The production of electrons from heavy-flavour hadron decays was measured as a function of transverse momentum (formulatext stixSupport mathImg" data-mathURL="/science?_ob=MathURL&_method=retrieve&_eid=1-s2.0-S0370269315010151&_mathId=si2.gif&_user=111111111&_pii=S0370269315010151&_rdoc=1&_issn=03702693&md5=fc913c73eb2d293f338bf5eac1af122e" title="Click to view the MathML source">pT) in minimum-bias p–Pb collisions at f&_user=111111111&_pii=S0370269315010151&_rdoc=1&_issn=03702693&md5=b1cc8bc8ab2427eca86dd7d4f446f259">f" data-inlimgeid="1-s2.0-S0370269315010151-si1.gif"> using the ALICE detector at the LHC. The measurement covers the formulatext stixSupport mathImg" data-mathURL="/science?_ob=MathURL&_method=retrieve&_eid=1-s2.0-S0370269315010151&_mathId=si2.gif&_user=111111111&_pii=S0370269315010151&_rdoc=1&_issn=03702693&md5=fc913c73eb2d293f338bf5eac1af122e" title="Click to view the MathML source">pT interval formulatext stixSupport mathImg" data-mathURL="/science?_ob=MathURL&_method=retrieve&_eid=1-s2.0-S0370269315010151&_mathId=si117.gif&_user=111111111&_pii=S0370269315010151&_rdoc=1&_issn=03702693&md5=64f08a678f93b10e95cd074cc4808f53" title="Click to view the MathML source">0.5<pT<12 GeV/c and the rapidity range formulatext stixSupport mathImg" data-mathURL="/science?_ob=MathURL&_method=retrieve&_eid=1-s2.0-S0370269315010151&_mathId=si129.gif&_user=111111111&_pii=S0370269315010151&_rdoc=1&_issn=03702693&md5=75d9e03aaa27e92fff8630c644cede5b" title="Click to view the MathML source">−1.065<ycms<0.135 in the centre-of-mass reference frame. The contribution of electrons from background sources was subtracted using an invariant mass approach. The nuclear modification factor formulatext stixSupport mathImg" data-mathURL="/science?_ob=MathURL&_method=retrieve&_eid=1-s2.0-S0370269315010151&_mathId=si114.gif&_user=111111111&_pii=S0370269315010151&_rdoc=1&_issn=03702693&md5=7870a314240d78af9d436f8136f3b599" title="Click to view the MathML source">RpPb was calculated by comparing the formulatext stixSupport mathImg" data-mathURL="/science?_ob=MathURL&_method=retrieve&_eid=1-s2.0-S0370269315010151&_mathId=si2.gif&_user=111111111&_pii=S0370269315010151&_rdoc=1&_issn=03702693&md5=fc913c73eb2d293f338bf5eac1af122e" title="Click to view the MathML source">pT-differential invariant cross section in p–Pb collisions to a pp reference at the same centre-of-mass energy, which was obtained by interpolating measurements at f&_user=111111111&_pii=S0370269315010151&_rdoc=1&_issn=03702693&md5=6f276a89225c9273288785adedf62c11">f" data-inlimgeid="1-s2.0-S0370269315010151-si116.gif"> and f&_user=111111111&_pii=S0370269315010151&_rdoc=1&_issn=03702693&md5=9c935ad32becaa97c21d560af0879b6e">f" data-inlimgeid="1-s2.0-S0370269315010151-si126.gif">. The formulatext stixSupport mathImg" data-mathURL="/science?_ob=MathURL&_method=retrieve&_eid=1-s2.0-S0370269315010151&_mathId=si114.gif&_user=111111111&_pii=S0370269315010151&_rdoc=1&_issn=03702693&md5=7870a314240d78af9d436f8136f3b599" title="Click to view the MathML source">RpPb is consistent with unity within uncertainties of about 25%, which become larger for formulatext stixSupport mathImg" data-mathURL="/science?_ob=MathURL&_method=retrieve&_eid=1-s2.0-S0370269315010151&_mathId=si2.gif&_user=111111111&_pii=S0370269315010151&_rdoc=1&_issn=03702693&md5=fc913c73eb2d293f338bf5eac1af122e" title="Click to view the MathML source">pT below formulatext stixSupport mathImg" data-mathURL="/science?_ob=MathURL&_method=retrieve&_eid=1-s2.0-S0370269315010151&_mathId=si10.gif&_user=111111111&_pii=S0370269315010151&_rdoc=1&_issn=03702693&md5=ac3ba3974d40eee946a81b9971c005df" title="Click to view the MathML source">1 GeV/c. The measurement shows that heavy-flavour production is consistent with binary scaling, so that a suppression in the high-formulatext stixSupport mathImg" data-mathURL="/science?_ob=MathURL&_method=retrieve&_eid=1-s2.0-S0370269315010151&_mathId=si2.gif&_user=111111111&_pii=S0370269315010151&_rdoc=1&_issn=03702693&md5=fc913c73eb2d293f338bf5eac1af122e" title="Click to view the MathML source">pT yield in Pb–Pb collisions has to be attributed to effects induced by the hot medium produced in the final state. The data in p–Pb collisions are described by recent model calculations that include cold nuclear matter effects.