Quinoa Flour Pumpkin Bread
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Published Sep 29, 2015, Updated May 08, 2023
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Spiced with cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger and allspice this moist and tender quinoa flour pumpkin bread is everything a pumpkin quick bread should be but a tad healthier. Gluten-free + vegan.
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.
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.
Here’s What You Need
- quinoa flour – naturally gluten-free, high in protein and fiber!
- baking powder and baking soda – levening agents that allow this quick bread to rise.
- pumpkin pie spice and cinnamon – spices that enhance the fall flavors. If you don’t have pumpkin pie spice on hand you can make your own using other spices you might already have in your pantry.
- sea salt – salt is essential for bringing flavors together in any recipe.
- pumpkin – make your own pumpkin puree or use store-bought! Just make sure you don’t grab pumpkin pie filling.
- coconut sugar – I like baking with coconut sugar, it has a carmely flavor and a lower glycemic index than regular sugar.
- vanilla extract – a perfect flavor enhancer when baking!
- coconut oil – instead of butter we’re opting for coconut oil which is loaded with healthy fats.
- unsweetened applesauce – applesauce also helps to keep this quick bread moist in place of butter. You can use homemade applesauce or use your favorite store-bought brand.
- flaxseed – to keep this vegan and egg-free, we’re using a flaxseed egg. Just mix 1 Tablespoon of ground flaxseed with 3 Tablespoons of water. Let it sit for a few minutes to gel together.
- mix-ins – chocolate chips are completely optional… but are they really?! Just make sure you’re using dairy-free if necessary – I really like the Enjoy Life brand. You can also add chopped pecans or chopped walnuts if you like crunch!
Baking with Quinoa Flour
I love baking with quinoa flour because it’s a whole grain flour and is especially great for gluten-free baking because of its 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 this pumpkin bread or these gluten-free gingersnap cookies) 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!
How to Make Quinoa Flour Pumpkin Bread
Prep – Preheat your oven to 350°F. Prepare 1 regular-sized loaf pan (8.5 X 2.5 X 2) by spraying it with cooking spray, spreading on a thin layer of coconut oil or lining it with parchment paper.
Make flaxseed egg – Whisk together ground flaxseed with water in a small bowl with a fork and let it sit for a few minutes until a gel-like consistency forms.
Combine ingredients – In a large bowl, mix together the wet ingredients (pumpkin, sugar, vanilla, coconut oil, applesauce 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.
Bake – Pour batter into the prepared loaf pan and place on the center rack of the oven. Bake for 60 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean.
Cool and enjoy – Allow the bread to cool before removing from the pan. Slice and enjoy!
Storing & Reheating Tips
Kept in an air-tight container or bag in the fridge, this bread should keep for 4-5 days. To reheat, simply slice a piece off of the loaf and heat in the microwave for 15-30 seconds to take the chill off! You can also pop it into a toaster oven for about 1 minute.
More Quick Bread Recipes
- Vegan Banana Bread
- Healthy Zucchini Bread
- Vegan Apple Bread
- Healthy Pumpkin Bread
- Cranberry Banana Bread
- Tahini Banana Bread
Popular Pumpkin Recipes
- Flourless Pumpkin Muffins
- Oatmeal Pumpkin Cookies
- Vegan Pumpkin Protein Bars
- Easy Pumpkin Granola
- Vegan Pumpkin Muffins
Quinoa Flour Pumpkin Bread
Ingredients
- 1 ⅔ cups quinoa flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 ½ teaspoons pumpkin pie spice, see note
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon sea salt
- 1 cup canned pumpkin or homemade pumpkin puree
- 1 cup coconut sugar, or other unrefined granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- ¼ cup coconut oil, in a liquid state
- ¼ cup unsweetened apple sauce
- 1 flax egg, 1 Tablespoon ground flaxseed + 3 Tablespoons water
- ¼ 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 a 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
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Seriously obsessed with this recipe! It looks and sounds amazing. Going on my weekend baking list for sure! xo
Thank you so much Alyssa. Let me know how it turns out. 🙂
Hey 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!
Hiiiii! I JUST found your comment in spam. :/
Thank you bookmarking the recipe. Let me know if you try it. 🙂 xoxo
Yum! 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
Thank 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. 🙂
This looks absolutely delicious!! I love all things pumpkin
This looks delicious!
So much yes!
Yum!
Really nice recipe. I look forward to trying it soon.
Thank you Melissa. I hope you love it!
Oh this looks incredible!! I just love your recipes and I adore quinoa flour. Great job, girl!!
Thank you lady. Hope you’re doing well.
Pinning! I just discovered quinoa flour and love it! Didn’t realize it was a 1:1 sub!
Thanks 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. 🙂
I feel like I need to get my hands on some quinoa flour! This pumpkin bread looks amazing and totally fall worthy 🙂
Yes, you must try quinoa flour. It’s awesome.
THis recipe just made my day! I know what I’m doing with my Friday night ;p
Your Friday nights sound like mine!!
quinoa flour is so awesome!! This pumpkin bread looks freakin’ amazing!!! I need this in my life 🙂
I’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!
I haven’t tried baking with quinoa flour yet!! But I love that using canned pumpkin you can easily make recipes vegan.
Yum!! Thank you for this! 🙂 Do you think home ground quinoa flour would work just as well as store bought?
You 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.
Looks so yummy & healthy!
What would be good substitutes for the quinoa flour? Would buckwheat flour or brown rice flour work too?
Hi 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.
Hi 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?
I think using butternut squash puree and applesauce will work fine. Let me know how it turns out!
this 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
Thank 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. 🙂
I’m going to adjust my bake time on the mini muffins to 9-12 min. at 350. We still make these at least once a month. In fact, I have the receipe memorized!:)
Ahh I love hearing that, Crystal. I’m so glad you love this recipe. 🙂
Thanks for sharing this recipe. I appreciate the comments about the substitutions for quinoa because I am allergic to quinoa.
Is the batter supposed to be thick like cookie dough or pourable? Asking for a friend. Wink wink.
It should be pretty thick, Tracy. How did the bread turn out for you?
How 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.
Hi 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!
Followed the recipe exactly. 350 for an hour. Toothpick came out with crumbs. Back into the oven for 10 more min. Toothpick still came out with crumbs. Took the bread out anyway because the top was getting too dark. Completely cooled! Cut a slice and it was under done. Should I have left it in longer? This is my first time with quinoa flour.
Oh no!! I am so sorry to hear that, Sandy. And you didn’t change anything about the recipe? It could be that your oven doesn’t get as hot so it probably needed more time to cook. In the future, you can always cover the top with tin foil to prevent it from burning or getting too dark if the center still needs more time.
Love this recipe! Making this for Christmas breads. I used an egg and an extra tablespoon of water with it. They have turned out great. Thanks!!