Healthy Pumpkin Bread

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Sweetened only with maple syrup, this delicious healthy pumpkin bread is low in sugar, vegan and made with fiber-rich whole wheat flour!

Pumpkin bread is one thing that I absolutely love making during the fall months! It’s loaded with pumpkin flavor, warm spices and tastes so good with a cup of hot coffee on a crisp fall morning. Pair it with my pumpkin spice latte for the ultimate fall experience.

Loaf of pumpkin bread on a parchment paper resting on a cutting board. 4 slices have been cut from the loaf.

That said, most pumpkin breads are far from being a health food. They’re loaded with sugar and lack fiber, so I set out to create a pumpkin bread recipe that’s lower in sugar and made with a higher-fiber flour, but still tasty and satisfying. And I finally nailed it!

Ingredients measured out in little bowls to make pumpkin bread: whole wheat pastry flour, flax egg, maple syrup, baking soda, applesauce, cinnamon, salt, coconut oil, pumpkin pie spice, baking powder, pumpkin and vanilla.

Here’s What You Need

This recipe calls for whole wheat pastry flour, which offers a lighter texture than regular whole wheat, only 1/4 cup of maple syrup for the whole batch and if you use a flaxseed egg, it’s vegan too.

  • whole wheat pastry flour – whole wheat pastry flour works better than regular whole wheat flour if you’re looking for the light and fluffy bread that regular all-purpose flour provides, but still want the nutrients of whole wheat flour. If you can’t find whole wheat pastry flour you can also use white whole wheat flour, 1 cup all-purpose and 2/3 cup regular whole wheat or 1 2/3 cup all-purpose. Lots of options!
  • baking powder and baking soda – just to help the bread rise.
  • cinnamon – the perfect spice pairing for this bread.
  • pumpkin pie spice – you can do homemade pumpkin pie spice or a store-bought spice blend.
  • sea salt – to bring all of the flavors together.
  • pumpkin puree – use canned pumpkin or make your own pumpkin puree. If you use canned pumpkin from the store, make sure the ingredient list is just pumpkin – don’t accidentally buy pumpkin pie filling! It’s loaded with added sugar.
  • maple syrup – a natural sweetener to add just a touch of sweetness to this bread. If you like a sweeter bread, you can use 1/2 cup maple syrup instead of 1/4 cup.
  • vanilla extract – a delicious flavor enhancer.
  • coconut oil – helps bind the wet and dry ingredients together and add some richness.
  • unsweetened applesauce – keeps this bread moist without adding extra oil!
  • flaxseed egg – to make a flax egg mix together one tablespoon ground flaxseed with three tablespoons of water and set aside to allow the mixture to gelatinize. If you don’t need this bread to be vegan, a regular egg also works! You can also try a chia egg.
  • cinnamon sugar topping – optional but highly recommend adding a coconut sugar and cinnamon mixture before baking to create a delicious, sweet crust!
Four photos showing the process of making pumpkin breadL dry ingredients measured out in a bowl, adding wet ingredients and pumpkin to a bowl, mixing the pumpkin bread batter and finally the pumpkin bread batter in a loaf pan.

Gluten-Free and Grain-Free Options

You can try using a gluten-free flour blend in place of the whole wheat pastry flour. I haven’t tested it myself, but Bob’s Red Mill Gluten-Free 1-to-1 Baking Flour would be a good option. The bread might not rise as much, but I’m sure it will still taste delicious!

I also have a couple grain-free pumpkin options for you! These flourless pumpkin muffins are made with almond butter and SO amazing. Or this quinoa flour pumpkin bread with chocolate chips is another delicious, hearty option.

An overhead shot of a loaf of pumpkin bread, resting on parchment paper on top of a cutting board. Several ingredients in small dishes are scattered around the loaf of bread.

Optional Mix-ins

I didn’t add any extra mix-ins to this recipe because I love the texture and flavor without but if you want to take this bread to the next level, feel free! Here are some ideas:

  • chocolate chips – an obvious first choice! I recommend adding Lily’s chocolate chips to keep the sugar and carbs down while still adding decadent chocolate flavor.
  • chopped nuts – if you like nuts in your quick breads, add a handful to this batter! I recommend walnuts or pecans, but any nut will do.
Overhead shot of four slices of pumpkin bread, resting on parchment paper on a cutting board.

How to Serve Pumpkin Bread

This pumpkin bread is arguably delicious for any part of the day! I would eat this for breakfast, a mid-day snack or even dessert! I love putting a slice in our toaster oven to reheat and topping it with a little nut butter. Here are more ideas:

  • toast the pumpkin bread and spread on coconut butter or traditional butter
  • cream cheese – plain, vanilla or cinnamon cream cheese would be delicious spread on top a slice of this pumpkin bread
  • warm up a slice and top with apple butter or pumpkin butter
  • toast a slice and serve with a spread of butter and drizzle of honey on top
A close up shot of a slice of pumpkin bread.

How to Store Leftovers

After allowing the pumpkin bread to cool completely, store it in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days. For longer storage, store in the refrigerator for up to a week or in the freezer for 1-2 months.

4 slices of pumpkin bread in focus with the remaining loaf in the background, resting on parchment paper on top of a cutting board.

Use Your Leftover Pumpkin With These Recipes

More Delicious Quick Bread Recipes

Be sure to check out the full collection of pumpkin recipes and all my quick bread recipes here on EBF.

4.56 from 113 votes

Healthy Pumpkin Bread

Sweetened only with maple syrup, this delicious healthy pumpkin bread is low in sugar, vegan and made with fiber-rich whole wheat flour!
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 1 hour
Total Time: 1 hour 15 minutes
Servings: 10

Ingredients  

Topping

Instructions 

  • Preheat oven to 350°F. Prepare 1 regular sized loaf pan (8.5 inch) by spraying it with cooking spray or lining it with parchment paper.
  • Whisk together ground flaxseed with water in a small bowl with a fork and let it sit for a few minutes until an gel like consistency forms.
    Ground flax and water combined with a fork.
  • In a large bowl, combine the dry ingredients (flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, pumpkin pie spice and salt).
    A bowl of dry ingredients. A whisk is pictured, ready to mix them together.
  • Combine the wet ingredients (pumpkin, maple syrup, vanilla, oil, applesauce and flax egg) in a medium-sized mixing bowl and blend well.
    A bowl containing the ingredients for pumpkin bread. They are ready to be mixed together.
  • Add the liquid mixture to the dry and stir well until just combined.
    A bowl with the ingredients for pumpkin bread all mixed together.
  • In a small bowl mix coconut sugar and cinnamon for the topping.
  • Pour batter into the loaf pan and top with coconut sugar cinnamon topping and place on the center rack of oven. Bake for 60 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean.
    Batter for healthy pumpkin bread in a bread loaf pan, ready to be baked.
  • Allow to cool before removing from pan.
  • Bread should keep at room temperature for at least 3 days. For longer storage, keep in the fridge for up to a week or in the freezer for 1-2 months.

Video

Notes

  • Whole wheat pastry flour: If you can’t find whole wheat pastry flour you can also use white whole wheat flour, 1 cup all-purpose and cup regular whole wheat or 1 cup all-purpose. For a gluten-free option, you could try a gluten-free 1:1 flour blend.
  • Maple syrup: For a sweeter pumpkin bread, feel free to use ½ cup maple syrup.
  • Flax egg: A regular egg can be used in place of the flax egg if you don’t need the recipe to be vegan.

Nutrition

Serving: 1slice with topping | Calories: 146kcal | Carbohydrates: 23g | Protein: 2g | Fat: 6g | Saturated Fat: 5g | Sodium: 258mg | Potassium: 47mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 9g

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

Additional Info

Course: Breakfast
Cuisine: American
Keyword: healthy pumpkin bread
Did you make this recipe?Mention @eatingbirdfood and tag #eatingbirdfood!

About Brittany

Hey there, I’m Brittany, the creator of Eating Bird Food, cookbook author, health coach and mama of two littles. Here you’ll find quick and easy recipes that make healthy fun and enjoyable for you and your family!

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174 Comments

    1. Hi Brooke – I would not recommend almond flour. If you are trying to make this bread gluten-free, you can try using a gluten-free flour blend in place of the whole wheat pastry flour. I haven’t tested it myself, but Bob’s Red Mill Gluten-Free 1-to-1 Baking Flour would be a good option. The bread might not rise as much, but I’m sure it will still taste delicious!

  1. 2 stars
    I really wanted to like this bread since I love so many of your recipes, but I was disappointed! It’s very dense since it didn’t rise at all in the oven. I followed the recipe exactly and it’s not very sweet at all and just too dense and dry for my liking. Oh well!

    1. I am so sorry to hear that this recipe did not turn out as you had hoped, Joanna. It could be that the batter may have been over mixed since it was so dense. Did you use a mixer or did you hand blend everything?

  2. 5 stars
    This pumpkin bread is my new favorite way to use up all my frozen pumpkin puree. I made it with robin hood gluten free all purpose flour, and I added chopped pecans and a generous dollop of blackstrap molasses, Everyone couldn’t believe healthy bread could taste this good! Thank you!

    1. Excellent! I am so glad that you are enjoying this recipe and that it turned out great for you, Ashley. Thank you so much for sharing your review + star rating, I appreciate it!

  3. Whisk together ground flaxseed with water in a small bowl with a fork and let it sit for a few minutes until an gel like consistency forms.
    How much. Not in the recipe

    1. Hi Lynne – If you select the Flax Egg in the recipe list, it will take you to the full recipe, you will want to use 1 tbsp ground flaxseed + 3 tbsp water. Hope you enjoy this recipe!

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