Healthy Pumpkin Banana Muffins

These healthy pumpkin banana muffins are super moist and have the perfect balance of natural sweetness and warm fall flavors. Plus, they’re super simple to make with no added sugar and an unexpected secret ingredient. Grab one for a quick breakfast, snack, or dessert on the go.

Easy Pumpkin Banana Muffins

These muffins are for you if you can’t decide between pumpkin muffins and banana muffins. Not only do these flavors complement each other beautifully, the bananas provide a natural sweetness as well as moisture to the muffins.

In fact, I use bananas as the sole sweetener in so many of my baby and toddler-friendly muffin recipes.

While made with wholesome ingredients and without any added sugar, you’ll be pleasantly amazed by just how tasty these muffins are!

And here’s the secret twist – beans are in there too, giving you an extra boost of protein and iron, all while keeping the muffins deliciously familiar.

Now if you are looking for the perfect fall-flavored bread, you need to make this pumpkin banana bread!

Ingredients

 I am highlighting just the ones that need further explanation. The complete list is in the recipe card below.

• Flour – I love baking with spelt flour because it bakes well and produces light, soft, and moist products while adding fiber and protein. You can also use all purpose flour or white whole wheat flour.
• Pumpkin – be sure to use canned pumpkin puree, NOT pumpkin pie filling! It’s a great source of vitamin A and fiber. You can also use homemade pumpkin puree.
• Bananas – use overripe bananas with plenty of brown spots.
• Egg – use room temperature egg for best results.
• White beans – you may either be feeling hesitant about this unusual ingredient or excited to try or both! You can use any white beans, such as cannellini or Great northern beans, or garbanzo (or chickpeas). They lend themselves best to baked goods, like these sweet potato cookies.
• Pumpkin spice – Combine ground cinnamon, nutmeg, and ginger. You can also use 1 1/2 teaspoons of pumpkin pie spice instead, if you have it.

Related: Healthy Recipes with Pumpkin Puree

How to Make Pumpkin Banana Muffins

1. In a large bowl, add all the dry ingredients. Stir to evenly combine.
2. In a food processor/blender, add all the wet ingredients. Puree until smooth.
3. Combine the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and combine everything together.
4. Spoon batter into muffin cups and bake for 20-25 minutes, until inserted toothpick comes out clean.

Tips for Success

• Use a spoon to scoop the flour into the measuring cup rather than scooping the flour out of the container or bag with your measuring cup. Using the latter method, you could end up with a lot more than what you need.
• Adjust sweetness level. First try the recipe as is. If you desire a sweeter muffin, choose ONE of these options.
  • Add 3-4 soaked dates (discard the pit and the soaking liquid) to the blender along with the rest of the wet ingredients
  • Add up to 2-4 tablespoons of maple syrup or honey
  • Stir in 1/3 cup dried fruits or chocolate chips at the end
• After combining the dry and wet ingredients, do NOT over-mix the muffin batter. Mix lightly with a spatula until just combined. Otherwise, you will end up with dense muffins.

Equipment

I’ve had my blender for over 7 years and use it for everything as I don’t own a food processor. It is well worth the investment.

I use it to make all my blender muffins, dips/sauces, smoothies, veggie nuggets, pancakes..It’s so fantastic, I can’t recommend it enough!

I also love using this silicone muffin tin because nothing sticks!! There’s no need to grease or use muffin liners.

Variations

While delicious as is, if you’d like to invite more texture and fun, here are some add-ins to try:

• Pecans or walnuts (be sure to finely chop for babies)
• Mini chocolate chips
• Dried fruit, such as cranberries, raisins, dates

Serving Suggestions

These soft, moist muffins are great for breakfast, as an afternoon snack, or added to your kid’s (or your) lunchbox!

While delicious on its own, you can take them up a notch by spreading any of these toppings to boost flavor and nutrition:

• Unsweetened applesauce or other mashed fruits, like banana, mango, peach, avocado
• Plain whole fat yogurt
• Peanut or nut butter

Storage Suggestions

The texture was similar when left out or refrigerated. I will say when refrigerated, the banana flavor becomes more pronounced so the muffins taste sweeter. 

If you leave at room temperature, the muffins will be good for 1-2 days in an airtight container. You can also refrigerate for 3-5 days, or freeze for up to 3 months.

Here’s everything you need to know about storing and freezing muffins.

Frequently Asked Questions

Favorite Muffin Recipes

Did you make this recipe? Leave a rating below and let me know how you liked the recipe! Your feedback means so much to me!