These muffins use five ripe bananas, canned pumpkin, and a flax egg to make a batch of 12 dense, filling breakfast muffins with no dairy or eggs. They are not light or cakey — think somewhere between a muffin and a thick slice of banana bread, spiced with pumpkin spice and cinnamon. The honest reason to make them: they keep well, cost very little, and actually hold you over until lunch.
The technique that matters
The two-temperature bake is the one thing worth paying attention to here. Starting at 425°F for five minutes creates a quick burst of heat that pushes the batter up before the crust sets, which is how you get a domed top on a dense muffin that would otherwise bake flat. Dropping to 350°F immediately after lets the center cook through without drying out the edges. The other technique is mixing order: always add wet into dry, not the other way around, and stop stirring the moment you no longer see dry flour. Overmixed batter develops gluten and turns these from dense-and-tender into dense-and-tough — a meaningful difference.
Smart swaps
- Flaxseed: Ground chia seed works as a 1:1 swap for the flax egg — same ratio, same wait time. Whole flaxseeds will not gel properly, so grind them first if that is what you have.
- Applesauce: Unsweetened is ideal, but if yours is sweetened, reduce the added sugar by about two tablespoons to compensate.
- Plant-based milk: Any variety works — oat, soy, rice, or almond. The quantity is small enough that the flavor difference is negligible.
- Canned pumpkin: This is pumpkin purée, not pumpkin pie filling. Pie filling has added sugar and spices already mixed in, and using it will throw off the balance of both sweetness and spice.
- Oats: Rolled oats and quick oats both work. Skip the topping oats if you do not have extra — it is a garnish and not worth opening a second bag for.
What can go wrong
- Muffins sink in the middle after baking: This usually means the oven door was opened during the first five minutes of the high-heat phase, or the batter was overfilled. Fill cups no more than three-quarters full and resist checking early.
- Batter is much thicker than expected: Five bananas vary a lot in size and moisture. If the batter feels stiff and dry, add plant-based milk one tablespoon at a time until it drops slowly off a spoon. If it is very loose, your bananas were large — bake time may run a few minutes longer.
- Muffins stick even with cooking spray: Dense, moist batters cling to pans. Silicone liners or parchment paper cups are more reliable than spray alone. If you only have spray, coat the tin generously and let the muffins cool the full ten minutes before turning them out.
- Gummy or undercooked center: A toothpick test is more reliable than the timer here because banana and pumpkin together hold a lot of moisture. If the toothpick comes out with wet batter (not just a few moist crumbs), give them another three to five minutes and test again.
Keeping and reheating
Store cooled muffins in an airtight container at room temperature for up to two days, or in the fridge for up to five. Because of the high moisture content from the bananas and pumpkin, they go soft and slightly sticky at room temperature faster than a standard muffin — the fridge keeps the texture better. To freeze, wrap each muffin individually in plastic wrap and store in a zip-top bag for up to three months. Reheat from frozen in a 325°F oven for about 12 minutes, or microwave for 60 to 90 seconds. The microwave is faster but softens the top; the oven brings back a little more structure if that matters to you.
Pumpkin and Banana Breakfast Muffin
Equipment
- Cooking spray (for greasing the muffin tin)
Ingredients
- 5 medium bananas mashed
- 1 tablespoon oil oil of choice
- 1 tablespoon ground flaxseed (for flax egg)
- 3 tablespoons water (for flax egg)
- 1 tablespoon plant-based milk milk of choice ; (I generally stick with almond milk)
- ½ cup sugar
- ½ cup apple sauce
- ¾ cup canned pumpkin
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 2 teaspoons pumpkin spice
- 2 teaspoons cinnamon
- 1 ¼ cups flour
- ¼ cup oats (plus more for sprinkling on top)
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 425°F / 220°C (200°C fan-forced). Line or spray a 12-cup standard muffin tin with cooking spray.
- In a small bowl, mix 1 tablespoon of ground flaxseed with 3 tablespoons of water. Stir well and let sit for at least 5 minutes until it thickens to a gel-like, egg-like consistency.
- In a large bowl, mash the bananas until mostly smooth. Stir in the plant-based milk and oil. Add the sugar, applesauce, canned pumpkin purée, thickened flax egg, and vanilla extract. Mix until well combined.
- In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, oats, pumpkin spice, cinnamon, salt, and baking soda until evenly combined. Make a well in the dry ingredients and add the wet ingredients into the dry.
- Mix the wet and dry ingredients until combined and then spoon mixture into the muffin tin.
- Bake at 425°F / 220°C (200°C fan-forced) for 5 minutes, then reduce the oven temperature to 350°F / 175°C (160°C fan-forced) and continue baking for 15–18 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the centre of a muffin comes out clean.
- Let the muffins cool in the pan for 5 – 10 minutes, and then turn it out to a cooling rack.
Nutrition
Frequently asked questions
Can I use fewer bananas if I don’t have five?
Four medium-to-large bananas will work, but the muffins will be slightly less moist and a little less sweet. Do not go below four — the bananas are doing real structural work here, not just adding flavor.
Can I use regular eggs instead of a flax egg?
Yes. One large egg replaces the flax egg directly. The muffins will no longer be vegan, but the texture and bake time stay the same.
Do I have to use pumpkin spice, or can I use individual spices?
Individual spices work fine. A basic substitute for two teaspoons of pumpkin spice is one teaspoon cinnamon, half a teaspoon ginger, a quarter teaspoon nutmeg, and a pinch of cloves — adjust to what you have on hand.
Can I make these gluten-free?
A 1:1 gluten-free all-purpose flour blend should work as a direct swap for the regular flour. Make sure your oats are certified gluten-free as well, since standard oats are often processed in facilities that handle wheat.
Why does the recipe use both pumpkin spice and extra cinnamon?
Pumpkin spice blends vary a lot by brand, and many are light on cinnamon. The extra cinnamon makes sure that warmth comes through clearly even if your blend is heavy on ginger or cloves.
Can I reduce the sugar since the bananas are already sweet?
You can cut it to a third of a cup without a noticeable problem in texture. Going lower than that risks affecting how the muffins brown and set, so keep at least a quarter cup in the batter.
What to cook next
- Ultimate Banana Bread
- Classic Banana Nut Bread
- Fluffy Homemade Pancake Mix
- Slow-Cooked Spiced Apple Butter
