Quick and easy gluten free pumpkin bread

Quick and Easy Gluten Free Pumpkin Bread is soft, tender, perfectly moist and packed with warming spices. Celebrate fall in the most delicious way!

The most important thing you need to know about this gluten free pumpkin bread is that my 5 year old took a bite and then immediately asked for it to be served to him as a birthday cake later this month.

Do we love this kid or WHAT?!

Still, my Quick and Easy Gluten Free Pumpkin Bread is tender and moist, full of warming fall-inspired spices and just what we G-free peeps need to celebrate the glorious fall season.

Gluten Free + Dairy Free Pumpkin Bread

I’m not sure what this particular October is all about, but I’ve clung to every single moment of every single day. We’ve watched fall movies together as a family (long live Curious George’s Halloween Boo Fest), hit the local apple orchards, and enjoyed gloriously cool mornings and evenings — and I’ve managed to keep mom on my porch for two whole Days alive to get weeks and counting!

Like I said, it’s been a good month so far and we’re just getting started.

Another highlight was devouring this soft and sweet pumpkin spiced gluten-free pumpkin bread recipe that not only tastes like HEAVEN, but fills your home with the most delicious, cozy scent. Ben’s exact words were “It stinks damn good in here!” while our last bread was being baked in the oven.

There you have it folks!

Not only is this pumpkin quickbread gluten-free, it’s also naturally dairy-free. Also, I use a simple, healthy ingredient swap to reduce fat and calories in the recipe without sacrificing flavor, texture, or moisture. I can’t wait for you to try it!

ingredients needed

This easy fall baking recipe calls for just a handful of everyday, gluten-free baking ingredients. Here’s what you need:

• Gluten Free Baking Flour: I tested this recipe using Bob’s Red Mill GF 1 to 1 baking flour mix. Whatever gluten-free flour mix you choose, make sure it contains a binder like xanthan gum.
• Baking Powder and Baking Soda: These ingredients give the gluten-free pumpkin bread a nice, high rise.
• Pumpkin Pie Spice: The combination of ground cinnamon, ground ginger, nutmeg, ground allspice and ground cloves impart the wistful pumpkin pie-inspired taste and scent.
• Cinammon: Extra cinnamon provides a boost of cozy flavor.
• Salt: Just a pinch to balance out the sweetness of the bread.
• Sugar: Regular granulated sugar gives this bread the perfect sweetness.
• eggs: Eggs add structure to the gluten-free pumpkin bread. I did not test a vegan egg substitute like a flaxseed egg in this recipe.
• Vegetable oil or canola oil: A very small amount of oil gives each slice a soft, moist texture. You can also use coconut oil that has been melted and then cooled.
• Unsweetened apple sauce: Applesauce adds a subtle, natural sweetness and allows us to reduce the amount of oil in the recipe.
• vanilla extract: Gives the pumpkin bread even more coziness.
• Pumpkin puree: Make sure you’re using 100% pure pumpkin puree and not pumpkin pie filling that’s already sweetened and flavored. I like Libby brand pumpkin puree.

My #1 tip for gluten free pumpkin bread

Well, I have to add a caveat/tip to this recipe:

• After baking, wait a whole day to eat it.

Homemade gluten-free baked goods are SO MUCH BETTER the second day after baking, including this gluten-free pumpkin bread. The surface softens, the texture relaxes into a moist crumb, and the flavor intensifies. So I want you to bake the bread, let it cool completely to room temperature on a cooling rack, then place it in a gallon ziplock bag or airtight container and let it sit for at least 12 hours before slicing and devouring.

Your patience will be rewarded with the very best gluten free pumpkin bread imaginable (just ask my 5 year old!)

How to make easy gluten free pumpkin bread

Step 1: Mix the dry ingredients. Start by combining a 1-to-1 gluten-free baking flour mix, pumpkin pie spice, cinnamon, baking soda, baking soda, and salt in a small mixing bowl, then whisk and set aside.

Step 2: Mix the wet ingredients together. In a large mixing bowl, combine the sugar, oil, eggs, vanilla, unsweetened applesauce, and pumpkin puree and beat until smooth and creamy, about 1 minute.

Step 3: Mix together the wet and dry ingredients. Add the dry ingredients to the large bowl with the wet ingredients and whisk until well combined.

Step 4: Bake. Scoop the batter into a non-stick sprayed 9×5-inch loaf pan and flatten the top with the back of a spoon. Bake at 350 degrees for 60-70 minutes or until a wooden skewer or toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. No, not baked.

Top: Check the pumpkin bread around the 20 minute mark. If the top is already browned, place a piece of foil on the pan (no crimping needed) and continue cooking until the skewer comes out clean. Since this bread has a longer baking time, you want to make sure the top doesn’t burn before the middle of the bread is cooked through.

Step 5: Cool the pumpkin bread. Leave the pumpkin bread to cool in the baking pan for 15 minutes, then turn out and leave to cool completely on a wire rack.

As I mentioned before, keep the cooled bread in an airtight container for at least 12 hours before slicing and serving! Store leftovers on the counter in an airtight container for up to 5 days. It only gets better when it sits.

How to Freeze Gluten Free Pumpkin Bread

To freeze this pumpkin bread, let it cool completely, then wrap in plastic wrap, then foil. Place in a ziplock freezer bag and freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw in the fridge, then slice and enjoy!

More gluten-free pumpkin treats

Photos by Ashley McLaughlin