Pumpkin Banana Muffins

Pumpkin Banana Muffins are the ultimate autumn treat! Made with pumpkin puree, cinnamon, and pecans, they're full of the best flavors of the season. This easy recipe is vegan and gluten-free.

These muffins are perfect for a grab-and-go breakfast or a mid-afternoon snack with a cup of strong cinnamon tea. I also like to make them ahead of time so I have something light to nosh on on Thanksgiving morning, before the feasting begins.

Pumpkin Banana Muffins

With fall comes days dedicated to baking, and these Pumpkin Banana Muffins are amongst my favorite fall baked goods.

While I absolutely LOVE to bake, I don't usually create my own recipes for baked goods. Baking is very sciencey where cooking is more like art. I have an artist's brain that does not do well with scientific things. When cooking I can throw things together, taste, tweak and then set my dish free into the world. With baking, measurements need to be precise, and if the finished product doesn't taste good, not much can be done with it except maybe feed it to the squirrels.

So I was quite pleased with myself when I put together this Pumpkin Banana Muffins recipe and found that the baked muffins were very tasty! (I will admit that I started with an omnivorous recipe for gluten-filled pumpkin bread, but I made so many changes that it barely resembles the original thing.) After making these muffins, my kitchen did vaguely resemble a science lab that had recently experienced a horrible accident, but the muffins were worth the mess!

How to Make Pumpkin Banana Muffins

These muffins are super easy to make!

• First you mix together the wet ingredients in a medium bowl.
• Then you mix together the dry ingredients in a large bowl.
• Next you mix the two together until they're just combined. Be careful not to over mix them or your muffins might turn out a little gummy.
• Now you fold you in the pecans.
• Finally, you scoop the mixture into your muffin tin and bake them for about 20 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center of one comes out clean.

Gluten-Free Flour

I originally created this recipe back in 2012, after being wrongly diagnosed with celiac disease. I was have digestive issues, so the physician's assistant at my doctor's office ordered some blood tests. The test results came back and told me that even though blood tests aren't 100% accurate, it looked like I had celiac. She referred me to a gastroenterologist, but it took about 6 weeks to get an appointment. I spent that 6 weeks drooling over fluffy bagels, wandering the pasta aisle at the grocery store, and generally feeling down. My digestive issues didn't go away though. When I finally got to see the gastroenterologist, she took one look at my blood test and said I didn't have celiac — the physician's assistant had read the test backward and the test showed I was as far away from have it as possible. Insert eye-roll emoji here.

In that 6 week period of time, I did a lot of experimenting with gluten-free flours. I found the combination of brown rice flour, tapioca starch, and potato starch worked really well in muffins. If you don't have a lot of gluten-free flours on hand and don't want to go out and buy a bunch, you can swap them for an all-purpose mix. I recommend Bob's Red Mill Gluten Free 1-to-1 Baking Flour. Instead of the brown rice flour, tapioca starch, potato starch, and xantham gum, use 1½ cups of the 1-to-1 flour.

Storing Your Pumpkin Banana Muffins

Store your Pumpkin Banana Muffins in an air-tight container in the fridge for 5 days or in the freezer for up to 3 months. Just defrost them on the counter before eating them.

More Muffin Recipes You Might Enjoy Include:

• Chocolate Chip Banana Muffins
• Cranberry Muffins
• Carrot Cake Muffins
• Lemon Poppy Zucchini Muffins

More Pumpkin Recipes You Might Enjoy Include:

• Pumpkin Pie Smoothie
• Baked Pumpkin Oatmeal 
• No-Bake Pumpkin Swirl Cheesecake
• Chocolate Chip Pumpkin Muffins