Hamdi Saidani Pioneer Woman Pumpkin Banana Bread is a warmly spiced quick bread made with canned pumpkin puree, mashed ripe bananas, pecans, and a full hit of cinnamon, ginger, cloves, and nutmeg, yielding two loaves in about an hour.
This recipe comes from thepioneerwoman.com, where Bridget Edwards of Bake at 350 shared it as a fall twist on classic banana bread. It makes two loaves using both pumpkin puree and mashed banana, so you get one to eat now and one to freeze or share.
Using oil instead of butter is the key move in this batter. Oil coats the flour proteins more evenly than butter does, which keeps both loaves soft and moist for days instead of drying out by the second morning.
Pioneer Woman Pumpkin Banana Bread
Description
Two golden loaves packed with pumpkin, banana, warm spices, and crunchy pecans. Oil-based batter keeps the crumb tender without any creaming step, so the whole thing comes together in one bowl.
Ingredients
Instructions
- Prep the pans. Preheat the oven to 350F (180C). Grease two 9×5 inch or 8×4 inch loaf pans with butter or cooking spray.
- Whisk the dry ingredients. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, ginger, cloves, and nutmeg.
- Beat the wet ingredients. In a large bowl, beat the granulated sugar, brown sugar, oil, and eggs together until smooth and combined.
- Add pumpkin and banana. Stir in the pumpkin puree and mashed banana until the batter is evenly mixed. It will look thick and slightly lumpy.
- Combine wet and dry. Add the flour mixture to the wet mixture and stir until just combined. Do not overmix.
- Fold in the pecans. Gently fold the chopped pecans into the batter.
- Bake. Divide the batter evenly between the two prepared pans. Bake 45 to 60 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. If the tops brown too quickly, tent loosely with foil for the last 10 minutes.
- Cool and serve. Let the loaves cool in the pans for 5 minutes, then run a knife around the edges and turn out onto a wire rack. Serve warm or at room temperature.
FAQs
Why use both pumpkin and banana instead of just one?
Each ingredient does a different job. The banana adds natural sweetness and a dense, fudgy quality to the crumb, while the pumpkin adds moisture and a lighter, more tender texture that keeps the bread from feeling heavy.
Together they produce a loaf that stays moist longer than either a pure banana bread or a pure pumpkin bread would on its own. The flavors blend so well that most people can’t identify both ingredients by taste alone.
Why does this recipe call for oil instead of butter?
Oil stays liquid at room temperature, so the bread feels soft and moist even after it cools completely. Butter solidifies as it cools, which is why butter-based quick breads can feel drier and firmer the next day.
Oil also makes the mixing easier because there is no creaming step. You just whisk everything together in one bowl, which means less cleanup and less risk of overmixing the batter.
What is the difference between pumpkin puree and pumpkin pie filling?
Pumpkin puree is 100% cooked pumpkin with nothing added. Pumpkin pie filling has sugar, spices, and thickeners already mixed in, so using it would throw off the sweetness and spice balance in this recipe.
Check the label before you open the can. The puree can should list only pumpkin as the ingredient. If you accidentally grab pie filling, cut the granulated sugar in half and skip the cinnamon and cloves to compensate.
Why does this recipe make two loaves instead of one large one?
The batter is too much for a single loaf pan. Overfilling one pan would mean a raw center and an overbaked crust, because the heat can’t reach the middle of a batter this thick and moist.
Two pans give you a bonus: freeze the second loaf whole, wrapped in plastic and then foil, for up to 3 months. Thaw it overnight on the counter and it tastes just as good as fresh.
Can you leave out the pecans or swap them for walnuts?
Leaving them out works fine with no changes to the batter or bake time. The bread will be slightly softer throughout since there are no crunchy pieces breaking up the crumb.
Walnuts are a direct swap at the same amount. Toast either nut in a dry skillet for 3 to 4 minutes before folding them in, because raw nuts taste flat and slightly bitter compared to toasted ones in a sweet bread like this.
