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Pumpkin Banana Bread with Apples - perfect recipe for the Fall season and the holidays. This is a low-fat recipe with only 2 oz of butter (4 tablespoons) used to make a whole loaf ( 9×5 inch loaf pan), the rest of the butter is replaced with pumpkin puree, mashed bananas, and Greek yogurt.
This is one of my favorite dessert and breakfast recipes to make in the Fall and in the Winter. This PUMPKIN banana bread is stuffed with apple chunks, flavored with cinnamon and vanilla, and baked to perfection, with a gorgeous top crust! This recipe rivals my other Fall favorite: Banana Apple Bread with Caramel Sauce and Pecans.
Pumpkin Banana Bread - moist and low-fat recipe
- This recipe combines so many of my favorite things: bananas, pumpkin, apples, cinnamon, vanilla, and Greek yogurt. Yes, since I mentioned Greek yogurt, that means that this bread is also low-fat, with only 4 tablespoons of butter (2 oz) used for a whole loaf!
- If you bake lots of banana breads, you know that ripe bananas and Greek yogurt work great as butter replacement. We're keeping only 2 oz of butter (4 tablespoons of butter) in the whole loaf (for texture). In place of butter, I am using mashed bananas, Greek yogurt, and pumpkin puree - all of these ingredients make this bread really moist, soft and tasty.
Recipe notes
- Do not over mix banana bread batter. The lumps will work themselves out during baking.
- Use a 9×5 inch bread loaf pan. You can also use a smaller, 8×4 inch loaf pan, and pour the remaining banana bread batter into 3 muffin cups. You can also, of course, use mini loaf pans.
- Butter a loaf pan. Line the bottom of the pan with parchment paper, butter the parchment paper too. Lining the bottom of the pan with parchment paper ensures that the bottom of the bread will not get stuck.
What kind of apples to use in pumpkin banana bread?
- You can add any kind of apples, as long as they are crisp (not soft or mushy).
- Use sweet kind of apples (such as Gala), and you'll get a sweeter loaf.
- Use tart apples (such as Granny Smiths), and you'll get a sweet loaf too, with a touch of pleasant tartness from baked apples.
For this pumpkin banana bread loaf, I actually used 2 completely different apples: one very tart Granny Smith apple and one very sweet Gala apple. Chopped up into chunks and folded into the cake batter, these sweet and tart apple chunks add an unforgettable contrast of flavor! You don't even need to peel the apples: after being baked in the bread for about an hour, they get very soft, including the peel, there is really no need to peel them. Plus, I think the peel holds the apple chunks together better: they don't get so mushy.
Why make this recipe
Dear friends, please try this Fall pumpkin banana bread: you won't be disappointed! The pumpkin flavor is so subtle and perfect in this bread, I am convinced this could become a favorite recipe even for those who don't like pumpkin in their desserts: try this recipe and you'll change your mind! And, don't even get me started on what a great breakfast this bread makes!
Other pumpkin banana bread recipes
If you enjoyed this pumpkin banana bread, you might like these recipes:
Pumpkin Banana Bread with Apples
Ingredients
- 2 oz unsalted butter (4 tablespoons butter), very soft, room temperature
- 1 cup white sugar
- 2 eggs
- 2 bananas , very ripe, mashed
- ½ cup Greek yogurt
- ½ cup pumpkin puree
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 cups all-purpose flour , sifted
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 2 cups apples , sliced into chunks
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 Fahrenheit.
- In a medium bowl, using electric mixer, beat 4 tablespoons of butter and 1 cup of white sugar on high speed for 1 minute until well-combined. You will get coarse looking mixture (not creamy).
- Add 2 eggs to the butter-sugar mixture and continue beating for another minute until very creamy and very smooth.
- Add mashed bananas, Greek yogurt, pumpkin puree, and vanilla extract to the butter-sugar-eggs mixture, and continue beating, using electric mixer, until well combined – for about another minute.
- In a separate medium bowl, combine sifted flour (do not overpack the flour, when measuring it using measuring cups!), baking powder, baking soda and cinnamon. Mix until well combined.
- Add dry ingredients into wet ingredients, and mix, using large spoon, just until combined. DO NOT OVERMIX. If there are lumps – they will work themselves out during baking. Fold in apple chunks.
- Butter a 9×5 inch loaf pan. Line the bottom of the pan with parchment paper, butter the parchment paper too. Note: lining the bottom of the pan with parchment paper ensures that the bottom of the bread will not get stuck.
- Pour the batter in the pan. Bake for 1 hour. Cool on a rack. Remove from pan and slice to serve.
- Note: I have also used a 8×4 inch loaf pan, plus 3 muffin cups with this recipe. You can also, of course, use mini loaf pans.
Nutrition
Nutrition Disclaimer:
The nutritional information on this website is only an estimate and is provided for convenience and as a courtesy only. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed. It should not be used as a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
This recipe was originally published on October 9, 2013, and republished in November 2018 with updates.
This bread looks simply amazing. But wondering if there is a substitute for the 1 cup of white sugar. Would honey be ok to use do you think.?
I think honey would be OK to replace sugar. Maybe, texture would become somewhat denser, but it's a quick bread after all. In fact, you just gave me an idea and I will test it out! 🙂
And this is on the menu for this weekend 🙂
You have combined two of the best fruit flavors into one great dessert! A refreshing and seasonal update to traditional banana bread!
Awesome Fall loaf, Julia! All of my favorites are here...in one moist, tasty and bountiful loaf. Love all the apple chunks. Mmmm. And, as always....gorgeous photography! Thanks for sharing, girl. Pinning!
Thanks, Stacy! Don't you just love the Fall? 🙂
Dont you just love autumn? I adore it-) So many excellent dishes you can cook, very comforting and homy-)
Yes, I love Fall! 🙂
Great way to use both pumpkin and apples, both of which are superb at this time of the year. Wonderful looking bread - I'll bet this tastes terrific! Thanks so much.
Oh girl slice me off a piece of that bread!! It looks incredible and I love the dark, soft top!
An amazing banana pumpkin loaf, Julia. So moist, perfectly dense and delicious!
This is what I call a trifecta, I love all these flavors and why have to choose between them?! YUM!
Oh, this looks so yummy!
Pumpkin pie and banana bread are one of my favorite fall sweets - mixing them into one? Even more yummy! We made a vegan banana bread few years ago before we started this blog - it was pretty easy without the use of eggs, just use the blackest bananas as an egg replacer, but I like the idea of adding pumpkin puree & cinnamon in the banana bread recipe 🙂
How interesting! Yes, I've used the most ugly, very ripe bananas, that were all black on the outside and like a puree on the inside. 🙂 I need to try to make banana bread without eggs - very curious how it will come out!
oh my stars! Julia, this looks and sounds amazing! I can almost smell it through the internet!! This is going onto my *Must Make* list!
Noel, thank you! You won't be disappointed!
Absolutely gorgeous and moist bread. 🙂 I made banana bread this week too but with raw cacao. I'd love to try your version. 🙂
Can you put squash pure instead of pumpkin? 🙂 also the Greek yogurt is it important to use the full fat yogurt or 3% and 0% also ok?
I LOVE this, will make it today and will try not to eat it all before tomorrow's breakfast.
Alla, I am pretty sure you can use squash puree instead of pumpkin. It's pretty similar. Also, it doesn't matter flavor or texture wise what kind of yogurt to use (full fat, 3%, or 0%). Obviously, using 3% or 0% Greek yogurt will make this bread low-fat while full fat will add a bit of fat back. 🙂
This is one heck of a delicious looking banana bread! Thanks for sharing this wonderful recipe - I have all the ingredients and this is on my to do list - pinned to bake this weekend!