Spiced with cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger and allspice this moist and tender Chocolate Chip Pumpkin Bread is everything a pumpkin quick bread should be but a tad healthier, gluten-free and vegan.
HELLO there! I’m having one of those blogger breakdown moments where I have waaay too much stuff to share and not enough time to write everything. CONTENT OVERLOAD. I want to tell you guys all about my recent trips, show you some house updates, gush about my new found love for Orangetheory Fitness and give an update on my hormone situation, but all of that has to wait because this pumpkin bread must be shared! I made it last month and I simply can’t keep the recipe to myself any longer.
You can thank me later…
Pumpkin bread is one of my all-time favorite fall treats. As soon as the leaves start changing I start craving it and this year was no different. Full-blown fall hasn’t arrived here in Virginia just yet, but the day I was baking this luscious loaf our house sure smelled like it.
So what’s the deal with this bread? Well, besides the fact that it’s packed with pumpkin spice flavor (and tastes amazing), it’s also vegan so there’s no eggs, milk, or butter AND it’s made with Ancient Harvest Quinoa Flour so it’s completely gluten-free as well!
I love baking with quinoa flour because in most recipes you can use it as a one-to-one substitute for regular flour without having to add any thickeners. It’s a whole-grain flour and is especially great for gluten-free baking because of it’s protein content. Since gluten is a protein, it is important to use high protein flours (like quinoa flour) when baking gluten-free. The protein from the quinoa flour will help provide structure, shape and rise — especially when making bread.
It has a rich, nutty flavor, which I like but it can sometimes be overpowering in mild-flavored baked goods. As long as you’re making something with a good amount of spice (like these Quinoa Gingersnap Cookies or this pumpkin bread) you probably won’t even notice it.
That said, if you’re new to using quinoa flour you may want to try toasting the flour ahead of time to help mellow the flavor a bit. You can also ease yourself in by using half quinoa flour and half all-purpose flour. <—  Use gluten-free all-purpose flour if needed!
Once cooled this bread is moist and tender from the canned pumpkin and packed with pumpkin spice aroma and flavor. It’s everything a pumpkin quick bread should be but a tad healthier.
I will say, the bites with a chocolate chip are my absolute favorite. I mention that they’re optional in the recipe but you’re only allowed to leave them out if you must! And if you do, I would add in chopped pecans or walnuts instead — just to add a little texture. I’m a nut lover, but Isaac hates nuts in baked goods (and ice cream) so that’s why I add chocolate chips to pretty much everything.
Ready to dive in?!? Here’s the recipe:
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Spiced with cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger and allspice this moist and tender Chocolate Chip Pumpkin Bread is everything a pumpkin quick bread should be but a tad healthier, gluten-free and vegan.
Ingredients
- 1 2/3 cups Ancient Harvest quinoa flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 1/2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice (see note)
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
- 1 cup canned pumpkin puree
- 1 cup coconut sugar (or other unrefined granulated sugar)
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 1/4 cup coconut oil, in a liquid state
- 1/4 cup unsweetened apple sauce
- 1 flax egg (1 Tablespoon ground flaxseed + 3 Tablespoons water)
- 1/4 cup dairy-free mini chocolate chips, chopped pecans or chopped walnuts (optional)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350° F. Prepare 1 regular sized loaf pan (8.5 X 2.5 X 2) by spraying it with cooking spray or spreading on a thin layer of coconut oil.
- 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.
- In a large bowl, mix together the wet ingredients (pumpkin, sugar, vanilla, coconut oil, apple sauce and flax egg) and mix together until well blended. In a separate bowl, whisk together the dry ingredients (quinoa flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, pumpkin pie spice and salt). Stir the dry ingredients into the pumpkin mixture until just blended.
- Pour batter into the prepared loaf pan 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. Leftover bread will keep best in the fridge.
Notes
If you can’t find pumpkin pie spice you can easily make your own blend using cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice and ginger. Here’s a recipe.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 slice
- Calories: 215
- Sugar: 21g
- Fat: 7g
- Carbohydrates: 35g
- Fiber: 2g
- Protein: 3g
Oh, and one quick announcement: I’m super excited to be taking over the Ancient Harvest Facebook page today!! I’ll be sharing some of my favorite fall recipes throughout the day. Feel free to pop over and check it out. I’d love a little interaction from some familiar faces. 🙂
Alyssa Rimmer (@simplyquinoa) says
September 29, 2015 at 9:03 amSeriously obsessed with this recipe! It looks and sounds amazing. Going on my weekend baking list for sure! xo
Brittany Mullins says
September 29, 2015 at 10:27 pmThank you so much Alyssa. Let me know how it turns out. 🙂
Katharina says
September 29, 2015 at 10:04 amHey lady!! Long time no chat on the blogosphere 😀
Just bookmarked this recipe – sounds divine! Ohhh I miss Fall in Virginia.. I’m just imagining it now. So romantic 🙂
Good luck with everything! It sounds like you’ve got a lot going on!
Brittany Mullins says
October 6, 2015 at 9:25 pmHiiiii! I JUST found your comment in spam. :/
Thank you bookmarking the recipe. Let me know if you try it. 🙂 xoxo
Sydney | Modern Granola says
September 29, 2015 at 10:44 amYum! This looks and sounds incredible! I’ve never heard of quinoa flour before, but I love that it can be used 1:1 for AP flour.
I’m so happy it’s finally pumpkin bread season! It will be so fun to celebrate with this recipe!
xx Sydney
Brittany Mullins says
September 29, 2015 at 10:26 pmThank you so much Sydney! I can’t be 100% sure that quinoa flour will work exactly the same as regular AP flour in all recipes but it’s worked for me when making cookies and quick breads. 🙂
Erin @ Her Heartland Soul says
September 29, 2015 at 11:43 amThis looks absolutely delicious!! I love all things pumpkin
Amanda @ Positively Amanda says
September 29, 2015 at 12:08 pmThis looks delicious!
Tamara Anne says
September 29, 2015 at 12:09 pmSo much yes!
Kelly says
September 29, 2015 at 1:15 pmYum!
Melissa Falk says
September 29, 2015 at 2:29 pmReally nice recipe. I look forward to trying it soon.
Brittany Mullins says
September 29, 2015 at 10:28 pmThank you Melissa. I hope you love it!
LaurenKellyNutrition says
September 29, 2015 at 2:38 pmOh this looks incredible!! I just love your recipes and I adore quinoa flour. Great job, girl!!
Brittany Mullins says
September 29, 2015 at 10:28 pmThank you lady. Hope you’re doing well.
taramdeal says
September 29, 2015 at 10:05 pmPinning! I just discovered quinoa flour and love it! Didn’t realize it was a 1:1 sub!
Brittany Mullins says
September 29, 2015 at 10:29 pmThanks Tara! I can’t be 100% sure that it will work exactly the same as regular AP flour in all recipes but it’s worked for me when making cookies and quick breads. 🙂
Nutmeg Nanny says
September 29, 2015 at 10:11 pmI feel like I need to get my hands on some quinoa flour! This pumpkin bread looks amazing and totally fall worthy 🙂
Brittany Mullins says
September 29, 2015 at 10:29 pmYes, you must try quinoa flour. It’s awesome.
emily says
September 29, 2015 at 10:45 pmTHis recipe just made my day! I know what I’m doing with my Friday night ;p
Brittany Mullins says
September 29, 2015 at 11:02 pmYour Friday nights sound like mine!!
athleticavocado says
September 30, 2015 at 8:22 amquinoa flour is so awesome!! This pumpkin bread looks freakin’ amazing!!! I need this in my life 🙂
johnfawkesblogger says
October 1, 2015 at 1:20 amI’m sending this recipe to my mom. She used to bake a lot of pumpkin bread, and stopped because it was so unhealthy. I need mah pumpkin bread fix!
danicaliforniacooks says
October 1, 2015 at 1:00 pmI haven’t tried baking with quinoa flour yet!! But I love that using canned pumpkin you can easily make recipes vegan.
Gina says
October 3, 2015 at 10:18 amYum!! Thank you for this! 🙂 Do you think home ground quinoa flour would work just as well as store bought?
Brittany Mullins says
October 5, 2015 at 9:26 amYou can make you’re own quinoa flour by grinding it but I don’t know that the texture would be as fine and fluffy. You can certainly try it though. Here’s a good tutorial.
Christy H says
November 5, 2015 at 8:59 amLooks so yummy & healthy!
What would be good substitutes for the quinoa flour? Would buckwheat flour or brown rice flour work too?
Brittany Mullins says
November 5, 2015 at 9:03 amHi Christy. I haven’t tried the recipe with any other flour, but I think your best bet would be an all-purpose gluten-free flour. Someone mentioned that they tried it with rice flour and the bread didn’t rise properly.
Rachel says
April 1, 2016 at 6:10 amHi Brittany,
Lovely recipe!
I’m trying to get into cooking for myself with tasty, healthy recipes.
I cannot source pumpkin so could I sub with butternut squash purée and the applesauce for a banana?
Brittany Mullins says
April 1, 2016 at 7:32 amI think using butternut squash puree and applesauce will work fine. Let me know how it turns out!
Anj says
May 11, 2017 at 6:05 pmthis looks so good !! I can’t wait to try it
Looking at the nutritional info, though, when I printed it off, it says 2042 calories for 1 slice. I’m pretty sure 1 slice won’t be that much hehe. Just wanted to bring that to your attention
Crystal says
October 18, 2018 at 7:25 pmThank you for this recipe!! This has been a lovely baked treat for our family with multiple food sensitivities at the moment. I make it into 24 mini muffins, which come out beautifully at 350 for 18-20 min.
I LOVE how these rise so nicely…so refreshing as the standard GF baked goods just don’t–we can even fool non-GF-eating friends with the light and fluffy texture. 🙂
★★★★★
Kathryn Simkins says
October 19, 2018 at 8:41 amThanks for sharing this recipe. I appreciate the comments about the substitutions for quinoa because I am allergic to quinoa.
Tracy says
December 2, 2018 at 6:13 pmIs the batter supposed to be thick like cookie dough or pourable? Asking for a friend. Wink wink.
Brittany Mullins says
December 3, 2018 at 9:47 amIt should be pretty thick, Tracy. How did the bread turn out for you?
Sherry says
January 30, 2019 at 6:35 pmHow can I decrease the sugar in this? I can’t eat a lot of added sugar, even if it’s natural. I can’t wait to try this! Thanks.
Brittany Mullins says
January 31, 2019 at 9:10 amHi Sherry. I haven’t tried this recipe with less sugar so I’m not sure how it will turn out but I’d recommend using a zero-calorie sugar substitute like baking stevia or erythritol.You could also just try cutting the coconut sugar from 1 cup to 1/2 cup. It obviously won’t be as sweet but I bet it will still taste good!