My Favorite Gluten-Free Pumpkin Bread!
This pumpkin bread is gluten-free, but you do not have to have a gluten allergy to enjoy it. I make this pumpkin bread for parties and no one needs to know it is "special". I just took a fresh batch to a gathering this weekend and everyone gladly took the leftovers, even though none of them had a food allergy. The recipe makes 4 small loafs, 8 mini loaves or 16 muffins.
I created this recipe years ago when I was trying to come up with a dessert to bring to Thanksgiving dinner. I wanted something that was safe for me to eat and that wasn't a traditional pie. I tried a couple of bread recipes that I found online but none of them were quite right. After making some tweaks and adding my own flair, this is what I ended up with. It's so good to see how this bread recipe is still outstanding even after all these years.
This Bakes Better as a Smaller Loaf
Because this recipe uses non-gluten flours and a bunch of pumpkin puree, the bread needs some extra help to rise and fully bake. I find that it turns out perfect if you use a smaller baking pan. This recipe does fill 2 standard loaf pans, but is WAY BETTER if you use a smaller size like this 4-loaf pan by Wilton. This is a dense and moist bread and the time it would take to bake in a regular loaf pan means the edges would brown and dry out faster than the middle could finish cooking.
Tips for Baking this Gluten-Free Pumpkin Bread
Flour: I always make my own mix of flours. I find that I get the best results and I can add more robust flours in a recipe like this one that has so many spices. I use quinoa or millet flour in this blend.
Spices: I also use individual spices instead of a "pumpkin spice" blend. I tend to always have all these spices in my pantry. If you don't, you can replace the equivalent amount of spices below with your blend.
Loaf pan size: This recipe works best as 4 loaves or 8 mini loaves. See the pans I use below.
Sugars: I use different sugars depending on how sweet I want the bread to be. You will see in the recipe I use a combination of white sugar, brown sugar and some coconut sugar. I really like coconut sugar for its higher mineral content. You can just use half and half white and brown sugar. You can even replace all the sugar with coconut sugar for a less processed version. The loaves won't be as sweet.
Always Rest your batter: gluten-free flours benefit from sitting for 20 minutes before going in the oven. This rest period allows the starches to fully moisten and act more like the gluten or binding they are there to replace.
This pumpkin bread comes out better in smaller portions. This recipe does fill 2 standard loaf pans, but is WAY BETTER if you use a smaller size like this 4-loaf pan by Wilton. This is a dense and moist bread and the time it would take to bake in a regular loaf pan means the edges would brown and dry out faster than the middle could finish cooking.
My other favorite size to make this recipe in is mini loaves. They are just the perfect portion size and easy to take with you on a road trip or for a car snack. I personally like the Wilton "Perfect Results" pan which you can find on Amazon here.
Both of these loaf sizes freeze really well too!
Gluten-Free Pumpkin Bread Ingredients
Wet
3 large eggs
1½ cups sugar ( ½ cup white sugar, ½ cup brown sugar, ½ cup coconut sugar)
½ cup coconut oil, softened
15 oz can organic pumpkin puree
2 teaspoon vanilla
Dry
½ cup brown rice flour
½ cup sorghum flour
¼ cup quinoa flour or millet flour
½ cup potato starch
¼ cup tapioca starch
1 teaspoon xanthan gum
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
2¼ teaspoon cinnamon
¼ teaspoon ground cloves
¾ teaspoon nutmeg
¾ teaspoon ground ginger
1 teaspoon sea salt or Himalayan salt
How to make gluten free pumpkin bread
Heat oven to 350 degrees. Rub your baking pans with a little coconut oil and line with parchment paper.
Beat eggs in a medium mixing bowl with a hand or stand mixer until a little frothy. Add the sugar and continue to beat until smooth. Add the oil, pumpkin, and vanilla and stir together with a spatula.
In a separate bowl, measure out all dry ingredients and stir with a whisk to blend. Add the dry ingredients to the wet and beat until combined, about 30 seconds. Give the bowl a scrape with a rubber spatula to make sure all the dry ingredients are incorporated.
Pour the batter into the prepared 4-loaf pan and bake for 40 minutes. Test with a toothpick or wooden skewer for doneness. Place on a cooling rack and let sit in the pan for 15 minutes to cool, then gently release the loaves from the pan with a butter knife if needed. Loaves will be really soft while they are still warm.
I love it fresh out of the oven, but it gets even better the next day. Cover it with plastic wrap and keep in the refrigerator. It lasts for at least one week in the fridge. It does really well in the freezer too.
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Gluten-Free Pumpkin Bread Recipe
The best gluten free pumpkin bread recipe that everyone will enjoy even if they dont have a food allergy. It is great fresh out of the oven, but it gets even better the next day. Freezes great too.
Ingredients
- 3 large eggs
- 1½ cups sugar (I use a blend of ½ cup white sugar, ½ cup coconut sugar and ½ cup brown sugar)
- ½ cup coconut oil, softened
- 1 15 oz can organic pumpkin puree
- 2 teaspoon vanilla
- ½ cup brown rice flour
- ½ cup sorghum flour
- ½ cup potato starch
- ¼ cup tapioca starch
- ¼ cup millet flour or quinoa
- 1 teaspoon xanthan gum
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 2¼ teaspoon cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon ground cloves
- ¾ teaspoon nutmeg
- ¾ teaspoon ground ginger
- 1 teaspoon Real Salt or pink Himalayan Salt
Instructions
- Heat oven to 350 degrees. Place rack in the middle of the oven. Spray your baking pans with a little coconut oil then line with parchment paper (unless you are using a non-stick lined pan).
- Beat eggs in a medium mixing bowl with a hand mixer or in the bowl of a stand mixer until a little frothy. Add the sugar and continue to beat until smooth. Add the oil, pumpkin, and vanilla and beat until well mixed.
- In a separate bowl, add all the dry ingredients and stir with a whisk. Add the dry ingredients to the wet and beat until combined, about 30 seconds. Give the bowl a scrape with a rubber spatula to make sure all the dry ingredients are incorporated.
- Pour the batter into the prepared 4-loaf pan and bake for 40 minutes. Test with a toothpick or wooden skewer for doneness. Place on a cooking rack and let sit in the pan for 15 minutes to cool, then gently release the loaves from the pan with a butter knife if needed. Loaves will be really soft while they are still warm so its best to let it cool a little before trying to move.
Notes
- Flour- I always make my own mix of flours. I find that I get the best results and I can add more robust flours in a recipe like this one that has so many spices. I use quinoa or millet flour in this blend.
- Spices - I also use individual spices instead of a "pumpkin spice" blend. I tend to always have all these spices in my pantry. If you dont, you can replace the equivalent amount of spices below with your blend.
- Loaf pan size –This recipe works best as 4 loaves or 8 mini loaves
- Sugars - I use different sugars depending on how sweet I want the bread to be. You will see in the recipe I use white sugar, brown sugar and some coconut sugar. I really like coconut sugar for its higher mineral content. You can just use half and half white and brown sugar. You can even replace all the sugar with coconut sugar for a less processed version. The loaves wont be as sweet.
- Rest your batter - gluten free flours benefit from sitting for 20 minutes before going in the oven. This rest period allows the starches to fully moisten and act more like the gluten or binding they are there to replace.
more Fall recipes to check out:
Gluten-Free Pumpkin Pie
Make Your Own Pumpkin Spice Latte
Snickerdoodle Cookies
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