Gluten-Free Pumpkin Bread

Tall, moist gluten-free pumpkin bread with a soft quick-bread crumb, warm pumpkin spice, and optional cream cheese icing. Use plant milk for a dairy-free loaf.

Course Breakfast, Dessert, Snack

Cuisine American, Gluten-free

Keyword gf pumpkin bread, gluten free pumpkin bread, gluten free pumpkin bread recipe, pumpkin bread recipe gluten-free

Prep Time 20

Cook Time 55

Total Time 1 15

Servings slices

Calories 210kcal

Author Jamie Monkkonen

Ingredients

Wet Ingredients

¼ cup milk of choice (60 ml)
1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
⅓ cup neutral oil (78 ml)
2 large eggs
¾ cup plus 2 tablespoons granulated sugar (170 grams)
1 15-ounce can 100% pure pumpkin puree
2 tablespoons pure maple syrup
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Dry Ingredients

2 cups + 2 tablespoons one-to-one gluten-free baking flour containing xanthan gum (280 grams total)
1 teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon salt
3 ½ teaspoons pumpkin pie spice

Optional Cream Cheese Icing

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

Instructions

Pumpkin Bread

Prep: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 C) and line a 9 × 4 × 4-inch Pullman loaf pan with parchment paper, leaving enough overhang to lift out the loaf. Do not use the lid.
Wet Ingredients: In a large mixing bowl, add the milk, vinegar, oil, eggs, sugar, pumpkin puree, maple syrup, and vanilla extract. Whisk together until smooth.
Dry ingredients: To another large mixing bowl, add the gluten-free flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, and pumpkin pie spice. Whisk together thoroughly to combine.
Make the batter: Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients. Fold gently with a silicone spatula just until no dry pockets remain. A few small lumps are fine. Do not continue mixing once the batter is combined, as over mixing can make the loaf denser.
Bake: Pour the batter into the prepared loaf pan and smooth the top. Bake on the middle oven rack for 50–60 minutes, beginning to check at 50 minutes. The pumpkin bread is done when the top is set and a toothpick inserted diagonally into the center comes out clean or with a few moist crumbs, but no wet batter. If the top browns too quickly, loosely tent it with foil.
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.

Video

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. If iced, store in the refrigerator.

Pan: For the same tall shape shown in the photographs, use the tested Pullman pan. A standard 9 × 5-inch metal loaf pan also works, but the loaf will be flatter. Fill the pan no more than three-quarters full and place it on a baking sheet to catch any possible overflow.

GF Flour: Tested with Bob’s Red Mill Gluten-Free 1-to-1 Baking Flour. If your flour does not contain xanthan or guar gum, add ¼ teaspoon xanthan gum per cup of flour.

Pumpkin: Thick canned pumpkin produces the most consistent height and texture. Do not use pumpkin pie filling.

Dairy-free: Use plant-based milk. Omit the icing or use dairy-free butter and cream cheese.

Freezing: Freeze the cooled loaf whole or in individual slices in an airtight container.

Chocolate Chips - Add chocolate chips to the pumpkin bread after mixing the wet and dry ingredients together. Mix until just combined (be careful not to over mix).

Egg-free: Replace the 2 eggs with either 2 tablespoons cornstarch or potato starch plus 6 tablespoons water, or 6 tablespoons whipped aquafaba. Both options were tested in this recipe.

Vegan: Use plant-based milk, one of the tested egg replacements, and dairy-free icing ingredients—or omit the icing.

Coconut sugar option: Replace the granulated sugar with 1¼ cups coconut sugar (170 grams). The loaf will be darker, with a deeper caramel flavor and slightly less pronounced sweetness.

Nutrition