One of my all-time favorite recipes: Pumpkin Gingerbread

There’s pumpkin bread and then there’s pumpkin gingerbread. This version of the pumpkin gingerbread recipe is full of warm spices and a little healthier than most recipes! 

There’s pumpkin bread, and then there’s pumpkin gingerbread. There’s a BIG difference. And this pumpkin gingerbread is in my top three FAVORITE things to eat. Ever. (Right up there with toast and sweet potatoes!)

Not only is this pumpkin gingerbread recipe full of warm, flavorful spices, but it’s a little healthier than most recipes! It’s neither overly sweet nor excessively heavy and it gives off a heavenly aroma as it bakes!

The best part? Eating it won’t leave you feeling like you ate a brick. I mean, we all know that feeling after inhaling Starbucks Pumpkin Bread, right? It tastes so good in the moment, and then WHAM, we realize we made a bad decision. But this pumpkin gingerbread does not leave you with that feeling.

It’s amazing fresh out of the oven when it’s still a little bit crispy on the edges and warm throughout. I especially love to eat the end slices because they are the best. Every time I make this recipe, Tommy inevitably comes home to find both ends cut off and eaten. Totally normal.

This recipe is my go-to when I need to bring a dessert or a side dish to a party. And it also makes a great gift for neighbors during the holiday season! (Can you believe the holidays are just around the corner?? 2020, oof.)

My all-time favorite quick bread. My all-time favorite sweet bread. Maybe just my all-time favorite bread, period. So let’s go.

One of my all-time favorites: Pumpkin Gingerbread Recipe

Ingredients

1 1/4 cup whole wheat flour
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1.5 cups coconut sugar
1/2 cup melted coconut oil
1/3 cup water
1/2 of a 15oz can of pumpkin (about 2/3 cup)
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon allspice
1/2 teaspoon cloves
3/4 teaspoon salt
2 eggs

Instructions

Step 1

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Step 2

Grease a 9×5 inch loaf pan.

Step 3

In a large mixing bowl, combine the wet ingredients — sugar, oil and eggs. Using a hand mixer or stand mixer; beat until smooth. Add water and beat until well blended. Mix in pumpkin puree until combined.

Step 4

In a medium bowl, combine flours, ginger, allspice, cinnamon, cloves, baking powder, baking soda, and salt using a wooden spoon.

Step 5

Add dry ingredients bowl to pumpkin mixture and blend just until all ingredients are mixed. Then pour into your prepared pan.

Step 6

Bake until a toothpick comes out mostly clean, which is about 35-45 minutes. Don’t overbake! The baking time may vary depending on your oven and if you also decide to double the recipe. Be sure to check the doneness sooner rather than later! If it starts to brown too much on top before it’s done, cover with foil until it passes the toothpick test.

Step 7

Let the loaf cool in the pan for 10 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely before slicing. See notes below on how to store leftovers!

Recipe Variations

Pumpkin Spice Option

I’ve never tried making this with pumpkin pie spice in place of the individual spices, but it would probably work.

Chocolate Chips

I’ve added chocolate chips in the past, but I actually prefer it without them. You get more of the pumpkin ginger flavor without the chocolate competing. These pumpkin chocolate chip cookies are so fantastic if you’re craving chocolate with your pumpkin!

Oil Substitutions

You can substitute half the oil for applesauce for a slightly lower fat content. It won’t be quite as rich but it’s still delicious!

You can also use canola or vegetable oil in place of the coconut oil.

Flour Options

You can use whole wheat pastry flour instead of whole wheat flour and it’ll give you a slightly lighter loaf. You can also use all-purpose flour for the full amount of flour rather than using whole wheat flour.

For example, I use King Arthur Whole Wheat Flour or One Degree Sprouted Whole Wheat Flour.

Gluten-Free

I have also tried making their recipe with gluten-free flour and it was terrible. It came out super gummy and just not great. Every gluten-free flour mixture is a bit different so you can experiment but I had zero luck with two different options. But if you need or want a gluten-free pumpkin bread recipe, I highly recommend this one!

Coconut sugar

You can sub the coconut sugar for white cane sugar or a mixture of cane sugar and brown sugar. In fact, any dry sugar substitute will probably work for this recipe. However, do not try to replace the dry sweetener with a wet sweetener (e.g. maple syrup, honey, etc.). It will mess up the texture.

Toppings

This gingerbread is also delicious topped with some powdered sugar sifted on top. You could also make a simple glaze using powdered sugar, a small amount of milk, and a splash of vanilla to drizzle on top. YUM.

Doubling the recipe

The recipe can be doubled without any issues. If you double it, you’ll need two prepared pans.

Muffins

You can make this recipe into muffins rather than a loaf. The cook time will be shorter, so start checking them around 16 minutes and remove from the oven when the toothpick barely has any batter holding on, and is mostly dry.

Leftovers & Storing

This bread is amazing over the next few days and the flavors deepen. Store cooled bread in an airtight container at room temperature for 2-3 days. At that point, I recommend storing it in the fridge.

You can also freeze leftovers. Just be sure the slice it first and then place in a freezer safe container, like a freezer zip lock bag. Thaw at room temperature for about 20 minutes or microwave for 10-15 seconds. I actually made two loaves in my third trimester specifically to freeze since I knew I would want it as a snack once our baby arrived!

Serving Suggestions

I LOVE this topped with butter and nothing else. But if you want to dress it up, it’s really delicious served with a little yogurt for breakfast. (I highly recommend the Noosa Pumpkin yogurt when that comes back in season!)

It also makes a MEAN french toast! If you make this into french toast, let it sit in the french toast mixture overnight. It’s a slightly dense bread, so it just makes it better to have more time to let the egg, milk, and spice mixture soak in!

Let me know what you think of this recipe in the comments and any variations you try!

 

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How long is pumpkin bread good for?

It will be fine for 1-2 days at room temperature in an airtight container. I recommend putting it in the fridge after that, when it will store nicely for a week. It just may get a little drier, so add extra butter when you eat it. Problem solved.

It’s amazing when it’s fresh right out of the oven, warm with a little butter, but still fantastic as it cools. In fact, it gets better after a day or two. My favorite time to eat it is the day-of when the crust is still slightly crunchy (it softens up after it’s stored). Just stick it in the fridge after 2-3 days.

How do you know when pumpkin bread is done?

You definitely don’t want to overbake this since it will dry out and may get a little crumbly. So I recommend checking your loaf at 30 minutes with a toothpick. In addition, if a toothpick inserted in the center comes out with raw batter, it needs to cook longer. Check every 7 minutes or so since it can go from unbaked to overbaked very quickly. Once the toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean (a few crumbs on it are okay), you know your pumpkin bread is done!

So is pumpkin bread healthy?

This recipe is a little healthier than most recipes. Don’t get me wrong – the original version I got in a church cookbook over 15 years ago is GOOD. I tweaked this to be a little healthier since I eat a LOT of it in a short amount of time. So to make it healthier, I  subbed some of the oil with applesauce. I also replaced some of the white, all-purpose flour with sprouted whole wheat flour.

But if you don’t have applesauce, just replace that amount with oil. I prefer coconut oil since it’s a healthier oil, but you can also use canola oil.

And if you don’t have sprouted whole wheat flour, use whole wheat pastry flour. Or, just go wild and use the full amount of flour with all-purpose flour.

You can also use regular cane sugar instead of coconut sugar.

There, I basically told you the original recipe that’s a little less healthy.

Live a little. It’ll be fine!

Can you make this gluten-free?

I tried making this with a gluten-free flour blend once and I didn’t love it. The end result was gummy. But there are so many different gluten-free flour blends out there so some may be better than others! So if you tried it with good results, let me know!

So if you’re looking for a gluten-free quick bread that passes my test, try my Banana Blueberry Gluten-Free Quick Bread!

 

Get the goods to make the bread!