Gluten Free Pumpkin Bread

This incredible gluten-free pumpkin bread is soft and full of flavor with a tall loaf and decadent icing! The well-balanced sweet and spiced quick bread tastes amazing with chocolate chips or on its own, and no one will know its gluten-free!

We tested dairy-free, egg-free, and vegan versions of this moist gluten free pumpkin bread recipe and all versions are equally as delicious and easy to make.

This perfect gluten free pumpkin bread recipe is a favorite for Fall mornings and holidays! Unlike the almond flour pumpkin muffins we make year-round, this pumpkin bread tastes holiday-festive and is super shareable with friends and family, whether gluten-free or not.

For more Fall treats to make around the same time, check out these impress-your-guests favorites: Gluten-Free Pumpkin Donut Holes Gluten Free Apple Fritters, Gluten-Free Apple Coffee Cake, Healthy Pumpkin Pancakes, and Pumpkin Spice Coconut Whipped Cream.

And if you're looking for some Thanksgiving inspo, our readers love this Crustless Pumpkin Pie!

Gluten Free Flour

The best gluten-free flour for a traditional gluten-free pumpkin bread is an all-purpose rice flour blend. In addition to rice flour, these blends often include potato or cornstarch and flours made from other gluten-free grains.

The cup for cup, 1-for-1, and measure-for-measure types of gluten-free flour are the best choice for this recipe because they usually include xanthan gum or guar gum. These gums mimic gluten in gluten-free baked goods and help the quick bread hold together.

Gluten-Free Flours I tested for this recipe:

• Bob's Red Mill Gluten-Free 1-to-1 Baking Flour
• Pamela's All Purpose Gluten-Free Flour

I have not tried this recipe with gluten-free oat flour, coconut flour, or almond flour, and I do not recommend substituting these flours since they behave very differently than all purpose gluten-free flour.

For a grain-free pumpkin bread, check out my well-loved Gluten-Free Pumpkin Muffins with almond flour!

Ingredients Notes + Substitutions

You need only common ingredients and flavorings for this delicious healthy pumpkin bread recipe!

• Milk of choice - I use Silk unsweetened almond milk or canned coconut milk when I make this recipe, but you can use regular milk or another plant-based milk in this gluten-free pumpkin bread recipe.
• Apple Cider Vinegar - Vinegar interacts with the baking powder and baking soda to make a fluffy gluten-free pumpkin bread with lots of rise! White vinegar also works great. Omit the vinegar altogether if using buttermilk, since it is acidic like vinegar all on its own.
• Oil - Any neutral oil like vegetable oil or avocado oil are perfect for this recipe. I do not recommend canola oil because it can have a strong flavor. If you're accustomed to it and you don't mind the flavor, you can absolutely use it.
• Sugar - You'll notice that the sugar I used in the photo is coconut sugar, but I've made this recipe with regular sugar many times. Either will work.
• Pumpkin Puree - For the best pumpkin bread, choose a thick pumpkin puree. For canned pumpkin puree, I like Libby's brand. The organic canned pumpkin purees are a lot runnier, and while they work, I find that the texture is a little denser and the cooking time is longer. For more great canned pumpkin puree options, check out this article from the Food network!
• Gluten-Free All Purpose Flour - I tested this recipe with Bob's Red Mill 1-to-1 Gluten Free Flour and Pamela's All Purpose Gluten-Free Flour. Both work great. Most All Purpose Gluten-Free Flours will work fine. My gluten-free flour blends have either xanthan gum or guar gum which helps this quick bread stay together. For more notes on the best gluten-free flours and links to the ones I used, see the above "Gluten Free Flour" section.
• Pumpkin Pie Spice - Use your favorite blend or make Homemade Pumpkin Spice with our easy (and favorite) 4-ingredient recipe.

See the recipe card for full ingredients and quantities.

Variations

Here are substitutions we've personally tried in my own kitchen:

• Chocolate Chip Pumpkin Bread - Add chocolate chips (or any other mix in) to the pumpkin bread after mixing the wet and dry ingredients together. Mix until just combined (be careful not to overmix!).
• Dairy-Free - In the bread, use unsweetened almond milk or other dairy-free milk. For the icing, use a dairy-free butter substitute and either dairy-free cream cheese or coconut cream. Coconut cream is the solid part from a coconut cream or full fat coconut milk can. This dairy-free version tastes almost the same as real cream cheese icing! I like Thai Kitchen Coconut Cream as a cream cheese replacement because it is softer than most coconut creams and mixes well with the butter. My favorite vegan and dairy-free butter is Earth Balance Vegan Buttery Sticks.
• Egg-Free - I've had success with two different egg replacers. The first (and easiest) is to substitute 2 tablespoons of cornstarch or potato starch and 6 tablespoons of water for the 2 eggs in the recipe. Mix the water with the wet ingredients and the cornstarch with the dry ingredients.
  The second egg-free option is to use aquafaba! Aquafaba is the liquid in a can of chickpeas. To use aquafaba, strain a can of chickpeas to capture the liquid. Then use an electric mixer to whip 6 tablespoons of that liquid for 30 seconds to a minute, or until it is uniformly foamy. Than use it in the wet ingredients in place of the two eggs. I find that aquafaba gives a texture most similar to egg. You can learn more about this method of using aquafaba in the egg-free section of my Gluten Free Gingerbread Cake recipe.
• Vegan - For a Vegan Gluten-Free Pumpkin Bread, use the above substitutions for Dairy-Free and Egg-Free versions. We often make this pumpkin bread vegan to fit all the dietary needs in our own home, plus those of close friends we're sharing with!
• Refined Sugar-Free - Coconut Sugar works great in this recipe! Simply substitute it for the sugar in a one-for-one ratio.

How to make Gluten-Free Pumpkin Bread

This amazing gluten-free pumpkin bread is not hard to make at all! Whether you're new to gluten-free baking or an expert, you'll find this recipe comes together effortlessly.

Pumpkin Bread

1. Prep: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 C) and line a metal loaf pan with parchment paper.
2. Wet Ingredients: Combine all wet ingredients in a large mixing bowl and whisk together until smooth.
3. Dry ingredients: Add all dry ingredients to a large mixing bowl and whisk together thoroughly to combine.
4. Make the batter: Add the dry ingredients to the bowl of wet ingredients. Use a spatula to stir until just combined. There should be no dry pockets of flour, but there will be blueberry and pea-sized flour lumps when mixed to the desired consistency.
5. Bake: Pour the batter into the lined loaf pan and bake on a middle oven rack for about 60 minutes. You will want to start checking the loaf for doneness at just past 50 minutes. The gluten free pumpkin bread is finished when a toothpick inserted at a diagonal into the center of the loaf comes out clean, or with just a few dry crumbs.
6. Cool: Place the loaf pan with pumpkin bread on a wire cooling rack for 10 minutes. Then gently remove the pumpkin bread from the pan using the parchment paper and allow to cool completely on the rack before icing.

Icing

1. Base: Add the butter, cream cheese, salt, and vanilla extract to a medium mixing bowl. Beat on low speed with an electric mixer until smooth.
2. Sugar: Add half of the powdered sugar and mix at low speed. Then add the rest of the sugar and beat until smooth. If needed, add milk or water in small amounts to thin. Refrigerate briefly to thicken or add more powdered sugar in small amounts.

Storage + Freezing

Once cooled to room temperature, store leftover gluten-free pumpkin bread in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days, or in the refrigerator for up to 7 days.

To freeze gluten-free pumpkin bread, slice the bread into 12 equal slices. Then lay them in a single layer on a baking sheet with just a little space between each slice so they are not touching. Put the baking sheet in the freezer for 2 hours, and then combine the slices in a freezer bag or other airtight container.

You can also freeze this pumpkin quick bread in an unsliced loaf. Thaw the entire loaf before slicing.

Recipe FAQs

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More Related Fall Treats to try...

This Fall, don't miss out on these other amazing apple and pumpkin treats!

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Gluten Free Pumpkin Bread

Jamie

This iced gluten-free pumpkin bread is moist and full of flavor! You'd never know this quick bread is gluten-free. Check the notes for tested dairy-free and egg-free options.

5 from 1 vote

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 20 minutes mins

Cook Time 55 minutes mins

Total Time 1 hour hr 15 minutes mins

Course Baking

Cuisine American, Gluten-free

Servings 12 slices

Calories 328 kcal

Ingredients

  

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Wet Ingredients

• ¼ cup milk of choice , unsweetened (60 ml)
• 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar , omit if using buttermilk
• ⅓ cup vegetable oil or other neutral oil like avocado oil (78 ml)
• 2 eggs
• 1 ¼ cup granulated sugar (170 grams)
• 1 15-ounce can of pumpkin puree
• 2 tablespoons maple syrup
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Dry Ingredients

• 2 cups + 2 tablespoons gluten-free all purpose flour (280 grams)
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• ½ teaspoon baking powder
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 3 ½ teaspoons pumpkin pie spice

Cream Cheese Icing

• 4 tablespoons butter , softened at room temperature (56 grams)
• 2 ounces cream cheese , softened at room temperature (56 grams)
• 1 cup + 2 tablespoons powdered sugar (125 grams)
• ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
• ¾ teaspoon salt

Instructions

 

Pumpkin Bread

• Prep: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 C) and line a metal loaf pan with parchment paper.
• Wet Ingredients: Combine all wet ingredients in a large mixing bowl and whisk together until smooth.
• Dry ingredients: Add all dry ingredients to a large mixing bowl and whisk together thoroughly to combine.
• Make the batter: Add the dry ingredients to the bowl of wet ingredients. Use a spatula to stir until just combined. There should be no dry pockets of flour, but there will be blueberry and pea-sized flour lumps when mixed to the desired consistency.
• Bake: Pour the batter into the lined loaf pan and bake on a middle oven rack for about 60 minutes. You will want to start checking the loaf for doneness at just past 50 minutes. The gluten free pumpkin bread is finished when a toothpick inserted at a diagonal into the center of the loaf comes out clean, or with just a few dry crumbs.
• Cool: Place the loaf pan with pumpkin bread on a wire cooling rack for 10 minutes. Then gently remove the pumpkin bread from the pan using the parchment paper and allow to cool completely on the rack before icing.

Icing

• Base: Add the butter, cream cheese, salt, and vanilla extract to a medium mixing bowl. Beat on low speed with an electric mixer until smooth.
• Sugar: Add half of the powdered sugar and mix at low speed. Then add the rest of the sugar and beat until smooth. If needed, add milk or water in small amounts to thin. Refrigerate briefly to thicken or add more powdered sugar in small amounts.

Notes

Storage: Once cooled to room temperature, store leftover gluten-free pumpkin bread in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days, or in the refrigerator for up to 7 days. For freezing instructions, check the "Storage + Freezing" section of the blog post.

Variations

• • Chocolate Chip Pumpkin Bread - Add chocolate chips (or any other mix in) to the pumpkin bread after mixing the wet and dry ingredients together. Mix until just combined (be careful not to overmix!).

• • Dairy-Free - In the bread, use unsweetened almond milk or another dairy-free milk. For the icing, use a dairy-free butter substitute and dairy-free cream cheese or coconut cream. Coconut cream is the solid part only from a coconut cream or full fat coconut milk can. It tastes almost the same as real cream cheese icing! See the "Variations" section of the blog post for more details and brand recommendations.

• • Egg-Free - Most egg replacers work great in this recipe. I like to use cornstarch (or potato starch) and water, or aquafaba. See the "Variations" section of the blog post for full details.

• • Vegan - For a Vegan Gluten-Free Pumpkin Bread, use the above substitutions for Dairy-Free and Egg-Free versions.

• • Refined Sugar-Free - Coconut Sugar works great in this recipe! Simply substitute it for the sugar in a one-for-one ratio.

Nutrition

Calories: 328kcalCarbohydrates: 51gProtein: 4gFat: 13gSaturated Fat: 5gPolyunsaturated Fat: 4gMonounsaturated Fat: 3gTrans Fat: 0.2gCholesterol: 43mgSodium: 411mgPotassium: 112mgFiber: 3gSugar: 35gVitamin A: 5741IUVitamin C: 2mgCalcium: 57mgIron: 2mg

Keyword gluten free pumpkin bread

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