Healthy pumpkin bread is perfectly moist, loaded with pumpkin flavor, and has chocolate chips in every bite! With no refined sugar, just a touch of coconut oil, and whole wheat flour, it’s a healthier treat to enjoy with a cup of coffee.
When it comes to easy deserts, I love a good quick bread! From zucchini bread to lemon blueberry bread, I love that you can have your batter mixed up before the oven has even pre-heated!
This pumpkin bread is another easy to prep dessert recipe, and with healthier ingredients, I feel good about having a slice with a cup of coffee!
This healthy pumpkin bread
- it’s tender, moist and is loaded with pumpkin flavor (and chocolate chips!)
- mixes up in a single bowl making cleanup easier
- contains half whole wheat flour, a touch of coconut oil, and has no refined sugar
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Use store bought pumpkin puree
While there are many homemade pumpkin puree recipes around, for this recipe, I recommend using store bought pumpkin puree. Homemade pumpkin puree can vary wildly in both water content and texture, and since baking is such a science, I cannot guarantee this pumpkin bread recipe would work.
Store bought pumpkin puree can be found in the baking aisle of the grocery store, and should not be confused with pumpkin pie filling.
One bowl for easy prep
I am the queen of avoiding unnecessary dishes, and this pumpkin bread recipe makes me extra happy because it can easily be mixed up in one bowl. I do recommend using a microwave safe bowl such as a large glass measuring cup, so you can start by melting the coconut oil.
Next, add in the rest of your wet ingredients (pumpkin puree, vanilla, eggs and milk). If your coconut oil re-solidifies at this time, just pop the wet ingredients back into the microwave and heat on 20-30 second increments, stirring each time, until it melts again. Do not heat vigorously as we don’t want to cook our eggs.
Next, add in the dry ingredients: all purpose and whole wheat flour, salt, baking soda and powder, ginger, nutmeg and cinnamon. Mix until *just* combined and no flour lumps remain.
The final step? Fold in the mini chocolate chips…save a few to scatter over the top of the pumpkin bread!
Grease and flour the pan
This recipe requires a standard 9 x 5 inch loaf pan. To ensure that your pumpkin bread comes out of the pan easily, we have a two-step method to prepare the pan:
1. grease
Grease the pan with spray oil, making sure you get the sides as well as the bottom of the pan. You can use a paper towel to work the oil into the corners of the pan.
2. flour
The next step is to take around 1/4 cup of flour (either all purpose or whole wheat works), and tap it around so that it sticks to the oil. Rotate the pan, tapping, until it sticks to all greased surfaces. Tap any unstuck flour back into your flour storage container.
How to tell when it’s done
This pumpkin bread bakes at 325°F for close to an hour. There are two ways you can tell if your bread is ready to come out of the oven:
1. Toothpick method
Insert a toothpick into the thickest part of the bread. If it comes out with batter sticking to it, your bread is not ready to come out of the oven. If the toothpick comes out clean, your bread is ready to come out.
2. Instant read thermometer
Another way to tell if your bread is ready to come out is to use a digital thermometer to read the internal temperature; at 200°F it is ready to come out of the oven.
Getting it out of the pan
After removing the pumpkin bread from the oven, allow it to cool fully before removing it from the pan. If you try to remove it too early, it may stick and crumble.
After cooling completely, run a knife around the outside of the loaf. Invert the pan over a wire rack, give it several firm smacks, and the loaf should loosen out of the pan with no issues.
Storage
- fridge– cool completely, then wrap in parchment paper and store in a sealed container in the fridge for up to 4 days
- freezer– cool completely, then wrap in parchment paper and store in a sealed container in the freezer for up to 1 month
- reheat– heat in the microwave until warmed through and serve with butter
Pumpkin bread will dry out a touch after freezing, but warming it up and serving with butter helps to restore some of that moisture.
More healthy treats
- Fudgy Black Bean Brownies
- Simple Baked Apples
- Creamy Chocolate Dessert Hummus
- Coconut Date Balls
- Healthy Strawberry Shortcake
Healthy Pumpkin Bread Recipe
Ingredients
- 1/4 cup coconut oil 52 g
- 1 cup pumpkin puree 256 g; see note 1
- 1/2 cup maple syrup 130 g; honey may be swapped
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 eggs
- 1/4 cup almond milk or dairy milk; 54 g
- 3/4 cup all purpose flour fluffed, spooned & levelled; 90 g
- 3/4 cup whole wheat flour fluffed, spooned & levelled; 90 g
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
- 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 2 teaspoons cinnamon
- 1/4 cup mini chocolate chips plus a few extra for the tops
Instructions
- Heat oven to 325°F. Grease and flour a 9 x 5 inch baking pan and set aside.
- In a large glass measuring bowl, melt the coconut oil. Stir in the remaining wet ingredients and mix until smooth.
- If your coconut oil starts to solidify when you add the other wet ingredients, pop it in the microwave and heat in 20 second increments until it is liquified again.
- Add all dry ingredients to the bowl and mix until just combined.
- Fold in the chocolate chips. Scrape the mixture into the prepared loaf pan. Scatter a few extra chocolate chips on the top.
- Bake for 55 minutes- 1 h5m, until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean.
- Allow to cool completely. Run a knife around the outside of the pan to loosen, then invert the pan and give it a couple of firm smacks to release the loaf from the pan.
Storage
- Store in a sealed container in the fridge for up to 4 days.
- Wrap in plastic and store in a sealed container or bag in the freezer for up to 1 month.
Notes
. If you have an 8 x 4 inch loaf pan, keep an eye on the pumpkin bread, it may be baked through sooner (start checking at 40 min)
To make mini muffins
- grease a mini muffin pan with oil
- add around 1.5 tablespoons batter per muffin
- bake at 325°F for 15-20 min...mine were perfect at 18 min
