Paleo Pumpkin Bread

One of my most favorite recipes—this is the best paleo pumpkin bread! It’s moist, dense, and packed with pumpkin flavor. The entire recipes mixes up in one bowl, and it’s made with the perfect ratio of almond flour to coconut flour. Your new staple healthy pumpkin bread recipe for fall! 

If there’s one recipe we’ve made the most over the years—it’s pumpkin bread. Why? First, because bread. Second, this paleo recipe is a family favorite. It’s moist, dense, and makes the perfect snack. In fact, when my husband was stationed overseas a decade ago, I sent him this recipe so that he could bake it every weekend and snack on it during the week.

While we love having paleo pumpkin bread year-round, it really is the perfect recipe for fall baking. Serve it at breakfast, brunch, or as a snack during family gatherings on holidays. It’s amazing with butter, apple butter, or a drizzle of powdered sugar glaze. You can’t go wrong!

I also love that this recipe is customizable. If you’re not feeling the 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.

After many years of baking and tweaking, this pumpkin bread has the perfect texture. The secret? The blend of almond flour, tapioca flour, and coconut flour. So, while this recipe is gluten free and paleo, no one will be able to tell! Get ready to serve seconds and share the recipe with friends!

What Makes This Paleo?

I love figuring out ways to make healthy swaps in desserts without sacrificing texture or flavor. While this easy paleo pumpkin bread recipe is made with healthier ingredients, it’s everything you’d want and more—moist, dense, and and packed with pumpkin flavor! This recipe is:

• Made with whole ingredients: The base of this recipe is pumpkin puree, eggs, coconut oil, and it’s sweetened with maple syrup.
• Gluten free: This recipe is made with almond flour and coconut flour. It also includes tapioca flour, which gives it a cakey texture.
• Dairy free: As a nice aside, this pumpkin bread is completely dairy free! There’s no need for milk or butter as coconut oil does the trick!
• Naturally sweetened: Maple syrup and coconut sugar are used to sweeten the bread. Both pair perfectly with pumpkin and fall spices.

Simple Ingredients:

This recipe is fairly easy to make. You likely have most if not all of the ingredients already on hand, so let’s get to baking!

For the bread:

• Pumpkin puree
• Eggs
• Coconut sugar
• Coconut oil
• Maple syrup
• Vanilla extract
• Blanched almond flour
• Tapioca flour
• Coconut flour
• Baking powder
• Baking soda
• Chocolate chips (optional)

Spices:

• Cinnamon
• Allspice
• Sea salt
• Nutmeg
• Cloves

How to Make the BEST Paleo Pumpkin Bread

Ready to make the best pumpkin bread on the planet? Here’s how to make it in five easy steps:

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!

Storing and Freezing Info

Store pumpkin bread in an airtight container so it doesn’t dry out. Pumpkin bread will last at room temperature for up to three days, or in the fridge for up to a week.

This recipe is that it freezes well! If you have a couple of loaf pans, double the recipe and throw the extra bread in the freezer to have as a snack during the holidays! To freeze, place the bread in an airtight container or freezer-safe storage bag. You can also cut the loaf into slices and separate the slices with a piece of parchment paper to prevent sticking. When you’re ready to eat a slice, just lay it out in the fridge to thaw for a few hours. Store the bread in the freezer for up to 3 months.

Serving Info

I absolutely love paleo pumpkin bread just as is, or with a little grass-fed butter or cream cheese spread. If you choose not to include chocolate chips, it’s amazing with a little drizzle of powdered sugar glaze. You can also top it with apple butter, maple butter, or cinnamon honey butter. In short, you can’t go wrong!

Can I Make Substitutions?

Sure can! However, this is where I make that special note that you won’t get the same consistent results if you vary from the original recipe. But, if you find yourself short, here’s a few swaps you can make:

• Almond flour: You can use another nut flour, like cashew flour.
• Tapioca flour: You can swap this for arrowroot flour.
• Maple syrup: This can be swapped for raw honey.
• Coconut sugar: You can swap this for any granulated sugar, including brown sugar.
• Coconut oil: It’s fine to use ghee or unsalted butter instead! Just make sure it’s soft and room temperature.
• Spices: You can replace the cinnamon, allspice, nutmeg, and clove with 1 tablespoon pumpkin pie spice. 

Baking Tips + Tricks

• 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.
• Make sure to use pure and organic pumpkin puree, not pumpkin pie filling. Canned pumpkin puree is easy to find at most grocery stores. Check the baking or canned goods aisle.
• Don’t over-mix the batter. Mix until just combined. 
• You can swap in ½ cup of another mix-in in place of the chocolate chips, like chopped pecans or walnuts. You can also sprinkle chopped nuts or coconut flakes on top.
• In general, I always recommend the fluff, scoop and sweep method when measuring flours. Fluff the flour well with a fork, then scoop up the flour with the measuring cup and level it off. If you don’t fluff your flour or you pack it into the measuring cup, you’ll end up with too much flour. 
• I personally use Bob’s Red Mill flours for consistency when baking.

Stocking the Pantry

I personally use Thrive Market for most of my pantry needs because it saves me some cash—especially when it comes to commonly used items like blanched almond flour, coconut flour, and coconut oil. For a complete list of my recommend pantry items and what I use in my home, check out my favorite kitchen tools and pantry items.

Other Recipes You’ll Love

• Paleo Pumpkin Muffins with Cinnamon Streusel (Grain-Free, Dairy-Free)
• Paleo Pumpkin Blondies
• 4-Ingredient Vegan Caramel Sauce
• Paleo Chocolate Banana Bread
• Paleo Magic Cookie Bars

What did you think about this paleo pumpkin bread? Got questions? Let me know in the comments below!

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