Healthy gluten-free pumpkin bread that's actually fluffy, tastes amazing, and is made with real, wholesome ingredients… yes, it exists! So many gluten-free baked goods miss the mark on texture or flavor, but not this one. This bread is made with single-ingredient flours like oat flour and almond flour and is naturally sweetened. Feel free to skip the chocolate chips for less added sugar.
For healthier gluten-free pumpkin recipes, try these gluten-free pumpkin spice scones or almond flour pumpkin muffins.
This pumpkin bread is delicious! My family can't stop eating it. In fact, my daughter told me this is the best healthy recipe I've made to date! That's a win in my book! I look forward to making this clean treat again, especially for my gluten-free friends!
- Tera
Why We Love This Healthy Gluten-free Pumpkin Bread
- Real ingredients only. You won't find any gluten-free flour blends in this recipe. This bread is made with single-ingredient, whole-food flours like oat flour and almond flour. My healthy apple bread uses the same flour combo.
- Flaxseeds. In addition to the oat flour and almond flour, I added flaxseeds to help with structure, but they also provide fiber and healthy fats.
- 7 grams of protein and 5 grams of fiber. Yep, you read that right. One slice of this healthy gluten-free pumpkin bread gives you 7 grams of protein and 5 grams of fiber.
- Doubles as dessert. The chocolate chips definitely make this a little more indulgent, so we love this for dessert, too, just like my healthy pumpkin breakfast cookies!
Baking gluten-free can sometimes be tricky, but this recipe makes it easy. I use a blend of single-ingredient gluten-free flours because each one brings something to the table. Oat flour for structure, almond flour for moisture, and flaxseeds for added nutrients and binding.
It definitely took me a few tries to get the flour combo right for that perfectly soft, fluffy interior, but it was worth a few failed attempts along the way.
The batter comes together in about 15 minutes, and the hardest part is waiting for it to cool. Because of the gluten-free flours, you need to let the bread cool so it can set and develop that beautiful crumb.
Maybe while you're waiting you can use the rest of that canned pumpkin for my homemade pumpkin granola.
Jump to:
- Why We Love This Healthy Gluten-free Pumpkin Bread
- Ingredient Notes
- Variations & Substitutions
- How To Make Healthy Gluten-free Pumpkin Bread
- Tips for Making the Best Healthy Gluten-free Pumpkin Bread
- How to Store
- Recipe FAQs
- More Healthy-ish Gluten-free Baked Goods to Try!
- Healthy Gluten-free Pumpkin Bread
Ingredient Notes
- Oat flour - I highly recommend making your own oat flour. It's cheaper than store-bought, and it's SO easy. Make sure your oat flour is certified gluten- free. While oats are naturally gluten-free, they can become contaminated with gluten during processing.
- Almond flour - You want to use almond flour and not almond meal.
- Tapioca starch - Helps the gluten-free ingredients bind together - you cannot skip this. However, you can use arrowroot starch as a substitute.
- Baking Powder - Because this pumpkin chocolate chip bread is gluten-free, double-acting baking powder (meaning it reacts out of the oven AND in the oven) is recommended as it gives the bread an extra boost to rise. If you don't have double acting, regular works just fine.
- Canned Pumpkin - Use canned pumpkin/pumpkin puree and not pumpkin pie filling (pumpkin pie filling has added sugar and spices).
- Chocolate Chips (optional) - I use semi-sweet chocolate chips, but you can use semi-sweet, milk chocolate, or dark chocolate chips.
A complete list of ingredients can be found in the recipe card below. The above are some specific notes to help with selecting ingredients.
💚Sara's Clean food tips: Look for chocolate chips that have no more than cane sugar, chocolate liquor/chocolate/cocoa powder and cocoa butter. Brands that are Fair Trade certified and/or organic are even better! For a fully refined-sugar free bread, try Hu chocolate chips. And if avoiding pesticides/herbicides is important to you, use organic oat flour.
Take the guesswork out of clean eating! My free Clean Eating Guide shows you exactly what to look for when you're at the store."
Variations & Substitutions
- Dairy-free and gluten-free pumpkin bread. Use dairy-free milk and dairy-free chocolate chips (if using chocolate chips).
- Add some nuts. Pecans or walnuts would add a wholesome crunch to this bread.
- No chocolate chips. Feel free to leave them out if you don't want the added sugar.
- Maple syrup swap. Honey can be used in place of maple syrup.
How To Make Healthy Gluten-free Pumpkin Bread
- Step 1: In a large bowl, combine the oat flour, almond flour, ground flaxseeds, starch, baking powder, salt, pumpkin spice, and cinnamon.
- Step 2: In a small bowl, whisk together canned pumpkin, eggs, and remaining wet ingredients.
- Step 3: Add the wet ingredients to the bowl with the dry ingredients and mix until combined.
- Step 4: Fold the chocolate chips into the batter.
- Step 5: Transfer bread batter to an 8.5x4.5-inch loaf pan that has been greased or lined with parchment paper. Allow to rest for 15 minutes, then bake.
- Step 6: Bake at 350 degrees F for 50-55 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
Note: Allow the bread to cool for about 5 minutes in the loaf pan. Then transfer to a cooling rack or cutting board to cool completely.
Tips for Making the Best Healthy Gluten-free Pumpkin Bread
- Don't overmix the batter. Mixing the batter too much can affect the overall texture in a negative way.
- Use an 8.5x4.5 (standard size) loaf pan. You won't get the same rise if you use a larger pan.
- Let the batter rest before baking. Make sure you let the batter sit for 15 minutes before baking. This allows the oat flour to hydrate so you don't end up with a gummy texture.
- Tent the top of the bread with tin foil at the end of baking. Gluten-free flours tend to brown quicker than their gluten-containing friends. If needed, place a piece of tin foil that's been folded in half over the bread about 45 minutes into baking time.
- Allow bread to fully cool before slicing. Because of the gluten-free flours, you need to let the bread cool so it can set and develop that beautiful crumb.
How to Store
Room temperature: Let bread fully cool and then store in an airtight container. The pumpkin bread is best eaten within 48 hours. To prolong shelf life, store in the fridge. It will stay fresh for up to 5 days in the fridge.
Freezing: This bread also freezes extremely well (so do my healthy oatmeal breakfast cookies). I recommend slicing first, and then placing them in a freezer-safe container (a bag works best so you can squeeze out as much air as possible). It will stay good in the freezer for up to 3 months. Let it thaw on the counter, or put individual slices in the microwave for 20-ish seconds.
Recipe FAQs
No, you cannot sub different flours. The amount and combination of each flour plays a different role in the final bread. Using different flours would not return the same results.
Yes! Lightly grease a 12-cup muffin pan (or line with liners) and evenly spoon batter between muffin cups. Reduce baking time to about 25-30 minutes. When a toothpick inserted in the center of the muffins comes out clean, they are done.
While I have not tried making these with flax eggs, or any other egg substitute, I think it would work. Be sure to use dairy-free milk and dairy-free chocolate chips in addition to an egg substitute.
While oats (which are ground down to make oat flour) are gluten-free, they can become contaminated with gluten during processing. To ensure there are no traces of gluten in the oat flour, you need to make sure the oat flour is certified gluten-free.
This bread is made with a mix of single-ingredient gluten-free flours, including whole grain oat flour, and flaxseeds. The combination of these provides whole grains, healthy fats, fiber and protein. Things you won't find in typical gluten-free quick breads. In addition, this bread is naturally sweetened and contains less sweetener than most.
More Healthy-ish Gluten-free Baked Goods to Try!
Healthy Gluten-free Pumpkin Bread
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Equipment
- 8.5 x 4.5 loaf pan
- 2 mixing bowls
Ingredients
- 1 ½ cups (153g) oat flour
- ½ cup (42g) almond flour
- ½ cup (53g) ground flaxseeds (also called flaxseed meal)
- ¼ cup (30g) tapioca starch/flour
- 2 tsp. baking powder
- ½ tsp. fine sea salt
- 2 tsp. pumpkin pie spice
- 1 tsp. ground cinnamon
- 1 cup pumpkin puree (not pumpkin pie filling)
- ⅓ cup milk of choice
- ½ cup pure maple syrup
- ¼ cup coconut oil, melted
- 2 eggs (room temp)
- 2 tsp. pure vanilla extract
- ¾ cup semi-sweet chocolate chips (optional)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Prepare an 8.5 x 4.5 loaf pan by lightly greasing the bottom and sides, or by lining the sides with parchment paper.
- In a large mixing bowl, combine the oat flour, almond flour, ground flaxseeds, tapioca starch, baking powder, salt, pumpkin pie spice, and cinnamon.1 ½ cups (153g) oat flour, ½ cup (42g) almond flour, ½ cup (53g) ground flaxseeds , ¼ cup (30g) tapioca starch/flour, 2 tsp. baking powder , ½ tsp. fine sea salt, 2 tsp. pumpkin pie spice, 1 tsp. ground cinnamon
- In a separate small bowl, whisk together the pumpkin, milk, maple syrup, coconut oil, eggs, and vanilla.1 cup pumpkin puree, ⅓ cup milk of choice, ½ cup pure maple syrup, ¼ cup coconut oil, melted, 2 eggs, 2 tsp. pure vanilla extract
- Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and mix until just combined (do not overmix). If adding the chocolate chips, fold them in and reserve a few to sprinkle on top of the batter before baking.¾ cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
- Pour the batter into prepared loaf pan and evenly spread in pan. Sprinkle with remaining chocolate chips. Let batter rest in the pan for 15 minutes before putting in the oven (see notes).
- Bake for 50-55 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean (see notes).
- Allow bread to cool slightly and move to a cooling rack or cutting board to fully cool. Slice and enjoy!
Notes
- To quickly get eggs to room temperature, run them under hot water for 30-60 seconds.
- An 8.5 x 4.5 loaf pan is best. You can use a 9x5, but this may affect the overall structure and rise of the bread.
- Allowing the batter to sit for 15 minutes before baking gives the oat flour time to hydrate, resulting in a fluffier crumb.
- Gluten-free flours tend to brown quicker than their gluten containing friends. If needed, place a piece of aluminum foil, folded in half, over the bread about 45 minutes into baking time.
- Let the bread fully cool before slicing. I know it will be tempting to dive right in, but allowing it to cool helps the bread set and makes it easier to slice.
Nutrition
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IC says
Can you recommend a swap for the almond flour? My son cannot have almonds but I'd love to try this.
Sara Ecklin says
You could try to swap it with just a gluten-free 1:1 flour blend. The almond flour does help with the texture of the bread, but a 1:1 gluten-free flour blend could be a good sub. I haven't tried this, so I can't way for sure, but that would be the closest alternative given the other ingredients in the bread. If you do try, please let me know how it turns out.
Gina says
This is a delicious recipe! I made it into muffins instead, and they turned out wonderfully! A new favorite go-to breakfast item for me!
Sara says
Oh yum... this bread as a muffin sounds amazing! Thanks for letting me know.
Sally N says
Hi Sara,
I can hardly wait to try this recipe as I love pumpkin bread. In this recipe, what would be the best 'eggs' substitute?
Merci Bailey says
Simply delicious! Thank you!
Sara says
So glad to hear you like it! Thanks for letting me know.
Stephanie says
I was told I was sensitive to coconut so I've been trying to avoid it. Do you think avocado oil would work just as well?
Sara says
Yes, you could for sure replace the coconut oil with avocado oil or extra-virgin olive oil. Hope you enjoy!
Rebekah says
Can you make this as muffins?
Sara says
Absolutely! Just divide the batter among 12 muffin cups (greased or lined) and reduce baking time to 20-30 minutes - I would start checking around 20 minutes to see if they are done by inserting a toothpick into the center.
Tera Gregory says
This pumpkin bread is delicious! My family can’t stop eating it. In fact, my daughter told me this is the best healthy recipe I’ve made to date! That’s a win in my book! I look forward to making this clean treat again, especially for my gluten-free friends!
Sara says
Ah, thanks Tera! So glad to hear you and your family love this bread as much as we do 🙂