The best ever healthy no added sugar pumpkin banana bread is bursting with fall flavors and is made with no refined sugar, just healthy, real food ingredients. Enjoy it plain, or add some mix-ins: walnuts, pecans, raisins, or my favorite, chocolate chips!
You guys. It’s pumpkin season — arguably my favorite season of the entire year. I mean, the holidays are great, but pumpkin season gives me all of the same warm and cozy feels without having to buy or wrap a single. solitary. gift. Not one! In fact, every bite of this healthy pumpkin bread feels like a gift alone lately.
I’ve been making No Added Sugar Banana Bread for a long time. In fact, I’ve been making it so long that my original recipe lives on a completely different blog that I sorta unintentionally abandoned after having our first baby. What can I say, #lifehappens.
But when I got my first whiff of fall a few weeks ago, my mind immediately went to pumpkin, and then to this No Added Sugar Banana Bread.
I thought: What if pumpkin bread and my favorite banana bread could have a baby of their own?
I knew I had to make it happen, so I did. And with only one bowl.
Behold, Healthy No Added Sugar Pumpkin Banana Bread.
Here it’s pictured with raisins —which are delicious in their own right— but if I’m being real those raisins are usually semi-sweet chocolate chips. Sure, that sort of negates the whole ‘no added sugar’ aspect, but chocolate chip mix-ins are just how we roll around here. Even with chocolate chips, this banana bread is still low in sugar compared to most other banana bread recipes out there.
Ingredients for Healthy No Added Sugar Pumpkin Banana Bread
- Pumpkin puree: Make sure it is 100% pure pumpkin puree. Do not use pumpkin pie filling. They are not the same!
- Mashed overripe bananas: Fresh or frozen and defrosted, both work! See the section on using frozen bananas below for tips and tricks.
- Eggs: Regular ol’ large eggs are best. I’ve not tried this recipe with flax “egg” or other egg alternatives, so let me know if you do!
- Oil: I prefer to use neutral- to light-flavored oil like avocado oil or melted coconut oil.
- Pumpkin spice blend: If you don’t have pumpkin spice blend on hand, you can make this bread with ground cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, and allspice or cloves. I recommend using 1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon, 1/2 teaspoon ginger, ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg, and ¼ teaspoon allspice or cloves.
- Leaveners: A mix of baking powder and baking soda give this quickbread its rise. I used mostly baking powder since there is not a whole lot of acidity to counteract the alkalinity of baking soda.
- Flavor extract: I’ve only used vanilla extract, but if you want to elevate the pumpkin and/or banana flavor, you can substitute pumpkin and/or banana extract.
- Kosher salt: I use kosher salt in all of my recipes, but table salt or sea salt would also work. Since table salt is much finer than kosher salt or sea salt, I’d recommend reducing the amount of table salt just a smidge.
- Flour: This recipe calls for white whole wheat flour, but I’ve also made it using 1 cup all-purpose flour + ¾ cup whole wheat flour. It turned out great!
How to make low sugar pumpkin bread
The key to making this low-sugar pumpkin bread is sweetening it with overripe bananas rather than refined sugar. As bananas ripen, their fructose (sugar) content increases, making them sweeter and perfect for incorporating into baked goods in place of added sugar. Head to the recipe card for the step-by-step process!
How to make banana bread with frozen bananas
I rarely have enough overripe bananas to make this healthy pumpkin banana bread, so I typically use a mix of fresh and frozen.
- Freeze overripe bananas. Peel the bananas and place them in an airtight freezer bag. Remove as much air as possible when sealing the bag and place it in the freezer. Bananas can last up to 6 months in the freezer, maybe longer.
- Let frozen bananas come to room temperature. When defrosting, it’s important to let the bananas defrost completely and come to room temperature. Your banana bread will not cook completely if the batter is cold.
- Drain the excess liquid before mashing. Frozen bananas release a lot of liquid as they defrost. You’ll want to drain this and just use the bananas themselves. If you don’t, your banana bread will be too wet.
The best mix-ins for healthy pumpkin banana bread
Some of my favorite mix-ins for this bread include:
- Walnuts
- Pecans
- Raisins
- Chocolate chips
Tips for the best healthy pumpkin banana bread
- Measure the mashed banana and pumpkin puree closely. The volume of these ingredients greatly impacts how this loaf turns out.
- If using frozen bananas, make sure the bananas are at room temperature and drain any excess liquid before mashing.
- Don’t overmix the batter. Stir the mixture just until the flour and mix-ins are incorporated.
- Place the cooked loaf on a cooling rack and let it cool for 15-20 minutes before removing it from the pan. If the loaf is too warm, the bottom may pull away from the rest of the loaf and stick to the pan.
Tools used to make this recipe
- Fork, potato masher, or immersion blender for mashing the bananas
- Large mixing bowl
- Whisk
- Mixing spoon
- Silicone spatula
- One 9”x5” loaf pan or three mini loaf pans
How to adjust the sweetness of this pumpkin banana bread
This no added sugar pumpkin bread is packed with banana and pumpkin flavor but is much less sweet (in a good way) than traditional, sugar-sweetened banana bread.
- If you prefer a slightly sweeter bread: Increase the banana by ¼ cup and reduce the pumpkin puree by an equal amount. You can also add chocolate chips to the batter to increase the sweetness, which is what I usually do!
- For more pumpkin flavor: Increase the pumpkin puree by ¼ cup and decrease the amount of mashed banana by an equal amount.
How to serve this low sugar pumpkin bread
This bread is great with a little honey butter or a smear of cream cheese with a drizzle of maple syrup on top. To make honey butter, just whisk together 4 tablespoons softened (room temperature) butter + 1 ½ tablespoons honey with a pinch or two of sea salt.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is banana bread without added sugar still sweet?
It is! The key is using enough overly-ripe bananas. Overripe bananas actually have more fructose (sugar) than the lesser ripe ones we all love to eat, but this makes them perfect for baking.
Yes, absolutely! In fact, I rarely have enough overripe bananas at the same time so I typically use ones that I’ve frozen over the course of several weeks.
To freeze bananas, place peeled bananas in an airtight freezer bag and remove as much air as possible before freezing. Frozen bananas can last up to 6 months, maybe longer.
To bake banana bread using frozen bananas, let them defrost completely in a freezer bag or bowl and come to room temperature. This is important because the banana bread will not cook through if the batter is cold. Then, mash or puree the bananas with the liquid using a fork, potato masher, or immersion blender.
Some of my favorite mix-ins include nuts (especially walnuts or pecans), raisins, or chocolate chips — which are well worth the bump in sugar, in my opinion.
One slice of classic pumpkin bread sweetened with refined sugar typically has around 20-25 grams of sugar. One slice of this low-sugar pumpkin bread has just 5 grams of sugar. (*Based on a 3-ounce slice)
Other reader-favorite recipes with no added sugar:
- Got an air fryer? Make this Healthy Air Fryer Banana Bread.
- My classic Healthy No Added Sugar Banana Bread recipe
- A delicious Healthy No Added Sugar Zucchini Banana Bread
- Healthy Chocolate Chip Banana Muffins
Updates to this recipe
After receiving some comments that the loaf was too wet and never fully cooked through, I retested and updated this recipe on 11/16/22. The revised recipe contains ½ cup less banana, ¼ cup less pumpkin puree, ¼ cup more flour, ½ teaspoon more baking powder, and ½ teaspoon more pumpkin spice than the original recipe and has yielded a more evenly cooked loaf in testing. The nutrition information below has also been updated to reflect these changes.
Healthy No-Added-Sugar Pumpkin Banana Bread
The best ever healthy, low sugar pumpkin banana bread is bursting with fall flavors and is made with no added sugar, just healthy, real food ingredients. Enjoy it plain or add some mix-ins!
- Prep Time:
15 minutes - Total Time:
1 hour 20 minutes - Makes:
12, 3-ounce slices 1x
15 minutes
1 hour 20 minutes
12, 3-ounce slices 1x
Ingredients
- ¾ cup pure pumpkin purée
- 1 ½ cups mashed overripe bananas (from about 2–3 medium, very overripe bananas)
- 3 tablespoons melted coconut oil or avocado oil
- 2 eggs
- 1 teaspoon vanilla, pumpkin, or banana extract
- 2 cups white whole wheat flour (see notes)
- 1 tablespoon pumpkin spice blend (see notes to make your own)
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- Optional: ½ cup mix-ins such as chopped walnuts, pecans, raisins, or chocolate chips (see notes)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven & prepare the pan(s). Preheat your oven to 375°F and lightly grease a 9×5-inch loaf pan or 3 mini loaf pans. Note: You will reduce the temperature of the oven to 350°F when baking.
- Mix the wet ingredients. In a large bowl, mash your bananas if you haven’t already. Then, add the pumpkin puree, oil, eggs, and extract. Whisk together until fully incorporated.
- Add the dry ingredients. To the same bowl, add the flour, pumpkin pie spice, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Mix with a whisk until just combined. Stir in any mix-ins, if desired and pour batter into your prepared loaf pan.
- Bake and cool. Place the pan in the oven and reduce the heat to 350°F. Bake until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, about 60-65 minutes for a 9”x5” pan, 70-75 minutes for an 8 ½”x4 ½” pan, or 35-40 minutes for mini loaves. Allow the bread to cool in the pan on a cooling rack for 15-20 minutes, then transfer the loaf to a wire rack and let it cool for another 10-15 minutes before slicing.
Notes
FAVORITE EQUIPMENT
- 9×5 loaf pan or 3 mini loaf pans (affiliate links)
INGREDIENT NOTES
- Pumpkin spice blend: If you don’t have pumpkin spice blend on hand, you can make this bread with ground cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, and allspice or cloves. I recommend using 2 teaspoons cinnamon, 1/2 teaspoon ginger, ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg, and ¼ teaspoon allspice or cloves.
- Flour: If you don’t have white whole wheat flour, you can also use a combination of 1 ¼ cup all-purpose + ¾ cup whole wheat flour
- Mix-ins: Chocolate chips contain added sugar, so if you choose to add them, your bread will have some added sugar, but still far less than the average loaf.
NUTRITION NOTES
Nutrition was calculated using avocado oil and kosher salt and without mix-ins.
Make Ahead
- Measure your dry ingredients; okay to combine pumpkin spice blend, baking powder, baking soda, and salt
LITTLE HELPERS
Involving little ones can decrease picky eating and increase appetite and willingness to try new foods. Here are a few ways they can help:
- Toddlers: Help with peeling and mashing the bananas, grease bread pan with a paper towel and a dollop of oil; whisk ingredients together, stir in flour and mix-ins
- Little Kids: Peel and mash the bananas, open the canned pumpkin, measure ingredients, pour batter into the pan
- Big Kids: All of the above!
FREEZING TIPS
Make a double batch and freeze one for later! Once the loaf has completely cooled, tightly wrap it in foil and place it in an airtight freezer bag, pressing out as much air as possible. Defrost overnight on the counter.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 3-ounce slice
- Calories: 143
- Sugar: 4 g
- Sodium: 193 mg
- Fat: 5 g
- Saturated Fat: 1 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 4 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 20 g
- Fiber: 3 g
- Protein: 4 g
- Cholesterol: 31 mg
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Can I ask a quick favor? If you make this healthy pumpkin banana bread, please leave a comment and/or give this recipe a rating. Ratings and comments help other busy parents and families discover this recipe. Plus, I love to hear from you and always do my best to respond to each and every comment.
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Will it turn out well egg free? I often substitute eggs for flax eggs for my son, but have heard apple sauce or bananas work well. Have you tried any egg free versions?
Hi Cami! I haven’t tried any egg-free variations of this but would love to know if you do!
Elle
I tried this recipe with a few switches:
I substituted the flour with 1 cup whole wheat flour and 1 cup of oat flour that I ground myself in the ninja from large flake oats. I used 3 tbsp of unsweetened apple sauce instead of oil. I added 1 heaping tbsp of cocoa powder to give it a bit of that cocoa bitterness and I added 1 tsp of cayenne pepper for a bit of a morning kick. Tastes bloody fantastic. Thnx for sharing your recipe.
Delicious and not sweet. Perfect for breakfast. Mine was a bit dry at 60 minutes, so next time I’ll try 50 min.
Should this bread be refrigerated? I made the bread on Wednesday and i went to go have some today and it smelt spoiled. It has been on the counter covered in plastic wrap for the duration of the time.
Hi Kendall,
I’m so sorry to hear that! This loaf won’t have quite the shelf-life of traditional banana bread because it doesn’t contain added sugar, which acts as a preservative, but I’ve found it depends a lot on how overripe your bananas are and the temperature of your kitchen. Mine has occasionally smelled “off” after a few days when left out on the counter during the warmer months and made with super overripe bananas. Storing it in the fridge will definitely keep it fresher, longer. I’ll update the recipe with that suggestion for future readers. Thanks for your feedback!
LOVE this bread! It was super easy to whip up and the pumpkin and banana are such a great combination. I also added some choc chips, but think it would be just sweet enough and just as delicious without them, too. This will be my go to recipe from now on. Thank you for sharing!!
So happy you love it, Jaclyn! Thanks for taking the time to leave a comment. 🙂
I just made this for my grandkids. They don’t eat much sugar and this will be the perfect treat for them. It was delicious! Great flavor and the sweetness from the bananas was just enough. I hope we don’t eat it all before we go visit them!!
★★★★★
My family loves this recipe! The bake time needed with my oven was only 45 mins! Baked to perfection. I follow the recipe to a T only I used regular white flour because it was all I had. I’m so glad I found a recipe that doesn’t call for sugar! Thank you!
★★★★★
Delicious recipe!! Thank you for the recipe! I substituted olive oil and it worked well.
★★★★★
Excellent flavor and texture! I used gf flour (same amount). I am reducing my added sugar (hello, menopause) so much thanks for this recipe!
★★★★★
I did a chocolate cake variation a few days ago (unfortunately, I can’t remember the changes, but it was eaten up quickly:) )
Pineapple & Coconut cake just came out of the oven a bit ago and might be the best of my variations given I didn’t overcook it.
Thank you again, Elle. This has been life changing.
★★★★★
Hi! We just made the low sugar banana bread today and absolutely loved it! I was looking for something more health for my 4 1/2 year old snack monster. This recipe definitely delivered! We added in chocolate chips and used melted coconut oil. Absolutely delicious…very dense and just enough sweetness. Will be making again for after school snacks in the fall!
So glad you and your little snack monster loved it! It’s a great snack for kiddos, and their busy mamas! Thanks for taking the time to leave a review. 🥰
Delish and has an impressive texture/structure! I made this a few weeks ago, and am making it again now, except I’m adapting it to strawberry bread/cake, given the outstanding texture. Thank you for the recipe
★★★★★
Strawberry cake adaptation was a success!
Changes:
-subbed .5-.75 cup of strawberry puree for the pumpkin puree
-1.5 cups unsweetened applesauce to replace bananas
-removed pumpkin spice
It cooked a lot faster (possibly due to applesauce), so check well before original time
★★★★★
I’m so happy the strawberry cake was a success, Elly! Thanks for sharing the changes and yummy results. I’ll have to give it a try while we’re in strawberry season! 😋
Trying to eat lower simple carbs so decided to make it. It was very good. I eat gluten free so I used 1:1 gluten free flour and replaced a little of the gf flour and used a little almond flour and oat flour. I also added a tablespoon of apple cider vinegar to the recipe(gives it a tender crust and helps with rising I think). I am sure using the printed recipe you don’t need to add the ACV.
★★★★★
would it be possible to substitute the oil with apple sauce or Greek yogurt? im dyeing to try this recipe. Its quite difficult finding a healthy bread like this one.
Hi Vanessa! I’m not sure how that would work, but please report back if you give it a try!
I made this today and my kids loved it! I veganized it using 1/2 cup of apple sauce as an egg replacement. My bananas were extra ripe and this recipe was perfect. My son has already ate 4 muffins. I was hoping to freeze some, but I don’t think they will last that long!
★★★★★
Made this today! Had an open can of pumpkin purée and ripe bananas. Doubled the recipe and made 16 regular muffins and 24 mini muffins. Cooked regular for 18 min and 14 min for mini. Used a mix of Gluten Free flour (3.25 cups) and Almond flour (0.75 cups). Came out great!
★★★★★
Do you think applesauce would work ? In place of banana?
Hi! I’ve never tried it entirely with applesauce but other readers have substituted part of the bananas with applesauce and had good results. 😋
Question…could this be made as muffins? What do you think the temperature and baking time might be? Thanks!!
Yes! I’d keep the temperature the same and check after 17-18 minutes for regular sized muffins.
Love this recipe, thank you Elle! Seems so hard to find recipes online without sugar! I was a tad short on bananas so I used a cup of pumpkin purée. I added a dash of erythritol cuz I like things sweet. And a dash of clove—yum!! It was done in exactly 60 minutes. The bottom is a bit dense & underdone (not sure why? Maybe cuz I baked on parchment paper?) but the rest is baked beautifully.
★★★★★
Hi Brianna! So glad you love it. It’s a very dense loaf by nature of the pumpkin and extra banana in lieu of sugar but the parchment could also trap in extra moisture. I never use it when baking my banana breads but would be curious if it comes out better next time for you without! 🤗
I am from India .tried this pumpkin banana bread and it came out awesome ,my house is full of pumpkin aroma .i used whole wheat flour and APF also pureed fresh pumpkin in a blender.this is a very good recipe for diabetic people. my family enjoyed it with honey butter.thank you very much for a lovely recipe.
Delicious. I added more banana and stirred in finely chopped dates. Plenty sweet for me!! The perfect healthier recipe I’ve been searching for. Thank you.
★★★★★
Delish! I doubled the recipe (not quite double flour) and baked it in a Bundt pan. I used un-bleached flour and it worked fine. Topped with butter and warm maple syrup…. Yummy.
★★★★★
Hi- Any thoughts on what could be used as a substitute for white flour? Almond flour? Other options?
Hi Kim! I think almond flour would be too dense. If you are looking for a gluten-free option I’d try Bob’s Red Mill 1-1 Baking Flour.
I like the flavors. But the texture might have been off for mine? I followed the recipe (did add in sunflower seeds) but used Bob’s Red Mill gluten free 1 to 1 baking flour. And cooked it a total of 95 minutes, even though the knife I stuck in to check if it was cooked through still came out sticky. So I probably could have cooked it longer but didn’t. Maybe it was an oven issue? Maybe it was a gluten free issue? It’s just for me so I’m still eating it 🙂
This made what my 3 year granddaughter called “Banana Pumpkin Plop.” After reading the comments I increased the oven temp to 350 from the start. After 60 minutes the poke stick test still came out doughy – continued baking for another 30 minutes – testing every 5 minutes and getting dough on the poke stick. Finally took it out – the crust was looking pretty dry. When I turned it over to remove from the pan – the insides plopped out – leaving the bottom and sides in the pan! The insides were a bit doughy still – but eatable. I have been baking banana breads for over 50 years and this was the first time for such a plop! I subbed cashew flour for 1/4 of the flour, greased the pan with coconut oil and a third of mashed bananas were from frozen – more bananas than I have ever used before. Don’t know whether I will try this recipe again – but it sure made my granddaughter laugh!
★★★
Hi Rebecca! I’m so sorry this didn’t turn out for you, but happy you and your granddaughter got a laugh out of it. I’m on a mission to figure out why this recipe turns out great for so many and so disastrous for others. I will try retesting this with less banana, a smidge more flour, and at 350F and see what the results are! Would you mind letting me know if your frozen bananas were still cold when you made/baked the batter? And how long you let it cool for before removing it from the pan? I’ve found a lot of the bread can stick to the pan if it hasn’t cooled enough. Thanks so much for your feedback!
Another adjustment was Oat & Almond flour instead of wheat flour. It turned out really good.
★★★★★
Could you please tell me how much of each you used?
Also added some applesauce to replace 1 banana, still turned out delish.
★★★★★
This recipe was totally enjoyed by all. I added 72% dark chocolate chips to the bread as well.
★★★★★
I only have two bananas but I really want to try this recipe with the pie pumpkin I just roasted! I might add a little maple syrup to make up the difference. The flours I have on hand are whole grain sprouted spelt flour and almond flour. I’ll use some combination of those. I have this notion to make it in a cake pan to serve as bars with a Greek yogurt maple syrup glaze…
Hi Donna! You could try substituting the remainder banana with extra pumpkin or applesauce. With those denser flours I think the cake pan is a good idea. Hope it turns out!
This was delicious! The texture was amazing. I added 3/4 enjoy life semi sweet chocolate chips and used 1 cup almond flour 3/4 cup all purpose and olive oil. Can slightly taste the almond flour. But this recipe is a keeper. Will use this again.
★★★★★
Glad you liked it, Emma! Thanks for the review and your note about the almond flour. I’ll have to try that one of these days!
Absolutely divine! I made it for my 18 month old son and the entire family enjoyed it. Texture is spot on and you don’t miss any added sugar.
★★★★★
I used slightly frozen overripe bananas, put them in a blender instead of mashing them- and it actually came out amazing.
★★★★★
I’m so glad it turned out well! I use my blender every time — it’s so much faster and easier.
Really delicious! I added 1/2 cup it raisins to this recipe. I highly recommend trying to make it.
Does it taste the same as full sugar baked items? No, but it’s about 90% of the way there tastewise and spot on texturewise in comparison to a full sugar pumpkin/banana bread. A great recipe if you want to stay in line with health goals / lifestyle, while still being able to treat yourself.
★★★★★
Delicious!
I added a couple teaspoons of keto maple syrup and it was delish and so moist!
Spread some butter on a warm slice and it’s a perfect breakfast or dessert.
★★★★★
Delicious!! Loved this bread!! My dad is diabetic and this was a great tasting recipe for him!
★★★★★
I’m so glad it was a hit! Thanks for taking the time to leave a rating and let me know. 😊
Great recipe. Added pecans and a splash of maple setup. Yum!
★★★★
Great recipe! If you want to add chocolate without adding sugar, I highly recommend the cacao chips from Trader Joe’s. They have no sugar, but the sweetness of the banana counteracts the bitterness of the cacao and you still get the delicious chocolate flavor without the added sugar. I’ve been doing this with homemade granola bars for awhile and it’s great!
★★★★★
It’s in the oven right now I’ll let you know how it turns out. Thank you whoever suggested using almond flour and gluten free flour.
Hi Elle,
I’m going to try this recipe because it sounds delicious. I just looked at your profile of things you love and I love your honesty. I love carbs too and at 66 I’m trying to cut carbs and sugar for health reasons. But I also know if something is just too bland and not sweet enough- I won’t eat it. I’ve been experimenting over the last couple of years with low carb baking and was wondering if you have tried any of the baking sweeteners like erythritol or stevia baking blends? I have but I always get afraid of overdoing it and it never taste sweet enough. I have read that honey, pure maple syrup, dark brown sugar and dates are more natural but still raise the blood sugar so to me it kind of defeats the purpose. So my question is, can we sweeten it a little more without making it unhealthy?
These were very yummy! I used this exact recipe to make regular sized muffins for my baby, and they turned out great. I think next time I may add a little more of the spice to kick up the flavor, but I’m enjoying this batch with some salted butter! I used your advice from a previous comment and baked for around 22-25 minutes. I was curious to know how long these will stay good, as my son will probably only eat one muffin every couple of days.How would you recommend storing?
★★★★★
So glad you’re enjoying them! I typically put whatever we won’t finish in 2-3 days either in the fridge or the freezer. For muffins, I freeze them for 1-2 hours on a parchment-lined baking sheet and then transfer them to a food storage bag, pressing out the air before sealing. Hope that helps!
Dear Elle,
I am very excited to try this recipe. I am attempting to rid my life of white sugar. 😳 Your recipe will be so…. helpful.
If you weigh out your ingredients, this calls for WAY too much banana. I normally use 2 bananas when making banana bread and used 5 for this one to make it 20 oz. Baked in the oven for 2 hours and still wasn’t done. Inside was still completely wet so I gave up and called it quits.
★★
Hi Jamie, I’m so sorry this didn’t turn out for you! I measured the bananas again and think you’re right… 20 ounces yielded more than 2 cups of mashed banana which certainly would have made for a way-too-wet batter. I usually go by volume but added weight thinking it would be easier for some, but clearly something isn’t right there. Should you try it again with 2 cups of mashed banana, I’d love to know how it turns out for you. It’s my most highly rated recipe and trust it will be amazing next time. Thanks again for leaving feedback and helping me improve the recipe for others in the future. 🙂 Elle
Just made this with slight modification and it turned out Delicious. I used 1 cup gluten free flour + 3/4 cup almond flour. I used very ripe bananas but I find that it still needs a bit more sweetness so I topped it off with a drizzle of maple syrup when eating. Overall, this is such an easy recipe and will definitely make it again!
★★★★★
I’m so happy you loved it, and glad those substitutions worked. Your feedback is helpful for our other GF readers. Appreciate it! 🤗
For having no added sugar (besides the dark chocolate chips I had to add😉), this was super yummy! Thank you for sharing; I’ve been searching for a good pumpkin bread recipe, not overloaded with sugar!!
★★★★★
To add to my original comment I probably should have mentioned that I didn’t measure out my bananas in terms of cups either but I used 6 small bananas. I didn’t want my batter to be too wet since I was using the all purpose flour.
I just baked this and after letting it cool tried a piece. It was very good considering it has no added sugars. I added a little pumpkin spice jam that went really well with this bread. I did swap the white whole wheat flour 1:1 for all purpose white flour ( almost, I added about 1/4 cup extra flour based off texture of batter. It looked a bit too wet with 1:1 ratio). I baked as instructed for 60 minutes and it came out perfect. My bananas were not that ripe so I don’t feel they contributed much sweetness but I was so anxious to try the recipe that I didn’t want to wait for them to ripen more! I will definitely bake again with riper bananas to see how that turns out! Thanks from an expat baker in Egypt!
Hi. Can i substitute durum wheat flour for white whole wheat flour? What quantities, if yes. Thank you.
Hi there! I’ve never tried this recipe with durum wheat flour but I would think you could substitute 1:1 for white whole wheat. Would love to know how it turns out!
I found that 325 degrees is much too low. It has taken over 90 minutes plus increasing the temperature of the oven. The outside is done but the inside is still gooey. Baked goods usually bake quickly in our oven, so I’m very surprised. The only thing I can think of is that the bread is so wet from all the bananas.
Thanks so much for the feedback. Sorry to hear your bread didn’t turn out as expected! I’ve found this happens when I use even the slightest bit more banana than the recipe calls for. Two cups seems to be the magic amount for me, but I know ovens and elevation also come into play. Perhaps try using 1/4 cup less banana next time, or increase to 350F? Also make sure you spoon and level your flour when measuring. I’d be interested to know if it turns out better! 🙂
I had the same problem :/ Next time I think 350 degrees from the start. We upped to to 350 after 70 minutes but I’m not sure how much more the crust can take without becoming too crunchy. We followed the recipe to a tee.
hello! would you recommend any adjustments if making these as muffins instead of a loaf? thank you!
Hi Cait! I make these as muffins all the time and don’t make any adjustments except for baking time. Mini muffins take 12-14 minutes, standard muffins 17-22 minutes. Hope you love them!
SO so delicious!! I made ours with 1:1 gluten free flour and turned out perfect!
★★★★★
Yay! Glad the gluten-free flour substitution worked out. So happy you love it! 🙂
This bread is delicious and the only i did differently was a 30 oz puree pumpkin can on hand. I followed the recipe to the tea. Only thing I added extra was 1 cup of enriched white flour. Made baking powder to 2 tsps, baking soda 2 tsp. 3 large eggs. Then added dark chocolate chips. It baked for 70 minutes. Wonderful flavor and my batch made 3 – 1/2 size 9×5 loads. This is staying in my folder.
★★★★★
Thank you! Thank you! It’s SO hard to find a no-sweetener pumpkin bread recipe. Delicious.
★★★★★
That’s exactly why I made this one! So many banana bread recipes have a shocking amount of added sugar, and there’s really no need! I prefer to eat my added sugar in cheesecake and cupcake form. 😉 Glad you enjoyed it!
Hi, could I add a bit of honey or maple syrup to this recipe? If so how much would be suitable? Thanks
Hi Tara! I think adding a little honey work ok. I’d say try 1/4 cup to start, and maybe decreasing the mashed banana by a smidge so the bread isn’t too wet. Would love to know how it turns out!
One word: YUM! I am always looking for new recipes that have minimal added sugar and this one is AWESOME! I made my own pumpkin puree for the first time and was looking for a good way to use it and this recipe was the perfect find! I did add some dark chocolate chips and chopped pecans 🙂 Thank you Elle for this lovely recipe, which I will definitely be making again!
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Hello!
This looks delicious. Have you tried almond or coconut flour before?
Thanks!
Hi! I haven’t, but would love to know how it turns out if you do! 🙂
Used flax seeds as an egg substitute and it still came out amazing 🙂 Also added some dark chocolate chips! I love being able to control the sweetness by adding additional toppings when serving, like honey, sweet cream cheese, etc. Thank you so much for the recipe!!!
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Wonderful! Do you remember the amount of flax + water you used? I’d love to update the recipe with this substitute. Thanks so much for the feedback and so glad you enjoyed it!
Made this last night with raisins and it was spot on. Not gonna lie I did slather on some honey/butter when I toasted up slices this morning. My kids gobbled it up. On its own it was a nice spicey and dense pumpkin bread. But the honey butter was the perfect addition and, honestly, with only a teaspoon added it still comes in with far less sugar content than most. Will definitely make again, thank you.
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Honey + butter makes the world go round. Glad you loved it! And thanks for taking the time to leave a review.
I just stumbled here through Pinterest (less than ten minutes ago) and I’ve already saved a dozen recipes. Each one looks amazing but still attainable for a working mom with kids. My girls are 4 and I can vouch that getting them involved in meal prep makes all the difference. They are more excited to try new things and proud of their contribution.
Kate, this makes me so happy! Glad you find the recipes approachable. That’s exactly what I’m trying to accomplish. Hope you enjoy them — I always appreciate feedback and suggestions if you ever have any!
I can’t wait to try this recipe! I’ve been trying to find a good dessert bread recipe with no added sugars. This one looks so good. ?
Yay! I will say raisins or chocolate chips make it next level. 🙂 Would love to know what you think!