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Pumpkin Banana Bread Bars

Pumpkin banana bread bars that bake up golden and moist with a tender crumb, made with mashed ripe bananas and pumpkin puree. Finished with a quick maple glaze drizzle for a bakery-style ribbon effect.
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Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 30 minutes
Total Time 45 minutes
Servings: 16 servings
Course: Breakfast
Cuisine: American
Calories: 330
Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients
  

Dry ingredients
  • 2 cup all-purpose flour
  • 1 tsp baking soda
  • 0.5 tsp baking powder
  • 1.5 tsp pumpkin pie spice
  • 1 tsp cinnamon
  • 0.5 tsp salt
Wet ingredients
  • 2 very ripe bananas, mashed
  • 0.75 cup pumpkin puree
  • 0.75 cup granulated sugar
  • 0.25 cup brown sugar, packed
  • 0.5 cup vegetable oil
  • 2 eggs
  • 1 tsp vanilla
Maple glaze
  • 1 cup powdered sugar
  • 3 tbsp maple syrup
  • 1 tbsp milk

Equipment

  • 1 sheet pan

Method
 

Prep and preheat
  1. Preheat oven to 350F, then grease a 9x13 baking pan.
  2. Mash very ripe bananas very smooth so the batter stays silky.
Mix dry ingredients
  1. Whisk all-purpose flour, baking soda, baking powder, pumpkin pie spice, cinnamon, and salt until evenly combined and no spice clumps remain.
Mix wet ingredients
  1. Whisk mashed banana, pumpkin puree, granulated sugar, brown sugar, vegetable oil, eggs, and vanilla until smooth and glossy.
Combine and bake
  1. Fold dry ingredients into wet ingredients until just combined, stopping as soon as no dry streaks remain.
  2. Spread batter evenly in the greased pan so the bars bake uniformly.
  3. Bake at 350F for 25-30 minutes until a toothpick comes out clean, with the top looking set and lightly golden.
  4. Cool completely before glazing so the glaze ribbons don’t melt in.
Glaze and cut
  1. Stir powdered sugar, maple syrup, and milk until smooth, then drizzle over the cooled bars in ribbons.
  2. Cut into bars once the glaze has set.

Notes

For the moistest texture, keep the banana mash very smooth and mix dry into wet just until combined—overmixing can make bars tough. Store covered at room temperature for up to 2 days or refrigerate for up to 5 days. Freeze baked bars (glazed or unglazed) for up to 2 months; thaw in the fridge overnight. For a lighter option, replace vegetable oil with unsweetened applesauce in a 1:1 swap for a slightly softer crumb.