Soft, fluffy Pumpkin Banana Muffins with warm spice, tender crumb, and a gentle banana flavor. They stay moist for days!
These Banana Pumpkin Muffins are ultra-tender, packed with pumpkin and banana flavor, plus a little cozy spice.
I combined my favorite pumpkin muffin recipe with my famous moist banana bread recipe into the perfect pumpkin banana muffins recipe for fall.
Pumpkin Banana Muffin Ingredients
- Pumpkin puree: I designed the recipe to use a full 15-oz can but if you use a larger can, here’s how to freeze canned pumpkin puree.
- Over-ripe banana: The blacker the better for this recipe.
- Buttermilk (or a buttermilk substitute).
- Vegetable oil
- Granulated sugar + Brown sugar
- Eggs
- Vanilla extract
- All-purpose flour
- Cinnamon
- Baking powder
- Baking soda: Reacts with buttermilk for extra floof.
Full recipe quantities listed in recipe card at the bottom of the article.
If you’re obsessed with pumpkin recipes (like me!) you’ll also love my pumpkin zucchini muffins and favorite pumpkin bread (moist for days).
Variations and Substitutions
Small tweaks can change the vibe without changing the method.
- Chocolate chip: Lovers of Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies and Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Muffins can fold in 1 cup chocolate chips.
- Nuts: Add toasted pecans or walnuts for texture.
- Pumpkin spice: Swap the cinnamon for pumpkin pie spice.
- Whole wheat flour: You can swap 1 cup of the all-purpose flour for whole wheat pastry flour, if you like.
- Give them a pumpkin cupcake recipe vibe with cream cheese frosting.
- Bake as a loaf: using my pumpkin banana bread recipe.
Grab These Tools
Nothing fancy needed for these easy pumpkin banana muffins.
- Two 12-cup muffin pans
- Paper liners
- Large mixing bowls: One for wet, one for dry.
- Whisk and spatula
- Portion scoop: (Optional for even cups for even baking.)
- Instant-read thermometer: Confirms doneness at 190°F.
Making This Pumpkin Banana Muffin Recipe: Step-by-Step
Preheat and Prep the Pan
Heat the oven to 375°F. Line 18 muffin cups and lightly spray the pan surface so muffin tops release cleanly.
Mix the Wet Ingredients
Whisk pumpkin, banana, buttermilk, oil, brown sugar, eggs, and vanilla until smooth. This prevents overworking the batter later.
Mix the Dry Ingredients
Whisk flour, granulated sugar, cinnamon, baking powder, baking soda, and salt until well blended. Even dispersion means even rise.
Bring the Batter Together
Make a well in the dry bowl. Pour in the wet mixture. Stir slowly until just combined with a few faint streaks.
Portion and Bake
Fill cups nearly full for big domes. Bake 20 to 25 minutes, until an instant-read thermometer reads 190°F or tops spring back.
Cool and Enjoy
Rest in the pan 5 minutes to set the crumb. Move to a rack and cool completely for the best texture.
5 Common Mistakes When Making Pumpkin and Banana Muffins
Here are the most frequent mix-ups to avoid:
- Overmixing the batter, which makes tunnels and a tough crumb.
- Packing the flour into the cup, leading to dry, dense muffins. I prefer to go by weights (tap the ‘Metric’ button on the recipe card).
- Using bananas that aren’t very ripe, which reduces sweetness and moisture.
- Uneven batter. Underfilling and overfilling different cups causes uneven bake times.
- Overbaking. Aim for 190°F as a totally foolproof indicator, or gently press the centers for a springy bounce.
Make Ahead and Storage
Bake once and enjoy all week. A few simple habits keep muffins soft and fresh. Don’t ever refrigerate them (that makes them stale faster).
Storing Leftovers
- Room temp first: Cool fully before storing to prevent sogginess.
- Airtight container: I like to add a chunk of apple or a soaked brown sugar keeper in there to keep the muffins super soft.
- Timing: Best within 3 days at room temperature.
Freezing
- Wrap well: Freeze in a single layer, then bag with air pressed out.
- Date it: Label for up to 3 months.
- Thaw smart: Defrost at room temperature in the bag to keep moisture in.
Reheating Pumpkin Banana Muffins
- Microwave quick: 10 to 15 seconds returns that just-baked softness.
- Oven refresh: 300°F for 5 to 7 minutes warms through without drying.
How to Make the Best Pumpkin Banana Muffins: Final Notes + Secrets
A few last food scientist‘s tips:
- Weigh or fluff your flour: Accurate flour keeps the crumb tender.
- Use very ripe bananas: Dark spots mean sweeter, moister muffins.
- Mix gently: Stop while streaks remain. They vanish during portioning.
- Hot oven, tall domes: 375°F encourages lift before the crumb sets.
- Check 190°F: A thermometer gives perfect doneness every time.
- Rest in pan briefly: Five minutes sets structure without steaming.
Other Favorite Muffin Recipes
Try my moist blueberry bran muffin recipe, rhubarb muffins healthy with Greek yogurt, apricot muffins, lemon blueberry muffins with sour cream, and tender double chocolate muffins.
Pumpkin Banana Muffins (Soft + Fluffy!)
Ingredients
Wet Ingredients
- 1 ¾ cups pumpkin puree a 15-oz can
- 2 cups mashed over-ripe banana
- 1 cup buttermilk
- ¾ cup vegetable oil
- ⅓ cup packed brown sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
Dry
- 3 ½ cups all-purpose flour
- ¾ cup granulated sugar
- 2 tsp cinnamon
- 1 tbsp baking powder
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1 tsp kosher salt
Instructions
- Heat oven to 375°F. Use muffin liners to line 18 cups of two 12-cup muffin pans. Spray the pan with cooking spray.
- Whisk pumpkin, banana, buttermilk, oil, brown sugar, eggs, and vanilla in a large bowl.
- In another bowl, whisk flour, sugar, cinnamon, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
- Make a well. Add wet ingredients to dry. Stir gently until a few flour streaks remain. Do not overmix.
- Portion batter to fill 18 muffin cups nearly full. Bake 20 to 25 minutes until the internal temperature reaches 190ºF. If you don’t have a cooking thermometer, they’ll be golden and bouncy when gently pressed when done.
- Cool in pan 5 minutes, then transfer to a rack.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
These pumpkin banana muffins turned out fluffy and super delicious, thank you!
These muffins,are beautiful,taste is great,soft ,moist,everything you want in a good muffin…but they stick to the paper cups,very disappointing….but I will make them again and see if I can find paper cups for the muffin tins..?.
Thank you, Sharon. You can always spray the inside of the paper cups with oil or nonstick spray if you want them to release easier from the paper liners.
This recipe is incredibly easy and the muffins turn out perfectly soft and fluffy every time! The tips for making them moist are spot on, and the variations keep it interesting. Definitely trying the chocolate chips next!