Baking Soda: These leavening agents help the loaf rise and get fluffy while baking!
• Pumpkin Spice: No fall recipe is complete without the addition of pumpkin pie spice! This blend of seasonings makes it easy to whip the recipe together quickly.
• Pumpkin Puree: Not only does the pumpkin purée add pumpkin flavor, but it also adds a great source of fiber, vitamins, and minerals! Not to mention, it gives this quick bread its dreamy moist texture.
• Banana: Adding in ripe mashed bananas creates more moisture in this healthy pumpkin banana bread recipe, while also giving a boost of natural sweetness. 
• Almond Milk: Be sure to use unsweetened almond milk so that your pumpkin bread doesn’t get too sweet or sugary.
• Vanilla Extract & Salt: Enhance all the flavors in this delicious pumpkin banana bread with the help of vanilla extract and a sprinkle of salt.
• Olive Oil: Use a light flavored olive oil as a healthier oil option in this recipe. We won’t use any inflammatory vegetable oils here!
• Coconut Sugar: Sweeten things up with coconut sugar, which is unrefined and healthier than white sugar.
• For The Glaze: Mixing together powdered sugar and almond milk will provide you with the perfect glaze for this vegan banana pumpkin bread!

🍲 Ingredient Substitutions

• Flaxseed: Ground flaxseed can be used to make a flax egg instead of chia seeds, if preferred.
• Flour: You can try out various flour options for this vegan pumpkin bread, like spelt flour, oat flour, or white whole wheat flour. Note: using a whole grain flour will make this quick bread slightly more dense, but it should still taste great.
• Butternut Squash: If you cannot find any canned pureed pumpkin, you can also roast butternut squash or regular pumpkin in the oven until soft to make your own homemade pumpkin puree.
• Milk: Any milk of your choosing can be used in this pumpkin recipe. If you do not need to keep this pumpkin bread vegan you can use whole milk.
• Oil: Instead of olive oil, use avocado oil or coconut oil for different flavor profiles.
• Sugar: Other sweetener options for this vegan pumpkin banana bread include maple syrup, cane sugar, liquid sweetener, or light brown sugar, if you prefer those over coconut sugar.

🔪 How To Make Vegan Pumpkin Banana Bread

Follow along with these step by step detailed instructions to make the perfect vegan pumpkin banana bread. Here is how to make this easy recipe:

Prep Oven, Make Chia Egg: Preheat the oven to 320F/160C and line a 4.5 inch x 9 inch loaf tin with parchment paper. Prepare the chia egg by mixing the ground chia seeds and water together and set aside.

Mix Dry Ingredients: In a large bowl whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and pumpkin spices until well combined.

Mix Wet Ingredients: In a separate bowl whisk the pumpkin puree, mashed banana, chia egg, almond milk, vanilla extract, oil and coconut sugar until smooth.

Combine Wet & Dry Ingredients: Gently fold the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients.

Bake: Transfer to the prepared loaf pan and smooth off the top. Bake in preheated oven for 50-60 minutes.

Cool: Allow to cool in the bread pan for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.

Prep Glaze: To prepare the glaze, add a cup of powdered sugar to a medium bowl. Stir in 1 tbsp of almond milk until smooth. Add more almond milk if you prefer the glaze to be thinner. 

Drizzle & Serve: Drizzle the glaze over the cooled pumpkin pie banana bread, allow the glaze to set before slicing and serving.

💭 Expert Tips

• Cover With Foil: If you find the bread begins to brown while cooking, place a sheet of foil over this vegan pumpkin banana cake to prevent it from burning.
• Extra Sweetness: Use overripe bananas for more sweetness in this vegan banana pumpkin bread recipe – the more ripe they are, the sweeter they’ll be!
• Make Sure To Grease Your Loaf Pan: If you don’t either grease your pan or line it with parchment paper, your loaf will stick to the pan when you try to remove it!
• Avoid Over-Mixing, Don’t Overbake: Do not over mix the batter, and don’t overbake, as this will result in a dense, chewy quick bread.
• Bake Fully: Make sure your vegan pumpkin bread with bananas is fully baked before cooling and slicing. Stick a toothpick or knife into the center of the loaf to test if the bread is done. If it comes out clean, it is done!

📖 Variations

• Try Different Toppings: Try making this vegan pumpkin bread with cream cheese frosting or a streusel topping, mixing a few teaspoons cinnamon and sugar! Or top with your favorite crushed nuts, pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds, or dark chocolate chunks. Feel free to add some crushed walnuts into the batter to create a banana nut pumpkin bread feel!
• Pumpkin Banana Oatmeal Bread: Replace 1/2 of the all purpose flour with rolled oats or oat flour!
• Vegan Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Bread: Next time, add 1/4 cup vegan chocolate chips into the batter before transferring to the loaf pan for a sweet and healthier dessert option.

🍽 Serving Suggestions

This pumpkin banana bread loaf is something you can make again and again throughout the fall and holiday season, or whenever you crave something sweet. Enjoy it with your morning coffee or tea! For a more indulgent drink, try it with this hot chocolate with oat milk, healthy hot chocolate, or even this beetroot latte!

Pair it alongside any of these vegetarian breakfast ideas for a bigger spread, or on its own for a pick-me-up midday snack. My personal favorite way to enjoy this vegan pumpkin banana loaf is with a drizzle of vegan nutella on a warm slice! Or keep things simple with a spread of vegan butter on top.

🙌 Dietary Adaptations

This plant based pumpkin banana nut bread can be easily modified to meet dietary needs. Here are a couple dietary adaptations that may be helpful for you:

Vegan Gluten Free Pumpkin Banana Bread: To make this a vegan gluten free pumpkin bread, substitute the all purpose flour for a 1:1 gluten-free flour blend, gf oat flour, or buckwheat flour. I haven’t tried this with coconut flour or almond flour, but I imagine a homemade blend of gluten free flours could work. You can also try my gluten-free pumpkin bread for a twist on this recipe!

Oil Free Option: Instead of adding olive oil, use a 1/2 cup of unsweetened applesauce for an oil free pumpkin bread.

Lower Sugar Option: The best way to reduce the sugar in this recipe is to omit the glaze. With the glaze, each slice will have 18 grams of sugar. Without the glaze, each slice will only have 8 grams of sugar! To reduce the sugar more, you can try using ½ cup of coconut sugar instead of ⅔ cup, or you can reduce the cups of sugar even further or omit completely. Just keep in mind, it will taste more like a regular quick bread than a pumpkin banana dessert if you omit or reduce the sugar!

🫙 Storage Directions

Here’s how to store and keep this vegan banana pumpkin loaf:

To Store In The Fridge: Allow the bread to cool completely on the cooling rack before wrapping it with plastic wrap. Then wrap it with a second layer of aluminum foil, or place in an airtight container. This will keep the air out which will ensure it retains its moisture. Store at room temperature in a cool dry place. It will keep for 3-4 days.

To Freeze: You can also freeze this vegan banana bread with pumpkin. Once the bread has cooled and you have sliced it, wrap each slice individually in foil or plastic wrap and transfer to a zip top freezer bag or airtight freezer safe container. It will keep in the freezer for up to 1 month. 

To Reheat: Thaw in the fridge overnight, then reheat in the microwave or toaster oven before serving.

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