Super fluffy gluten free pumpkin banana muffins come together effortlessly in one bowl and are spiked with warming fall spices. Add a handful of walnuts for crunch and enjoy these little beauties with your morning cup of coffee.
Can't decide between banana or pumpkin muffins? Not to worry, these pumpkin banana muffins are the perfect mashup of oat flour banana muffins and oat flour pumpkin muffins! Featuring, of course, oat flour for the perfect soft and fluffy crumb.
Easily made in one bowl, these muffins are packed with all the cozy autumnal spices including cinnamon, ginger, and nutmeg plus loads of rich pumpkin puree and a few ripe bananas. Add walnuts, candied pecans, or chocolate chips, or keep them plain and simple - whatever you do, they're utterly delicious. And if you prefer to enjoy this combo in loaf form, try gluten free pumpkin banana bread.
Jump to:
Why You'll Love This Recipe
While banana and pumpkin may seem like an odd pairing, trust me when I say that they were meant for each other! The banana adds sweetness while the pumpkin adds moisture and the resulting muffins are so tender and soft. It's impossible to eat just one. I know you'll love this recipe!
- So quick & easy - Another for the one-bowl recipe files, pumpkin banana muffins need just one bowl and a whisk to put together.
- Packed with fall flavors - Each bite delivers all the warming fall flavors we crave during the cooler months.
- Never dry - Unlike some gluten free recipes, these banana pumpkin muffins are never dry, thanks to the pumpkin and banana.
Ingredient Notes
- Pumpkin puree - Always use pure pumpkin puree rather than pumpkin pie filling which contains stabilizers and extra sugar.
- Banana - The best banana for any banana recipe is a ripe banana, so make sure yours has plenty of brown spots.
- Butter - I used unsalted butter. You can use a neutral oil such as avocado or canola oil in place of the butter if you wish.
- Eggs - Large eggs are best.
- Oat flour - Learn how to make oat flour or use a pre-made package from the store. If you can't eat oats, substitute brown rice flour or sorghum flour.
- Granulated sugar - I like these muffins quite sweet! You may reduce the sugar by ¼ cup if you prefer them less sweet.
- Rising agents - Baking soda and baking powder help these muffins to rise perfectly.
- Spices - A combination of ground cinnamon, ginger, and nutmeg adds warmth.
- Salt - I always use fine sea salt in my recipes, and table salt also works.
- Walnuts - You can omit these if you wish, although they add a lovely bit of crunch!
Scroll down to my recipe card at the bottom of this post for the full ingredient amounts and instructions!
Variations to Try
Start by adding walnuts or a nut of your choice, then try different add-ins or a little extra spiced sugar on the top of the muffins!
- Skip the banana - I know - these wouldn't be pumpkin banana muffins. But you can easily swap applesauce for the banana if you wish, or use all pumpkin puree. Substitute 1 cup of whatever you choose for the bananas.
- Chocolate - I will always suggest adding chocolate in the form of 1 cup of semisweet or milk chocolate chips.
- Add cinnamon sugar - Mix 2 teaspoons of sugar and 1 teaspoon of cinnamon and sprinkle it over the tops of the muffins before baking.
Instructions
Here's an overview in photos of how you'll easily make one-bowl gluten free pumpkin banana muffins:
- Mix wet ingredients: Grease a nonstick muffin pan with nonstick spray or butter. In a bowl, whisk together the pumpkin, mashed banana, butter, and eggs in a large bowl.
- Add dry ingredients: Stir in the oat flour and dry ingredients, plus walnuts if using.
- Place in tin: Divide the batter evenly between the muffin cups. Rest the batter.
- Bake: Place in the oven and bake at 375℉ for about 20 minutes. Cool to room temp before serving.
Baking Tip
Rest the batter: Oat flour absorbs a LOT of moisture, so for the fluffiest muffins, let the batter rest for 20 minutes before baking or for at least as long as it takes the oven to preheat. This will allow the oat flour to soak up all the moisture, making for a gorgeously tender crumb,.
Tips & Substitution Suggestions
- Make them mini. For the perfect one-bite mini pumpkin banana muffins, well grease a mini muffin tin and portion out the batter. They will need less time to bake, about 15 minutes. If you add chocolate here, use mini chocolate chips.
- Swap all-purpose gluten-free flour - If you wish, you can use 2 ½ cups of your favorite 1:1 gluten-free flour blend or my homemade gluten free flour blend for the oat flour.
- To make dairy-free - Use dairy-free butter or melted coconut oil for the unsalted butter.
- To make refined sugar-free - Swap in ½ cup of pure maple syrup or ¾ cup coconut sugar for the granulated sugar.
- Butternut squash or sweet potatoes - Try 1 cup of butternut squash puree (or make it yourself) in these muffins for a slightly different flavor! You can also make these into sweet potato muffins by using 1 cup of mashed sweet potatoes for the pumpkin puree.
Serving Suggestions
Add a little salted or unsalted butter or a swipe of cream cheese to a warm muffin and dig in. I also like a smear of Nutella when I'm feeling decadent or peanut butter or almond butter to make a heartier snack. These muffins are great straight from the fridge or warmed up a bit in the toaster oven, and they are wonderful added to lunchboxes.
Proper Storage
- Counter - Store banana pumpkin muffins in an airtight container or resealable bag at room temperature for up to 3 days.
- Fridge - Keep the muffins in an airtight bag or container in the fridge for up to 5 days.
- Freezer - Muffins also freeze well! Place them in a freezer-safe bag and store them in the fridge for up to 3 months. Thaw in the fridge before eating.
More Gluten Free Pumpkin Recipes
If you tried these gluten free pumpkin banana muffins or any other recipe on my website, please let me know how it went in the comments below! And I always appreciate a star rating if you loved it ❤️
Gluten Free Pumpkin Banana Muffins
Ingredients
- 1 cup pumpkin puree
- 1 cup mashed very ripe banana, about 2 large bananas
- ½ cup unsalted butter melted and cooled
- 2 large eggs
- 2 ¼ cups oat flour, or gluten free all purpose flour (280 grams)
- ¾ cup granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon ginger
- ½ teaspoon nutmeg
- ½ teaspoon fine sea salt
- 1 cup chopped walnuts, optional
Instructions
- Grease a nonstick muffin pan with nonstick spray or butter.
- Whisk together the pumpkin, mashed banana, butter, and eggs in a large bowl.
- Stir in the oat flour, sugar, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, and salt. Fold in the walnuts if using.
- Divide the batter evenly between the muffin cups. Preheat the oven to 375℉ and rest the batter while it heats. Bake for about 20 minutes, or until a cake tester inserted into the center of a muffin comes out cleanly.
- Cool the muffins in the pan for 5 minutes, then remove from the pan and cool on a wire rack completely before serving.
Notes
- Make them mini. For perfectly handheld mini pumpkin banana muffins, well grease a mini muffin tin and portion out the batter. They will need less time to bake, about 15 minutes. If you add chocolate here, use mini chocolate chips, like in my
- Swap all-purpose gluten-free flour - If you wish, you can use 2 ½ cups of your favorite 1:1 gluten-free flour blend or my homemade gluten free flour blend for the oat flour.
- To make dairy-free - Use dairy-free butter or melted coconut oil for the unsalted butter.
- To make refined sugar-free - Swap in ½ cup of pure maple syrup or ¾ cup coconut sugar for the granulated sugar.
- Butternut squash or sweet potatoes - Try 1 cup of butternut squash puree (or make it yourself) in these muffins for a slightly different flavor! You can also make these into sweet potato muffins by using 1 cup of mashed sweet potatoes for the pumpkin puree.
I'd love to hear from you! Please leave me a note.