The production of electrons from heavy-flavour hadron decays was measured as a function of transverse momentum (od=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">pTode">) in minimum-bias p–Pb collisions at od=retrieve&_eid=1-s2.0-S0370269315010151&_mathId=si1.gif&_user=111111111&_pii=S0370269315010151&_rdoc=1&_issn=03702693&md5=b1cc8bc8ab2427eca86dd7d4f446f259">ode"> using the ALICE detector at the LHC. The measurement covers the od=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">pTode"> interval od=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/code"> and the rapidity range od=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<0.135ode"> 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 od=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">RpPbode"> was calculated by comparing the od=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">pTode">-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 od=retrieve&_eid=1-s2.0-S0370269315010151&_mathId=si116.gif&_user=111111111&_pii=S0370269315010151&_rdoc=1&_issn=03702693&md5=6f276a89225c9273288785adedf62c11">ode"> and od=retrieve&_eid=1-s2.0-S0370269315010151&_mathId=si126.gif&_user=111111111&_pii=S0370269315010151&_rdoc=1&_issn=03702693&md5=9c935ad32becaa97c21d560af0879b6e">ode">. The od=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">RpPbode"> is consistent with unity within uncertainties of about 25%, which become larger for od=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">pTode"> below od=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/code">. The measurement shows that heavy-flavour production is consistent with binary scaling, so that a suppression in the high-od=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">pTode"> 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.