These Pumpkin Banana Bread Muffins are a perfect sweet and cozy treat for fall. The banana and pumpkin together create a perfectly balanced, extra-moist muffin you can enjoy for breakfast or dessert, all crowned with a sweet, crunchy cinnamon streusel you'll want to eat by the spoonful.
If that streusel hook gets you, my banana blackberry muffins have the same irresistible crumb topping. This recipe was inspired by my pumpkin breakfast muffins and my sourdough banana bread muffins — try them all this fall and let me know which is your favorite.
Quick Look: Pumpkin Banana Bread Muffins
⏱️ Ready In: About 35 minutes
🔥 Bake Time: 20 minutes (two-temperature method)
🍽️ Serves: 12 muffins
✨ Calories: Approximately 205 per muffin
🥄 Main Ingredients: Pumpkin purée, ripe banana, brown sugar, cinnamon streusel
🌿 Dietary Info: Vegetarian (easily made dairy-free)
💛 Why You'll Love It: An extra-moist pumpkin-banana crumb under a crunchy cinnamon streusel — bakery-tall and cozy.
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Why You'll Love This Recipe
Easy to make dairy-free: A few simple swaps in the substitutions section make these work for almost everyone at the table.
Pumpkin and banana, perfectly balanced: Neither flavor overpowers the other — the banana adds natural sweetness and moisture while the pumpkin brings that cozy fall character. If you love a pumpkin-forward bake, my sourdough pumpkin cream cheese muffins are another favorite.
That cinnamon streusel: Crunchy, buttery, and generous. Use all of it — it seems like a lot at first, but trust me.
Bakery-tall tops: The two-temperature bake (a hot blast, then lower heat) gives you those tall, rounded muffin tops you usually only get at a coffee shop.
Breakfast or dessert: Cozy enough for a Halloween or Thanksgiving breakfast, sweet enough to pass as dessert with a little caramel drizzle.
Jump to:
- Quick Look: Pumpkin Banana Bread Muffins
- Why You'll Love This Recipe
- Ingredients You'll Need
- Easy Substitutions & Variations
- Instructions
- Expert Tips
- What Makes This Recipe Special?
- Pumpkin Banana Bread Muffins FAQs
- Pumpkin Banana Bread Muffins Troubleshooting Guide
- Storage
- Other Pumpkin Recipes to Consider
- Pumpkin Banana Bread Muffins
Ingredients You'll Need
- all-purpose flour + leaveners: Both baking powder and baking soda give the muffins lift and a tender crumb.
- pumpkin pie spice: The cozy backbone of the flavor — cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, and clove in one.
- pumpkin purée: Use pure pumpkin purée, not pumpkin pie filling. It keeps the muffins moist and earthy.
- mashed bananas: The riper the better — those spotty brown bananas add the most sweetness and flavor, the same way they do in my chocolate chunk banana bread or my chocolate chunk banana muffin recipe.
- unsalted butter, melted: For richness and that classic banana-bread texture.
- brown sugar: Adds moisture and a subtle molasses depth that white sugar can't.
- egg, vanilla + milk: Bind everything together and round out the batter.
- cinnamon streusel (sugar, flour, cinnamon, melted butter): The crunchy crown. Don't skip it.
See recipe card for quantities.
Easy Substitutions & Variations
- Milk: Use a high-fat non-dairy milk if you'd like to keep these dairy-free — I recommend full-fat oat milk.
- Butter: A plant-based butter or a neutral oil like coconut oil works well in both the batter and the streusel.
- Keep it simple: Swap the pumpkin pie spice for 1 teaspoon cinnamon + ¼ teaspoon nutmeg or cardamom.
- Caramel: Add ½–1 cup of caramel bits to the batter, or drizzle melted caramel on top after baking.
- White chocolate or nuts: Fold in ½–1 cup white chocolate chips or 1 cup chopped walnuts before baking.
- More pumpkin treats: Working through a can of pumpkin? My pumpkin cream cheese cinnamon rolls and pumpkin cheesecake cookies put the rest to good use.
Instructions
- Step 1: Make streusel, preheat the oven to 425F and prepare a 12-muffin pan.
- Step 2: Mix wet ingredients
- Step 3: Add dry ingredients to wet ingredients.
- Step 4: Portion out into 12-muffin pan, top with streusel, and bake.
Hint: use all of the streusel! it seems like a lot at first, but trust me!
Expert Tips
- Use all of the streusel. It looks like too much when you pile it on, but it bakes down into the perfect crunchy crown. Don't hold back.
- The riper the bananas, the better. Deeply spotted, almost-black bananas mash easily and bring the most natural sweetness and flavor.
- Don't overmix the batter. Stir just until the dry ingredients disappear. Overmixing develops gluten and makes muffins tough and dense.
- Trust the two-temperature bake. The initial blast at 425°F sets tall tops; lowering to 350°F lets the centers finish without burning. Keep the oven closed during the switch.
- Pure pumpkin only. Reach for plain pumpkin purée, not sweetened pumpkin pie filling, or the sweetness and texture will be off.
What Makes This Recipe Special?
Most pumpkin muffins lean entirely on pumpkin and spice. Adding mashed banana changes the whole texture — it brings extra moisture and a natural sweetness that keeps these tender for days, the same trick that makes my sourdough double chocolate banana muffins so soft.
The other star is that two-temperature bake. Starting hot and finishing low is the age-old bakery move for tall, domed muffin tops — the same finish you'll spot on my sourdough discard blueberry muffins. Pair these with a pumpkin cream cold brew and you've basically built a coffee-shop fall morning at home.
Pumpkin Banana Bread Muffins FAQs
Yes! Use a full-fat non-dairy milk and a plant-based butter (or neutral oil) in both the batter and the streusel. See the substitutions section for the brands I reach for.
This is an age-old trick to help create tall, round muffins like the kind you get at the bakery. You can bake them for 15-20 minutes at 350F if you would rather keep it simple.
Yes! Follow my sourdough banana bread muffin recipe and use 1 cup of pumpkin and ½ a cup of banana. or use my sourdough pumpkin banana muffin recipe.
Add the 2 tablespoons of milk in with the rest of the wet ingredients in step 2.
Pumpkin Banana Bread Muffins Troubleshooting Guide
| Problem | Cause | Fix |
|---|---|---|
| Dense, tough muffins | The batter was overmixed. | Mix just until the dry ingredients disappear. |
| Flat tops | Oven wasn't hot enough at the start, or leaveners are old. | Start at a true 425°F and use fresh baking powder and soda. |
| Gummy or wet centers | Too much pumpkin/banana, or underbaked. | Measure by weight and bake until a toothpick comes out clean. |
| Streusel sliding off | Batter cups overfilled or streusel too wet. | Leave a little room at the top and use the full streusel amount. |
| Muffins too sweet/spiced | Used pumpkin pie filling instead of purée. | Use pure pumpkin purée only. |
Storage
- Store at room temperature in an airtight container for 3–5 days.
- Freeze, wrapped tightly, for up to 6 months — thaw at room temperature or warm briefly before serving.
Other Pumpkin Recipes to Consider
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Pumpkin Banana Bread Muffins
Equipment
- Kitchen Scale
- Stand Mixer
- 12-muffin pan
- Cupcake liners
Ingredients
For The Pumpkin Muffins
- 180 grams all-purpose flour 1 ½ cups
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 ½ teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
- 245 grams pumpkin purée 1 cup
- 115 grams mashed bananas ½ cup, about 1–2 medium ripe bananas
- 85 grams unsalted butter melted (6 tablespoons)
- 135 grams brown sugar packed (⅔ cup)
- 1 large egg room temperature
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 2 tablespoons milk
For The Cinnamon Streusel
- 100 grams granulated sugar ½ cup
- 60 grams all-purpose flour ½ cup
- ½ teaspoon cinnamon
- 57 grams unsalted butter melted (4 tablespoons)
- 1 pinch salt
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 425F. Prepare a 12-muffin baking sheet. Make streusel by mixing flour, cane sugar, cinnamon, a pinch of salt, and melted butter together. Set aside.100 grams granulated sugar, 60 grams all-purpose flour, ½ teaspoon cinnamon, 57 grams unsalted butter, 1 pinch salt
- In a large mixing bowl or bowl of a stand mixer, mix melted butter, brown sugar, vanilla extract, pumpkin puree, mashed banana, milk, and egg until just combined.245 grams pumpkin purée, 115 grams mashed bananas, 85 grams unsalted butter, 135 grams brown sugar, 1 large egg, 2 tablespoons milk, 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- In a separate bowl, mix together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and pumpkin pie spice. Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and mix until combined.180 grams all-purpose flour, 1 teaspoon baking powder, 1 teaspoon baking soda, ½ teaspoon salt, 1 ½ teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
- Portion out the batter in a 12 muffin pan. Top with prepared streusel topping.
- Bake for 5 mins at 425F and then lower the temperature to 350F (while keeping the oven closed) and bake for 15-16 more minutes.
- Allow to cool in the pan for 5 minutes before transferring to a cooling rack and enjoy!
Notes
- TIP: Weigh your ingredients! Kitchen scales are easy to find, affordable, and the best way to make sure your recipes turn out as accurately as possible.
- Use all the streusel — it seems like a lot at first, but it bakes into the perfect crunchy topping.
- Pure pumpkin purée only, not pumpkin pie filling.
- Store at room temperature for 3–5 days. Freeze for up to 6 months.
Olivia says
Where does the 2T of milk go? I see it in recipe card but not the instructions.
Audrey says
Hi Olivia! Sorry, you add it in with the wet ingredients 🙂 I updated the post; thank you for bringing this to my attention!
Stephanie Hawkins says
I made these for the girls at work. They all loved them and can’t stop raving about what a great baker I am. Thanks so much!
Seema Sriram says
Gosh! these are the best pumpkin muffins and I will not have to ever look at another recipe. Yum!
Audrey says
You made my day! So happy to hear that you liked them!