This gluten-free pumpkin bread is moist and tender, filled with warm fall spices, creamy pumpkin purée, and just the right amount of sweetness from brown sugar. Easy to make with simple pantry ingredients, it's a cozy fall favorite for breakfast, snacking, or an afternoon treat-and it's naturally dairy-free too.
Fall and baking just belong together, especially when pumpkin and warm spices are involved. This gluten-free pumpkin bread is one of those easy recipes that fills the kitchen with the aroma of fall and gives you a beautiful loaf to slice for breakfast, an afternoon snack, or whenever a pumpkin craving hits.
Recipe Snapshot
- Fall flavor - Pumpkin and warm spices in every bite.
- Easy - A quick bread made with simple ingredients.
- Gluten-free and dairy-free - Made without wheat flour or dairy.
- Anytime treat - Perfect for breakfast or an afternoon snack.
- Freezer-friendly - Freezes well for up to 3 months.
- Spread idea - Delicious with this easy maple butter.
Here's another easy gluten-free bread recipe, my Irish Soda Bread. It's not just for St. Patrick's Day!
Ingredients You'll Need
- Pumpkin puree - Use pure canned pumpkin puree, not pumpkin pie filling.
- Gluten-free flour - I tested this recipe with King Arthur Measure for Measure Gluten-Free Flour. Other blends may work, but I haven't tested them. If your blend doesn't contain xanthan gum, add ½ teaspoon to help bind the batter and give the bread structure.
- Baking soda and baking powder - Using both gives this quick bread the lift it needs for a light, tender texture.
- Light brown sugar - Adds sweetness, moisture, and deeper flavor than white sugar.
- Eggs - Use large eggs. I haven't tested this recipe with flax eggs or other egg substitutes.
- Oil - Use a neutral-flavored oil such as naturally refined avocado oil or Zero Acre oil. Both provide moisture without competing with the pumpkin and warm spices.
- Vanilla - Use pure vanilla extract for the best flavor. If you love vanilla, vanilla paste is terrific for baking too.
- Warm spices - Cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice, ginger, and a touch of cloves give the bread its classic fall flavor.
For measurements please see the recipe card. You'll need a 9x5 light metal baking loaf pan.
Chef's Tip: Choose a Better Baking Oil: For baking, I skip highly refined vegetable and seed oils and choose healthier fats instead. Naturally refined avocado oil is a good option because it has a mild, neutral flavor, and I also use Zero Acre oil, a neutral cooking oil made through fermentation and high in monounsaturated fat. Both work beautifully in baking without competing with the flavor of the pumpkin and warm spices.
Substitutions and Variations
- Add nuts - Fold ½-¾ cup finely chopped pecans or walnuts into the batter before baking.
- Use pumpkin pie spice - Swap a pumpkin spice blend for the individual spices for an easy shortcut.
For another homemade baked treat, try this golden gluten-free cornbread.
How to Make Gluten-Free Pumpkin Bread
Gluten-Free Baking Tips
Here's why a few of the steps in this gluten-free pumpkin bread recipe matter. Many of these tips are helpful for other gluten-free quick breads and baked goods too.
- Let the batter rest - Gluten-free flours benefit from time to hydrate, which helps improve the texture of the finished bread. Don't skip the resting time.
- Beat the batter well - Without wheat gluten to toughen from mixing, the batter can be beaten well to incorporate air and help build structure.
- Use enough leavening - Gluten-free quick breads often benefit from plenty of lift, which is why this recipe uses both baking soda and baking powder.
- Watch temperature and time - Gluten-free baked goods may bake better at a slightly lower temperature and can sometimes require a longer baking time. Follow the temperature and doneness cues in the recipe rather than relying on time alone.
- Check your flour blend - Use a gluten-free flour blend that contains xanthan gum, which helps bind the ingredients and provide structure. If your blend doesn't contain it, add the amount specified in the recipe.
Chef's Tip: Pumpkin and chocolate are a delicious combination. If you love the idea, try my pumpkin cake with chocolate chips, made with maple syrup and pecans (optional).
Serving Suggestions
Gluten-free pumpkin bread is terrific with coffee for breakfast or tea for an afternoon snack. Tuck a wrapped slice into a lunch bag for an easy grab-and-go treat. It's delicious at room temperature or gently warmed.
For dessert, serve it with softly whipped cream sweetened with a little sugar and vanilla. A little cream cheese frosting is delicious too, especially if you want to dress up the loaf for fall entertaining.
How to Freeze Pumpkin Bread
Cool the pumpkin bread completely on a wire rack before freezing. Wrap the loaf or individual slices tightly in plastic wrap, then place in a freezer bag, pressing out as much air as possible. For extra protection when freezing a whole loaf, add a layer of aluminum foil.
Label and date the package and freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator, or thaw individual slices as needed.
Recipe FAQs
For the most reliable results, use the gluten-free flour blend the recipe was tested with. I use King Arthur Measure for Measure Gluten-Free Flour for this pumpkin bread. Gluten-free flour blends vary in their ingredients and performance, so another blend may produce a slightly different texture.
Choose a blend that contains xanthan gum, which helps bind the ingredients and provide structure. If your blend doesn't contain xanthan gum, add ¼ teaspoon per cup of flour.
Changing the sweetener can affect the moisture, texture, browning, and baking time of pumpkin bread. This recipe was developed with light brown sugar, so that's the best choice for the tested results. I don't recommend substituting a liquid sweetener such as maple syrup or agave without further recipe adjustments.
A gummy texture is often a sign that pumpkin bread is underbaked or sliced before it has completely cooled. Pumpkin adds a lot of moisture, so be sure the center is fully baked before removing the loaf from the oven. Let the bread cool completely before slicing so the crumb has time to set.
Measuring the flour accurately matters too. Too little flour can leave the batter overly wet, while too much can make the bread dry. For the best texture, follow the recipe's resting and baking instructions and use the gluten-free flour blend the recipe was tested with.
More Pumpkin Recipes
For more delicious fall recipes with pumpkin, try these pumpkin recipes. From soups to smoothies, pumpkin is for more than dessert!
How Did it Turn Out?
If you make this gluten-free pumpkin bread, I'd love to hear how it turned out. Please leave a comment and, if you loved the recipe, a 5-star rating. Your feedback helps other readers and helps me know which recipes you're enjoying too.
📖 Recipe
Gluten-Free Pumpkin Bread
Ingredients
Dry Ingredients
- 1 ½ cups gluten-free flour blend I used KA Measure for Measure, see notes
- 2 teaspoons baking soda
- ¾ teaspoon baking powder aluminum free
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon sea salt
- ¼ teaspoon allspice
- ¼ teaspoon ground ginger
- ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- ⅛ teaspoon ground clove
Wet Ingredients
- 1 cup canned pumpkin pure (not pie mix) 8.4 ounces
- 3 large eggs
- 1 cup light brown sugar, lightly packed 6 ounces
- 1 ½ teaspoons real vanilla extract
- ⅓ cup neutral flavored oil refined avocado oil or a healthy neutral oil like Zero Acre.
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Instructions
- Pre-heat the oven to 325°F. Spray a 9x5 light metal baking loaf pan.
- Measure out all of the dry ingredients and sift into a medium bowl or onto parchment or waxed paper.
- To a medium bowl add all of the wet ingredients. With an electric hand mixer whip until it's smooth and blended, about 1 minute.
- Add the dry ingredients into the smooth wet batter, start on low and build to high speed beating for 4 minutes. Pour the batter into the prepared loaf pan and smooth it out with a spatula. Bake for 1 hour, until a cake tester or long thin skewer comes out clean with just a few moist crumbs.
- Remove pan from the oven. Run a thin knife or thin metal spatula around the inside of the pan then gently turn the pumpkin bread out onto a wire cooling rack. Allow it to cool completely before slicing. Pumpkin bread lasts 3-4 days well wrapped on the counter or can be refrigerated. for freezing, after completely cooled, wrap in plastic wrap, then in aluminum foil, then place in a freezer zip bag for up to 3 months. Be sure to label and date the bag.
Notes
Nutrition
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Suzanne says
This pumpkin bread is great! The texture is bread cake like, easy must the right amount of sweetness. For an extra treat, toast it and butter it, yum!
Sally Cameron says
Thanks for reporting back Suzanne! Glad it was a hit.