Vegan Pumpkin Banana Bread (with chocolate chips!)

This homemade vegan, pumpkin banana bread is much more than just a fall-favorite in my household. Can be made with or without chocolate chips as a great breakfast or healthy dessert! Read on for detailed instructions to make sure you get it right every time.

This post contains helpful tips and tricks! If you’re in a rush, please use the “Jump to Recipe” above!

💭 Why you’ll love this recipe

• Tried and tested one-bowl vegan recipe with tons of pumpkin flavor. This basically requires you to mix all the ingredients and bake it. No need for a stand mixer, no need for multiple bowls even!
• Can be made refined sugar free. The recipe as written uses 1/3 cup each of granulated and brown sugar. However, you can replace this with 1/2 to 3/4 cup of coconut sugar if you prefer to make it even healthier!
• Moist, delectable, with simple ingredients. Plenty of substitution options provided, and also a great way to use up over-ripe bananas.
• Great to make-ahead or even freeze. The recipe stays great in the fridge for up to a week, or you can freeze up to a month or two.

📋 Ingredients and notes

You’ll need all purpose flour, baking soda, pumpkin spice (i.e., cinnamon, nutmeg, and ground clove), salt, granulated and brown sugars, ripe bananas, pumpkin puree, avocado oil, orange juice, and semi-sweet chocolate chips (optional).

Notes and Variations

• Refined sugar substitution. If you prefer to go less on the sugar, I suggest replacing the granulated and brown sugars with coconut sugar. Do not recommend using liquid sweeteners (e.g., maple syrup) since I found that it impacted texture and structure.
• Gluten-free variation will require you to swap the all purpose flour for oat flour. I’ve tried the recipe with almond flour and it didn’t hold the texture nearly as well. Gluten-free baking flour works fine.
• Flavorings are everything! Use either homemade or storebought pumpkin puree (not pie filling!) and you can either add in individual spices as written in the recipe card or substitute with pumpkin spice and a teaspoon of cinnamon to make it easier.
• You’ll need to use pumpkin puree (not pumpkin pie filling). You can make this at home or buy it storebought. Make sure that the puree you’re using can be scooped up (and not too liquid). If the puree looks like it can be poured over (i.e., more fluid) – use a sieve to strain out the excess moisture before using.

📖 How to make this one bowl, vegan pumpkin banana bread!

I promise you, it doesn’t get much easier than this one-bowl recipe.

• Move your oven rack to the center and preheat the oven to 375F.
• Start by mixing the granulated and brown sugars in a large mixing bowl. Then, add the wet ingredients – mashed bananas, pumpkin puree, and orange juice. Don’t over mix.

• Add all purpose flour, baking soda, ground cinnamon, ground nutmeg,, ground cloves and salt to a sieve. Sift into the large mixing bowl. If you don’t have a sieve, that’s alright! You can either mix the dry ingredients in a separate bowl, or in a pinch, just add them straight to the wet bowl.
• Mix the ingredients gently – you want to remove most lumps (especially if you’re not sifting the dry ingredients) but don’t overmix. It’s okay if some lumps remain.

• Fold in the semi-sweet chocolate chips if you’re using them. Set aside.
• Oil a 9×5 loaf pan (or a muffin tray). Line the loaf pan with parchment paper (typically oiling helps the parchment paper stick, but you can also hold it down with binder clips).
• Pour the batter into the loaf pan and smooth it out. Top with additional chocolate chips if you wish. Remove binder clips if you used those!

• Bake for at least 60 minutes, and then check whether a toothpick or fork inserted into the loaf comes out clean. If so, the vegan pumpkin banana bread is done! If not, check in five-minute intervals until it’s done. Note that oven temperatures can be quite different – the loaf takes between 60 to 75 minutes to bake.
• Remove the loaf pan and let it cool for about 10 minutes. Lift up the parchment paper and slice the bread and serve hot. Enjoy!!

👩🏽‍🍳Top tips and FAQs

🍴 Serving and storage suggestions

This vegan pumpkin banana bread can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days. I suggest storing the loaf whole and slicing as you need, versus storing slices. It gets even better the next day! Just like this million dollar pound cake!

Pumpkin bread also freezes quite well. Allow bread to cool completely, slice, then place in a freezer-safe bag or container and then freeze. I suggest slicing here because it’s easier to manage portions that way.

To reheat, simply move the slices to the fridge the night before, and then allow it come to room temperature fully, before serving.

If you like this recipe, check out my other Fall recipes:

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