Dairy-Free & Gluten-Free Pumpkin Bread with Maple Glaze

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 for Gluten-Free Pumpkin Bread

• 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.*

4.93 from 13 votes

Gluten-Free Dairy-Free Pumpkin Bread with Maple Glaze

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Prep: 20 minutes

Cook: 1 hour

Cooling Time: 1 hour 20 minutes

Servings: 10 servings

Author: The Bojon Gourmet

Ingredients

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

To keep this recipe dairy-free, use a vegan butter in the glaze that you like the taste of. My favorite is Miyoko's cultured vegan butter. 

To make this with homemade winter squash puree in place of the canned pumpkin, cut a butternut (or other winter squash) in half lengthwise and leave the seeds in 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 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. I find that butternut squash tend to be the most consistent for baking as actual pumpkins can be watery and bland.

To substitute all-purpose wheat flour or gluten-free flour, omit all of the flours and tapioca and use 332 grams (about 2 1/3 cups) of all-purpose flour in its place. I haven't tested this myself, so please leave a comment if you give it a try! GF AP blends are all different from one another, my favorite being Bob's Red Mill 1 to 1 flour, which is based on sweet rice flour. Stay away from any flour that contains bean or quinoa flours as those can have a strong, unpleasant taste in sweets. 

Making this? I'd love to see!Tag your snaps @The_Bojon_Gourmet and #bojongourmet!

More Gluten-Free 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)

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