If you're a pumpkin lover-- this Gluten Free Pumpkin Bread recipe is perfect for you. Made with common pantry staple ingredients, this Dairy Free Pumpkin Bread comes together pretty easy.
Plus, we have an incredible dairy free cream cheese frosting to lather all over this moist, flavorful homemade bread.
This rich Pumpkin Bread with Cream Cheese frosting is the best way to enjoy pumpkin this fall.
You'll definitely wanna grab your slice before this moist and festive bread is gone from the dessert table.
This bread is soft, moist, and flavored with yummy pumpkin and fall spices, topped with a rich and creamy cream cheese frosting.
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Why Make Homemade Pumpkin Bread
- This recipe is gluten free, dairy free, and soy free.
- You can enjoy a slice of this bread with or without the dairy free cream cheese frosting.
- This pumpkin bread can be served for breakfast, snack, or dessert.
- Like other quick breads, it's fast and easy.
- This is the perfect thing to make when you have leftover pumpkin puree during pumpkin season.
Ingredients needed
Get all the info on these simple ingredients below in the recipe card. This section is where we share the brands we use because many people ask.
Pumpkin bread ingredients
- all-purpose gluten free flour-- Bob's Red Mill Gluten Free 1 to 1 Mix is used for this recipe; it does have xanthan gum in the blend. You can also try using Beth's Blends flour (Use code EGADF for 10% off your order) choices as well or any other gluten-free flour blend that you like to bake with.
- xanthan gum-- omit if your all-purpose gluten free flour has this
- pumpkin pie spice- you can use storebought pumpkin pie spice or make your own pumpkin spice mix
- cinnamon- ground cinnamon. Always check that your spice mixes are gluten free
- baking powder - make sure to use fresh baking powder. It loses its potency after 6 months.
- baking soda - this also loses its potency after 6 months. Using fresh ingredients is important.
- sea salt - you could swap this out for kosher salt if needed
- dairy free butter-- our go-to is Earth Balance Buttery Sticks which is also soy free. But you can use any vegan butter substitute.
- canned pumpkin puree - be sure to use fresh 100% pure pumpkin. Do not use pumpkin pie filling
- brown sugar - light brown sugar, packed in the measuring cup
- granulated sugar- white sugar is all you need
- eggs-- at room temperature. Room temperature eggs help give your bread a nice crumby texture
- vanilla extract- check your vanilla extract to make sure it's both gluten and dairy free, McCormick's is a safe brand that we like to use
Dairy free cream cheese frosting ingredients
- dairy free butter-- Earth Balance Buttery Sticks (soy free); do not melt the butter for this frosting.
- dairy free cream cheese-- Kite Hill Cream Cheese (soy free) or Violife Cream Cheese
- powdered sugar
- vanilla extract
- optional-- chopped walnuts
Helpful Kitchen Tools
Here are some of the helpful tools we use to make this wonderful loaf of bread!
electric mixer or hand mixer
How to Make Gluten and Dairy Free Pumpkin Bread
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease all sides of a 9"x5" loaf pan, set aside.
- In a medium bowl, mix together flour, xanthan gum (omit if not needed), pumpkin pie spice, cinnamon, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.
- In a large mixing bowl, whisk together pumpkin puree and melted butter. Add the granulated and brown sugar. Stir until well combined with no lumps.
- Add in eggs and vanilla extract; stir to combine.
- Add dry ingredients to wet ingredients in the large bowl and stir until incorporated and smooth.
- Transfer pumpkin bread batter to prepared loaf pan and smooth out.
- Bake for 60-64 minutes, or until a cake tester comes out clean in the middle.
- Allow your gf pumpkin bread to cool completely before removing to a wire rack before frosting.
Cream Cheese Frosting
- In a medium bowl, cream together the butter and cream cheese until smooth. Then place the powdered sugar and vanilla extract into the bowl and cream until smooth, about 2 minutes.
- Refrigerate 20 minutes.
- Using an angled spatula ice the top of the pumpkin bread with a thick layer of frosting. Then top with chopped walnuts.
Storage
For best results, homemade pumpkin bread can be stored at room temperature in an airtight container. It will stay fresh for up to 5 days.
If the pumpkin bread will not be eaten within 5 days, it should be stored in the refrigerator where it will last up to 7-10 days.
To freeze, wrap the cooled pumpkin bread tightly in plastic wrap then aluminum foil or a freezer-safe plastic bag and store in the freezer for 2-3 months.
Recipe tips
- Allow the pumpkin bread to cool completely on a cooling rack before frosting, the bread can be baked and then cooled overnight.
- Place the cream cheese frosting in the refrigerator for 20 minutes before icing the bread.
- Using an angled icing spatula, makes frosting this bread is easy peasy.
- Make a double batch of the best gluten-free pumpkin bread and freeze the extra loaf for later to enjoy any time of year.
- Use room temperature ingredients when possible and you'll have a nice texture bread.
Variations
- Instead of the optional chopped walnuts on the frosting, you can add some pumpkin seeds to the cream cheese frosting.
- Swap the canned pumpkin puree for some real homemade pumpkin puree and you'll ditch some preservatives and artificial ingredients in the mean time.
- We have only tested this gluten-free pumpkin bread recipe with the two gluten-free flours we listed in the ingredients section but if you want to try it with other gluten free flour, feel free to do so.
Frequently Asked Questions
Pumpkin bread is a quick bread, which means it does not use yeast as a leavening agent to rise.
Quick breads are usually denser than other baked goods, like cakes.
The flavor profile of pumpkin cake is usually sweeter than that of pumpkin bread since more sugar is usually added to the batter.
We haven't tested this with using an egg replacer.
However, we have a few readers who are egg free and they've reached out to say that they used flax eggs in place of the eggs to act as a binding agent and the bread loaf turned out nicely.
Unsweetened applesauce is another option to use instead of the eggs and it's an option that most families usually have on hand.
The combination of baking powder and baking soda is necessary in dairy-free pumpkin bread because both ingredients play important roles in the leavening process.
Baking powder releases carbon dioxide when exposed to moisture, which gives the bread a lift and makes it fluffy.
Baking soda reacts with acids, like the buttermilk that might be used in a traditional pumpkin bread recipe.
Since dairy-free recipes typically don't include buttermilk, you'd need to use baking powder and baking soda together to achieve the same results.
Using the two together also helps get a nice rise out of the bread since we aren't using yeast in this recipe.
No, you should not use pumpkin pie filling instead of pumpkin puree as it contains additional ingredients such as sugars and spices that could affect the texture and flavor of the final product.
Pumpkin puree is just plain cooked pumpkin with no added sugar or spices, which makes it a better option for baking.
It also helps create the correct moisture balance for the bread to be light and fluffy.
Plus, the pumpkin pie filling is much sweeter than pureed pumpkin, so the end result would likely be overly sweet.
Sure they both have a pumpkin flavor, but they each have their own uses.
bonus delicious fall recipes
- pumpkin cookies-- these cookies with cream cheese frosting melt in your mouth. They're one of our fall favorites and a must on the Thanksgiving dessert table.
- creamy mashed potatoes-- this classic recipe is whipped perfectly to complement any main dish.
- chocolate chip pumpkin bread- your favorite pumpkin loaf but with some of your favorite dairy free chocolate chips
Gluten and Dairy Free Pumpkin Bread
Ingredients
Pumpkin Bread Loaf
- 1¾ cups gluten free all purpose flour see suggestions in post
- 1 teaspoon xanthan gum (omit if your gluten free flour blend has this)
- 1 Tablespoon pumpkin pie spice
- 2 teaspoons cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon sea salt
- 15 ounce pumpkin puree can
- ½ cup dairy free butter melted, suggestions in the post
- ¾ cup granulated sugar
- ¾ cup brown sugar, packed
- 3 large eggs room temperature
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Cream Cheese Frosting
- ¼ cup dairy free butter room temperature
- 4 ounces dairy free cream cheese
- 1½ cups powdered sugar
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- chopped walnuts optional
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease all sides of a 9"x5" loaf pan, set aside.
- In a medium bowl, mix together flour, xanthan gum (omit if not needed), pumpkin pie spice, cinnamon, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.
- In a large bowl, whisk together pumpkin puree and melted butter. Add the granulated and brown sugar. Stir until well combined with no lumps.
- Add in eggs and vanilla extract; stir to combine.
- Add dry ingredients to wet ingredients and stir until incorporated and smooth.
- Transfer batter to prepared loaf pan and smooth out.
- Bake for 60-64 minutes, or until a cake tester comes out clean in the middle.
- Allow pumpkin bread to cool completely before removing to a wire rack before frosting.
Cream Cheese Frosting
- In a medium bowl, cream together the butter and cream cheese until smooth. Then place the powdered sugar and vanilla extract into the bowl and cream until smooth, about 2 minutes.
- Refrigerate 20 minutes.
- Using an angled spatula ice the top of the pumpkin bread with a thick layer of frosting. Then top with chopped walnuts.
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