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About This Recipe
What happens when you combine the flavors of classic banana bread and the warm spices of my pumpkin coffee cake? The most delicious, moist fall treat!
This Brown Butter Pumpkin Banana Bread is seriously one of my favorite recipes. The banana and pumpkin both ensure this is the most moist loaf while the nutty brown butter adds a serious dimension of gourmet flavor.
And don’t let the brown butter intimidate you! If you’ve never browned butter before, it’s so easy. Just pop a stick of butter in a small saucepan and let it melt until it becomes this deep golden brown with a nutty aroma. I promise, you’ll be able to smell it as soon as it’s ready and it’s like liquid gold for any recipe!
Love all things pumpkin? Try one of these 15+ healthy pumpkin recipes like my chocolate chip pumpkin muffins, pumpkin french toast bake or pumpkin cinnamon rolls for even more delicious fall flavor!
Why You’ll Love This Brown Butter Pumpkin Banana Bread
- The perfect fall treat! Full of warm flavors, fall spices and moist crumbs!
- Easy to make! Don’t let the brown butter intimidate you – it’s so easy!
- Soft, fluffy and OH SO moist! The combination of pumpkin and banana really take the texture of this bread over the top!
- Enjoy for a sweet breakfast treat, afternoon snack or cozy dessert!
- A great fall spin on classic banana bread!
- Butter: I prefer to use unsalted butter in my baking so I can control the amount of salt. However, you can use salted butter if that’s what you have on hand just omit the additional salt (or reduce the amount).
- Bananas: preferably ripe bananas! The riper the banana, the sweeter it is, the easier it is to mash, and the more sweetness it adds to the bread! If you need to quickly ripen your bananas, you can pop them in the oven for 15-20 minutes.
- Brown sugar: regular brown sugar or a brown sugar alternative like Truvia, Swerve or golden monk fruit sweetener all work!
- Pumpkin puree: make sure to use 100% canned pumpkin puree (not pumpkin pie mix). My favorite brand of pumpkin is Libby.
- Egg: help bind our bread together and keeps it moist.
- All-purpose flour: you can substitute oat flour, whole wheat or gluten-free flour. I have heard from other readers that almond flour does NOT work well for a sub, so I would stick to one of these flours! Coconut flour would also not work for this recipe.
- Baking essentials: vanilla extract, baking soda (make sure it’s fresh), cinnamon, pumpkin pie spice and salt
- Chocolate chips: my go-to chips are semi-sweet Enjoy Life mini chocolate chips! I love the mini chips as I think they go further for getting chocolately goodness in each bite.
- Gluten-fee: use 1:1 gluten-free flour like Bob’s Red Mill or King Arthur in place of the all-purpose flour
- Nuts: toss some chopped walnuts if you love nuts in your banana bread
- Chocolate chips: I think semi-sweet chocolate chips are the perfect balance of flavor in this brown butter pumpkin bread but you can also use milk, dark or white chocolate chips
How To Make
The full printable recipe is below, but let me walk you through the process so you know what to expect when you’re making it!
1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Place butter into a light colored saucepan (stainless steel would work) over medium heat.
2. Stir until melted and then frequently with a rubber spatula for several minutes (keep a close eye on it because it will burn quickly!) Butter will start to foam up–keep stirring, continuing to scrape the bottom. As soon as the butter turns golden brown, you start to smell a nutty aroma and see brown specs, remove from heat and transfer to another dish to cool.
3. Mash the bananas in a large bowl. Whisk in the brown sugar, pumpkin, egg and vanilla. And then once combined, mix in the browned butter.
4. Add the flour, baking soda, cinnamon, pumpkin pie spice and salt. Stir the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients until no dry streaks remain. Stir in the chocolate chips.
5. Grease a small loaf pan with butter (I used a l lb./8.5×4.5” loaf pan). Pour batter into the pan. Sprinkle more chocolate chips on top if desired.
6. Bake for about 45-55 minutes, until the top of the bread is no longer jiggly or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean with no batter, just a few wet crumbs. Remove from the oven and place the loaf pan on a wire rack. Let bread cool in the pan for about 10 minutes, then move bread out of the pan, onto the wire rack to finish cooling completely before slicing.
To maximize the shelf life of this pumpkin banana bread recipe, place it in a covered airtight container or cover with plastic wrap to prevent it from drying out.
- This bread will last at room temperature for 1-2 days.
- This bread will last in the fridge for 1 week.
- This bread will last in the freezer for 3-4 months.
Helpful Tips
- Don’t rush the butter: Don’t rush the browning process. Keep an eye on the butter to make sure it doesn’t burn. The butter will start to foam up and the smell will change from buttery to nutty as it browns.
- Use overripe bananas: Be sure to use a RIPE banana with plenty of brown spots! The riper the banana, the sweeter your bread will be! If you’re bananas aren’t quite ripe, you can pop them in the oven to ripen quickly!
- Don’t over mix: combine the ingredients just until they are all just combined to keep from over mixing. Over mixing the bread will lead to a tougher, dry bread.
- Stand mixer: if you want to use your mixer for this just be sure to use it on low speed and mix until just combine. It can be easier to overmix using a electric mixer but if you’re careful it should be fine.
Can I make this brown butter pumpkin banana bread into muffins?
Yes! Just fill the muffin pan 2/3 of the way full and bake at 350F for 15-20 minutes or until the centers come back up springy.
What type of pumpkin should I use for this recipe?
Make sure to use pure pumpkin puree not pumpkin pie filling. Pumpkin puree is made from 100% cooked pumpkin that provides flavor and moisture for this quick bread recipe. Alternatively, pumpkin pie filling is pre-sweetened and spiced and will throw off the flavor of this recipe. I always use pumpkin puree in my baking recipe so I can control the flavor and added sugar. My favorite brand of pumpkin is Libby as I think it has the best taste, texture and orange color.
How do I know my bananas are ripe enough?
Make sure to use bananas that are brown and spotty, or even mostly black. These bananas have a higher sugar content, making them naturally sweeter and softer, which ensures they mash easily and blend smoothly into the batter. The riper the banana, the sweeter the bread. Which is super important since we’re not using a ton of additional sugar in this recipe. If your bananas aren’t ripe enough yet, you can bake them in the oven to ripen them quickly.
Did you make this? If you snap a photo, please be sure leave a review, tag me on Instagram or TikTok at @LaurenFitFoodie or hashtag #LaurenFitFoodie so I can see your creations!
Brown Butter Pumpkin Banana Bread
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter (112g) cut into 8 pieces
- 1.5 cups mashed ripe banana (330g) ~3 large bananas
- 1/2 cup light brown sugar (96g) packed
- 1/3 cup pumpkin puree (80g)
- 1 large egg room temp
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- 1.75 cups all purpose flour (210g)
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- 1 tsp pumpkin pie spice
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/2 cup semi sweet chocolate chips (120g) plus more for topping
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Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
- Place butter into a light colored saucepan (stainless steel would work) over medium heat. Stir until melted and then frequently with a rubber spatula for several minutes (keep a close eye on it because it will burn quickly!) Butter will start to foam up–keep stirring, continuing to scrape the bottom. As soon as the butter turns golden brown, you start to smell a nutty aroma and see brown specs, remove from heat and transfer to another dish to cool.
- Mash the bananas in a large bowl. Whisk in the brown sugar, pumpkin, egg and vanilla. And then once combined, mix in the brown butter.
- Add the flour, baking soda, cinnamon, pumpkin pie spice and salt. Stir the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients until no dry streaks remain. Stir in the chocolate chips.
- Grease a small loaf pan with butter (I used a l lb./8.5×4.5” loaf pan). Pour batter into the pan. Sprinkle more chocolate chips on top if desired.
- Bake for about 45-55 minutes, until no longer jiggly or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean with no batter, just a few wet crumbs.
- Remove from the oven and place the loaf pan on a wire rack. Let bread cool in the pan for about 10 minutes, then move bread out of the pan, onto the wire rack to finish cooling completely before slicing.
Notes
- This bread will last at room temperature for 1-2 days.
- This bread will last in the fridge for 1 week.
- This bread will last in the freezer for 3-4 months.
Nutrition Information
Nutrition is hand-calculated and accurate. No autocalulations! However, note that values can vary based on the brands you use and if you substitute ingredients.
