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Soft, tender Gluten Free Pumpkin Bread is going to give you all the amazing flavors of fall in every single taste. Cinnamon, pumpkin spice, nutmeg, and pumpkin puree combine to create this unforgettable recipe that everyone will love!There is nothing better than all the flavors of fall. Warm spices like cinnamon, nutmeg and all spice feel so festive and make my kitchen smell amazing during that time of the year!
Which is why, when that first leaf falls, you can bet that I am hanging out in the kitchen, whipping up a batch of this gluten free pumpkin bread. There are so many variations to this recipe to suit any dietary needs: you can make it lower in added sugars and it will still taste great, you can switch up the flours based on your preferences, and it can easily be made vegan too!
Tools and Equipment You'll Need
Recipe Ingredients and Notes
- Flour: You can use gluten free oat flour, or Bob's Red Mill 1:1 Gluten Free Baking flour in this recipe - both will work equally well
- Butter: To make this healthier, you can replace half of the butter with unsweetened applesauce in a 1:1 ratio. To make this vegan, you can use coconut oil instead of the butter, also in a 1:1 ratio.
- Eggs: You can use flax eggs in this recipe for a vegan option
- Sugar: Try coconut sugar for a lower glycemic option, or cut the amount of brown sugar in half (for both the pumpkin bread and streusel topping) to make this recipe lower in sugar. It will still taste nice and sweet, even with less sugar!
- Note: The ingredients for the streusel topping are optional - it will make it more of a dessert than a snack with the topping!
Step by Step Instructions
Step 1: Set the oven to 350°. Line bread baking dish with parchment paper and spray with cooking spray. Mash bananas in a mixing bowl, add butter, brown and white sugar, eggs, vanilla, and pumpkin. Whisk until evenly mixed.
Step 2: In another mixing bowl, mix flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, and pumpkin pie spice.
Step 3: Add flour mixture to wet ingredients mixture (banana + pumpkin batter) and mix. Do not over mix, use a rubber spatula to lightly mix.
Step 4: Pour mixture into bread baking dish and smooth out the top.
Step 5: For streusel topping, mix flour, cinnamon, and brown sugar in a bowl. Add cut cold butter and blend with mixer until it is in crumbles.
Step 6: Top the banana pumpkin batter with streusel crumbles.
Step 7: Bake in the center of the rack for 50-65 minutes. To check if done use a toothpick to poke the center of the loaf. If batter is on toothpick, continue to bake until toothpick comes out clean.
Step 8: Once baked, let cool and remove loaf from dish to rest on a baking rack.
What Makes This Gluten Free Pumpkin Bread Healthy?
- High in Antioxidants: Pumpkin, bananas, and cinnamon are all three loaded with antioxidants. Eating foods that are high in antioxidants can protect you from free radicals. This is so important to stay healthy and reduce inflammation in the body.
- Vitamins and Minerals: There is a long list of vitamins and minerals in this gluten free pumpkin bread! There is so much vitamin A, vitamin C, potassium, manganese, vitamin E, iron, fiber, and more.
- Healthy Fats: Using organic, grass fed butter will give you some healthy fats that are great for you!
- Easy to Reduce Sugar & Fats: Replace half the butter in the bread batter with unsweetened applesauce, cut the amount of sugar in half, and you've got a guilt free treat that has less than 200 calories per slice!
With the streusel topping, this recipe ends up being more like a dessert than a healthy snack, but with some of my modifications you can easily make this a guilt-free treat! Some of the ways this recipe is healthier than most is:
Will Kids Enjoy This Pumpkin Bread Recipe?
This bread is perfectly sweet and has loads of flavor that kids can't resist. It's soft and makes a terrific breakfast option as well as a snack at any time of day. The only bad part about kids trying the pumpkin bread is that they will keep asking for more, so you will need to save a couple of pieces for yourself before it's all gone! 🙂
Can I Make Pumpkin Bread Ahead of Time?Gluten Free Pumpkin Bread FAQs
Can I Make This Recipe for a Crowd?Yes, you can easily make this recipe ahead of time. After it cools on the cooling rack, you can put it in a sealed container with a tight fitting lid. It will last 4-5 days at room temperature or in the fridge.
How Do I Keep Pumpkin Bread Moist?Of course! This pumpkin bread is fantastic for feeding to a crowd. You will need to make several batches. Depending on how big you slice the pieces of bread, most loaves will make 12-16 pieces. So make as many loaves as you need. You shouldn't bake more than two loaves at once, so they cook evenly.
The key to a moist pumpkin bread recipe is making sure you don't overmix the batter, and paying careful attention so that you don't overcook the bread. Overcooked bread tends to come out denser and dry. Pull the bread out of the oven as soon as a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean!
- Make this a terrific vegan banana bread recipe by using flax eggs and coconut oil instead of eggs and butter.
- Throw in ¼ - ¼ cup of your favorite nuts to give the bread a little bit of a crunch. Walnuts, almonds, pecans, and hazelnuts would all be divine.
- Chocoholics can toss in some chocolate chips. They are terrific with the combination of the other flavors. Stick with 70% or higher dark chocolate to get the healthy benefits from the chocolate.
- Reduce the sugar by cutting the amount of brown sugar in half
Variations for This Recipe
- Don't overmix the batter, or the bread will end up more dense than fluffy.
- You can skip the streusel topping if you would prefer to make the bread more healthy.
- Be sure not to overbake the bread, or it will be more dried out and not as good.
- Mix any of your favorite add-ins to the batter by folding it in with a spatula.
- Make sure you measure your flour by scooping it out of the container and into a measuring cup, and then level with a butter knife. Don't pack the cup, and don't use the cup to scoop out the flour.