Pumpkin Banana Bread with Cream Cheese Frosting

Pumpkin Banana Bread with Cream Cheese Frosting is a seasonal spin-off of a yearlong classic. Overripe bananas, pumpkin puree, and Greek yogurt help to keep this bread moist, while whole-wheat flour adds a dose of fiber and nutrition. Topped with a cream cheese yogurt frosting, this healthy Pumpkin Banana Bread can easily double as breakfast or dessert.

Let’s talk about decisions.

Studies suggest that the average adult makes about 35,000 (yes, those are three zeros) decisions every. single. day. And according to researchers at Cornell University, about 225 (!!) of those decisions are related to food.

As a dietitian, part of my job is to help make everyday food decisions less stressful. Oftentimes, this means providing patients and clients with education, guidance and support, but occasionally, it means eliminating the decision entirely.

The recipe that I’m sharing today falls under the latter. Made with pumpkin puree, ripe bananas, and warm fall spices, this healthy Pumpkin Banana Bread is a seasonal spin on a yearlong classic. It’s the perfect recipe for those times when you’re craving the cozy familiarity of banana bread, but also want to embrace fall in all its pumpkin-y goodness.

How to make healthier Pumpkin Banana Bread that still tastes good

Don’t let the name fool you – while quite delicious, most pumpkin and banana breads are far from what one might consider to be a nutritionally balanced breakfast. Made with a delightful combination of refined flour, sugar, and butter, most quick breads are more reminiscent of dessert than breakfast. And on the rare occasion that a recipe does take healthfulness into account, it is often at the expense of flavor.. that is, until now.

This healthy Pumpkin Banana Bread uses a combination of overripe bananas, pumpkin puree, and Greek yogurt to keep the bread moist, while whole-wheat flour adds a dose of fiber and nutrients. A lightened up cream cheese frosting is spread atop the bread, making the finished product taste like a cross between pumpkin bread and carrot cake. Healthy enough to make for weekday breakfasts, but indulgent enough for a special Thanksgiving day brunch.

Here’s what you need to make this healthy Pumpkin Banana Bread…

Now, don’t let the relatively long ingredient list fool you. I promise this bread is simple to make – in fact, it only requires one pot and about 15 minutes of hands-on prep time! Aside from your typical baking ingredients (eggs, baking soda, oil/butter, brown sugar, etc.), you’ll need:

• Pumpkin puree. In my opinion, nothing beats the ease and convenience of canned pumpkin. But, if you’re feeling ambitious, you can certainly make your own homemade pumpkin puree from scratch. Either way, the only ingredient here should be pumpkin.
• Super ripe bananas. If you’ve ever baked banana bread before, then you know that the not-so-secret ingredient is overripe bananas. In my opinion, the blacker the better (within reason, of course – we don’t want to give ourselves food poisoning by using 3 month old bananas). I like to scour the clearance section of the produce section for discounts on overripe bananas, but if you’re in a pinch you can make your own using some shortcuts below.
• White whole-wheat flour. While it may sound like an oxymoron, white whole-wheat flour is a great way to add some fiber and nutrients to your baked goods. As the name suggests, this flour is made from whole grains; however, whereas traditional whole-wheat uses red wheat, this white whole-wheat flour is made from white wheat, which has a milder flavor and texture that is similar to all-purpose flour. Whole-wheat pastry flour can also be subbed with similar results.
• Plain Greek yogurt. A few tablespoons of plain Greek yogurt is all you need to keep this bread from drying out. I tested this recipe using Fage 2% plain Greek yogurt, but feel free to use whatever fat percentage that you have on hand.
• Warm fall spices. This recipe calls for a combination of cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, cloves and allspice, which creates the coziest fall flavors. I like to buy my spices from the bulk section of the grocery store, but feel free to sub with equal parts pumpkin pie spice if you don’t want to purchase all of the spices separately.

How to quickly ripen bananas:

The only thing worse than waiting for water to boil is waiting for bananas to ripen. Fortunately, you can speed up the process using a few simple tricks:

1. If you plan on baking in the next few days, place your unripe bananas in a paper bag with an apple or already ripe banana and fold down the top of the bag. The fruit releases ethylene gas, which gets trapped in the bag and helps to speed the ripening process. After a day or two, your bananas should be good to go.
2. If you’re looking to bake ASAP, then pop those suckers in the oven! Place unpeeled bananas on a foil or parchment lined baking sheet and bake at 300 degrees for 15 to 20 minutes, until the peels are black and the flesh is soft. Allow to cool before peeling and scooping out the flesh.

Looking to use up the rest of your canned pumpkin? Here are a few other recipes you may enjoy..

One Pot Pumpkin Ricotta Pasta
Copycat Panera Autumn Squash Soup (Dairy-Free)
Pumpkin Pie Dessert Hummus
No-Bake Pumpkin Spice Energy Bites

Did you make one of the recipes on this site? If so, be sure to tag @rootstorisenutrition on social media so I can see your creations!