Healthy Pumpkin Bread!
This amazing healthy pumpkin bread recipe is so fluffy, no one will guess it's made with honey, coconut oil and whole wheat flour. Easily vegan/gluten free.
Updated by Kathryne Taylor on November 18, 2021
Raise your hands if you’re excited about fall! I’m looking forward to pumpkin treats, cooler weather and dusting off my favorite boots. The leaves on the trees outside look tired, so I think we’re in for a show soon.
I’m satisfying my pumpkin cravings with my favorite pumpkin bread while we wait for those magnificent red and orange trees. This recipe is a simplified and perfected version of my old honey-sweetened pumpkin bread.
It’s made with pumpkin purée and spices, of course, plus honey (or maple syrup), white whole wheat flour (which is more neutral-flavored than regular) and coconut oil. Combine all of those in one bowl and you’ll get some seriously amazing pumpkin bread.
If you’re a fan of my banana bread, you’re going to love this recipe, too. This recipe is highly adaptable to special diets, and I’ve added notes for adjustments under the recipe. Pumpkin bread for everyone!
Watch How to Make Healthy Pumpkin Bread
I’ve been making recipe videos with my brother. We’ve gotten into more arguments than I’d like to admit, but we’re in a great rhythm now. Let us know what you think of our pumpkin bread video, will you, please? It’s short and snappy, and I hope you love it.
Please let me know how this bread turns out for you in the comments! I hope you love it as much as I do.
Craving more pumpkin treats and wholesome baking projects? Here are a few of my favorites:
- Healthy pumpkin muffins (just like this pumpkin bread, but in muffin form!)
- Pumpkin pecan scones with maple glaze
- Pumpkin pancakes
- Pumpkin waffles
- More pumpkin recipes here!
Healthy Pumpkin Bread
This amazing pumpkin bread is naturally sweetened with honey or maple syrup, and made with whole wheat flour. It’s so moist and fluffy, no one will ever guess! You can easily make this pumpkin bread vegan and/or gluten free—check the recipe notes for details. Recipe yields 1 loaf.
Ingredients
- ⅓ cup melted coconut oil or extra-virgin olive oil*
- ½ cup honey or maple syrup
- 2 eggs
- 1 cup pumpkin purée
- ¼ cup milk of choice or water
- 1 ½ teaspoons pumpkin spice blend (or ½ teaspoon cinnamon, ½ teaspoon ground ginger, ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg, and ¼ teaspoon allspice or cloves)
- 1 teaspoon baking soda (NOT baking powder; they aren’t the same!)
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 ¾ cups white whole wheat flour or regular whole wheat flour
- Totally optional: ½ cup mix-ins like chopped walnuts or pecans, chocolate chips, raisins, chopped dried fruit…
- Pinch of ground cinnamon, for sprinkling on top
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 325 degrees Fahrenheit (165 degrees Celsius) and grease a 9×5-inch loaf pan.
- In a large bowl, beat the oil and honey together together with a whisk. Add the eggs and whisk until blended. (If your coconut oil solidifies on contact with cold ingredients, simply let the bowl rest in a warm place for a few minutes, like on top of your stove, or warm it for about 10 seconds in the microwave.)
- Add the pumpkin purée, milk, pumpkin spice, baking soda, vanilla and salt, and whisk to blend. Lastly, switch to a big spoon and stir in the flour, just until combined. Some lumps are ok! If you’re adding any additional mix-ins, gently fold them in now.
- Pour the batter into your greased loaf pan and sprinkle lightly with cinnamon. If you’d like a pretty swirled effect, run the tip of a knife across the batter in a zig-zag pattern.
- Bake for 55 to 60 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean (typically, if I haven’t added any mix-ins, my bread is done at 55 minutes; if I have added mix-ins, it needs closer to 60 minutes). Let the bread cool in the loaf pan for 10 minutes, then carefully transfer the bread to a cooling rack to cool for 20 minutes before slicing.
Notes
Recipe adapted from my honey whole wheat pumpkin bread and healthy banana bread.
Storage suggestions: This bread is moist, so it will keep for just two or three days at room temperature. Store it in the refrigerator for five to seven days, or in the freezer for up to three months or so. I like to slice the bread before freezing and defrost individual slices, either by letting them rest at room temperature or lightly toasting them.
*Oil options: I love coconut oil here. I used unrefined coconut oil and can hardly taste it in the final product. Olive oil might lend an herbal note to the muffins, if you’re into that (I tested with California Olive Ranch’s “Everyday” variety and couldn’t even taste it). Vegetable oil has a neutral flavor, but the average vegetable/canola oil is highly processed, so I recommend using cold-pressed sunflower oil or grapeseed oil if possible.
Make muffins: Here’s my pumpkin muffin recipe.
Make it vegan: Use maple syrup instead of honey, replace the eggs with flax eggs and choose non-dairy milk (I used almond milk) or water.
Make it dairy free: Choose non-dairy milk (I used almond milk) or water.
Make it egg free: Replace the eggs with flax eggs.
Make it gluten free: Bob’s Red Mill’s all-purpose gluten-free flour blend works well. Or, substitute 2 ½ cups certified gluten-free oat flour instead. Do NOT substitute coconut flour.
Flour alternatives: An equal amount of all-purpose flour can be used in place of the whole wheat flour.
Make it lower in fat: I would argue that this bread contains a healthy amount of fat, but you can replace the oil with applesauce if you’re following a low-fat diet.
Recommended equipment: I love my Fiesta Loaf Pan in Turquoise (affiliate link).
Nutrition
The information shown is an estimate provided by an online nutrition calculator. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice. See our full nutrition disclosure here.
Made this and it was delicious! Used maple syrup rather than honey, added Enjoy Life dairy free chocolate chips, used rice milk, &Trader Joe’s GF flour (the best gluten free flour I have found compared to other brands and has the fewest ingredients/little additives). Thank you!!
Thanks for sharing, Ray! I’m always interested in what people think of the gluten free versions and their preferred flours.
Can you substitute the whole wheat flour with Almond flour?
Unfortunately, almond flour is not a 1:1 substitute. If you are looking to make this gluten free, try the Bob’s Red Mill gluten free flour.
Thank you for responding!
You’re welcome!
Loved this recipe! So easy to make! I am a pretty inexperienced baker, so this yummy bread to make was definitely a treat to make! I even added some peeled carrot and chia seeds to my bread! Thank-you for the recipe, it might even inspire me to bake more!
I’m happy you were successful, Alexia. Thanks for your review!
Thank you so much for making this recipe. No joke, I have made this once a week all Winter. It also makes an amazing gift – I have baked one for a family in mourning and have one in my freezer for my expecting Sister-in-law (nothing better than cake when you’re breast feeding). It is really great even after it’s been frozen so you can make it ahead of time. I love it with only 1/3C honey so it’s slightly less sweet but I always pack in raisins to make up for it – what an amazing suggestion!
This bread is delicious! I’m making it the second time right now. It was perfect!
Great to hear, Amber! It’s pumpkin season. :)
This was perfect! My family and I loved it. We used coconut oil, maple syrup, and walnuts. Did exactly as recipe stated. Will add to our “make over and over” recipe binder
Over and over binder! I love that and so glad this one made it to the binder.:)
What a perfect way to kick off my October!
Happy to hear that, Rebecca!
It looks great and I can’t wait to try it. The only concern I have is that the nutritional value doesn’t appear to be correct. When I input all the ingredients to make one loaf with eight servings, I get 262 calories and that is without any add-ins. I did choose milk instead of water but that only adds another 40 calories for the whole loaf. I use MyfitnessPal calorie calculator.
Hi Lee! I try to provide accurate nutritional information, but these figures should be considered estimates. Varying factors such as product types or brands purchased, natural fluctuations in fresh produce, and the way ingredients are processed change the effective nutritional information in any given recipe. Different online calculators provide different results depending on their own nutrition fact sources and algorithms. Sorry you are getting different results!
So good and very moist!! I subbed out oil/honey for blue agave & used almond flour. Will definitely make again- thank you :)
Thanks for sharing, Morgan! I appreciate the review.
I made this today and it is wonderful. I used a whole can of pumpkin so upped the flour just a bit and did a heaping tsp of baking soda. It came out so fantastically moist. I also made it with two flax eggs and almond milk. Thanks!
You’re welcome, Anne!
Absolutely delicious! Extremely moist and flavor is wonderful. I added 1/2 cup of chocolate chips and that was just the right amount!
That does sound like a great addition, Jessica! Thanks for sharing and for your review.
I LOVE this bread! It tastes fantastic, is super easy to assemble, and I feel really good about feeding it to my three year old. Thank you for the recipe!!!
Thank you, Carol! I’m so happy to hear that.
Hello!
I will be making this recipe and was wondering how do I incorporate natural pumpkin instead of the purée?
You will still want to have it pureed. You can cook your own if you like!
Regarding your pumpkin bread video, my young adult daughter made one with me last summer, trying to use this style for making cheese ravioli. It was lots of work, retakes, etc. We still have not finished editing or posting the recipe! I could see how videotaping with a family member can lead to fights. Your video came out great!
–Cindy’s Garden to Table
Videos are fun but challenging! Thanks for your comment, Cindy.
Would you recommend using oat flour or almond flour as an alternative?
If you are looking to make it gluten free, Bob’s Red Mill gluten-free all-purpose blend has worked well.
I made this bread and it is delicious. I added chopped pecans to mine. I also added drizzled honey before serving. I have also used whip cream on top before serving.
Great additions, Angela!
Great recipe Kate! I followed it closely with the following changes: 1 tsp of the cinnamon instead of 1/2, Rye flour (that’s all I had), maple syrup, and I subbed caramel extract for vanilla. I added chopped figs and sprinkled raw pumpkin seeds on top before baking. Will save this recipe, I love this site!
Hi! I just made this today and it was fantastic! Even my husband that “doesn’t like whole wheat” asked for a second piece. Love that it is naturally sweetened instead of utilizing 567 cups of sugar. I greased the pan and it popped out perfect. 58 minutes. Thank you!!
Hooray! I love when that happens. Thank you, Sherry for your review.
Delicious!! I made it with the vegan recommendations and it was perfect.
Love hearing how the vegan version worked for you, Natalie! Thanks for sharing and for your review.
I made it this evening. I used egg substitute instead of the eggs and almond milk In place of regular milk. I used organic pure pumpkin. I also added in a half a cup of chopped walnuts. The bread came out really good; just not very sweet. Then again, it’s bread not cake. So I would have to say it was perfect.
Thank you for sharing, Marne!
Loved the recipe! Used applesauce for oil and opted for the milk option. Embarrassed to say I accidentally added an entire can of pumpkin! I figured I’d have to compost the creation but ended up loving it. Super moist and very flavorful. Definitely more dense than bread but it did cook through. I also sprinkled powder sugar on top.
An entire can! I’m glad it still worked for you. I appreciate your comment and review, Lindsey!
All your recipes that I’ve tried so far are delish, and I love all the healthy substitutions. This might be my fav- sooo moist and fall-flavored. The subs I chose were coconut oil, whole wheat/almond flour mix, maple syrup, the individual spices instead of the pumpkin spice blend (you can add more nutmeg that way ;)…) and I also subbed maple extract instead of vanilla for an extra rich umph. Everyone raved.
Wonderful to hear, Kristen! Thanks for sharing your substitutions! I appreciate the review.
Delicious!
Thank you!
Rainy day and 6 bananas that are in need of being made into something or tossed. (Gasp!) Resulted in this recipe. I can’t process white sugar so always looking for healthy alternatives. I doubled the recipe and added walnuts to one loaf. They really turned out great and taste great too! Great recipe, will use again with the pumpkin version. Freezes good too!!
Yes, this freezes nicely! Thanks for sharing, Chris. I’m happy you loved it.
Wish you were able to give nutritional information. It’s helpful for those counting calories!
I do! You can find it below the recipe notes section of the recipe. You just need to click to expand. I hope this helps, Erin!
Not as pumpkinny as I would have liked. Maybe I just need a little sugar in my quick breads
I’m sorry you weren’t in love with this recipe, Natalie! Thanks for sharing your experience.
Sorry I’m not on Instagram, but I definitely wanted to leave a feedback.
The pumpkin bread turned out great! It was only slightly sweet, which was perfect for my family. I added maple syrup as my choice sweetener and chopped pecans to compliment the maple syrup. I also replaced the milk with homemade buttermilk. It took me almost 75 mins to get a perfect bake though. But the end result was a delectable, fragrant and spongy bread.
Thank you for sharing!!
Just made it last night and it was delicious! Do you have any suggestions on how to make it GF, other than using that Bob’s Red Mill’s gluten-free all-purpose. Is there any way to mix almond flour, oat flour, etc. to make it work?
Thanks again!!
I made a gf version and here’s what I did:
Subbed whole wheat flour for 1/2 grounded instant oats (throw it near the blender and pulse till flour like) and the other half gluten free Bisquick. Then sift both of them together, and add about a tablespoon of applesauce to combat the water that the oats — for lack of a better word haha— steal. Best of luck and enjoy the loaf!
Without a lot of adjustments and testing out other variations, the gluten free flour mix would be your best bet. Sorry!
I love underbaking this warm, sweet loaf just slightly so that it’s less of a bread and more of a moist cake. It’s delicous! I made it last night paired with brown rice lasagna and vegetable soup and let’s just say the pan was empty by the end of the evening— and I’ve got a hungry hubby, ravenous teenaged girls, and a pregnant mama (me haha) to feed.
Thanks, Katie! I love the fragrant ginger and cinnamon! I came back because I’m baking a new loaf today — as requested by my teenager daughter. :D
Thank you, Emma! I love that you make this to your own liking.
I just finished baking a double batch of this, using the vegan variation and subbing freshly-roasted butternut squash puree for the pumpkin. It is delicious— moist, flavorful, and not dense or crumbly like whole wheat recipes can be. I’m going to go eat another slice now! :)
Thank you for sharing, Lisa!
I really wanted to love the recipe, but it just wasn’t what I hoped. I made the recipe twice on two different occasions in hopes the second try would be better. Both times the bread came out dry and way to dense. I cooked it for the correct amount of time and checked on it a few times before the recommended time and it wasn’t done at that point. The flavors are pretty good, but I can’t get past the texture being so dense. I love fluffy moist bread, and this was sadly neither.
I’m really sorry you didn’t have luck with this one. Hmm.. I’m slightly puzzled!
I never post to blogs like this is my first one lol. This is by far the best pumpkin bread I’ve ever had. I used fresh purred pumpkin half honey half maple syrup wow!!!
Thanks for commenting, Taylor! I’m glad you loved this pumpkin bread.
I used a light buckwheat flour, sifted and it turned out wonderfully. Everyone commented how light and fluffy the bread was and not too sweet, lovely pumpkin flavour. Thank you!
Thank you for sharing that it worked for you, KJ! I appreciate your review.
sad. this has no taste! I added the whole can of pumpkin puree and then a little extra flour to make up and the bread came out completely tasteless. great texture though (super moist) but probably needed like 4x as much pumpkin pie spice
I’m sad you were disappointed by this recipe! Thanks for sharing your experience. I have found that adding a little bit more of your favorite spice can help, depending on your taste preference.
Perfect mix in – Roasted Pepitas (salted or not). These pumpkin seeds are the perfect addition as a mix in or sprinkled as a topping over the batter, or make a crumb type topping I personally like to mix in unsalted pepitas, then top the batter with a light sprinkling of salted seeds, chopped a little. Lovely with the cinnamon.
Thanks for sharing!
Turned out very well. I did add some pecans and used honey with a little bit of coconut sugar. Freezes well. A little bit dry but was still very good.
Thanks for sharing, Chris!
I made this today and it is BY FAR my favorite homemade pumpkin bread yet! I want to share what substitutes I used because I always love reading comments on recipes to see what others have tried (in case I’m missing original ingredients) I used chia “eggs,” unsweetened applesauce (instead of oil), unbleached all purpose flour, water, 1/4 cup maple and 1/4 cup honey, and added in maybe 1/2 cup or more (didn’t measure) of dark chocolate chips. I topped it with a few more of the dark chocolate chips before baking.
I am so thankful you shared your recipe! I’ve been looking for a good one for a while. This is so moist and delicious!
Thanks for trying it, Kelli! I appreciate you taking the time to share.
This is exquisite – super-moist and super-easy. Thank you!
You’re welcome!
I usually love all your quick bread recipes, but this one was a flop. It turned out so dense and flavorless, which is a huge bummer since I doubled the recipe to make two loaves for my parents.
Hi Christine, truly very sorry to hear that you were underwhelmed by this recipe. It’s one of my go-tos! It sounds like something went wrong with your bread, as it should not have been dense or flavorless. I am not sure how you measured your flour, but I recommend spooning it into your measuring cups and then leveling off the top with a knife. If you scoop it directly into the cups, you could end up with substantially more flour than necessary, and that would explain why the bread was dense and flavorless. Hope this helps for future baking recipes. Would love to hear from you about your other experiences with my quick bread recipes! Happy holidays!
can i use butter? or must it be oil? awaiting a swift responce preferably.
Melted butter should work too, but I haven’t tried it. Let me know how it goes for you!
I make this recipe almost every week now! I make mini muffins and sub some almond flour and whole wheat flour. My one year old son goes crazy for these! So easy to make and take on the go for snack. Thank you
I love that! Thanks for sharing that it’s a hit with your son. I appreciate the review, Katie!
I baked last night by following your recipe but only I used a mix of chickpeas flour( sifted chickpeas flourfirst) and coconut flour instead of whole wheat also decorated with pumpkin seeds on the top. The bread came out very good.
Thanks for your nice and healthy recipe
I’m glad it turned out! I wouldn’t have thought so with the combination. Thanks for sharing, Sophie!
Made this for the first time and it is delicious – it tastes like gingerbread! I added extra spice because I love big flavors, and I used canola oil because that was what I had on hand. I ended up cooking the bread for about 75 minutes, but that could have just been the different oil or my oven. Thanks for this recipe – it is already almost halfway gone!
Thanks for sharing, Lauren!
I made this delightful bread with avocado oil, 1% milk, and maple syrup then added pecans and dates – awesome!
Great, Teresa!
I followed the recipe exactly and it came out perfect. My family loved it.
Thank you
Wonderful, Elizabeth!
I enjoyed this recipe! I was looking for something that I could feel good about feeding my kids, so I was on the hunt for a whole wheat version with less sugar than the usual recipes. Most recipes call for 2 (!) cups of sugar. This is definitely less sweet than typical loaves. I also added millet. Will make again.
I’m happy you found it too, Jess! Thanks for your review.
So delicious! Just made this as a healthy smash “cake” for my son’s birthday. Added some greek yogurt frosting on top. Was a huge hit!
Thanks for the review! Happy birthday to you and your son. :)
Can I use flax as an add-in or that would change the recipe? Trying to find a healthy recipe for bananas and canned(yes canned!) pumpkin.
Hi Dara, I haven’t tried it but I know other readers have tried other add-ins and it has turned out well.
I am a nanny and I work for a vegan family. I made this recipe but traded the eggs for 1/2 cup of avocado and I used almond milk and chickpea flour (ratio of 3/4 chickpea to 1 flour). Wow! Fabulous and moist!
I made this recipe a couple days ago and I am in love! I modified it a little bit using butter instead of coconut oil, and I decided to add the entire can of pumpkin puree. I was nervous about using the whole can, but it worked out great. The trick in my experience was leaving the bread in the oven longer and at a lower temp to dry it out. When I took it out at the 60 minute mark it was very wet in the middle. I poked multiple holes in the top with a knife, turned the oven down to 280 and left it in for 15 minute increments. Unfortunately i don’t remember how many increments, but i just kept checking on the center using a toothpick until the tooth pick came out clean. The extra pumpkin puree kept the bread SO moist that I wasn’t worried about hardening the exterior. The bread is incredibly soft and feels indulgent to eat! My added chocolate chips help with that spoiled feeling too. Thank you for the great recipe!
Thank you for sharing, Hailey!