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Hello! I’m Anjali. I’m a board certified health coach, author, wife, mom and food lover from the SF Bay area (now living in Seattle, WA!); with a passion for delicious food and a desire to make healthy eating easy, tasty and fun! Learn more about me here and stay for a while!

Anjali Shah

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!

Vegan pumpkin banana bread, sliced on a wooden cutting board.

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!

👩🏽‍🍳 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.

Ingredients for healthy vegan pumpkin banana bread recipe on a white background.
  • 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.

Chia seeds and water mixed in a bowl.

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

Dry ingredients for quick bread mixed in a bowl.

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.

Wet ingredients for quick bread mixed in a bowl.

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

Batter for pumpkin spice banana bread in a mixing bowl.

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

Banana pumpkin bread batter added to loaf pan lined with parchment paper.

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

Baked healthy banana pumpkin bread in a loaf pan, cooling on a wire rack.

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. 

Vanilla glaze being mixed in a mixing bowl.

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

Vanilla glaze added to quick bread on a wire rack.

💭 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 oat milk hot chocolate, 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.

❓Recipe FAQs

WHY IS MY PUMPKIN BREAD DRY?

Typically, there are three reasons that can cause quick breads to turn out dry. They are: 1) You added too little liquid or your pumpkin puree didn’t have enough moisture 2) Too much flour (use the spoon and level method to avoid this – see tips below), and 3) Over mixing your batter.

WHY DID MY PUMPKIN BREAD NOT RISE?

The main reason for a deflated pumpkin bread is expired baking powder / baking soda. For best results, make sure that these two ingredients are super fresh before baking and you should end up with a nice fluffy moist pumpkin bread!

HOW DO YOU KEEP PUMPKIN BREAD FROM GETTING SOGGY ON THE BOTTOM?

The most common reason that your pumpkin bread is soggy on the bottom is from letting it sit in the loaf pan too long. This creates steam, which in turn, makes the bread soggy. You want to remove and transfer to a wire rack within 5 to 10 minutes after taking the loaf out of the oven.

IS PUMPKIN BANANA BREAD HEALTHY?

The answer is – it depends! Some quick bread recipes are not healthy, despite being vegan. Traditional banana breads and pumpkin breads have tons of oil and sugar added – making them more like a cake than a healthy snack.

But this vegan pumpkin banana bread recipe is both delicious and nutritious for you! It has a good amount of fiber thanks to the pumpkin puree and bananas, plus it is lower in calories and sugar than most pumpkin bread! Pumpkin is known to be a nutrient dense source of potassium, beta-carotene, vitamin A, calcium, magnesium, and vitamins E, C and some B vitamins, making it a really good source for vitamins and minerals.

Slice of vegan pumpkin banana bread being held up by a hand.

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Vegan pumpkin banana bread, sliced on a wooden cutting board.
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5 from 15 votes

Vegan Pumpkin Banana Bread

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!
Prep Time10 minutes
Cook Time1 hour
Total Time1 hour 10 minutes
Course: Baking, Bread, Breakfast, Brunch
Cuisine: American, Vegan
Diet: Gluten Free, Vegan, Vegetarian
Servings: 12 slices
Calories: 191kcal
Author: Anjali Shah

Ingredients

For The Pumpkin Bread:

For The Glaze:

Instructions

  • Prepare the chia egg by mixing the ground chia seeds and water together and set aside.
  • Preheat the oven to 320 degrees F / 160 C and line a 4.5 inch x 9 inch loaf tin with baking paper.
  • In a mixing bowl whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and pumpkin spices until well combined.
  • In a separate mixing bowl whisk the pumpkin puree, mashed banana, chia egg, almond milk, vanilla extract, oil and coconut sugar until smooth.
  • Gently fold the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients.
  • Transfer to the prepared loaf tin and smooth off the top.
  • Bake for 50-60 minutes.
  • Allow to cool in the tin for 5 minutes before transferring to a cooling rack to cool completely.
  • To prepare the glaze stir in 1 tbsp of almond milk until smooth. Add more almond milk if you prefer the glaze to be thinner.
  • Drizzle the glaze over the cold cake, allow the glaze to set before slicing and serving.

Notes

  • Flax seeds can be used instead of chia seeds if preferred.
  • Use gluten free flour instead of all-purpose flour for a gluten free cake.
  • If you find the cake begins to brown while cooking place a sheet of foil over the cake to prevent it from burning.
  • Use canned pumpkin puree (not pumpkin pie filling!) or you can roast a butternut squash in the oven until soft and then scrape of the cooked flesh.
  • Approximately 2 bananas were used in this recipe to make 1 cup of mashed banana.
  • Use ripe bananas for the sweetest flavor.
  • Any plant based milk can be used in this recipe.
  • Coconut sugar can be replaced with brown sugar if preferred.
  • Store cake in an airtight container in a cool dry place for up to 4 days or cake can be frozen for up to 1 month.
  • To change up the flavor of the cake you can add some add ins such as chocolate chips, walnuts or even pumpkin seeds.
  • Cake can be enjoyed with or without the glaze. Note: Nutritional information doesn’t include the glaze. With the glaze, this cake will have 230 calories and 18 grams of sugar per slice.

Nutrition

Serving: 1slice | Calories: 191kcal | Carbohydrates: 30g | Protein: 3g | Fat: 7g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 5g | Trans Fat: 0.003g | Sodium: 176mg | Potassium: 188mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 8g

24 responses to “Vegan Pumpkin Banana Bread”

  1. I love anything pumpkin and this was no exception! Light, fluffy, moist and hands down delicious; easily, a new favorite recipe!5 stars

  2. Very easy recipe and perfect to make for friends who are on a vegan diet. It also smells wonderful when it’s baking!5 stars

  3. Enjoyed this for an afternoon treat and it was delicious! Perfectly light and flavorful; exactly what I needed to cure my sweet tooth!5 stars

  4. You had me at under 200 calories per slice. I love pumpkin bread but it’s definitely not the healthiest, so this recipe is going to be such a life-saver!5 stars

  5. Pumpkin bread is one of the many reasons I love the Fall season! I’ve recently gone gluten free, so I was excited to see that in the variations section, that I can easily adjust the recipe! Perfect!5 stars

  6. This pumpkin bread is so delicious! My loaf turned out perfectly, just like the images here. It has a beautiful texture with the perfect crumb.5 stars

  7. We are all about the pumpkin recipes at the moment and this bread looks so light and fluffy. I can’t wait to try it.5 stars

  8. I am a HUGE pumpkin bread fan, so I am very excited about this healthier version. I will definitely be trying it!5 stars

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