Healthy Banana Pumpkin Muffins (Gluten-Free)
This website uses affiliate links which may earn commission for purchases made at no additional cost to you.
These Healthy Banana Pumpkin Muffins are filled with warm pumpkin pie spice and are lightly sweetened with banana and maple syrup. They’re gluten-free, dairy-free, and make a perfect healthy afterschool snack for your kids in the Fall season!
With a delicious combination of pumpkin puree, mashed bananas, and pumpkin spice these easy pumpkin banana muffins are sure to delight the whole family this Fall season!
We’re a muffin-obsessed family. My kids also really love these Apple Cinnamon Muffins and Blueberry Blender Muffins!
What Makes These Muffins Healthy
I love using overripe bananas as a natural sweetener in muffins to create a healthier snack for my kids (ages 3 and 6), like these Banana Spinach Muffins.
For this pumpkin muffin recipe, we use an overripe banana as well as 1/3 cup 100% pure maple syrup to balance out the pumpkin puree flavor. However, if you want the recipe to contain no added sugar, you could try replacing the maple syrup with an extra banana! This would be a great option if you serving these as a baby-led weaning muffin or if serving them to toddlers.
You’ll also be getting some vitamins from the pumpkin puree such as Vitamins A, C, and E, as well as fiber!
Recipe Ingredients
You’ll need the following ingredients to make these Healthy Banana and Pumpkin Muffins:
Ingredient Notes
- Gluten-Free Flour: I used a 1:1 Gluten-Free Baking Flour for this recipe.
- Pumpkin Puree: Use 100% pure pumpkin. Pumpkin Pie Filling comes with sugar and spices added in. You want the pumpkin puree in its pure form. You can find pumpkin puree at most grocery stores, usually in the baking aisle, during the Fall season.
Additions & Substitutions
Additions:
- Chocolate Chips or white chocolate chips: Fold in 1/2 cup chocolate chips after combining the dry and wet ingredients.
- Chopped walnuts or pecans: Add a 1/2 cup walnuts or pecans after combining the dry and wet ingredients.
- Raisins: Fold in 1/2 cup of raisins after combining the dry and wet ingredients.
Substitutions:
- Gluten-Free Flour: You may swap out the gluten-free flour for regular all-purpose flour at a 1:1 ratio.
- Olive Oil: I use extra virgin olive oil in this recipe. You can substitute this with 1/2 cup of melted coconut oil (this will require a full cup of solid-form coconut oil – when you microwave the coconut oil, it condenses to 1/2 cup melted oil). You may also substitute the oil for a more neutral vegetable oil.
- Maple Syrup: You can swap the maple syrup for an additional overripe banana, if you don’t want the recipe to have any added sugar. This would be a great option for baby-led weaning or for toddlers!
- Eggs: I have not tried making these pumpkin muffins vegan, however, you could try replacing the eggs with flax eggs or chia eggs! To do this, combine 2 tablespoons of chia seeds or flaxseed meal with 5 tablespoons water and let it sit for a few minutes until it coagulates. Add it to the recipe as you would eggs.
How to Make Banana Pumpkin Muffins: STEP-BY-STEP
For the full recipe with the exact ingredients, scroll down to the printable recipe card below!
Step 1: In a large bowl mix the gluten-free flour, baking powder, baking soda, pumpkin pie spice, and salt. Set aside.
Step 2: In a medium bowl, add the banana and mash with a fork or potato masher. Next, add the eggs, maple syrup, olive oil, vanilla, and mix well.
Step 3: Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and stir to combine.
Step 4: Scoop the batter into a muffin pan lined with parchment paper liners so they are about ¾ full. (Optional) Top with sprinkles of toasted pecan pieces.
Step 5: Bake in the oven for 20 minutes at 350 degrees Fahrenheit or until a toothpick comes out clean when inserted into the middle of a muffin.
Storage & Reheating
- Fridge: Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for 4-5 days. I like warming my muffins up for about 15 seconds in the microwave before eating them when stored in the fridge, but my kids don’t mind them cold one bit!
- Freezer: Allow the muffins to cool completely, remove the liners, and then transfer them to a freezer-safe container or freezer bag and freeze.
- Reheating: When you’re ready to eat them, you can heat them in the microwave for about 30 seconds or let them thaw on the counter to eat at room temperature. Store in the freezer for up to 3 months.
Frequently Asked Questions
I have not personally tried making these muffins with almond flour, so I can’t say for sure how they’d turn out. I would not recommend this, as the consistency will most likely be quite different. If you try it out with almond flour, let me know how they turn out in the comments!
I have not tried making these vegan, however, you could try replacing the eggs with flax eggs or chia eggs! To do this, combine 2 tablespoons chia seeds/flaxseed meal with 5 tablespoons water and let it sit for a few minutes until it coagulates. Add it to the recipe as you would eggs.
Yes! You can replace the maple syrup with an additional overripe banana if you want this recipe to have no added sugar. This would be a great option if you were serving these muffins as a baby-led weaning recipe or to toddlers!
Yes! Simply replace the gluten-free flour with regular all-purpose flour at a 1:1 ratio. Keep in mind that the muffins won’t be gluten-free anymore.
No, use pumpkin puree for the recipe. Pumpkin pie filling comes with sugar and spices already mixed in.
They’re sweetened with banana and 100% pure maple syrup. You can reduce the maple syrup if needed or replace the maple syrup with an additional banana. The recipe also includes a cup of pure pumpkin puree which include a wide range of vitamins as well as fiber.
In a Lunch Rut?
Grab your FREE 10-Day Lunchbox Recipe Meal Plan! Great for adults and kids!
I hope you love these Healthy Banana Pumpkin Muffins! If you make them, be sure to leave a rating below so I know how you liked them! Enjoy!
Healthy Banana Pumpkin Muffins (Gluten-Free)
Ingredients
- 1 ¾ cup gluten-free flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- 1 ½ teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 banana, mashed
- 1 cup pumpkin puree
- 2 eggs
- ⅓ cup 100% pure maple syrup
- ½ cup olive oil
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Line a muffin pan with non-stick parchment paper liners and set aside.
- In a large mixing bowl mix the flour, baking powder, baking soda, pumpkin pie spice, and salt. Set aside.
- In a medium bowl, add the banana and mash with a fork or potato masher.
- Next, add the pumpkin puree, eggs, maple syrup, olive oil, vanilla, and mix well.
- Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and stir to combine.
- Scoop the batter into the muffin liners so they are about ¾ full. (Optional) Top with sprinkles of toasted pecan pieces.
- Bake in the oven for 20 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean when inserted into the middle of a muffin.
We love these muffins! I doubled the recipe and stuck extra in the freezer for a quick snack over the coming months. Two thumbs up. 🙂
Hi Lindsey! Aww, yay! I’m so happy to hear that you and your family loved the muffins! What a great idea to double the recipe and freeze some for later. Thank you so much for taking the time to leave a review! 🙂
I followed the recipe exactly and they turned out really gummy and stuck to the wrappers. I took one out at 20 min and then cooked the rest longer thinking maybe they just needed more time. That just ended up with gummy and dried out muffins. I’m not sure if there is a trick I missed but I double checked the recipe multiple times. The flavor is fine but the texture was not.
Hi Molly! Oh no, I’m so sorry that the muffins turned out gummy for you! I am not sure why that happened – mine have come out with a regular texture. I wonder if it was the specific gluten-free flour used that caused it to react that way? Or, undermixing the batter could potentially lead to gummy muffins. I’m trying to figure it out! Again, I’m sorry that happened and I appreciate you letting me know!