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.
Great recipe, I have to be dairy and soy free while I breastfeed.
Your pumpkin bread has been my favorite.
Thank you so much.
I’m glad you are able to enjoy it, Marlene! Thank you for your review.
Love your pumpkin bread loaf.
Hello Kate!
Thank you so much for making these healthier recipes. They’ve helped me with my cravings without much guilt. Anyways, I was just wondering
since unsweetened applesauce is still sweet, should I reduce the honey or maple syrup? Also, when replacing the white whole wheat flour with regular whole wheat flour, should I measure it by weight or volume?
Thanks,
A Fan
Hi! Sorry to disappoint, I can’t say without trying it myself. It would definitely change the recipe.
Wanted to like this…. but it turned out terrible. I followed the recipe exactly- used bobs gf flour, almond milk, coco oil and half maple and half honey. It had the weirdest flavor and no pumpkin taste? Is the recipe supposed to say 1 CAN pumpkin instead of 1 CUP? No amount of butter could help…. Disappointed….
Hi AC, I’m sorry to hear you didn’t love this. I ensure the measurements are correct. Were your spices fresh? You can always increase the pumpkin spice flavor by adding more spices. Pumpkin itself actually doesn’t have a ton of the pumpkin flavor as it comes from the spices.
Hello. I am confused by how you list the coconut oil in your recipe. Is it 1/3 cup of coconut oil, melted – (you measure the sold oil and then melt) or is it 1/3 cup of melted coconut oil (you melt and then measure)? I find these are different amounts. Thank you!
Hi there, it’s melted coconut oil, so melt if necessary and then measure.
Mmmmmmmmh….! Delicious :) I’m glad that we still haven’t run out of the pumpkins we harvested last Fall because we really enjoyed your recipe. Thank you!!
This bread is very good. I sprinkled a little turbinado sugar on the top and added chocolate chips. I think it definitely needs the sweetness of a few bits of chocolate. I will make this again!
Just made this today and it turned out amazing! Delicious, moist and perfectly baked at 55 minutes. This is the only pumpkin bread recipe I’ll use and even my toddler loves it!
Hi Kate,
Just wondering if I can substitute canned pumpkin soup for the pumpkin puree? I live in Australia and canned pumpkin puree is almost impossible to find!
Hi Amber, are you referring to my Creamy Roasted Pumpkin Soup recipe? See the note at the bottom in the notes section! Enjoy.
Made this last night and the family enjoyed – a great healthy pumpkin loaf!
– I doubled the recipe to made 2 loaves and both turned out great. I used honey, coconut oil, almond milk and subbed a gluten-free flour blend. I mixed white sugar & cinnamon and sprinkled a teaspoon on top while it baked!
– Definitely tasted “healthy” because not very sweet (which I didn’t mind). I’d like to try maple syrup next time to see if it increases the sweetness! Loaves were flavourful & very moist!!
Overall, a great recipe for a healthier pumpkin loaf! Thanks
You’re welcome, Beth! I appreciate your review.
Hello Kate! Me and my brother tried your recipe and well…it didn’t go well. Not your fault, this was our first time trying your recipe so it was probably something we did wrong. We didn’t have milk, so we used water like the recipe called for, and we did not have honey, so we used maple syrup. The pumpkin bread came out looking delicious! Although when we tried it it was a bit disappointing. It was pretty flavorless and had the slightest pumpkin flavor (we even added a tad bit more then it called for). It was also pretty dense. It wasn’t sweet at all, but we liked that because after all it’s supposed to be healthy. It was alright, but could of used more pumpkin flavor. We did eat it all up though! We are definitely going to try this again, and we are planning on going to the store to get milk and honey and try to add a bit more pumpkin puree! Thank you for this recipe! Have a great day.
Hi Melanie! I’m sorry to hear that. The pumpkin spice flavoring actually comes from the spice. You can always increase that more next time. Also, make sure it’s not old so you have the best flavor.
Hi Kate
I waa going to try substituting avocados for eggs? I have been told we could substitute avocados or yoghurt for eggs. I was hoping to see if anyone had already tried it? Thanks, Mala
Hi, I haven’t tired that. I would suggest the vegan option to make it egg free.
Just loving this recipe. Have made it many many times. The bread stays moist!
Yum! I have saved this and will be making it often. Just wondering how many calories there would be in a thin slice if I follow the exact recipe with no mix ins?
This is best pumpkin bread, yum! Could you please tell me how many calories are in a serving?
Hi! The nutritional information is below the recipe notes. You just need to click to expand.
Hi Kate,,,,Was feeling bored saw this recipe thought I would give it a go….Oh yes I love it…. So easy ….I will mix it up next time banana, pecan don’t think you can go wrong.
I lOVE your banana bread recipe so I thought I would try this one too, was not disappointed! So good
I’m glad, hala! Thank you for sharing.
This pumpkin bread is delicious! Thanks for sharing the recipe!
I’m glad you love it!
Hi, Love your banana muffins. But this recipe, not so much. Not a lot of flavor although the loaf turned out nicely, the flavor just isn’t there. Healthier yes, flavorful….hmm, not exactly. This was a bit of a miss for me, but I love most of your recipes and I can rely on them.
Thank-you for offering a healthier version.
I’m sorry you didn’t love this recipe, Ree. Were your spices fresh? That can impact the flavor, or the type of pumpkin you use too. I appreciate your feedback.
I used whole wheat pastry flour, coconut oil, and maple syrup. It needed 65 minutes for a toothpick to come out clean, but upon cooling I’ve found it’s still underbaked in the middle. Weird, cloying consistency and hardly any flavor.
I’m sorry to hear that, Marueen! Sounds like there may have been too much liquid. Or what type of baking dish did you use?
Followed this completely, however turned out dry and not sweet enough. I think I’m going to try it out again and add Lily’s dark chocolate chips and cook it a little less than 55 minutes.
I’m sorry to hear that! I hope you try it again. Let me know what you think.
The moistness of this recipe is unbeatable! Seriously the best consistency but I couldn’t get the pumpkin flavor to shine through. I followed the recipe to a T, but mine honestly didn’t taste like anything. I couldn’t taste the vanilla, honey, pumpkin pie seasoning or the pumpkin. Is there anything else I could possibly do to get more pumpkin flavor? I don’t typically experiment with baking, I like to follow recipes, so any advice you have would be awesome because I love this recipe! Thank you!
Wow! I absolutely love this recipe. I ended up topping it with your cream cheese icing recipe and it was amazing! I have tried so many of your recipes and have never made one didn’t turn out great :) Best food blog out there!!
I’m glad you loved it and can trust my recipes, Abbey! Thank you for your review and comment.
Delicious! I’m so glad I discovered you and your healthy recipes! I just made this last night and it turned out PERFECT. On the nutrition you provided it says 8 servings…which is a nice thick slice. Is that the correct amount of servings, seems large! (But I am happy with that)
I made this recipe tonight and it’s SO GOOD. I may or may not have eaten half the loaf already.
I’m glad you love it, Reagan! Thank you for your review.
Delicious recipe! Made it this morning on a cool, fall morning. Perfect with a cup of coffee. My husband loves it because it’s not too sweet. Definitely will be a repeat recipe! Thank you!
You’re welcome, Kate! I’m glad you enjoyed it.
Typically I love your recipes. So much so that your website it was my husband and I primarily reference when cooking. I made this pumpkin loaf using the oat flour option listed but I found it dense, short and a bit crumbly. I wouldn’t recommend that variation.
I’m sorry you didn’t love it. Did you measure the flour the same? Did you change the amount at all?
Hi there! When I was putting in this recipe into a myfitnesspal nutrition calculator, the calories per serving was over 200 instead of the 185 in the nutrition info on this page. I’m not sure what I am doing wrong. I put in 8 servings, but it comes out as 263 per serving. By 8 servings, does it mean there is 8 slices per 1 loaf?
Hi Ashley, More on my Nutrition Disclaimer. Yes, there are 8 slices per loaf.
Made this this AM! My two year old loves Starbucks pumpkin loaf but it’s 410 calories and 39g sugar
I accidentally put 1/2 cup oil in, so I just did two cups flour instead. Came out great! My son loved it. I swirled it with a smidgen of cinnamon & coconut sugar on top too!
Thanks for this recipe, always looking for alternatives to things that are typically high in sugar!
I’m glad it still turned out and you both were able to enjoy it! I appreciate your review, Sara.
I used 2X recipe, but didn’t realize until they were in the oven that the quantity of mix-ins stayed at the 1X level – I did add some extra pecans because 1/2 cup didn’t seem like enough, but wish I had noticed before baking. Taste is delicious, though. I used coconut oil, 3/4 c. maple syrup (for 2X) and it was plenty sweet. Thanks for all the variations, as we do have GF, DF and nut allergies in our fam!
I’m happy it still tasted delicious!
Hi Kate,
Thank you for sharing this recipe. It is my go to recipe for banana bread now. I just had a question about oven temperature. It never gets cooked for me in 55 to 60 minutes. I just wanted to know if you move the bread around to different racks in the middle of baking.
i didnt see ur note to not use coconut flour … i used it and just put it in the oven it seemed very dry but still moist but not like a usual batter that it usually comes out too. im interested on whats gonna pop out of the oven when its done. why were u suggesting to not use coconut flour?
Hi Emma, I don’t find coconut works well. It tends to soak everything up and usually doesn’t bind well.
Delicious! I made it with olive oil, maple syrup, and half whole wheat/half white flour.
Made this last weekend and I’ve been having it for morning tea every day since. Tasty tasty treat
I’m glad you are enjoying it, Melanie!
Hi Kate! I absolutely love your recipes! I made this one and did half regular whole wheat and half white flour. After making it the bread just doesn’t really have that pumpkin flavor. Any idea what may have happened?
Hi Lexi, the pumpkin flavor really comes from the spice blend. Did you use fresh spices?
Is there an error in recipe for the pumpkin puree? Recipe says 1 cup but comments were something about 14 oz. my batter was super thick and cooking time was way longer. Please help.
Thank you
Hi Christa, you want one cup of puree here.
Delicious and so moist!
I did not have coconut oil, and I used whole wheat flour.
Literally made this recipe 15 minutes ago – it’s an absolute win. Fluffy and rich; not too, too sweet (I used maple syrup, half coconut oil/half olive oil, chocolate chips and walnuts). I find some similar breads turn out oily or saccharine but this one is perfect. Easy recipe, can’t go wrong! <3 thank you
I’m glad you loved it, Mantha! Thank you for sharing your experience.
Hi Kate,
Thanks for this recipe (huge fan of your granola btw, it’s a weekly staple in our house). I started the recipe late at night and only then realized I ran out of baking soda. My only alternative was baking powder so I used a 1:3 ration substitute in the hopes the cake will rise. In the future, do you have alternatives for baking soda as I don’t typically keep it on hand? Thanks!
Great recipe! I used whole spelt flour, added cranberries and pecans, and topped the loaf with oats for decoration. It turned out great — visually pleasing and delicious!
I would add more cinnamon. I used half the amount of oil (olive oil and toasted sesame oil for flavor), and applesauce for the remaining half of the 1/3 cup. I used honey but maple syrup would be better.
I made these muffins using coconut oil which I thought added a nice flavour. I used leftover pumpkin puree from my pie. I doubled the recipe and didn’t have enough puree so I added mashed bananas to make up the difference. They tasted yummy!
Thank you for sharing, Darlene!
Made this today and it is delicious and moist!! Was a hit with the whole family including picky kids who don’t like anything “healthy”. This will be in our fall rotation! Did 1/2 maple syrup & 1/2 honey. Yum! Thank you for all of your incredible recipes! Loving using the cookbook almost daily! Congratulations on your sweet baby!
So good, I made this two days in a row! First time I brought it to a get-together. Liked it so much that I had to make a loaf for home. I used a traditional loaf pan and all maple syrup the first time, and a Bundt pan with a 50/50 combo of maple syrup and honey the second time. Both times I used regular whole wheat flour and it turned out great!
I love that! Thank you for sharing, BBell.
I love love love your healthy banana bread recipe, so when the pumpkin bread recipe crossed my Facebook feed a week or so ago, I couldn’t wait to make it. I am not disappointed!! Since my canned pumpkin puree measures 15 oz, or 3/4 cup, I divided one can into 2 cups, and mixed 1/4 cup unsweetened applesauce in each to make 2 full cups. One went into the bread, and one is in the freezer for another loaf. It came out perfectly. I live at 7000 ft in elevation, and find no adjustments are needed, except the add-ins. This time, walnuts and pepitas. Soooooo good!
I’m glad you loved it, Janet!
An absolute keeper! I’ve made this twice now using casava flour, honey, coconut oil and chocolate chips. The whole family loves it, including my picky 4 year old!
I’m glad it works well with casava! Thank you for sharing, Gabrielle.
Has anyone used avocado oil as a substitute? It’s a mild flavored oil so I would think it would work
PERFECT (healthy) fall pumpkin bread recipe! I love healthy versions of desserts but have had multiple times where they come out too dry due to absence of real sugar. This is NOT the case with this recipe- so moist, so soft, and light. 10/10 recommend!!!
Thank you, Hannah! I’m glad you love it.
I’ve tried this recipe twice now and both times the bottom doesn’t cook at all. I followed the recipe exactly. Not sure what I’m doing wrong.
Hi Bren, I’m sorry to hear that! Does your pumpkin seem really watery? Are you cooking at an elevation?
Is it possible to substitue 1/2 cup brown sugar for honey?
Hi Dawn, changing the type of sugar will impact your results.
I made this today, used brown sugar instead of honey as it was available. I also added some pecans so left it in for 1hour, was still not done. I put it back in a few times, still gummy in the middle. I ended up raising the temperature to 350 after reading how to repair uncooked pumpkin loaf. It has been another 30 minutes and I still see pumpkin on the knife when I check it. I will not make this again ,waste of time and money!
Hi sDawn, unfortunately changing the sugar likely impacted your result. I’m sorry it didn’t turn out.