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Pumpkins are in season here, but I admit I did not buy a fresh, local one for this whole wheat pumpkin bread recipe. When it comes to convenience it is unfortunately hard to beat a can of organic pumpkin puree. That doesn’t mean pumpkin season can’t put us in the mood for this super-easy quick bread recipe though!
My 5-year-old has asked me about 20 times over the last week to make some pumpkin bread so this one is for her … grab some apple cider and enjoy!
Whole Wheat Pumpkin Bread Ingredients
Pumpkin bread can be a healthy alternative to other breads. That's why I make mine with no refined sugar and whole wheat flour.
- Whole Wheat Flour. This is a staple in all my baking. For this recipe, I used King Arthur’s white whole-wheat flour or whole-wheat pastry flour, but any whole grain flour will work fine. For a gluten-free option, make this Healthy Pumpkin Bread.
- Pumpkin Puree. You can use store bought or homemade pumpkin puree in this recipe. While homemade puree usually tastes better, it’s important to know that 100% pure canned pumpkin is a great real food option for busy families.
- No Refined Sugar. Instead of sugar, I used ½ cup of honey.
- Coconut Oil. The fat in this recipe adds flavor, binds ingredients, and keeps the texture moist. Unsalted melted butter can be used instead of coconut oil at a 1:1 ratio.
- Pumpkin Spice. I used cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, and cloves to bring out the pumpkin flavors in this recipe. These are the exact same spices used in a pre-made pumpkin spice mixture. If you’d rather use a pre-made pumpkin spice, omit all 4 spices and replace them with 3 teaspoons of pumpkin pie spice.
How to Make Vegan Pumpkin Bread
I don’t set out to make vegan recipes, but it’s easy to substitute the eggs and honey in this recipe for other healthy, real food ingredients that happen to be vegan.
Use Flaxseed Instead of Eggs
Replace the 2 eggs with 2 tablespoons of flaxseed meal and 5 tablespoons of water. Flaxseeds are a great substitute for nutritious eggs because they can help recipes cooperate as a replacement.
If you have extra flaxseed, make this Paleo Bread!
Maple Syrup Instead of Honey
Both maple syrup and honey are great for adding natural sweetness to recipes and I often use them interchangeably based on what ingredients I have on hand. Honey is not recommended for babies under a year old, even in baking. If you'd rather use maple syrup, swap it in a 1:1 ratio.
Other Ideas for Pumpkin Bread Recipes
By mixing in other ingredients, this pumpkin bread can be transformed into a variety of easy recipes that are perfect for fall. For a regular version, make this Whole Wheat Bread or try this fun Pumpkin Cream Cheese Bread!
Dessert Pumpkin Bread with Chocolate Chips
Chocolate chips can turn this pumpkin bread into an easy fall dessert; simply fold in ½ cup of chocolate chips alongside the pumpkin puree. You will also love these Pumpkin Protein Muffins!
Pumpkin Bread with Fresh Cranberries
Another idea is to add cranberries to this pumpkin bread recipe! To make it, you’ll need ½ cup of fresh or frozen cranberries. Cranberries should be carefully folded in as the last ingredient. Note: If working with frozen cranberries, do not thaw them.
Add Nuts, Seeds, or Dried Fruit
You can add ½ cup of almost any nuts, seeds, or dried fruit you want to this recipe. Here are some ideas:
- Chopped walnuts or pecans
- Dried cranberries
- Raisins
- Pumpkin seeds
- Sunflower seeds
Whole Wheat Pumpkin Bread Recipe FAQ:
What Size Pan Do I Use? This recipe uses a 9” x 5” pan and makes one loaf.
Can You Freeze This Recipe? Yes! It freezes really well. Cooled pumpkin bread can be frozen in an airtight container for up to 3 months. Thaw at room temperature.
How Can You Make This Recipe Gluten Free? Any gluten free whole grain flour substitution can be used in this recipe with no other changes.
Whole-Wheat Pumpkin Bread
Ingredients
- 1 ½ cups whole-wheat flour (I used King Arthur's white whole-wheat flour)
- 1 ½ teaspoons cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon ginger (ground)
- ½ teaspoon nutmeg
- ⅛ teaspoon cloves
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ¼ teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 2 eggs
- ½ cup coconut oil
- ½ cup honey
- ½ teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1 cup pumpkin puree
- ½ cup nuts (chopped (optional))
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
- In a large mixing bowl whisk together the dry ingredients (from the flour down to the salt).
- Make a well (hole) in the center and throw in the eggs, oil, honey, and vanilla. Stir together thoroughly with a fork, but do not overmix.
- Fold in the pumpkin puree and nuts (if using).
- Generously grease a large loaf pan or to turn this into pumpkin muffins, place muffin liners in a muffin pan and then pour in the batter.
- For a loaf bake for approximately 30 – 40 minutes and for muffins bake for approximately 18 - 22 minutes. Check for doneness by making sure a toothpick inserted comes out clean.
- Let the loaf (or muffins) cool in the pan for about 10 minutes, then turn out on a wire rack to cool completely.
Notes
Nutrition Facts
Some other great pumpkin recipes on the blog:
Hilary says
What are your thoughts on using stevia as a substitute for honey?
Assistant to 100 Days (Amy) says
Hi Hilary. We do not use stevia. Most of the stevia that you find is in a very processed from. Plus, we try to stick by the old tried and true whole ingredients. ~Amy
Meg says
I was SO on the fence about making this recipe. I kept wondering, where's the brown sugar ?? I made the recipe exactly except for adding 1/2C of chopped apples. It is my very favorite recipe ever!!!!! I have plans to make a bizzalon more loaves to give out for the holidays. LOVE LOVE LOVE!
Terri says
Excellent!!! Thank You!!
Becky Ray says
Ok, so I put 2 cans of pumpkin, because it says a cup and each can says there 1/2 cup. I put way too much didn't I? It's not cooking at all. Help
Alyssa B. says
Usually a can of pumpkin is 15 ounces, unless you get the really big can. One cup is 8 ounces, half a cup is 4 ounces. There should be almost two cups of pumpkin per can. If you're ever unsure, use a measuring cup to measure it out! I hope your bread turned out okay (probably very pumpkin-y). :)
I just bought a can of pumpkin puree to make pumpkin bread with. I've been on a quick breads kick the past couple of weeks. I've made zucchini bread and banana bread, and I decided it was high time I made some pumpkin bread. I love that this recipe doesn't use as much sweetener. Most of the other recipes I found use over a cup and a half of sugar...that's a lot! Plus a full cup of oil! Yikes!
Kristen says
Thanks so much for this recipe! I just made it and the first couple of bites have been great!
Kathy says
This is delicious - my daughter said best recipe yet. I throw in a few chocolate chips and made this in 8 small pans, bake for 1/2 hour. Perfect. I pop 7 in the freezer and take out one every few days. genius.
CC says
Hi
This recipe looks delicious! Has anyone tried it with coconut flour?
Thanks for your help.
Assistant to 100 Days (Amy) says
Hi CC. We haven't. If you do let us know how it turns out. I've done some experimenting with coconut flour and really love the flavor. ~Amy
Kelly says
I made this bread for the first time this morning...OH MY WORD! So delicious and moist. A new fall favorite. BTW love the new logo!!
Melissa says
What did you use to frost the muffins? I really want to make these for my daughter's birthday party! We love the muffins plain and make them a lot but I thought it might be fun to add something more.
Jen says
Love these muffins!!! I'm bad at following directions so I added the whole can of pumpkin purée :) The next batch included shredded zucchini & I had to stop myself from eating all of them!!!!
Kim Baker says
My girlfriend made the muffins for me as we did our Bible Study.
They selt so good I could'nt wait for them to cool off.
Very smart tasting.
veronica says
Hi I am gluten sensitive what can I substitute for wheat flour?
Blessings always,
Veronica
Chelsea says
(I hope it's okay for me to reply to this) Hi Veronica - I made this recipe with a gluten free flour blend (and a few other changes to make it work right with GF flour)! You can find my adaptations here: http://celysestroh.wordpress.com/2013/10/12/pumpkin-bread-vegangluten-free/
Assistant to 100 Days (Amy) says
Gluten free is not our expertise and we love when readers share theirs!! :) ~Amy
kristin says
I made this recipe as muffins and added chocolate chips instead of nuts. I found out that I only had one egg while making these so I added an extra 1/4 cup of pumpkin puree. They turned out great. My family loved them. There we none left over for the next day.
Sarah says
What did you use for frosting on the halloween muffins/cupcakes?
Thanks!
Assistant to 100 Days (Amy) says
Hi Sarah. Pretty sure it was this one: https://www.100daysofrealfood.com/2011/08/05/recipe-whole-wheat-chocolate-cake-with-easy-whipped-cream-frosting/. ~Amy
Twin Mom says
Thanks for a great recipe! My 12 month twins love bread and I try to find healthier versions. This looks great. I am hesitant about giving them honey until 18 months. Could I use applesauce in place of the honey?
Assistant to 100 Days (Amy) says
Hello. You could try that. Maple syrup also works as a substitution. ~Amy
Jill Belmonti says
How did you do the stencils on the frosting? I assume you sprinkled cinnamon into some kind of stencil and if so, where did you get the stencils? Thanks!
Assistant to 100 Days (Amy) says
Hi there. Here is an example of the stencils you can find online or in various stores: http://www.amazon.com/Wilton-Halloween-Mini-Stencil-Piece/dp/B000I4LCV4. I know that I've also seen stencils at Target and William Sonoma. :) ~Amy
Krystal says
How would whole wheat pastry flour work in this recipe? Would the measurement be the same?
Assistant to 100 Days (Amy) says
Hi Krystal. You can use ww pastry flour 1:1 but the texture will be different. ~Amy
Marisa says
Does this recipe work for a breadmaker? Thx!
Assistant to 100 Days (Amy) says
Hi Marisa. We've not used this recipe in a bread machine.
Esther says
Hi! You may have already answered this question in the comments, but if I don't have all the spices (cloves and ginger) and wanted to use pumpkin pie spice instead, how much pumpkin pie spice would you recommend for this recipe? Thanks!
Assistant to 100 Days (Amy) says
Hi there. A think a tablespoon will do it. :) ~Amy
Lisa says
I made this bread a couple days ago and my son loves it! I used applesauce instead of oil and added 1/2c. yogurt, 1/4c. mini choc chips & 1/4c. chopped nuts. The 8x4 loaf pan cooked for 55 minutes. The next time I make this, I think I'll add in some diced apples, raisins, grated carrots & nuts. This makes a great after school snack. Thank you!
brittany black says
i am curious to know what to replace honey with because my daughter is only 9 months and i wanted her to eat stuffs as we do!
Assistant to 100 Days (Amy) says
Hi Brittany. While we've not tried to substitute in this recipe, you could give maple syrup a try. ~Amy
Sarah says
Just made this today and can't stop eating it! I used spelt flour and maple syrup instead of honey. I also used coconut oil and added whole raw pecans. First time using spelt too! Makes a yummy treat!
Wendy says
This recipe looks great! Just found your site through a friend's post on FaceBook. One question... do you offer nutritional info on your recipes? Thanks in advance!
Assistant to 100 Days (Amy) says
Hi Wendy. We do not provide nutrition information on our recipes. We want people focusing on eating real foods/more whole foods and less on numbers. Here are some posts which help explain our philosophy: https://www.100daysofrealfood.com/2013/01/04/healthy-eating-defined/, https://www.100daysofrealfood.com/2013/01/23/portion-size-matters/, and https://www.100daysofrealfood.com/10-reasons-to-cut-out-processed-food/ and https://www.100daysofrealfood.com/2011/04/29/mini-pledge-week-8-stop-eating-when-you-feel-full/. There are many tools available online which can help calculate nutrition detail for recipes. ~Amy
Tiff says
Wow, I'm so happy I found this recipe! I wanted to use up my stash of pumpkin puree before I stock up again this holiday season. I wanted to make pumpkin bread for my daughter to take to school for lunch but all the other recipes have soooo much sugar and vegetable oil. I used the coconut oil and now I will not feel bad when she eats this all up. Can't wait to take this out of the oven!
Robin says
My 5-year old had one of these muffins for desert and came into the kitchen when she was done...flashing an empty wrapper in her hand...and said, "No more!" with a big smile on her face. She loved them! She may or may not have licked the wrapper clean. :) I only made one substitution and that was to use flaxseed in place of one egg. They did not mix to "pourable" condition but upon reading the reviews, it appears that is normal. Also, I lightly sprayed paper muffin cups with coconut oil and they came right off the paper, no sticking. Thank you for this website!
Keri says
I love the recipes for zucchini and banana bread and am eager to try this one as well. However, I've run into a problem when trying to use coconut oil when baking. I always liquefy the oil first but inevitably once I mix it with my cold flour (I keep my whole grain flours in the freezer) it solidifies immediately. Any tips besides having to leave the flour out for hours beforehand?
Assistant to 100 Days (Amy) says
Hi Keri. This will help: https://www.100daysofrealfood.com/2012/02/07/how-to-cook-with-coconut-oil/. :) ~Amy
Sarah says
Seriously the yummiest bread ever!!!! Had to resist not eating it all. Has a rather soft texture due to pumpkin - i used butternut. Not a large serving though.
Kasey says
This is an amazing recipe. Made it twice, once with honey and once with 1/4 cup brown sugar, 1/4 cup cane sugar and both times were great! Thanks for sharing!
April says
I make these into muffins. My kids like them ok. I made a little "icing" for them and now my kids devour them! cream cheese, honey and cinnamon. Yum!!
Diane says
Would this work with spelt flour? Thx!
Assistant to 100 Days (Amy) says
Hi there. I think spelt should work fine. Please try and let us know. ~Amy
Patrick says
I just made this bread with sprouted whole wheat flour. It tastes pretty darn good. Thanks for having a pumpkin bread recipe that's not loaded with more sugar than chocolate chip cookies! I knew this was the recipe for me when I saw that it only takes 1/2 cup honey.
CJ says
I've used this recipe to make pumpkin chocolate chip muffins a couple of times now and they are a hit around here! To accommodate for my daughter's allergies, I use chocolate chips in place of the nuts and flax eggs in place of the real ones. The muffins turn out very moist and delicious! Thanks for another awesome recipe! :)
jessica says
i have been craving fall food and dying to see some autum leaves even though its almost july. ive been watching our intake of cheap processed stuff around here and was super pleased to find this and discover how good it tastes(im eating a piece now). i live in el paso tx and although the elevation is not as high as some places it does affect some of my recepies. so my advice is if your about 3500 ft or above, to set the oven to 325 instead of 350 or you will bake a lot longer and the middle still might not be set. my first try yeilded a ridiculously dark brown brick with gooey center.
Jill says
Love this recipe. My daughter is allergic to eggs, what, if anything, would you suggest as a substitute?
Assistant to 100 Days (Amy) says
Hi Jill. Many of our readers swear by flax seed as an egg substitute: http://www.care2.com/greenliving/flaxseed-egg-substitute.html. ~Amy
Heather says
I just made these in muffin form (i've made the bread several times) and as I'm pulling them out of the oven I realize that I TOTALLY forgot the pumpkin! and they are actually still pretty good. Not real dry, and still sweet and tasty. :) going to try another batch WITH the pumpkin this time!
Erin says
Does anyone have any idea's on what I can use instead of honey for this??
Kara says
Erin,
I plan on using the 1/2 cup of maple syrup mentioned above. I'll let you know how it turns out! I can't use honey, either as I have an 11 month old baby who LOVES pumpkin and I'm thinking would like these as a treat.
Sumer Jennings says
I made this with butternut squash puree and pecans and it rocks! So happy to finaly find something to do with butternut squash that my family will eat. Althought I haven't told anyone yet ;)
Gina Amante says
I made this recipe as is, and it was very good, but one daughter and my husband weren't crazy about it. They thought it was dry. The recipe was almost exactly the same as my "normal" pumpkin bread recipe except using honey and whole wheat. However, my "normal" recipe called for 1/2 cup milk. I tried this again, but added the 1/2 cup milk, and everyone loved it!
Erin says
Made this together with my 2 year old son and we both loved it! So moist! We used baking size walnut pieces for the nuts. Will definitely make this again!
Tracy says
Made these last night because I was trying to make room in my freezer. Still had pumpkin from last year's garden. I was a little Leary about the coconut oil because the brownies on the website tasted coconutty, but these turned out fabulous with no coconut flavor at all. And on the subject of the brownies, my husband loves Mounds/ Almond Joy so he raved about them.