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Healthy One-Bowl Pumpkin Banana Bread (No Refined Sugar)

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This tender, moist pumpkin banana bread comes together in one bowl with no refined sugar—just ripe bananas and pumpkin for sweetness. It’s a wholesome, kid-approved breakfast or snack that tastes indulgent but is packed with fiber, vitamin A, and potassium.

Ingredients

Scale
  • 2 medium ripe bananas, mashed (spotty brown skins ideal)
  • 1 cup pumpkin purée (100% pure, not pumpkin pie filling)
  • 2 large eggs, room temperature
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract (pure preferred)
  • ¼ cup coconut oil, melted (or melted butter/avocado oil)
  • 1 ¾ cups whole wheat pastry flour (or all-purpose flour)
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • ½ teaspoon baking powder
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • 1 ½ teaspoons cinnamon (Ceylon or regular)
  • 1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice (or mix of nutmeg, ginger, cloves)
  • Optional mix-ins: ½ cup dark chocolate chips, ½ cup chopped walnuts, or ¼ cup raisins

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C). Line a 9×5-inch loaf pan with parchment paper, leaving overhang for easy removal.
  2. In a large mixing bowl, mash the ripe bananas with a fork until mostly smooth with a few small lumps.
  3. Add pumpkin purée, eggs, vanilla extract, and melted coconut oil to the mashed bananas. Whisk until smooth and uniform.
  4. Add whole wheat pastry flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, and pumpkin pie spice directly to the bowl. Fold with a spatula until just combined—do not overmix. A few streaks of flour are okay.
  5. If using, gently fold in optional mix-ins (chocolate chips, nuts, or raisins).
  6. Pour batter into the prepared loaf pan and spread evenly with a spatula. Batter will be thick.
  7. Bake for 50–60 minutes. At 45 minutes, start checking: insert a toothpick into the center—if it comes out clean or with a few moist crumbs, it’s done. If top browns too quickly, tent loosely with aluminum foil for the last 10 minutes.
  8. Let bread cool in the pan for 10 minutes, then lift out using parchment handles and transfer to a cooling rack. Cool completely before slicing (about 1 hour).

Notes

Don’t overmix the batter—overmixing develops gluten and makes bread dense. Use very ripe bananas (brown spots) for maximum sweetness. Measure flour by spooning into cup and leveling off. Let bread cool completely before slicing to prevent crumbling. Bread tastes even better on day two as flavors meld. For a vegan version, replace eggs with 2 flax eggs (2 tbsp ground flaxseed + 6 tbsp water, let sit 5 minutes). For gluten-free, use a 1:1 gluten-free baking flour blend.

Nutrition

Keywords: pumpkin banana bread, healthy banana bread, no sugar banana bread, one bowl banana bread, whole wheat pumpkin bread, fall breakfast, kid-friendly, dairy-free option

Find it online: https://cookyep.com/healthy-one-bowl-pumpkin-banana-bread-no-refined-sugar/