Pumpkin Banana Bread Muffins

Name: Pumpkin Banana Bread Muffins
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 35 min
Total time: 50 min
Ingredients: 2 ripe mashed bananas; 1/2 cup pumpkin puree; 1 egg; 1/2 tsp vanilla; 1/2 cup almond butter; 1 1/2 cups almond flour; 1 tsp baking soda; 1/4 tsp sea salt; 1/4 tsp cinnamon; 1/4 cup coconut sugar; 1/3 cup chocolate chips

Recipes, Sweets

July 27, 2020

Hey there I'm Chen.

Welcome to Chen's Plate, a food and lifestyle blog sharing gluten and dairy free recipes along with the ups and downs of my life in NYC. Hope you find what you're looking for. So excited to have you here :)

about Me

Hi I’m Chen, and I’m obsessed with bananas

There was a time a few years back that I thought bananas were “unhealthy.” I don’t know where I got this information, but I think that I thought that bananas had too many sugars or something. I tried to stay away from bananas at all costs, but I was truly missing out on so much. Bananas are so versatile, they make the perfect snack and they’re PERFECT for baking.

I’ve recently been buying so many bananas with the intention of baking up some crafty banana baked goods, but I always end up turning to my typical banana bread recipe. I spent some time brainstorming new ways to use bananas in my recipes, changing up the usual banana bread. I love how these turned out and I think you will too.

Ingredients needed to make pumpkin banana bread muffins

This recipe calls for simple, easy ingredients. You probably already have most of these in your pantry and refrigerator!

Ripe mashed bananas
Pumpkin puree
Egg
Vanilla
Almond Butter
Almond flour
Baking soda
Sea salt
Cinnamon
Coconut sugar
Chocolate chips

Kitchen tools required to make these muffins

These muffins require typical baking tools. To prepare these delicious treats, you’ll need a muffin tin, muffin liners (or grease/oil), 1 mixing bowl, and a mixing spatula or spoon. TIP: If you don’t have muffin liners and want something to protect your muffins from sticking, cut up parchment paper into squares and use the base of a cup to press the paper into the muffin tins.

How to make easy banana bread

These are seriously the easiest muffins ever. They only require about 35 minutes, and they taste fantastic!

To start making these muffins, preheat the oven to 350 F and prepare the muffin tin by greasing or lining.

In your mixing bowl, mash your two ripe bananas and then add in pumpkin puree, egg, vanilla, and almond butter. Mix super well to create a smooth mixture.

Then, add in your dry ingredients: baking soda, sea salt, almond flour, coconut sugar, and cinnamon and mix well. These ingredients all mixed together create your pumpkin banana muffin batter.

Pour even amounts of batter into your muffin tin, you should be able to fill up about 12 muffins. Leave a little room on the top for rising. Sprinkle chocolate chips on top of each muffin.

Bake for about 30-40 minutes. Cool and enjoy!

Tips for achieving the perfect pumpkin banana bread muffins

Here are some little tricks for making the best muffins ever!

Preheat the oven

Make sure your oven is fully heated before putting the batter in the oven. If it’s not, it may cause the muffins to cook poorly as it heats up. If you’re like me you’re probably often tempted to throw the batter in as soon as it’s ready. However, it pays to hold off!

Measure the ingredients

Be sure that you measure out your ingredients closely, as too much or too little of something can completely change the end result. If you use too much liquid, for example, your muffins may wind up feeling dense and “heavy.”

Avoid over mixing

Be sure your muffin batter is mixed just enough, but not too much. As long as everything is incorporated, they’ll turn out just fine. Over mixing can result in hard muffins.

Storing muffins

These muffins can be stored in an airtight container and kept at room temperature for up to 4-5 days. Similarly, they can be frozen in an airtight container for up to 3 months.

Optional substitutions

Here are some commonly used ingredient swaps. Feel free to customize this recipe to make it your own!

Pumpkin Puree: If you don’t have this and don’t want that pumpkin flavor, feel free to leave it out and simply add in two more ripe bananas.
Almond Butter: If you don’t have almond butter, you can use any other nut butter. Just know that this may change the overall flavor of your muffins, but they’ll still be super tasty!
Chocolate Chips: Feel free to use dark or white chocolate, fruit, dried cranberries, or whatever you’d like!

How to make vegan pumpkin banana bread muffins

As long as you use dairy free chocolate chips, the only non-vegan ingredient in these muffins are the eggs. As an egg substitute, you could try a number of things. Here are some ideas:

Applesauce: You can use 1/4 cup of applesauce in place of one egg. You’ll need 1/4 cup for this recipe. As a bonus, applesauce adds a dash of sweetness that tastes great.
Flax seeds: To use flax seeds, you’ll need to mix them with water until they’ve absorbed all or most of it. Mix 1 tbsp of seeds with 3 tbsp of water for one egg.
Chia seeds: These seeds work the same way as flax seeds. Mix 1 tbsp of chia seeds with 3 tbsp of water for one egg, and stir until the seeds fully absorb the water. You may need to let them sit for a few minutes.