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Soft, moist, and perfectly spiced brown butter pumpkin banana muffins will make your house smell like fall and are the perfect breakfast or afternoon snack for the cooler months.

While many of us are skipping from Thanksgiving right to Christmas (myself included—our tree is up, and our stockings are hung!), it's still very much fall, and still very much pumpkin season. Whether you can't wait for the holidays or you're still basking in the autumn glow, you’ll love these brown butter pumpkin banana muffins. Our family loves these muffins so much, I make it a point to have canned pumpkin in my pantry so I can make them year-round! They're one of our favorite recipes, and I know they'll become one of your go-to muffin recipes too!

About these muffins

If you ask me, brown butter makes *everything* better, and these muffins are no exception. Brown butter pumpkin banana muffins are a delicious way to turn pumpkin spice flavors into a quick breakfast, an after-school snack, or anytime muffin craving. Perfectly sweet and irresistibly snackable, your whole family will gobble these muffins up!

Make sure to use over-ripe bananas for this recipe (the more ripe the bananas are, the stronger the banana flavor will be). And if you have a can of pumpkin leftover from Thanksgiving, you’re halfway there! Make them in a mini muffin tin for little hands (my toddler loves these) or a perfectly snackable size (big kids love them too!). Add chocolate chips or sprinkle with the optional cinnamon-sugar topping to make your banana pumpkin muffins an extra special treat. You can also double the recipe, freeze the muffins and pull them out whenever you need a little autumn coziness in your life.

The whole family will love these easy pumpkin banana muffins because:

They’re sweet, but not too sweet – great for guilt-free on-the-go breakfasts or after school snacks!
The brown butter complements the pumpkin and enhances the blend of cinnamon and other warm spices, taking your favorite fall flavors to the next level.
They’re soft, perfectly spiced, and simple enough to make with kids – no stand mixer required!

How to make Brown Butter Pumpkin Banana Muffins

Brown the butter. In a medium saucepan over medium heat, brown the butter until the foam subsides and the butter smells nutty. Remove from heat immediately and allow the butter to cool. If you've never browned butter before, you're going to want to go beyond melted butter, and really pay attention to the color once the butter starts to melt.

Combine the wet ingredients. In a large bowl, mash the bananas into a smooth consistency, then mix with the pumpkin puree (make sure you're using pure pumpkin puree, and not pumpkin pie filling), plus the cooled browned butter, brown sugar, vanilla and eggs in a bowl using an electric mixer, or by hand using a wooden spoon or spatula.

Mix in the dry ingredients. In the same large mixing bowl add the flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg and pumpkin pie spice and mix until just combined. Make sure to measuring the flour accurately, using the scoop and level method -- use a spoon to scoop the flour into your measuring cup, and then level off the flour with a knife before adding to the bowl. Be careful to *not* over mix the batter!

Distribute the muffin batter into the muffin cups. Make sure you fill the muffin liners or the muffin pan all the way to the top to get nice, tall, rounded muffins. If you're not using liners, make sure to grease your muffin pan well (I like to use coconut oil or vegetable oil spray for this). Top the muffins with the cinnamon-sugar streusel, if using, or sprinkle with some mini chocolate chips -- chopped pecans would also be a great addition here too!

Bake the muffins. Start baking the muffins at 450º F for five minutes, then reduce the heat to 350º F for the remaining 25 minutes (or 15 minutes, if making mini muffins).

Storage Tips

These muffins keep well in an airtight container on the counter for 2-3 days (if they last that long!) and they freeze beautifully for up to 3 months. To freeze, place completely cooled muffins in a zip top freezer bag or airtight container.

If you find yourself interrupted, you can easily put some plastic wrap over the bowl and stick it in the freezer when you can come back to it in a few hours.

Substitutions

If you don’t have pumpkin pie spice, you can make your own pumpkin pie spice blend.
You can replace overripe bananas with 2 cups of applesauce.
Out of unsalted butter? Substitute with salted butter, just make sure to reduce the amount of kosher salt in the recipe to ¼ teaspoon.
If you don't have a can of pumpkin puree, you can also make your own fresh pumpkin puree.

Special diets

If you have a special diet you're adhering to, here are some ways you can adjust this recipe.

Gluten Free: Swap out the all-purpose flour for gluten-free flour.
Dairy Free: Replace butter with a dairy-free alternative or vegan butter.
Vegan: Follow the dairy-free replacement, and also replace the eggs with flax eggs, aquafaba, applesauce or additional bananas.

Related recipes

Do you have more overripe bananas than you know what to do with? Check out these other banana bread recipes:

Before you go...

If you make these pumpkin banana muffins and love them, please leave me a comment and rate this recipe! I love to hear from you do my best to respond to each and every comment. And of course, don’t forget to tag me on Instagram—seeing your delicious creations is my favorite!