I have tried dozens of gluten-free pumpkin breads over the years, but after making this recipe I’ll never make another! It has THE PERFECT texture!
This recipe is the best of the best. My top 2 tips for perfect gluten-free pumpkin bread are to use ALL white sugar and oil instead of butter. I hope it becomes your go-to recipe as well!
I have tried dozens of pumpkin bread recipes over the years, but this is my new favorite!
I’ve had this recipe for gluten-free pumpkin chocolate chip bread on my site for years. I still love it too, but this new version is in it’s own class.
This gluten-free pumpkin bread is SO moist, has a tender crumb, and is bursting with pumpkin flavor and fall spices like cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves. It makes a sky-high domed loaf that will make you feel like a professional baker!
If you’re a fan of classic pumpkin bread, this is a recipe you absolutely must try this fall season.
I love making several loaves of this recipe at once, then giving the bread away to friends and neighbors or storing it in the freezer. One loaf doesn’t last long at our house! You can also bake this bread as mini loaves for a cute seasonal gift.
This easy pumpkin bread is just as delicious as the kind made with regular flour. It’s so good, I’m willing to bet no one will know it’s gluten-free!
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Moist and rich
- Amazing texture – not crumbly!
- Full of fall flavors
- Perfect for gifting
- Great for dessert or a snack
For more favorite gluten-free pumpkin recipes, try these gluten-free pumpkin muffins, gluten-free pumpkin pancakes, gluten-free pumpkin cake and gluten-free pumpkin cookies.
You also might like these recipes for gluten-free pumpkin roll, gluten-free pumpkin bars, gluten-free pumpkin pie, gluten-free thanksgiving dessert and gluten-free pumpkin cheesecake.
Ingredients You’ll Need
Dry Ingredients
- Gluten-free flour: Be sure to use a high-quality gluten-free flour blend for this recipe. I recommend a flour that contains xanthan gum, such as King Arthur Measure-for-Measure gluten-free flour.
- Sugar: I prefer to use all granulated white sugar (as opposed to a combination of brown/white sugar) for this pumpkin bread for a bakery-style texture. I like to use Domino granulated sugar for my gluten-free baking.
- Baking soda and baking powder: Baking soda and baking powder and both important for helping this gluten-free quick bread rise and create a tender, light crumb.
- Salt: I like to use fine sea salt for this gluten-free pumpkin bread recipe.
- Spices: Spices like nutmeg, ginger, allspice, and cloves create the classic pumpkin spice flavor that’s perfect for fall.
- Cinnamon: No pumpkin spice dessert is complete without a generous dose of cinnamon!
For more favorite quick-bread recipes, try this gluten-free banana bread, gluten-free zucchini bread, gluten-free pound cake and oat flour banana bread.
Wet Ingredients
- Pumpkin: Pumpkin creates a moist, delicious base for this bread. Make sure you use plain canned pumpkin puree, not pumpkin pie filling. Pumpkin pie filling is pre-sweetened and spiced, so it will not work with this recipe. (You could also use homemade pumpkin puree by baking and blending a pumpkin.)
- Eggs: For best results use two large, room-temperature eggs for this recipe.
- Lemon juice: I like to add a splash of fresh lemon juice to help tenderize the crumb of this gf pumpkin bread.
- Milk: I use unsweetened almond milk for this recipe, but any type of milk will work.
- Oil: Like these gluten-free muffins, I prefer to use oil instead of butter in many gluten-free baked goods. Oil coats the crumb of the gluten-free flour more evenly as it bakes and results in an even, tender crumb. I typically use grapeseed oil, but you can use any neutral-tasting oil, such as vegetable oil.
- Vanilla: Real vanilla extract is always the best option for this gluten free pumpkin bread!
How to Make Gluten-Free Pumpkin Bread
- Preheat the oven to 350F. Lightly grease a 9×5 loaf pan with cooking spray.
- In a large mixing bowl, mix together the dry ingredients.
- In a separate bowl, whisk together the wet ingredients.
- Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and mix together with a rubber spatula or a hand mixer until fully incorporated.
- Smooth pumpkin bread batter into the prepared standard loaf pan. (Optional but nice: Run a knife about 1-inch deep lengthwise through the center of the loaf. This will encourage the bread to make an evenly domed loaf as it bakes!)
- Bake for 40 minutes, then cover the pan loosely with tin foil. This will allow the loaf to continue cooking without the topping becoming overly brown. Bake for another 20-25 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into the center of the loaf comes out clean.
- Let the bread cool for 10 minutes in the pan before turning out onto a wire cooling rack. Let cool for at least 30 minutes before slicing. Enjoy!
Storage Instructions
TO STORE: Store leftover pumpkin bread in an airtight container or covered in plastic wrap at room temperature for up to five days.
TO FREEZE: You can also store pumpkin bread in the freezer for up to three months. To freeze, cool the pumpkin bread completely. Then wrap tightly in plastic wrap followed by a layer of foil.
You also might like this gluten-free cranberry orange bread.
Expert Tips & Tricks
- Be sure to use a high-quality gluten-free flour blend for this recipe. I recommend a flour that contains xanthan gum, such as King Arthur Measure-for-Measure gluten-free flour.
- Make sure you use plain canned pumpkin, not pumpkin pie filling. Pumpkin pie filling is pre-sweetened and spiced, so it will not work with this recipe.
- I like to use all granulated white sugar (as opposed to a combination of brown/white sugar) for this pumpkin bread for a bakery-style texture.
- I prefer to use oil instead of butter in many gluten-free baked goods. Oil coats the crumb of the gluten-free flour more evenly as it bakes and results in an even, tender crumb.
- Run a knife about 1-inch deep lengthwise through the center of the loaf to encourage the bread to make an evenly domed loaf as it bakes!
- Feel free to add up to 1 cup of chocolate chips to the batter before baking, if you’d like!
More gluten-free pumpkin recipes
I hope you love this recipe as much as we do! If you try these gluten-free pumpkin bread, be sure to leave me a comment/rating below. I’d love to hear from you!
Gluten-Free Pumpkin Bread (BEST EVER!)
Ingredients
DRY INGREDIENTS
- 1 ⅓ cups (200g) gluten-free measure-for-measure flour
- 1 1/4 cups (250g) granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
- 1/4 teaspoon allspice
WET INGREDIENTS
- 1 cup (230g) pumpkin puree
- 2 large eggs
- 1/3 cup (82g) milk I use almond milk
- 1/2 cup (98g) neutral oil of choice I use grapeseed
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 1 teaspoon lemon juice
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350F. Lightly grease a 9×5 loaf pan with cooking spray.
- In a large bowl, mix together the dry ingredients.
- In a separate bowl, whisk together the wet ingredients.
- Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and mix together with a rubber spatula until fully incorporated.
- Smooth batter into the prepared pan. (Optional but nice: Run a knife about 1-inch deep lengthwise through the center of the loaf. This will encourage the bread to make an evenly domed loaf as it bakes!)
- Bake for 40 minutes, then cover the pan loosely with tin foil. This will allow the loaf to continue cooking without the topping becoming overly brown. Bake for another 20-25 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into the center of the loaf comes out clean.
- Let the bread cool for 10 minutes in the pan before turning out onto a wire rack to cool completely. Let cool for at least 30 minutes before slicing. Enjoy!
Notes
- Be sure to use a high-quality gluten-free flour blend for this recipe. I recommend a flour that contains xanthan gum, such as King Arthur Measure-for-Measure gluten-free flour.
- Make sure you use plain canned pumpkin, not pumpkin pie filling. Pumpkin pie filling is pre-sweetened and spiced, so it will not work with this recipe.
- I like to use all granulated white sugar (as opposed to a combination of brown/white sugar) for this pumpkin bread for a bakery-style texture.
- I prefer to use oil instead of butter in many gluten-free baked goods. Oil coats the crumb of the gluten-free flour more evenly as it bakes and results in an even, tender crumb.
- Run a knife about 1-inch deep lengthwise through the center of the loaf to encourage the bread to make an evenly domed loaf as it bakes!
- Feel free to add up to 1 cup of chocolate chips to the batter before baking, if you’d like!
Could I use regular milk in place of almond milk? I’m severely allergic to almonds
Hi Sharon, yes any type of milk will work. We hope you enjoy the recipe!
I did everything the recipe said to do, I did sub butter for the oil because I had no oil. I also subbed the sugar for granulated maple sugar. But it was still super super moist after 70 min of cooking?
Hi Kiki, unfortunately those substitutions could have caused this issue, as those ingredients play into the texture/structure, not just the taste. We would recommend using oil and granulated sugar for best results. Thank you for your question!
Like others I reduced the sugar to 1/2 cup and then I added 1/4 cup molasses, because I like the taste of molasses with pumpkin.
Everyone really liked the taste and texture.
Thanks!
Hi Dannie, we’re pleased to hear everyone enjoyed the bread! It’s good to know those adjustments worked well too. Thank you for sharing your positive experience with us!
So delicious. I would use slightly less sugar next time. A little too sweet for me.
I will definitely be using this recipe again in the fall. I just used my last pumpkin someone gave me last fall…
We’re so pleased you enjoyed the recipe, Peter! Thank you for sharing your feedback with us. Happy baking!
I used nonfat Greek yogurt instead of oil (watching calories) and it turned out amazing, such a good recipe!
Hi Sarah, we’re happy to hear that substitution worked well and you enjoyed the bread! Thank you for your kind feedback!
Really really loved this recipe. It came out perfect. I did substitute coconut sugar for regular sugar. I used a little bit less oil. But my question is do you think this would transfer well to muffins? Is there anything I would have to change? Thank you so much.
Hi Rachel, we’re so glad you loved the pumpkin bread! It’s good to know the coconut sugar worked well. We haven’t made this bread into muffins, but it’s worth a try! We’d recommend following the recipe, including the oven temperature, and just adjusting the baking time (muffins will bake faster). We also have this recipe for gluten-free pumpkin muffins that you may enjoy!
I’m always disappointed with my baked goods. I’ve been gf for nearly 6 years and every holiday I have tried various breads. None of them are bad, just rather dry which is the hallmark of gf baked goods. But not this one! My sister in law made her famous applesauce bread and I made this recipe using coconut oil for the oil and reducing the sugar a bit. It was moist and just perfect in every way and everyone discovered it and it was a hit over the applesauce. I made it again for Christmas yesterday for some company staying with us and it was just as wonderful. Thank you for a recipe that lives up to it’s hype! And I DID use King Arthur flour.
Yay! We’re so happy to hear the recipe was such a hit, Debra! Thank you for taking the time to share your positive experience with us!
I made this. I used Stevia instead of sugar, and I included pumpkin seeds and pecans! Yummy! Tastes very seasonal!
We’re so glad you loved it, John! It’s good to know those substitutions worked well for you. Thank you for sharing!
I’m looking at your gluten free pumpkin bread recipe. I’m new to this whole GF thing. Upon a suggestion from my coworker, I bought Bob’s Red Mill Rice Flour that doesn’t have additional ingredients and Bob’s Xanthan Gum separately. Do you have a recommendation for how much Zanthan Gum I should try in your pumpkin bread recipe?
https://meaningfuleats.com/gluten-free-pumpkin-bread/#wprm-recipe-container-39286
Hi Heidi, this recipe was designed using gf measure-for-measure flour that is meant to replace all-purpose flour at a 1:1 ratio. We wouldn’t recommend using solely rice flour + xanthan gum with this recipe as the rice flour won’t absorb the liquid the same or produce the right texture. The measure-for-measure flours contain blends of multiple gf flours for the best absorption and texture. Thank you for your question!
I’ve been gluten-free for about 20 years now and this is the best gluten-free pumpkin bread I’ve ever made! Thank you for your wonderful recipe!
Also, I highly recommend using King Arthur flour. It’s the first time I’ve tried baking with it and I absolutely love it! The texture is just like regular flour and my non-gluten family members agreed with me!
Thank you for such kind feedback, Susan! We’re so glad you loved the recipe and that your whole family enjoyed it with the King Arthur flour. Happy baking!
I made this recipe but cut the sugar in half. 11/2C is WAY too much. It was perfect!!
Hi Cher, we’re glad you found a balance you liked. Thank you for sharing your feedback with us!
How did your bread turn out with 1/2 the sugar? Did it affect texture or presentation?
Very easy to make and really delicious. I’ve made it twice now and both times it came out perfect. The best pumpkin bread ever.
Hi Gary, we’re so glad you loved the recipe! Thank you for taking the time to share your positive feedback with us!
This is a beautiful pumpkin bread. Thanks for sharing.
Hi Cynthia, thank you for your kind feedback! We’re so glad you enjoyed it!
Can I cut the sugar by at least half?
Hi Patricia, we haven’t tried a reduced sugar version. Sugar plays a part in both taste and texture so reducing it can impact how the bread turns out. If you decide to give it a try though, we’d love to hear how it goes!
This is the best tasting pumpkin bread I’ve made. Very light, everyone loved it.
Thank you for the kind review, Christine! We’re so glad you all loved it!
In the gluten free pumpkin bread is there anything I can substitute for the sugar?
Thank you
Hi Ron, thank you for your question! We don’t typically bake with sugar substitutes and haven’t tested one with this recipe. Using a sugar substitute may impact the texture of the pumpkin bread since this recipe was designed using granulated sugar and it helps with the structure of the bread. If you decide to give it a try, we’d love to hear how it goes!