What do you get when you cross your favorite banana bread with real pumpkin puree and cozy pumpkin pie spices? OH, just the most perfect, fluffy, tender pumpkin banana muffins made perfectly sweet with a little pure maple syrup and extra ripe bananas.
I haven’t shared a new muffin recipe with you all in quite some time and fall is truly the BEST time for baking. While we’re still adding pumpkin to anything and everything this season, I knew I wanted to bring you a brand new pumpkin muffin to bake up with the kiddos or make for yourself to enjoy for breakfast or a snack during busy weeks! These babies are so easy to make and such a great way to use up extra pumpkin puree. Add chocolate chips because why the hell not?
They’re freezer-friendly, and extra special when you mix crunchy walnuts or pecans in the batter, too. I know you’ll love them!
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Ingredients in these banana pumpkin chocolate chip muffins
These perfectly fluffy banana pumpkin muffins are naturally sweetened, easily made dairy-free, and pack tons of cozy pumpkin flavor. Here’s what you’ll need to make them:
- Flour: we’re using a mix of all-purpose flour and white whole wheat flour to give the muffins their light and fluffy texture. You can use more all-purpose flour or whole wheat pastry flour for the white whole wheat flour if you’d like.
- Flaxseed meal: I love the addition of flaxseed meal in these muffins because it adds a boost of omega-3s and fiber.
- Spices: feel free to use pumpkin pie spice to bring out the pumpkin flavor, or simply use cinnamon if that’s what you have on hand.
- Baking staples: don’t forget the baking soda AND baking powder, salt, and vanilla extract.
- Bananas: super ripe bananas help give the muffins moisture and sweetness!
- Pumpkin puree: can’t have pumpkin muffins without pure pumpkin puree. Learn how to make your own puree from a full pumpkin in this post.
- Maple syrup: a little pure maple syrup gives the muffins the perfect flavor and sweetness.
- Oil: we’re also adding a bit of oil for moisture — olive oil or melted, cooled, coconut oil will work.
- Milk: the final component for perfectly moist banana pumpkin muffins? Any milk you’d like! You only need a little. I typically use unsweetened vanilla almond milk.
- Egg: you’ll need 1 egg to help the muffins bake up properly.
- Mix-ins: I love adding dark or semi-sweet chocolate chips to these muffins because pumpkin + chocolate = life. Use dairy-free chocolate chips to keep the recipe dairy-free. You can also mix in some chopped walnuts or pecans if you like a little crunch!
Can I make them gluten-free or vegan?
- To make gluten-free: use a gluten-free 1:1 all-purpose flour for the all-purpose and white whole wheat flour.
- To make vegan: I haven’t tested these pumpkin banana chocolate chip muffins using a flax egg, but I suspect that it will work. Let me know in the comments if you try it! Then be sure to use dairy-free milk and dairy-free chocolate chips.
Add a nutritional booster
I love to stir 2 to 3 tablespoons of hemp hearts into the batter with the chocolate chips to boost the protein and add tons of vitamins and minerals. You won’t even be able to notice!
Can I use frozen bananas?
Yep! Just be sure to thaw your bananas completely and drain off the excess liquid so that the muffins don’t come out too moist.
Jazz them up with a delicious frosting
One of my favorite ways to jazz up these pumpkin banana muffins? Add a luscious cinnamon cream cheese frosting from this recipe! You can either omit the chocolate chips and just add the frosting, or get a little wild and have both.
Make it into pumpkin banana bread
- Simply make the muffin batter as directed.
- Pour into a greased 8 1/2 x 4 1/2 inch loaf pan.
- Bake for 50-60 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the middle comes out clean. Easy!
Don’t forget these muffin baking tips
- Use extra ripe bananas. I mean EXTRA ripe and almost brown. They’ll give your muffins a natural sweetness.
- Use fresh baking soda & powder. This will ensure that the muffins rise properly. If your baking soda or baking powder is more than 3 months old I’d suggest swapping it out.
- Don’t overmix the batter. Mix the flour into your wet ingredients until it’s just combined. If you overmix the batter your muffins may turn out dense and almost rubbery, which we don’t want. It’s okay if there are some lumps of banana in the batter!
Storing & freezing these zucchini banana muffins
- To store: let the muffins cool completely, then keep them in an airtight bag or container in the fridge for optimal freshness (especially during summer months).
- To freeze: wrap muffins individually in freezer-safe bags or store them in a large freezer bag. When you’re ready to enjoy them, reheat for 30-45 seconds in the microwave or simply thaw them at room temperature.
More muffin recipes you’ll love
- Brown Butter Apple Muffins with Cinnamon Pecan Streusel
- Nourishing Almond Butter Double Chocolate Pumpkin Muffins (that taste like CAKE!)
- Outrageously Good Orange Muffins
- Pumpkin Zucchini Muffins with Cinnamon Cream Cheese Frosting
- Chai-Spiced Butternut Squash Muffins with Salted Honey Glaze
Get all of my muffin recipes here!
I hope you love these banana pumpkin muffins! If you make them be sure to leave a comment and a rating so I know how you liked them. Enjoy, xo!
Ambitious Kitchen
Cookbook
125 Ridiculously Good For You, Sometimes Indulgent, and Absolutely Never Boring Recipes for Every Meal of the Day
Banana Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Muffins
Ingredients
- Dry ingredients:
- 1 cup (120g) all purpose flour
- ½ cup (57g) white whole wheat flour*
- ¼ cup (30g) flaxseed meal
- 1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice (or cinnamon)
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- Wet ingredients:
- 2 very ripe spotty medium to large bananas, mashed
- ⅔ cup (163g) pumpkin puree
- ⅓ cup (104g) pure maple syrup
- ¼ cup (50g) extra-virgin olive oil (or sub melted coconut oil)
- ¼ cup (60g) unsweetened vanilla almond milk (or milk of choice)
- 1 large egg, at room temperature
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- Mix-ins:
- ½ cup (90g) dark or semi-sweet chocolate chips, plus 2 tablespoons for sprinkling on top
- Optional: 1/2 cup (56g) chopped walnuts (or sub pecans)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line a 12-cup muffin pan with muffin liners and spray the inside of the liners with nonstick cooking spray to prevent sticking.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the all purpose flour, white whole wheat flour, flaxseed meal, pumpkin pie spice, baking powder, baking soda, and salt until well combined.
- In a separate large bowl, whisk together mashed banana, pumpkin, pure maple syrup, olive oil, milk egg, and vanilla until well combined.
- Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and use a wooden spoon to mix together until the batter is just combined. DO NOT overmix. Fold in ½ cup chocolate chips and walnuts (or pecans), if using.
- Divide batter evenly into muffin liners, then sprinkle each muffin with a few extra chocolate chips. Bake for 20-25 minutes or until the toothpick comes out with just a few crumbs attached.
- Cool muffins for 5 minutes then remove from the pan and transfer to a wire rack to finish cooling. Muffins are best served warm and even better the next day. Makes 12 muffins.
Recipe Notes
Nutrition
Recipe by: Monique Volz // Ambitious Kitchen | Photography by: Eat Love Eats
9 comments
These are delicious and came out perfectly! I only had 1 banana so I used an extra 1/3 cup of pumpkin puree to make up the difference. The texture was great – fluffy and not too dense. My daughter was concerned about the flaxseed in the recipe but the taste did not come through at all and I think she forgot it was in there. The whole family loved them. I will make these again!
Perfect! So glad you all enjoyed!
I didn’t have any bananas so I used a whole can of pumpkin, and they turned out delicious! Great taste & texture!
I’m glad that worked out well!!
Can’t wait to try these! Would they be runny without the flax meal or do you have a substitution? Thank you!!
The flaxseed meal helps hold these together, so feel free to try these muffins and just add chocolate chips if you’d like!
I just made these and they are delicious!! Not super pumpkin-y in my opinion, but perfectly moist and tender. Definitely going into the muffin rotation!
So glad you loved them!
I’ve made these muffins twice now and they are so deliciously moist and delicious. I am gluten free so I have used Namaste gluten free flour for the 1.5 cups of flour in this. Thank you for a recipe that I will actually keep!