Spice up your fall with a loaf of this easy gluten-free pumpkin bread! This gluten-free dairy-free pumpkin bread recipe is as delicious as it is healthy, made with whole grain flour, less sugar than most, and no xanthan gum. Thanks to Bob's Red Mill for sponsoring this post!
Procrastibaking My Way to the Best Gluten-Free Pumpkin Bread
Prior to sharing a preview of this recipe on Instagram Stories, I didn't realize what a *thing* pumpkin bread is. I love pumpkin desserts as much as the next person. But over the years I've tended toward baking pumpkin into muffins, cake, brownies, puddings, and pies of all stripes. The thought of pouring the batter into a loaf pan never occurred to me.
Until last week, when I found myself procrastibaking rather than working on more pressing deadlines. This is undeniably when I do my best baking. I wanted – nay, needed – to see whether my gluten-free carrot cake recipe could be morphed into a gluten-free pumpkin bread recipe. My gluten-free carrot cake has the most lofty, pillowy texture kissed with gentle spices. When I envisioned my ideal gf pumpkin bread, I wanted it to be a close carrot cake cousin.
Gluten-Free Dairy-Free Pumpkin Bread
The carrot cake formula is unusual because it uses an extra egg where dairy (buttermilk, yogurt, or sour cream) would normally be. The protein in the eggs makes the batter bake up extra fluffy, helping the cake form a lofty crumb. This means the recipe is naturally dairy-free in addition to being gluten-free.
So I swapped pumpkin puree in for the grated carrots and adjusted the spices to make them more pumpkin spice-friendly. I added a touch more flour after whisking together the batter because it seemed slightly too thin. I poured it into a loaf pan and popped it in the oven.
The scent of warm, baking spices was sheer torture. I could hardly wait for the loaf to cool before cutting into it. I think I lasted about 20 minutes. What greeted me was the loftiest, fluffiest, lightest, featheriest pumpkin bread I've ever tasted.
I shared a quick snap of the recipe on social media and people got REALLY EXCITED about it. More excited than I expected anyone to get about a plain-looking loaf. But the flavors were anything but. Not only did my kitchen smell like pumpkin spice heaven, there was also a fall flavor party happening in my mouth.
I tested the recipe 5 more times, making the gluten-free pumpkin loaf a bit more dense and moist, and playing with the amounts to form a tall, handsome loaf that wouldn't overflow a standard size bread pan.
So by popular demand, I'm thrilled to share my best gluten-free pumpkin bread recipe today.
Ingredients & Substitution Suggestions
- A trio of gluten-free flours – millet flour, oat flour, and sweet rice flour – work together to create a fine, sturdy crumb like you might get from a blend of white and whole wheat flours. I use Bob's Red Mill flours which are milled in a certified gluten-free facility. Each flour plays a specific roll. For my celiac readers who can't tolerate oats, try trading the oat flour out for sorghum flour by weight.
- Tapioca flour makes the crumb extra plush and pillowy.
- Baking soda and baking powder add lift.
- A good dose of fine sea or kosher salt pops the flavors of sugar and spice. If iodized table salt is all you've got, dial it down by half. Table salt has finer crystals meaning you get more in a teaspoon than irregularly-shaped fine sea or kosher salt crystals.
- Close to a whole can of pumpkin puree goes into this gluten-free pumpkin bread. I use an organic brand from my co-op that is always thick and bright orange. You could definitely use homemade squash puree if you preferred; see down below for instructions!
- Four large eggs help this gluten-free pumpkin loaf bake up extra fluffy. The protein in the egg whites creates a cakey crumb while the egg yolks add tenderness. For my dear readers with egg allergies, I'd recommend getting your hands on some Just Egg – a magical vegan egg-like substance made from mung beans and other ingredients. I tested Just Egg in a vegan version of my gluten-free pancakes and they worked brilliantly. Try using 3/4 - 1 cup of Just Egg in place of the 4 eggs.
- Granulated sugar works better than brown sugar here as it keeps the color bright. I use organic granulated sugar, which is blond in color with a hint of molasses still in the crystals. Just seven-eighths of a cup makes this gf pumpkin bread perfectly sweet to my taste.
- A neutral oil (I prefer sunflower or suncoco oil) makes this gluten-free pumpkin cake divinely moist. Unlike butter-based cakes, this one stays soft even when refrigerated.
- Spices: I like my pumpkin desserts heavy on bright spices like ginger and cinnamon with a backbone of allspice and nutmeg to bolster them up. You could certainly try this recipe with a premade pumpkin spice blend, but it might not taste exactly like the original. I also add a little turmeric to enhance the golden hue of this loaf.
- A touch of vanilla extract adds floral notes.
How to Make Moist Gluten-Free Pumpkin Bread
This easy gluten-free pumpkin bread comes together with just one bowl and a whisk. Simply whisk together the wet ingredients, whisk in the dry ingredients, pour into a loaf pan, and bake!
Maple Glaze for Pumpkin Bread (and Donuts, Bundt Cakes, and Other Desserts)
Also called maple syrup glaze, maple butter glaze, and maple icing recipe, this buttery maple glaze reminds me of old-school doughnuts. And you could certainly use it as such. Drizzle it on this gluten-free dairy-free pumpkin bread or just lick it off the spoon – I definitely did.
This maple glaze recipe uses just three ingredients:
- maple syrup (the darker the better)
- powdered sugar
- butter (vegan if you like)
I use Miyoko's vegan butter here to keep the loaf dairy free and it works beautifully. To make the glaze, whisk together the ingredients until smooth. Let the glaze cool if needed to thicken so it doesn't run right off the bread – it should be thicker than you think it needs to be. Test a little on the loaf before dumping it all on in case it's still too thin.
I like to place the pumpkin loaf on a wire rack and then a plate to catch the drips. We scoop up the extra glaze from the plate and slather it on slices of pumpkin bread. No maple glaze left behind!
Healthy Pumpkin Bread with Gluten-Free Whole-Grain Flours
This gluten-free dairy-free pumpkin bread is healthier than most. It gets fiber and nutrients from a good dose of whole grain flours (oat and millet). It doesn't need any xanthan gum to hold it together – the protein in the eggs take care of that along with some sticky sweet rice and tapioca flours.
While this gluten-free pumpkin loaf definitely tastes like dessert, it has less sugar than most at seven-eighths of a cup of granulated sugar for the full loaf. Some recipes this size contain twice as much sugar. The maple glaze adds more sweetness, but you can leave it off if you want to cut the sugar content even more. I enjoy slices of plain pumpkin bread slathered with a little crème fraîche or plain yogurt.
This recipe uses oil instead of butter. I usually use sunflower or suncoco oil (sunflower + liquid coconut oil) but you can use any neutral cooking oil that you like the taste of.
This recipe uses a hefty 1 1/3 cups of pumpkin puree. Pumpkin is high in fiber, antioxidants, and nutrients. Its natural sweetness means you can dial down the refined sugar in recipes such as these. It also adds moisture that keeps the crumb of this gluten-free pumpkin bread soft and tender.
How to Keep Pumpkin Bread Fresh
Store leftover GF pumpkin bread covered at room temperature for up to 2 days. I like to slice the bread and layer the slices with parchment paper in a large container. Since it's humid where I live in San Francisco, I refrigerate my pumpkin bread after a day. It keeps well in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. Let the slices come to room temperature before serving to bring out the flavors.
Can I Freeze Pumpkin Bread?
You can! I found that the glazed loaf is tricky to defrost because the icing melts if you try to defrost a slice in the toaster oven (my preferred method). But here are two options for freezing pumpkin bread that work well:
- Bake an extra loaf, but don't glaze it yet. Tuck the whole loaf into a large freezer bag and freeze until needed, up to a month or two. When you're ready to enjoy, defrost the loaf (either in the refrigerator or at room temperature) then glaze the loaf, slice, and enjoy.
- Bake the loaf, but don't glaze it yet. Cut the loaf into slices, lay the slices on a small baking sheet lined with parchment paper for easy clean up. Layer any overlapping slices with parchment paper to prevent them from sticking together. Freeze the slices. Tuck the frozen slices into a freezer bag and freeze until needed, up to a month or two. When you're ready for a slice, pop one into a toaster oven and toast until defrosted and warmed through. Enjoy a warm slice with a scoop of ice cream. Or make a batch of glaze to drizzle over the slice as you toast them.
- If you're freezing slices of pumpkin bread that have already been glazed, let the slices defrost slowly at room temperature so that the glaze stays firm.
Gluten-Free Pumpkin Cake or Gluten-Free Pumpkin Muffins
This pumpkin "bread" is really just cake in a loaf pan. You could absolutely bake the batter in cake pans and slather the layers with my less-sweet cream cheese frosting or vegan cream cheese frosting. I think you could use two or three 8-inch pans or two 9-inch pans, decreasing the bake time as needed. If you try this, please let me know!
This pumpkin loaf could easily be baked into gluten-free dairy-free pumpkin muffins. Divide the batter among 12-16 muffin cups lined with paper liners, filling them two-thirds full. Decrease the bake time to 20-30 minutes. (Disclaimer that I haven't tested this yet, but I will update the recipe with specifics when I do!)
How to Make Pumpkin Bread with Fresh Pureed Pumpkin
I actually prefer making squash puree for gluten-free pumpkin bread and other pumpkin desserts from butternut squash. Butternuts tend to be more consistent than culinary pumpkins which can sometimes be watery and bland.
To make your own squash puree, cut a butternut in half lengthwise and leave in the seeds for now. Place the squash cut-side down on an oiled rimmed baking sheet and roast at 375ºF until collapsing and super tender, 45 minutes or as needed. Let cool, scoop out the seeds and strings and discard (this is way easier to do post-baking). Scoop the flesh into a food processor, and blend until super smooth. Refrigerate for up to 1 week or freeze for longer storage.
What to do with extra pumpkin puree?
You'll have a scant 1/2 cup of pumpkin puree leftover after making this recipe. (For the record, I tried putting the whole can in the loaf. Trust me, this version is much better!) Here are some ideas on how to use it up:
- make an easy vegan pumpkin spice latte from Minimalist Baker
- put it into your favorite oatmeal recipe, or try this pumpkin oatmeal from Bakerita
- cook it into pumpkin butterscotch pudding
- make GF pumpkin pancakes from Snixy Kitchen
- whip up a batch of easy pumpkin granola from Salted Plains
*Bojon appétit! For more Bojon Gourmet in your life, follow along on Instagram, Facebook, or Pinterest, purchase my gluten-free cookbook Alternative Baker, or subscribe to receive new posts via email. And if you make this gluten-free dairy-free pumpkin bread, I’d love to see. Tag your Instagram snaps @The_Bojon_Gourmet and #bojongourmet.*
Gluten-Free Dairy-Free Pumpkin Bread with Maple Glaze
Print Recipe Pin RecipeIngredients
Pumpkin Bread:
- 1 teaspoon softened vegan butter or coconut oil, for the pan
- 1 1/3 cup (300 g) pumpkin puree
- ¾ cup + 2 tablespoons (190 g) organic granulated sugar
- 2/3 cup (125 g by weight) sunflower oil (or other neutral vegetable oil)
- 4 large eggs
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 cup (110 g) Bob's Red Mill gluten-free oat flour
- 2/3 cup (105 g) Bob's Red Mill sweet rice flour
- 2/3 cup (95 g) Bob's Red Mill millet flour
- 3 tablespoons (22 g) Bob's Red Mill tapioca flour
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- ¾ teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon fine sea or kosher salt
- 1 ½ teaspoon ground ginger
- 1 ¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon turmeric (optional, mostly for color)
- ½ teaspoon packed freshly ground nutmeg
- 1/8 teaspoon ground allspice
Maple Glaze:
- 4 tablespoons (55 g) vegan or dairy butter, melted
- ½ cup (60 g) powdered sugar, sifted if clumpy
- 3 tablespoons maple syrup
- big pinch salt if using unsalted butter
Instructions
Pumpkin Bread:
- Position a rack in the center of the oven and preheat to 350ºRub a 9x5 loaf pan with the butter or coconut oil and line the bottom and sides of the pan with two pieces of parchment paper cut to fit.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the pumpkin puree, sugar, oil, eggs, and vanilla.
- Place a mesh strainer over the bowl (or over a different medium-sized bowl) and sift in the oat, sweet rice, millet, and tapioca flours along with the baking powder, baking soda, salt, ginger, cinnamon, turmeric (if using), nutmeg, and allspice.
- Whisk the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients until smooth.
- Pour the batter into the prepared pan. Bake the pumpkin bread until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out with moist crumbs, 55 to 65 minutes. Check the loaf after 45 minutes and rotate if it’s browning unevenly or move it to the lower rack if it’s browning too quickly.
- Remove the loaf from the oven and let cool for 20 minutes, then remove from the pan and let cool completely on a wire rack, about 1 hour.
Maple Glaze:
- While the loaf cools, make the glaze. Whisk together the powdered sugar, melted butter, and maple syrup until the mixture is smooth. Let cool until thickly pourable, about 20 minutes.
- Place the pumpkin bread still on the wire rack on a large plate. Pour the glaze over the pumpkin cake letting it drip down the sides. We like to scoop up extra glaze that collects on the plate and slather it on slices of pumpkin bread.
- Let the glaze set until firm (you can pop it in the fridge for 15 minutes to speed this up). Slice and enjoy.
- Store this pumpkin bread covered at room temperature for up to 1 day, or refrigerated for up to 4 days.
Notes
Nutrition
More Pumpkin Dessert Recipes:
- Gluten-Free Pumpkin Pie
- Gluten-Free Pumpkin Pouding Chomeur (baked pudding cake)
- Pumpkin Ice Cream
- Gluten-Free Pumpkin Buttermilk Pie
- Gluten-Free Pumpkin Cheesecake Brownies
- Butterscotch Pumpkin Pudding
- Gluten-Free Pumpkin Cranberry Bread (from Alternative Baker via Foolproof Living)
- Somewhat Fussy Pumpkin Tart
- Pumpkin Challah
- Brown Butter-Glazed Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Coffeecake
More Gluten-Free Cake Recipes:
- Gluten-Free Apple Cake with Brown Butter & Hazelnut
- Gluten-Free Blueberry Coffeecake
- Dairy-Free Gluten-Free Carrot Cake
- Gluten-Free Red Velvet Cake {all-natural}
- Gluten-Free Chocolate Bundt Cake
- Gluten-Free Chocolate Cake with Peanut Butter Frosting
- Gluten-Free Banana Cake with Chocolate Ganache
- Gluten-Free Upside-Down Cake with Poached Quince
- Gluten-Free Chocolate Zucchini Cake
- Gluten-Free Pound Cake with Lemon and Berries
- Gluten-Free Pear Cake with Chai Spices
- Gluten-Free Peach Cake
- Gluten-Free Plum Cake
- Gluten-Free Lemon Almond Cake
Eliza says
First I made this as a loaf, and loved it. I didn't make the glaze, because the bread was so delicious. Then I followed your suggestions to make pumpkin muffins, which were equally fluffy and divine. Thank you for the great and versatile recipe!
Alanna says
I'm so glad you liked the recipe - as bread and muffins! Thanks a bunch for the sweet note. :)
Nicole Becker says
Hello! I would like to make this without baking powder. Do you think I could sub in sour cream or yogurt or buttermilk from one of the eggs/some of the oil and increase the baking soda? I live in a really isolated area and can't easily get aluminum free baking powder or cream of tartar and want to make this ASAP :).
Alanna says
That's a great question! I'd say it's worth a try. You might want to experiment with a half batch in case you're not happy with the way it turns out. Please let me know how it goes. I'm sorry it's so hard to get your hands on baking powder, that's tough!
Christina says
Can I just use 2 1/2 cups Bob's Gluten Free flour instead of blending the oat,rice,millet, tapioca flours? And I was curious about using avacado oil instead of sunflower, thoughts?
Alanna says
I think that should work! I prefer Bob's 1 to 1 GF flour as their regular GF flour has chickpea flour in it and I dislike the beany flavor it adds. Avocado oil can have a stronger flavor than sunflower, so taste yours and decide whether you think the taste will go in the bread. Please let me know what you try!
Christina says
Alanna, thank you so much for responding so quickly. And I use the Bob's 1 to 1 GF flour too!! I use the Avacado oil for my GF & dairy free banana bread, so I'll try and post here! Can't wait to make....
Alanna says
Ahh perfect! Did you try it yet??
Rich says
This is the best GF pumpkin bread I've tried - it's a keeper. I can't believe how well it rises.
My wife is sensitive to both millet and oats, so I subbed sorghum and brown rice flour, respectively, and it works great. I also use a ten inch bread pan as I was having trouble cooking it all the way through.
Overall fantastic!
Alanna says
Hi Rich! I'm SO glad you and your wife enjoyed this recipe and that the brown rice and sorghum flour work well here! I can see why that version would need a larger pan as those flours tend to be a bit more coarse and less absorbent than both oat and millet flour. So smart to use a bigger pan. Thank you for sharing your variations here - I know it will be a big help to other readers too. :)
Katrine Paradis says
Hello,
What would you suggest for a vegan cake option?
Thank you!@
Katrine
Alanna says
Hi Katrine, One reader tried this with applesauce and sour cream in place of the eggs. You could try 1/2 cup applesauce and 1/2 cup vegan yogurt? I'd recommend testing a half batch to start (you can either bake a short loaf or muffins). If you have access to Just Egg (linked to in the ingredients above) that can be a good vegan egg substitute too. Please let me know what you try!
Alene says
I made this yesterday, finally. It's delicious! I added 1/2 cup total of chopped walnuts and chopped crystallized ginger but probably should have made it a half cup of each. I was being cautious about the ginger and dicing it small as my husband doesn't love ginger. I really should have diced them bigger so he wouldn't eat the bread! Once he likes something, uh oh for me. The crumb is perfect and the glaze is so good. It's hard to resist. Thank you for another delicious gf recipe!
Alanna says
This comment made me lol! I'm glad this was a hit with you (and your husband despite your attempts at ginger deterrence haha!) Walnuts and candied ginger sound absolutely divine - I'll have to try that next time!
Alanna says
Tried this out with bob's 1-1 gf AP flour and it is incredible! Not too sweet on its own and paired beautifully with the maple glaze. Big thanks for this one!
Alanna says
I'm so glad that flour blend worked well! Thanks a bunch for the note!
Heidi says
Do you think this recipe would work to make banana bread? By substituting mashed banana for pumpkin puree (about 3 bananas), and leaving out the spices? I am looking for a fairly simple, not overly sweet, but very moist banana bread recipe that doesn't use GF all-purpose flour (which I don't care for) or have chocolate, but nuts are okay. Maybe add in sour cream or yogurt, which I used to do with my old recipe with gluten flours.
Alanna says
That's a really good question - I think that might work since banana and pumpkin are both sort of sweet and starchy. You could certainly try it (or maybe try a half batch in case you don't like how it turns out.) You could also make these banana muffins in a loaf pan and omit the chocolate. This banana cake is also a favorite.
Alex says
I’m a total baking beginner, so I’m still learning :) Could I leave the sugar out or substitute it?
Alanna says
That's a great question! It's always a good practice to make the recipe once as written so you know how it works and how you'd like to change it. Omitting the sugar altogether will throw the recipe off. Sugar works like a liquid, dissolving into the batter as it bakes, and it adds moisture and tenderness along with sweetness. If you can't eat the sugar for health reasons, you could try swapping in a more natural granulated sugar, such as coconut, date, or maple sugar. There are calorie-free sweeteners out there that are designed to sub granulated sugar one to one. I've never tried them so I don't know how they taste or feel in recipes. I would not recommend subbing in a liquid sweetener (such as maple syrup) as this will also throw off the recipe.
Let me know what you try or if you have more questions!
Nancy Gandy says
Good afternoon,
I look forward to baking g-f pumpkin bread muffins for my son. Have you tried adding chopped pecans to the batter?
Alanna says
I haven't, but I bet it would be delicious! I would toast them first. :)
Jamie says
Looks awesome! Can you recommend a substitute for the oat flour?
Alanna says
You could try sorghum, teff, chestnut, or a GF AP flour - those would probably be the closest!
Julie Forster says
This bread was delicious, but mine came out very dry and crumbly. I would love to get this right. The texture in the pictures looks so lovely! Are there any suggestions as to where I went wrong?
Alanna says
Hi Julie, I'm so sorry to hear that! Are you sure you got all the measurements correct? Is it possible you overbaked it or that your oven runs hot? Did you measure by weight or by volume? Happy to help troubleshoot! :)
Katy+Ionis says
Turned out wonderfully moist and flavorful and I love that it is an easy one bowl recipe!! I reduced the sugar in the bread to 150g and used grapeseed oil as the neutral oil and it was just the right sweetness for me - but note that I tend to like desserts very lightly sweetened. I made the glaze but left it on the side and each person can spread the glaze on their slice as thin or thick as they would like - works perfectly right now as it's gotten colder and leaving the glaze in a jar at room temp makes it a great spreadable consistency. For me the glaze is too sweet and I'm not a big fan of the flavor of powdered sugar which I think overpowers the maple in this case. I have enjoyed the bread plain or slathered with nut butter. A nut butter maple coconut oil style of "caramel sauce" would make a delicious glaze actually, idea for next time!
Alanna says
I really like that idea for a healthy glaze - yum! Please let me know if you try it. I'm glad this recipe was a hit and that reducing the sugar and leaving the glaze on the side worked well. Thanks a bunch for trying the recipe and for the sweet note!
Tanya says
This is “the bomb” per my ten year old! I made it following the recipe exactly (except used avocado oil) the first time & the fluffy texture is the best! I’ve made a few more times & used coconut sugar & added ground pumpkin seeds, just trying to add a bit more healthful goodness because my kid gobbles this up. If I’m making this for something special, I’ll follow your recipe exactly. It’s perfect!
Also, just so I use the whole can of pumpkin, I’ve been multiplying the recipe x 1.42 and making two 8 1/2 x 4 1/2” loaves.
I have the pumpkin cranberry adventure bread from your book in the oven right now!
Alanna says
Hi Tanya! I'm so glad you're loving this recipe. The version with coconut sugar and ground pumpkin seeds sounds DELICIOUS and right up my alley, and multiplying the recipe to use up the whole can of pumpkin is BRILLIANT. Thanks so much for the kind note and for sharing your alterations with all of us here!
Emily says
Is it really a tablespoon of baking powder?
Alanna says
It really is :)
Michelle Noe says
This looks heavenly , Alanna!
had a thought... next? maybe persimmons? they have a great texture baked into cake. Might be time to bake!
Alanna says
Hi Michelle! YES I love that idea. Huge persimmon fan here! I have an older recipe for persimmon bread that uses wheat flour, and I've been meaning to adapt it to be GF.
Jenny says
The GF pumpkin bread of my dreams! I baked sans icing and omitted the 2 T of sugar as I like my cake breads less sweet. It was tall, fluffy, moist throughout with a delicately crispy top and warmly spicy, nutty flavor. Thank you!! It’s a keeper.
Alanna says
I'm so glad you loved it and that you sweetened it to your taste! Thanks very much for the note and rating. :)