Paleo Pumpkin Bread

The best paleo pumpkin bread you’ve ever had! It’s moist, dense, and packed with pumpkin flavor! It’s easy to make and the recipe mixes up in one bowl. Your new staple recipe for fall! 

My absolute favorite fall recipe is paleo pumpkin bread, which takes the lead just ahead of my healthy pumpkin bars. This bread is incredibly moist, dense, and packed with all of the sweet and warming fall spices.

While I love having pumpkin bread year-round, there’s just something about having a slice on cool, crisp mornings during the fall. We include it in the kids’ lunches, but you can also serve it at breakfast, brunch, or as a snack during family gatherings. It’s amazing with butter, apple butter, or a drizzle of dairy free cream cheese frosting. You can’t go wrong!

This recipe is also customizable. If you’re not feeling chocolate chips, swap them out for a different mix-in, like chopped pecans, walnuts, raisins, or dried cranberries. You can also include multiple mix-ins in one loaf! I love the combo of chocolate chips and chopped walnuts.

Ingredient Notes

Here are a few tips about some of the ingredients in this recipe:

• Pumpkin puree – Make sure to get pure pumpkin puree, not pumpkin pie filling!
• Eggs – Make sure to lay these out about an hour ahead of time to bring them to room temperature.
• Coconut sugar – This adds a nice maple-sweet taste.
• Blanched almond flour – I recommend using a fine almond flour for the best texture.
• Coconut flour – While you only need a small amount, this is the secret ingredient that makes the texture dense without being too wet.
• Chocolate chips (optional) – I like using dark chocolate chips without added sugar.

Substitutions

While substitutions may change the texture and flavor, here’s a general guideline for what will work in this recipe:

• Almond flour – You can use another nut flour, like cashew flour.
• Tapioca flour – Swap this for arrowroot flour.
• Maple syrup – Swap for raw honey.
• Coconut sugar – You can swap this for any granulated sugar, including brown sugar. Check out my favorite coconut sugar substitutes for more info.
• Coconut oil: Use ghee or unsalted butter. Just make sure it’s soft and room temperature.

How to Make Paleo Pumpkin Bread

1. Prep: Preheat the oven to 350°F. Lightly grease an 8-1/2 x 4-1/2 inch bread loaf pan with coconut oil, and line it with a parchment paper sling.
2. Whisk: In a large mixing bowl, whisk the eggs until smooth. Add the pumpkin puree, coconut sugar, coconut oil, maple syrup, and vanilla extract, and whisk until combined.
3. Mix the Batter: Add the almond flour, tapioca flour, coconut flour, baking powder, baking soda, and spices to the bowl and mix until combined. Fold in the chocolate chips.
4. Transfer to Loaf Pan: Pour the batter into the prepared baking pan and sprinkle with chocolate chips.
5. Bake: Bake in the center of the oven for 55-60 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean. Let the bread cool for at least 15 minutes prior to lifting out of the pan. Cut into slices, serve, and enjoy!

Recipes FAQs

Baking Tips

• Start with ingredients that are room temperature. If you forgot to lay out the eggs, put them in a warm water bath for a few minutes.
• Use pure and organic pumpkin puree, not pumpkin pie filling. Canned pumpkin puree is easy to find at most grocery stores.
• Don’t over-mix the batter. Mix until just combined. 
• To measure, use the fluff, scoop, and sweep method. Fluff the flour with a fork, then scoop up the flour with the measuring cup and level it off. If you don’t fluff the flour or you pack it into the measuring cup, you’ll end up with too much flour. 

Paleo Tips

While the paleo diet originally grew in popularity because it encouraged eating an ancestral diet, it’s now a designation that’s come to describe recipes make without grains, dairy, soy, beans, or refined sugar. This pumpkin bread is paleo because it is sweetened with natural sugar, made with grain free flours, and doesn’t include dairy.

If you are following a strict paleo diet, make sure to use chocolate chips that do not contain added sugar.

How to Serve

While you can eat it plain, you can also serve pumpkin bread with:

• Regular or whipped butter
• Apple butter
• A dusting of powdered sugar
• Nut butter
• A drizzle of melted chocolate

Storage and Freezing

TO STORE: Once the bread has cooled, store it in an airtight container or sealable storage bag at room temperature for up to five days. You can also store it in the refrigerator for up to 7 days.

TO FREEZE: This bread freezes well and lasts up to 3 months. Just freeze sliced or whole. To freeze, wrap the loaf or individual slices in parchment paper, then place it in a freezer-safe storage bag.

TO THAW: When you’re ready eat it, thaw it at room temperature overnight or heat a slice in the microwave for a few seconds.

More Pumpkin Recipes

• Healthy Pumpkin Bars
• Paleo Pumpkin Muffins with Streusel
• Paleo Pumpkin Blondies
• Dairy Free Cream Cheese Frosting

Recipe by: Noelle Tarr / Coconuts and Kettlebells | Photography by: Casey Colodny / The Mindful Hapa