Best ever gluten-free pumpkin chocolate chip bread that is dairy free, too! It's made with single ingredient flours like oat flour and almond flour and is naturally sweetened. This is a clean eating pumpkin bread that is perfect for fall.
I know fall screams homemade baked-goods and all things pumpkin and apple, like my Gluten-Free Pumpkin Granola and Gluten-free Apple Cinnamon Oat Muffins. But this gluten-free pumpkin bread with chocolate chips should really make an appearance all year long!
This bread is melt-in-your-mouth good, full of all the fall spices you crave, and is nice and fluffy. Oh, and those chocolate chip morsels… swoon! Plus, it’s made with all real/whole food ingredients.
Why You'll Love This Bread
- Made with clean ingredients. No refined flours or sugars in this healthy pumpkin bread recipe.
- No gluten-free flour blends. I love baked goods that use single/whole food ingredients flours – not the gluten-free blends that can result in a different end product pending which blend you are using.
- Is great as a snack or healthy after-dinner treat!
- Added benefit of flaxseeds. Flaxseeds are one of the richest plant-bases sources of omega 3's and are high in fiber and antioxidants. This bread has ½ cup of flaxseeds in the loaf, so you're getting a fair amount in each serving.
Ingredients
Go on... get the ingredients for this gluten-free pumpkin bread recipe and make yourself a loaf (or two)!
Ingredient Notes & Substitutions
A complete list of ingredients and amounts can be found in the recipe card below. Here are some specific call-outs, and when needed, tips on keeping the ingredients clean.
OAT FLOUR – I highly recommend making your own oat flour. It’s way cheaper than store bought, and it’s SO easy. Make sure you buy certified gluten-free oats if making your own, or certified gluten-free oat flour. I also recommend organic.
ALMOND FLOUR – You will want 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.
Tip: If using double acting, try to use one that doesn’t contain aluminum. Sometimes it can leave an aftertaste in the final baked good (I don’t notice, but some do).
SPICES – I recommend organic spices when possible due to the fact that the FDA does not require spice manufacturers to label spices with added ingredients, like sugar, salt, colors, or preservatives… so you never know exactly what you are getting.
Certified organic spices have more standards. They don’t have anything added, so what you see is what you get. With organic, you can also be sure no chemicals were used in the growing process of the spices.
NON-DAIRY MILK – I use almond milk, but any kind of dairy free milk works. And if you’re not dairy free, cow's milk is fine.
Clean food tip: Look for non-dairy milk that contains just the source of the milk, water, and/or salt or vanilla. At a minimum, make sure it doesn't have any added sugars. I like Malk, Simply Almond Milk, and Elmhurst.
CANNED PUMPKIN – Make sure you are using canned pumpkin and not pumpkin pie filling (pumpkin pie filling has added sugar and spices).
COCONUT OIL – This bread uses coconut oil, which is considered a clean oil. You can use refined or unrefined, but typically unrefined is cleaner. I typically buy Nutiva Virgin Coconut Oil.
CHOCOLATE CHIPS – I use semi-sweet chocolate chips. You can also omit all together if you don't want the chocolate chips.
Clean food tip: 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!
Step-by-Step Instructions
Just a few easy steps and you're on your way to enjoying this gluten-free pumpkin chocolate chip bread!
STEP 1: In a large mixing bowl, combine oat flour, almond flour, ground flaxseeds, starch, baking soda, baking powder, and all spices.
STEP 2: In a small bowl, whisk together canned pumpkin, eggs, and all of the wet ingredients.
STEP 3: Add wet ingredients to bowl with dry ingredients and mix until just incorporated. Don't overmix.
STEP 4: Fold in the chocolate chips.
STEP 5: Transfer batter to either an 8.5x4.5 or 9x5 loaf pan that has been lined with parchment paper.
STEP 6: Bake at 350 for 45-50 minutes, or until a toothpick entered in the center comes out clean.
Allow your homemade pumpkin bread to cool for about 5 minutes in loaf pan and then transfer to a cooling rack or cutting board to finish cooling.
FAQs
No, you cannot sub out 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 into muffin cups. Reduce baking time to about 25 minutes. When a toothpick entered in the center of the muffins comes out clean, they are done.
Storage Tips
This dairy-free/gluten-free pumpkin chocolate chip bread is best eaten within 48 hours. To prolong shelf life, place in an airtight container and place in the fridge. It will stay fresh for up to 5 days in the fridge.
This bread also freezes extremely well. I recommend slicing first, and then placing in a freezer safe container. It will stay good in the freezer for up to 3 months. Let it thaw on the counter, or put individual slices in microwave for 20-ish seconds.
Expert Advice
- Allow bread to fully cool before slicing. This pumpkin chocolate chip bread will continue to set as it cools. It will be tempting to dig right it, but it slices better if you wait. And if you just can’t take it and want a piece, just know it will be a little more crumbly when it’s fresh out of the oven.
- Tent your bread half-way through baking time. Gluten-free flours tend to brown quicker than their gluten containing friends. I like to place a piece of tin foil that’s been folded in half over the bread about 25-30 minutes into baking time.
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I Love Hearing From You
If you make this recipe, please let me know what you think! I would so appreciate you leaving a star rating and/or comment below. And don't forget to share a photo on Instagram or Facebook and mention @CleanPlateMama!
Gluten-free Chocolate Chip Pumpkin Bread
Equipment
- 8.5x4.5 or 9x5 loaf pan
- 2 mixing bowls
Ingredients
- 1 ½ cups oat flour
- ½ cup almond flour
- ½ cup ground flaxseeds (also called flaxseed meal)
- ¼ cup tapioca starch/flour
- 2 tsp. gluten-free baking powder
- 1 tsp. baking soda
- ½ tsp. salt
- 2 tsp. ground cinnamon
- ¼ tsp. ground nutmeg
- ¼ tsp. ground cloves
- ¼ tsp. all spice
- 1 cup canned pumpkin (not pumpkin pie filling)
- ⅓ cup non-dairy milk (room temp)
- ½ cup pure maple syrup (room temp)
- ¼ cup coconut oil, melted
- 2 eggs
- 2 tsp. pure vanilla extract
- ⅔ cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
- Prepare a 8.5x4.5 or 9x5 loaf pan by either lightly greasing or lining the bottom with parchment paper.
- In a large mixing bowl, add the oat flour, almond flour, ground flaxseeds, tapioca starch, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, and all spice. Mix to combine.
- In a separate small bowl, whisk together the pumpkin, milk, maple syrup, coconut oil, eggs, and vanilla.
- Add the wet ingredients to dry ingredients and mix until just combined (do not overmix). Fold in the chocolate chips, reserving a few to sprinkle on top of the batter before baking.
- Pour the batter into prepared loaf pan and evenly spread in pan. Sprinkle with remaining chocolate chips.
- Bake for 45-50 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Check bread around 25-30 minutes. If the top is beginning to brown too much you can grab some tin foil and tent the top of the bread. This will keep the top from browning too much while the bread continues to bake.
- Allow bread to cool slightly and move to a cooling rack or cutting board to fully cool.
- Slice and enjoy!
Notes
- You can use arrowroot starch/flour in place of the tapioca starch if needed.
- You can use any dairy-free milk. Dairy milk works too if you're not dairy free.
- Make sure the wet ingredients are at/close to room temperature so the coconut oil doesn't solidify when you mix everything together.
- 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 to settle and will be easier to slice.
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!
Ah, thanks Tera! So glad to hear you and your family love this bread as much as we do 🙂
Can you make this as muffins?
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.
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?
Yes, you could for sure replace the coconut oil with avocado oil or extra-virgin olive oil. Hope you enjoy!
Simply delicious! Thank you!
So glad to hear you like it! Thanks for letting me know.