This is the best gluten-free pumpkin bread - loaded with pumpkin flavor and warm fall spices. Oat flour and lots of pure pumpkin make this loaf so moist & tender. Very easy to make; comes together in 10 minutes with no mixer required. Make this your go-to fall treat!
This delicious gluten-free pumpkin bread has a super moist and tender crumb with tons of pumpkin flavor and fall spices. And if you can bear the wait, the flavors deepen and the texture gets even more soft and chewy on the second day.
It comes together super quickly with minimal clean-up. One bowl for sifting the dry ingredients and one big bowl for mixing it all together - no need for a mixer, just like my soft gluten-free pumpkin bars.
Due to lots of pumpkin puree, the loaf is incredibly moist and not prone to over-baking, making it virtually foolproof!
- Frost or ice it: Top the cooled loaf with either frosting such as cream cheese frosting, or salted caramel frosting, or icing.
- Streusel: Sprinkle the loaf with streusel topping before baking.
Using Homemade Flour Blend for Gluten-Free Cakes
I prefer to use a homemade blend of flours specific to the cake I'm making - this allows me to pair flours for flavor and texture, while using whole grain flours. For this gluten-free pumpkin bread, I use a blend of teff flour, oat flour, sweet rice flour, and tapioca flour.
Teff Flour: Teff flour is such a warm flavorful flour that’s the perfect pairing for fall pumpkin. It bakes up soft and fluffy with rich toffee notes that accentuate the dark brown sugar.
Gluten-Free Oat Flour: Oat flour adds the lightness and structure for the fluffy crumb. It keeps the bread super moist, but not dense.
Sweet Rice Flour: Sweet rice flour is necessary for the chewy texture of this cake. Sweet rice flour is distinctively different than white rice or brown rice flour. Rather it is the same flour used to make butter mochi, and as such, its stickiness helps to bind the cake together, creating chewiness like a classic cake recipe. It’s gluten-free baking’s secret weapon.
Tapioca Flour: Tapioca flour adds just a little more softness and loft to the crumb. My test loaf without tapioca flour wasn't quite as tall and beautiful.
Recipe
Super Moist Gluten-Free Pumpkin Bread (with oat flour)
Ingredients
- 87 g (¾ cup + 1 tablespoon) Bob’s Red Mill gluten-free oat flour
- 80 g (½ cup) sweet rice flour, also called “mochiko,” distinctly different than brown rice flour or white rice flour - I use Koda Farms or Bob's Red Mill
- 74 g (½ cup) Bob’s Red Mill teff flour
- 42 g (¼ cup + 2 tablespoons) Bob’s Red Mill tapioca flour
- 1½ teaspoon baking powder
- ¾ teaspoon baking soda
- ¾ teaspoon kosher salt
- 1½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon ground ginger
- ½ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- ¼ teaspoon ground cloves
- ½ cup (104 g) vegetable oil
- ¾ cup (150 g) dark brown sugar, I recommend organic, as it has a higher molasses content
- ¼ cup + 2 tablespoons (75 g) granulated sugar
- 2 large eggs, room temperature
- 1½ cups (340 g) canned pumpkin puree, not pumpkin pie filling
- 1½ teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- 3 tablespoons (45 g) milk, whole milk or non-dairy milk, room temperature
- Optional: Up to ⅔ cups add-ins such as chocolate chips or toasted nuts
INSTRUCTIONS
- Grease a 9x5 loaf pan and line it with a sling of parchment paper. Preheat the oven to 350°F.
- In a medium bowl, sift together teff flour, oat flour, sweet rice flour, tapioca flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, and cloves. Set aside.
- In a large bowl, whisk together vegetable oil, dark brown sugar, granulated sugar, eggs, pumpkin puree, vanilla extract, and whole milk until smooth.
- Add the dry ingredients and whisk until combined and no lumps remain. Optional: Fold in chocolate chips or any other mix-ins if desired.
- Pour the batter into the prepared baking pan and bake on the middle rack for 60-65 minutes, until the center springs back when gently touched and a toothpick comes out of the center clean or with a few moist crumbs. Let cool for at least an hour before slicing.
- Slice and serve warm or at room temperature. Let cool completely before storing. Store extra slices in an airtight container on the counter for up to 3 days, in the fridge for up to a week, or freeze it for up to 3 months. Let come to room temperature before serving.
Notes
What kind of pan for pumpkin bread
This recipe makes a tall domed pumpkin bread, so be sure to use either a 9x5 or 9.25 x 4.25 loaf pan (measured by the inside of the top opening).
I recommend using metal loaf pans and steering clear of glass loaf pans for this gluten-free pumpkin loaf. Because this cake bakes for an hour, the more insulating glass pan is more likely to create a much crisper and darker crust that isn't as tender. Your cake may also end up drier as a result.
Why did my pumpkin bread sink?
This loaf is pretty domed so not prone to sinking, but if yours did sink, there are two big culprits. The two most common reasons a loaf cake sinks in the middle are that it is underbaked or there is not enough flour. Be sure to measure the flours by weight and use the same brands listed here - all Bob's Red Mill or Koda Farms. Other brands may have different grinds and will soak up moisture more or less, leading to differing results.
Be sure to also check your oven temperature and use the visual cues above to ensure you bake it all the way through!
Tatiana -
I make a lot of different types of GF loaves. I never use a GF flour because I don’t feel they are healthy. I love this recipe and all of your recipes because they have good ingredients and I know exactly y what I am getting. Your GF site is the best one and my go-to. Hubby is the one with Celiac Disease and so he is the official test taster. He said this is the best loaf yet! I made a few subs (for 2 loaves): 3/4 cup coconut sugar, 3/4 cup golden monk fruit allulose blend, 1/2 cup white monk fruit allulose blend, added 1 cup nuts, and a heaping 1/2 cup of Choczero monk fruit sweetened chocolate chips to just one of the loaves. Oh and instead of pumpkin I used pure of Kabocha squash! Soooo good! I would like to know if anyone has tried using a melted coconut oil which I would prefer over veg oil
Alicia -
I made this into a layer cake with brown sugar Swiss meringue buttercream and everyone raved about it. Thanks so much for the recipe!