Perfect Pumpkin Bread Recipe for All: Gluten-Free & Vegan (2024)

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By Alisa Fleming on Alisa's Favorite Dairy-Free Recipes, Bread, Dairy Free Desserts, Dairy-Free Recipes

I created this beloved pumpkin bread recipe for a special Home for the Holidays: Gluten-Free Style event. Even though I’ve not experienceda gluten-free holiday in the past, as the honorary dairy-free gal in a free-from foodie club, I was invited to join in. And truthfully, the timing couldn’t be better. By coincidence (seriously, this is just a coincidence) we will be having our first gluten-free and dairy-free Christmas this year.

Perfect Pumpkin Bread Recipe for All: Gluten-Free & Vegan (1)

Perfect Pumpkin Bread for All

If you aren’t gluten-free or baking for a gluten-free loved one, don’t run for the hills. I’ve got some other dairy-free pumpkin bread recipes, including this wheat-based one with eggs and this one that’s vegan.

As for the recipe below, it’s amazingly free of top allergens.Seriously, I amazed myself with how scrumptious this pumpkin bread is. Without a firm recipe to work with, I literally winged it and threw this recipe together. It worked perfectly on the very first trial. It must have been holiday magic.

Perfect Pumpkin Bread Recipe for All: Gluten-Free & Vegan (2)

Special Diet Notes:Perfect Pumpkin Bread for All

By ingredients, this recipe is dairy-free / non-dairy, egg-free, gluten-free, nut-free, peanut-free, soy-free, vegan, vegetarian, and top food allergy-friendly.

4.5 from 2 reviews

Perfect Pumpkin Bread for All (Gluten-Free & Vegan)

Perfect Pumpkin Bread Recipe for All: Gluten-Free & Vegan (3)

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This pumpkin bread has a wonderfully tender (yet cohesive) crumb that hits the sweet spot in texture, not too moist, not too dry. I didn’t get out of control with the sugars, so though it is dessert-like, it’s also passable as a brunch-style treat. We loved snacking on it plain (especially when warm), or even slathered with some dairy-free margarine or nut butter.

Author: Alisa Fleming

Serves: 12 servings

Ingredients

  • 1⅓ cups brown rice flour (can use white rice flour if preferred)
  • ½ cup potato starch
  • ¼ cup tapioca starch
  • ¼ cup buckwheat flour
  • 2 teaspoons xanthan gum (can sub guar gum for corn-free)
  • 2 teaspoons baking powder
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1½ teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
  • ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • ⅔ cup packed brown sugar or coconut sugar
  • 1 15-ounce can pumpkin puree
  • ½ cup oil (grapeseed, coconut, canola, etc.; your choice)
  • ½ cup maple syrup
  • ¼ cup water
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Instructions

  1. Lightly grease and flour (I used a little brown rice flour) 4 mini-loaf tins, and preheat your oven to 325ºF.
  2. In a medium-sized bowl, combine the flours, starches, xanthan gum, baking powder, baking soda, spices, and salt. Set aside.
  3. In a large bowl, combine the sugar, pumpkin, oil, maple syrup, water, and vanilla.
  4. Stir in the flour mixture until all is just combined. It actually becomes smooth quickly.
  5. Divide the batter between your prepared tins, smoothing out the tops with the back of a spoon or spatula, since it will be a little thick.
  6. Bake the bread for 45 to 55 minutes, or until firm to the touch. The bread should pull slightly away from the pan when done, and will be lightly browned, but a toothpick inserted may yield a few very small crumbs, so I didn’t rely on the toothpick test.
  7. Let the loaves cool for 10 minutes, before popping them out to cool completely on a wire rack.
  8. Resist the urge to cut into these loaves while still hot. Like any bread, they will be a bit crumbly when hot, but firm up perfectly as they cool.

Notes

This recipe was baked at sea level. Note that egg-free AND gluten-free bread becomes trickier at high altitude. It may still work, but I haven’t tested it as of yet. Also, you may need to add a little more liquid at high altitude or in very dry climates.

This bread will keep nicely for two to three days at room temperature, wrapped snuggly in plastic wrap. To store it for longer, I recommend slicing and flash freezing the individual slices, then wrapping them in plastic wrap and placing them back in the freezer. They can be reheated or toasted to serve.

Variations: If desired, before baking, sprinkle the tops of the loaves with a little cinnamon and sugar or with coconut sugar, for a little extra crunch and sweet.
This recipe should work well as muffins (will make about one dozen) and as a large loaf (use a 9×5 pan). Since I haven’t tested these, use your best judgment on the baking time. I would start with 22 minutes on muffins, and watch them from there. For a large loaf, it will probably take at least 60 to 70 minutes of baking time.

Diet type: Vegan, Vegetarian, Dairy free, Egg free, Gluten free, Nut free, Peanut free, Soy free, Wheat free

Perfect Pumpkin Bread Recipe for All: Gluten-Free & Vegan (2024)

FAQs

What is the trick to making good gluten free bread? ›

Tips and Techniques to make better Gluten Free Bread
  1. Use psyllium husk powder.
  2. Let the dough rest (not exactly the same as a bulk proof)
  3. Mix or knead thoroughly.
  4. Use less yeast.
  5. Bake in a tin with tall sides.
  6. Bake for longer, often at a lower temperature.
  7. Create steam in the oven.
  8. Use the tangzhong or scalded flour method.

Why is my pumpkin bread not moist? ›

Try cutting the amount of flour, or adding more milk. It's also possible your oven was too hot, or you baked the pumpkin bread for too long. Try reducing the oven temperature and cutting the baking time.

Why is my pumpkin bread so dense? ›

Pumpkin bread can become dense if there is not enough hydration or wet ingredients in the recipe. Another cause is overcooking the bread which can cause it to dry out. Remember, it's always easy to keep cooking if it isn't done but impossible to take cooking time back.

Why did my pumpkin bread come out gummy? ›

If your pumpkin spice bread is gummy or undercooked in the center, it's typically because it either 1) needed more time to bake in the oven or 2) the batter was too wet, which led the bread to collapse in on itself a bit (this happens if you measure ingredients by volume, rather than by weight: it's easy to ...

What is the biggest challenge of making gluten-free bread? ›

One of the main challenges in making gluten-free bread is achieving the same texture and rise as traditional wheat bread.

Which yeast is best for gluten-free bread? ›

What type of yeast should be used to bake Gluten Free Bread? Active dry yeast and instant yeast both work well and are often interchangeable. Be on the lookout for any Rapid Rise yeast that is best for one rise. For most of us that's the way gluten free bread is baked, a single rise in the tin.

What happens if you put too much pumpkin in pumpkin bread? ›

You might think you could overcome the lack of flavor by adding more pumpkin purée to your recipe, but you'd be mistaken: By the time you've added enough purée to taste it, your baked good would have a soggy texture on account of all that moisture.

How do you know when pumpkin bread is done baking? ›

So, to know when pumpkin bread is done, look for the crack on the top of the bread, which is a tell-tale sign it's either done or close to being done. Then stick a skewer or toothpick into the center of the bread. If it comes out clean, it's ready to come out of the oven.

Why won t my pumpkin bread cook in the middle? ›

Setting the Oven Temperature Is Too Hot

If your oven runs hot, your bread is likely to brown and bake up on the outside before the center has a chance to fully cook. Invest in a simple oven thermometer to help verify the temperature. Make sure you have other bread baking essentials in your kitchen, too.

What happens if you use too much baking soda in pumpkin bread? ›

Bitter Taste: Excessive baking soda can leave a bitter taste in the bread. Baking soda is alkaline, and an excessive amount of it can result in an unpleasant flavor. Unpleasant Texture: Too much baking soda can lead to a coarse and crumbly texture in the bread.

How can I make my bread lighter and fluffy? ›

Add Sugar

Adding sugar weakens the gluten structure, absorbs water, and eventually makes the bread lighter and softer. As a result, sugar improves the bread's taste, structure and texture. Yeast also eats up sugar to produce carbon dioxide, which raises the dough and makes bread fluffy.

Why is my pumpkin bread bitter? ›

Over-Baking: Baking bread for too long or at too high a temperature can cause the crust to become overly browned and bitter.

Should pumpkin bread be stored in the fridge or on the counter? ›

Once bread is cool, wrap it tightly in plastic wrap. Store Pumpkin Bread at room temperature for up to five days. After three days, you may want to place the Pumpkin Bread in the refrigerator to prolong its life. Pumpkin Bread can keep in the refrigerator for up to 7 days.

Why is my gluten free bread gummy? ›

Gummy on the inside- bake for a longer time. Gluten free bread takes much longer than a regular loaf to bake and therefore a sticky crumb is generally the result of under baking. It is easy to see why this can happen, gluten free bread dough needs more moisture and is often difficult to knead with conventional methods.

Can I leave pumpkin bread to cool overnight? ›

If you do so, the pumpkin bread may stick to the foil. Instead, loosely wrap the foil around the bread. Let it cool off completely before removing the foil. Then store in an air-tight container at room temperature for up to 4 days.

Why is it so challenging to make good gluten-free bread? ›

Running into problems. Gluten is protein that elasticizes dough, providing structure and enabling it to trap the carbon dioxide generated by yeast. (This is why many gluten-free formulations don't use yeast.) Eliminating it often leaves dough that is runnier than conventional bread dough.

Why is my homemade gluten-free bread so dense? ›

Dense loaf- you may need to use more liquid, gluten free dough is usually wetter than regular wheat flour dough resembling a thick brownie batter. How much liquid is enough in a recipe ultimately depends not on formulas but in observation. You may need more or less liquid than the recipe specifies.

Is there a trick to baking with gluten-free flour? ›

2 teaspoons of baking powder per cup of gluten-free flour is necessary to ensure proper leavening. Baking soda and buttermilk can be used to leaven instead of baking powder, but 1-1/8 teaspoon of cream of tartar should be added for each 1/2 teaspoon baking soda used.

Why do you put vinegar in gluten-free bread? ›

Apple cider vinegar or another acid lightens up the dough. You can add up to 4 Tbsp of acid for 500 g gluten-free flour. Don't worry, you won't be able to taste it afterwards. To lighten up a yeast dough even more, you can add a packet of baking powder or cream of tartar baking powder to 500 g flour.

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