Healthy Pumpkin Bread
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This healthy pumpkin bread is made with whole wheat flour and naturally sweetened. It’s delicious, perfectly moist and makes for the perfect fall treat.
If there’s one thing I absolutely love making during the fall months, it’s this healthy pumpkin bread!
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.
Table of Contents
Why I Love This Pumpkin Bread
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!
- This loaf is naturally sweetened with pure maple syrup instead of refined sugar.
- We’re using fiber-rich whole wheat pastry flour instead of traditional all-purpose flour.
- Coconut oil and applesauce are used in place of butter.
// ★★★★★ Review //
“This is my favorite pumpkin bread recipe of all time! I make it so much during the fall and even other times of the year as well. I love it so much. I wish I could leave it 10 stars!” – Kate
Ingredients Needed
- whole wheat pastry flour – whole wheat pastry flour works better than regular whole wheat flour if you’re looking for that light texture that regular all-purpose flour provides, but still want the nutrients of whole wheat flour. My favorite brand is Bob’s Red Mill Whole Wheat Pastry Flour.
- pumpkin pie spice – you can make homemade pumpkin pie spice with just cinnamon, ginger, cloves and nutmeg or use a store-bought spice blend.
- 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.
- eggs – gives the loaf structure. I’ve tested this with and without eggs, and the eggs really help the bread hold together.
- maple syrup – a natural sweetener that pairs perfectly with the spices and pumpkin. I recommend pure maple syrup, not pancake syrup, for best flavor.
- coconut oil – helps bind the wet and dry ingredients together and add some richness.
- unsweetened applesauce – keeps this bread moist without adding extra oil!
- cinnamon sugar topping – optional, but highly recommend adding a coconut sugar and cinnamon mixture before baking to create a delicious, sweet crust!
Find the full ingredient list with measurements in the recipe card below.
Substitutions & Notes
- Flour: If you can’t find whole wheat pastry flour you can also use white whole wheat flour, 1 cup all-purpose and 3/4 cup regular whole wheat or 1 3/4 cup all-purpose. Lots of options!
- Vegan: Swap 2 flax eggs for the regular eggs to make this loaf vegan. Just a note that if you use flax eggs the loaf might not rise as much.
- Gluten-free: I haven’t tested this recipe with GF flour, but if you do I’d love to hear how it turned out! 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.
How to Make
Step 1: In a large bowl, combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, pumpkin pie spice and salt.
Step 2: In a medium bowl whisk together pumpkin, eggs, maple syrup, oil, applesauce and vanilla until smooth and combined.
Step 3: Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and stir well until just combined.
Step 4: In a small bowl mix together coconut sugar and cinnamon for the topping.
Step 5: Pour batter into the loaf pan and top with coconut sugar cinnamon topping and place on the center rack of oven.
Step 6: Bake for 60 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean. Allow to cool before removing.
Tips for Success
- Don’t over-mix: One of the key steps to achieving tender bread is to avoid over-mixing the batter otherwise you’ll end up with pumpkin bread that is dense and gummy. Stir until just combined for the best texture. It’s okay if there are a few streaks of flour left.
- Let cool completely: I know it may be tempting to dig into this loaf right away, but trust me when I say you’ll want to let your loaf cool completely before slicing. The loaf continues to bake as it cools and if you cut it too soon it might seem undercooked or fall apart.
How to Store Leftovers
After allowing your 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.
If you freeze this loaf I recommend slicing it into individual pieces before freezing so you can easily pull one slice out at a time. To defrost, place the bread in the fridge overnight to thaw.
More Pumpkin Recipes
- Healthy Pumpkin Muffins
- Pumpkin Baked Oatmeal
- Soft Pumpkin Cookies
- Better Than Starbucks Pumpkin Bread
- Pumpkin Icebox Cake
If you enjoyed this recipe, please consider leaving a ⭐ star rating and let me know how it went in the 📝 comments below.
Healthy Pumpkin Bread
Ingredients
- 1 ¾ cups whole wheat pastry flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1 ½ teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
- ½ teaspoon sea salt
- 1 cup canned pumpkin or homemade pumpkin puree
- 2 large eggs
- ½ cup maple syrup
- ⅓ cup melted coconut oil
- ⅓ cup unsweetened applesauce
- ½ teaspoon vanilla
Topping
- 2 Tablespoons coconut sugar
- ½ teaspoon cinnamon
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.
- In a large bowl, combine the dry ingredients (flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, pumpkin pie spice and salt).
- Combine the wet ingredients (pumpkin, eggs, maple syrup, oil, applesauce and vanilla) in a medium-sized mixing bowl and blend well.
- Add the liquid mixture to the dry and stir well until just combined.
- 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.
- 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 ¾ cup regular whole wheat or 1¾ cup all-purpose. For a gluten-free option, you could try a gluten-free 1:1 flour blend.
- Eggs: Flaxseed eggs can be used to replace the regular eggs to make this loaf vegan.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Like This Recipe? Rate & Comment Below!
So very yummy!
Hi!
This recipe sounds and looks delicious. I can’t find any whole wheat pastry flour these days due to the pandemic, so I’m wondering if you think whole grain spelt flour will work? I was also thinking about subbing the remaining oil for applesauce. Additionally, do you think I could make these into muffins? I can’t eat a whole loaf myself, but my family won’t eat pumpkin bread without chocolate chips, so muffins would make it easier to throw chocolate chips into half the batch lol! How long would I bake for if I made into muffins?
Thanks!
Hey Michaela – I haven’t tried using whole grain spelt flour before, but feel free to experiment! I think it’d work just fine as a sub. Applesauce should also work just fine as a sub for the oil. I’m not sure on the timing for the muffins, I’d maybe start with 15 minutes and just keep an eye on them. Also, I do have these flourless pumpkin muffins that you could try! They call for chocolate chips, but could always take out the chocolate chips in half of them. 🙂
Once again, wow. I love every recipe I have tried, feeling like such a fangirl, but seriously everything is sooooo tasty ! I had only All purpose wheat flour and it turn out really good ! Thanks again !
Ahh yay!! That makes me so happy to hear, Emilie!! I’m so glad you enjoyed this pumpkin bread. Thanks for coming back to leave a comment + star rating. It means the world to me. <3
Made this pumpkin bread exactly as directed. Delicious!
Yay!! Thanks for trying this recipe and for coming back to leave a comment + star rating. The reviews are super helpful to other readers, so I appreciate it. <3
I really like to bake with whole grains and I loved that the applesauce replaced some of the oil. I wonder what it would taste like to add more applesauce and cut out the oil entirely. I also like that it wasn’t so sweet which brought out the spices. Have made it twice already!
Yay!! I’m so glad you enjoy this recipe, Barbara. I think it would turn out just fine if you sub the oil for more applesauce. Definitely let me know if you end up making it that way and how it turns out. 🙂
So easy to make and I used white whole wheat, ran out of ww pastry flour. It was very good and almost omitted the topping, glad I didn’t. This recipe is a keeper. Do I need to refrigerate?
So glad that you enjoyed this recipe, Lynda! Thank you so much for coming back to leave a comment and star rating as well! I so appreciate the feedback. In terms of storing the bread, it should last 3-4 days at room temp but if you’d like to keep it longer I do recommend storing it in the fridge. It should last at least 7 days in the refrigerator. For longer storage, you can freeze it!
This is delicious and my whole family loves it!!!!
Yay! I’m so excited to hear that, Jan! Thanks for coming back to leave a comment (and star rating) on the recipe. I so appreciate it and I know other EBF readers will too.
This was so easy to make and delicious! I added 1/3 cup of maple syrup and used a regular egg and it was perfect! Will definitely make again!
I am also making this recipe for today. I like to eat a lot of eggs so I used 2 eggs, to balance for me to add powder so that I don’t get sticky. great. Thank you for your post
Would oat flour work if I was to use it?
I haven’t tried the recipe with oat flour so I’m not 100% sure how it will turn out, but I have a feeling it will work fine. That said, I think oat flour might make it a bit more dense so you may need to add more liquid to the batter. Let me know if you try it.