Gluten-Free Dairy-Free Pumpkin Bread
I spent years telling people I hated pumpkin.
In college, a coworker named Clark brought a loaf of pumpkin bread into our office. I told him flat out that I hated all things pumpkin and was 0% interested. He begged me to try it, so I did. And I was blown away.
I didn’t think I liked pumpkin until I met that bread. I’ve been trying to get back to it ever since — gluten-free and dairy-free this time.
It took a while. The first versions tasted great but were too crumbly. Fixing that made the outside brown too fast, so the edges tasted burnt before the middle was done. Low and slow at 325°F is what finally got both right.
Here’s how I knew I’d landed it. I left the loaf out on the counter, which in our house is code for “have at it, I’m not saving it for anything.” My fourth son had some and texted me later: “By the way, that was some of the best pumpkin bread I’ve ever had. What was that?”
When I told him it was a loaf I was recipe testing, he wrote back in all caps: “YOU MADE THAT? Wow.” Then he started packing slices in a sandwich container so they’d survive the trip to school, which was even better.
Newly gluten-free or dairy-free and staring at a pumpkin bread recipe you can’t make anymore? Start here. (My dairy-free for beginners guide covers the swaps that matter.)
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Gluten-free and dairy-free, and nut-free if you skip the pecans or leave the mix-ins out entirely.
- It holds together. That was the whole fight. Slices come out clean and survive a lunch box.
- Two bowls and a whisk. No mixer, no creaming, no special equipment.
- Real spice, not a vague pumpkin flavor. Cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves, in proportions that took me several tries to settle on.
- The glaze is optional. Plain slices are great for breakfast and lunches; the glaze turns it into dessert.
- It makes September make sense. I used to get annoyed when everyone started pumpkin-ing everything. But when you’ve got a pumpkin recipe you actually love, the “ber” months are a pretty good excuse.
Ingredients
Here’s what goes in and why. Exact amounts are in the recipe card below.
- Pumpkin purée — Make sure the can says 100% pumpkin, not pumpkin pie filling. Pie filling is already sweetened and spiced and will throw the whole loaf off.
- Eggs — Room temperature. They’re doing structure and lift here, which matters more in gluten-free baking than it does in regular baking.
- Oil — A neutral oil or a light tasting olive oil. Liquid fat is part of why this stays moist for days instead of drying out overnight.
- Light brown sugar — Most of the sweetness, plus the molasses note that makes it taste like fall and not just like sweet bread.
- Granulated sugar — A smaller amount, for a slightly lighter crumb.
- Vanilla — Rounds out the spices.
- Gluten-free measure-for-measure flour — I use and recommend King Arthur Gluten-Free Measure for Measure, which I get at Walmart or on Amazon. It’s the same blend I use in my gluten-free dairy-free biscuits. It already has xanthan gum in it, so don’t add more.
- Baking powder and baking soda — Both. The soda works with the pumpkin and brown sugar; the powder does the rest of the lift.
- Cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves — Cinnamon leads, nutmeg fills in, cloves sit underneath. Cloves are strong, so the small amount is on purpose.
- Salt — Don’t cut it. Without it the whole loaf tastes flat and oddly sweet.
- Dairy-free chocolate chips or chopped pecans (optional) — These are the dairy-free chocolate chips I buy. Pecans if you want it more like classic pumpkin bread, chips if you’ve got kids voting.
For the dairy-free cream cheese glaze
- Dairy-free cream cheese — This is the ingredient that makes or breaks the glaze. Philadelphia finally came out with a dairy-free version, and it’s what I used. It’s the brand I grew up thinking of as cream cheese, so I was glad to see them get there, and they did a really nice job making it taste normal. Kite Hill and Violife both work well too. Do not use Daiya — that’s the one that made my glaze grainy and a little off-tasting. [PLACEHOLDER — add your dairy-free cream cheese affiliate link]
- Powdered sugar — Sift it. Dairy-free cream cheese is softer than the dairy kind, so lumps don’t whisk out the way you’d expect.
- Vanilla and a pinch of salt — The salt is what keeps the glaze from tasting like straight sugar.
- Dairy-free milk — Just a splash, to loosen it. Add it a few drops at a time or you’ll blow right past spreadable.
How to Make It
1. Heat the oven to 325°F and line a 9×5 pan with parchment. The low temperature is the whole trick. At 350°F the outside browns before the center is set, and you end up with a loaf that tastes scorched on the edges and gummy in the middle.
Parchment matters too — gluten-free loaves are more fragile coming out of the pan, and a sling lets you lift instead of flip.
2. Whisk the dry ingredients together thoroughly. Longer than feels necessary. Gluten-free flour blends and the leaveners don’t distribute themselves, and a pocket of baking soda tastes exactly like you’d think.
3. Whisk the wet ingredients until smooth and the sugar is mostly dissolved. You’re not just combining here. Giving the sugar time to dissolve into the pumpkin and eggs is part of what gives the finished loaf its texture.
4. Add the dry to the wet and stir just until no dry streaks remain. Fold in the chips or pecans now if you’re using them. There’s no gluten to overdevelop, but overmixing still knocks the air out.
5. Pour it into the pan and let the batter rest for 10 minutes. Don’t skip this. Gluten-free flours need a minute to absorb the liquid, and resting is a big part of why this loaf isn’t gritty or crumbly.
6. Bake 58–62 minutes. A toothpick should come out clean but not bone-dry — a few moist crumbs clinging to it is exactly right. If it comes out completely dry, it’s already a little past.
7. Cool in the pan 15 minutes, then move it to a rack and cool completely. Completely. I know. But gluten-free bread finishes setting as it cools, and slicing warm is how you get a squished, gummy middle.
8. Make the glaze, and only glaze a cool loaf. Whip the dairy-free cream cheese smooth on its own first, before anything else goes in — that one step is what keeps it from going grainy. Then mix in the sifted powdered sugar, vanilla, and salt, and add dairy-free milk a few drops at a time until it’s spreadable. On a warm loaf it will slide right off.
Substitutions
Here’s the quick rundown of what you can swap and what to expect. I’ve tested this loaf as written, so treat anything below as a solid starting point rather than a guarantee.
- Oil → melted coconut oil or melted vegan butter: Both work 1:1. Vegan butter carries a little water, so the crumb comes out slightly softer and less moist on day three. Don’t swap in solid shortening — this batter is built around a liquid fat.
- Brown sugar → all white sugar: Fine, but you lose the molasses depth and it reads more like plain spice cake. Going the other direction (all brown) makes it denser and a bit stickier.
- Sugar → NOT maple syrup or honey: DON’T. Swapping in a liquid sweetener adds enough extra moisture to change the bake time and structure, and this loaf fought me on structure to begin with. If you want a pumpkin recipe with no refined sugar and that is Paleo, check out my Paleo pumpkin cupcakes here instead.
- King Arthur Measure for Measure → another gluten-free 1:1 blend: Use another blend that already contains xanthan gum, like Bob’s Red Mill 1:1. Blends absorb liquid differently, so let the batter rest the full 10 minutes and expect the bake time to shift a few minutes either way. Almond flour and oat flour are not 1:1 swaps here — they won’t hold the loaf together. If you’re after a grain-free loaf, my paleo banana bread is built around almond flour from the start.
- Eggs: No good swap. Three eggs in a gluten-free loaf are doing structure and lift at the same time, and there’s no gluten to pick up the slack. I haven’t found a flax-egg version of this one that holds a slice, so I’m not going to tell you it works. For an egg-free fall bake, start somewhere that was designed that way.
- Nut allergy: Leave the pecans out entirely, or use dairy-free chocolate chips or pepitas instead. The loaf is nut-free as written — just check your chocolate chip label for shared-line warnings.
- Coconut allergy: Use a neutral oil rather than coconut oil, and check your dairy-free cream cheese and dairy-free milk, since coconut shows up in both. An oat or soy-based cream cheese and oat milk will both keep this coconut-free.
- Soy allergy: Some dairy-free cream cheeses are soy-based. Kite Hill is almond-based and Violife is coconut-based, so one of those will get you around it — pick based on which other allergen you’re avoiding.
- Mix-ins: Chocolate chips, chopped pecans, or walnuts all work. Keep the total to about a half cup; more than that and the loaf starts to lose the structure it worked hard for.
- Want muffins instead: I haven’t tested this batter as muffins, so I can’t give you a time. If you’d rather have a pan of them, my paleo pumpkin muffins are already built for it.
FAQ
How do I measure the gluten-free flour?
Weigh it. Over-measuring is the number one reason gluten-free quick breads come out dry, dense, and crumbly, and a packed cup of flour can be 30 grams heavier than a properly measured one — which in a loaf this size is the difference between moist and sandy. A cheap kitchen scale runs about $10–$13 and pays for itself the first time. No scale? Fluff the flour with a fork, spoon it into the measuring cup, and level it off with a knife. Never pack it, and never scoop straight out of the bag.
Why is my glaze grainy?
Two likely reasons. The first is the brand — Daiya is what made mine grainy and gave it a slightly strange taste. Philadelphia dairy-free, Kite Hill, and Violife all whipped up smooth.
The second is order of operations. Whip the cream cheese by itself until it’s completely smooth before any powdered sugar goes in. If you dump everything in together, the sugar never fully dissolves.
Why 325°F instead of 350°F?
Because this loaf browns faster than it bakes. At 350°F the crust darkened and started tasting burnt while the center was still underdone. Dropping to 325°F and adding a few minutes lets the middle catch up.
Can I use fresh pumpkin instead of canned?
You can, but drain it well first. Fresh purée is usually wetter than canned, and extra liquid in a gluten-free batter shows up as a gummy line down the center of the loaf.
Do I have to glaze it?
No, though it really takes this bread from great to amazing. Definitely add the glaze if you are taking it to a party or gifting it. So delicious!
How do I store it?
Store it in a sealed container in the fridge for up to 1 week, or in the freezer for up to 3 months. If it’s glazed, keep it in the fridge — dairy-free cream cheese doesn’t hold up on the counter. I’d freeze it unglazed and add the glaze after it thaws.
Other Pumpkin Recipes You’ll Love
If this loaf converted you the way Clark’s converted me, here’s where to go next.
- Paleo Pumpkin Protein Pancakes
- Paleo Pumpkin Sugar Cookies
- Pumpkin Spice Oreo Truffles
- Paleo Pumpkin Spice Ice Cream
- Pumpkin Spice Roasted Nuts
Gluten-Free Dairy-Free Pumpkin Bread
Equipment
Ingredients
- 210 grams or 1 3/4c gluten-free 1:1 flour I prefer King Arthur; SEE NOTES for the correct way to measure gf flour!
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 1/4 cups pumpkin puree
- 3 large eggs
- 1/2 cup light tasting olive oil or avocado oil
- 3/4 cup brown sugar packed
- 1/4 cup white sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
Optional Cream Cheese Frosting
- 2 tablespoons dairy-free cream cheese room temperature, or the frosting will have lumps
- 3/4 cup powdered sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
- 1 pinch salt
- 1-2 teaspoons dairy-free milk as needed
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 325°F. Line a 9x5 loaf pan with parchment.
- In a large bowl, whisk together all the dry ingredients (flour through salt) thoroughly. Add the wet ingredients (pumpkin through vanilla) and mix until smooth. Fold in chips/nuts if using.
- Pour into the prepared pan and let the batter rest in the pan for 10 minutes. This is important to help the gluten-free flour hydrate and have the right texture.
- Bake at 325°F for 65-67 minutes, until a toothpick comes out clean but not bone-dry (a few moist crumbs are perfect).
- Cool in the pan 15 minutes, then transfer to a rack and cool completely before slicing and glazing.
- FROSTING: Beat the cream cheese smooth on its own first, then mix in the powdered sugar, vanilla, and salt. Add dairy-free milk a few drops at a time until spreadable. Glaze only once the loaf is completely cool.
- Storage: Store covered at room temperature for up to 3 days, or in the fridge for up to a week (refrigerate if glazed). To freeze, wrap the unglazed loaf tightly and freeze up to 3 months; thaw and glaze before serving.
This is amazing! So moist and flavorful! This will be on repeat in our house. I used Bob’s 1:1, because that’s what I had and added chocolate chips and it is amazing!
Whoa, you wasted no time! I’m thrilled that you dove into this so quickly and already love it. Thanks for sharing that Bob’s 1:1 worked well for you. That’s always helpful to know what swaps work well. I hope it’s on repeat all fall. Thanks so much for the rave review!