Oct 28, 2021
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Today we are making some incredible paleo pumpkin bread with wholesome ingredients and lots of pumpkin spice flavor.
How is this paleo pumpkin bread different from regular pumpkin bread?
Great question. For starters, it’s very moist and bouncy, full of pumpkin-y flavor. Just the thing to bite into with a cup of coffee.
This recipe uses a combination of almond and coconut flour for a grain-free bread that everyone will want a slice of.
Paleo Pumpkin Bread Ingredients
Here are the ingredients you’ll need to make this pumpkin bread along with a few tips you should know to make this recipe a success.
- almond flour: this popular gluten-free flour has a fine texture and yields super moist baked goods. Make sure you use almond flour and not almond meal, which has a coarser texture since the almonds have the skin on and will yield a denser loaf.
- coconut flour: in addition to almond flour, coconut flour provides a fluffy structure to the loaf and helps absorb the moisture from the pumpkin.
- pumpkin spice: this is what adds that pumpkin spice flavor we love! If you don’t have any on hand, check the recipe notes for a substitute.
- baking soda and salt: baking soda is the leavening agent and gives this bread a ‘lift’.
- pumpkin puree: the entire reason we are making this recipe. Make sure it’s pumpkin pureé and not pumpkin pie filling.
- honey or maple syrup: for a little added sweetness.
- coconut sugar: tastes very similar to brown sugar and works with the honey to sweeten this bread. You can also use brown sugar instead.
- melted coconut oil: you can use other neutral oils such as canola or avocado or even butter for this recipe.
- eggs: the eggs bind all of the ingredients and help the bread rise. They’re also an essential ingredient to use in baked goods with coconut flour and since the recipe calls for 4, you can’t use an egg substitute here.
Ingredients like almond flour and coconut flour are also what I use in many of the recipes in my latest cookbook, Clean Treats for Everyone. You’ll find other clean, grain-free flours like oat and cassava flour used to make incredible baked goods.
If you’re looking for cleaner dessert recipes to make with alternative flour options check it out!
Clean Treats Cookbook
Healthy and wholesome dessert recipes you’ll want to eat made with clean ingredients you already have on hand.
Grab your copy today!
How to Make Paleo Pumpkin Bread
Now that we’ve got those ingredients, let’s make some pumpkin bread! Here’s what to do:
- Turn on the heat
Preheat the oven to 350F and line a 9 x 6 x 3-inch loaf pan with parchment paper. - Combine the dry ingredients
In a large bowl, stir together the almond and coconut flour, pumpkin spice, baking soda, and salt. - Prepare the wet ingredients
In a separate bowl, whisk the pumpkin purée, eggs, honey, coconut sugar, and coconut oil. - Make the batter
Add the dry ingredients to the wet and stir to combine. Set the bowl aside for 5 minutes to allow the coconut flour to absorb some of the moisture.
Pour the batter into the prepared pan and cover with foil. - Time to bake
Bake covered for 35 minutes, then remove the foil and cook for an additional 20 – 25 minutes, or until the top is a light brown and firm to the touch. - Give it a rest
Remove the loaf from the oven and cool in the pan for 10 minutes before lifting it out with the parchment. *During this 10 minute period, the bread will finish cooking without drying out. - Serve
You’ve put in hard work, now it’s time to grab a slice and smear it with almond butter or enjoy it with a cup of coffee. I’ll let you decide.
Watch this quick video to see how it’s done!
You can Also Make Paleo Pumpkin Bread in the Blender
Don’t feel like dirtying 2 bowls? No need to! You can also whip the batter up in a blender, it takes less than 2 minutes, and there’s less to clean up. Here’s what to do:
- In a blender jar, place the wet ingredients in this order: pumpkin, eggs, coconut oil, and honey, and blend.
- Then, add the coconut sugar, flours, baking soda, salt, and pumpkin pie spice. Cover with lid and mix until smooth, pausing the blender to scrape down the sides a couple of times.
- Transfer the batter to the lined bread pan, making sure to scrape out any batter stuck to the sides of the blender jar.
- Bake as directed.
Related: Paleo Meal Prep Breakfast Recipes
How to Store Paleo Pumpkin Bread
You’ll want to store any leftovers in an airtight container, zip bag, or tightly wrapped with plastic wrap for up to 5 days in the fridge.
Can I Use a 9 x 5-inch Bread Pan?
Since grain-free baked goods don’t rise as much as traditional flour recipes, I recommend using a narrower grain-free bread pan that measures 9 x 6 x 3.
It’s more narrow than the standard bread pan and helps the loaves to turn out taller than they would in a 9 x 5-inch pan. If you use a traditional bread pan, make sure to check for doneness a little sooner.
Paleo Pumpkin Bread Batter Texture
After baking, paleo pumpkin bread has a moist and bouncy texture, not crumbly.
Since this recipe combines almond flour + coconut flour and the ratio of coconut flour is less than almond, it will not have an eggy or spongy texture like baked goods that only use coconut flour.
The batter itself will be thick. This is normal because the coconut flour has absorbed much of the liquid.
How to Know when Paleo Pumpkin Bread is Done
You’ll know this paleo pumpkin bread is done when the top of the loaf is a light brown color, springy to the touch, and there are no ‘wet spots.’
Once the baking time is up, check the loaf for any dark spots where the batter isn’t cooked through (usually at the center). If that’s the case, bake it for an additional 5 to 10 minutes.
Ingredient Swaps
I don’t recommend exchanging any ingredients or adjusting the amounts. Coconut flour recipes can be very finicky, and they will likely result in your pumpkin bread not turning out.
That said you can:
- use traditional brown sugar instead of coconut palm sugar
- use cinnamon + other spices instead of the pumpkin pie spice (see recipe card notes)
- use butter or vegetable oil instead of coconut oil
Read next: Almond Flour Substitutes
Paleo Baking Tips with Coconut and Almond Flours
If you’re new to the whole world of paleo baking, here are a few tips you can implement in this recipe and others to for successful results.
Follow the recipe exactly
When working with almond and coconut flour, you’ll notice these aren’t 1:1 swaps for regular flour. All of the ingredients are exact measurements and have been tested several times to ensure delicious quality.
Let it cool
Almond flour and coconut flour recipes can be very soft out of the oven, if you don’t give them time to cool down, they could fall apart.
Add-ins
Just because it’s paleo doesn’t mean you can’t stir in some yummy additions, up to 1 cup total.
Options like dried cranberries, chopped nuts, and dark chocolate are all fair game in this recipe.
More Paleo Almond Flour Recipes
Paleo Spreads for Pumpkin Bread
This pumpkin bread is delicious all by itself, but there’s something about a smear of nut butter over the top that makes it downright magical.
By far, my favorite paleo-approved spread for this pumpkin bread is peanut butter. The combination of moist pumpkin bread with peanut butter flavor is something you’ve got to try for yourself.
Paleo Pumpkin Bread
Ingredients
- 1 cup almond flour
- ¼ cup coconut flour
- 2 teaspoons pumpkin spice
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 cup pumpkin puree
- ¼ cup honey or maple syrup
- ¼ cup coconut palm sugar (or brown sugar)
- ¼ cup melted coconut oil (or butter)
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 4 eggs
Instructions
- Adjust the oven rack to the middle shelf. Preheat the oven to 350F (180C) and line a 9 x 6 x 3-inch loaf pan with parchment paper.
- Combine the almond and coconut flour, pumpkin spice, baking soda, and salt in a large bowl, set aside.
- In a separate large bowl, combine the pumpkin purée, honey, coconut sugar, coconut oil, vanilla extract, and eggs. Whisk to form a smooth batter.
- Add the dry ingredients to the wet and stir to combine, and no lumps are visible. Set the bowl aside for 5 minutes to allow the coconut flour to absorb some of the moisture.
- Pour the batter into the prepared pan.
- Place the pan in the preheated oven and bake for 35 minutes, covered. Uncover the loaf and bake for an additional 30 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out with a few moist crumbs attached.
- Remove the load from the oven and cool in the pan for 10 minutes before lifting it out with the parchment. Cool the load fully before slicing.
Notes
- If you don’t have pumpkin spice on hand, you can combine 1 teaspoon cinnamon + ¼ teaspoon nutmeg + ¼ teaspoon ginger + ¼ teaspoon cloves for this recipe.
- If using a traditional bread pan, the loaf will not be as tall.
Shelby Compton
This paleo pumpkin bread turned out amazing! Thank you