Gluten-Free Pumpkin Bread

Name: Gluten-Free Pumpkin Bread
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 60 min
Total time: 1 h 10 min
Yield: 1 slice
Ingredients: 1 cup (245 g) canned pumpkin, not pumpkin pie filling; 1 teaspoon baking soda; 1/2 teaspoon gluten-free baking powder; 1/4 teaspoon salt; 3/4 cup (150 g) granulated sugar; 1/2 cup (110 g) brown sugar, packed; 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract; 3 large eggs; 1/3 cup (80 ml) vegetable oil; 1 1/2 cups Pamela's Gluten-Free 1:1 All-Purpose Flour; 1 tablespoon pumpkin pie spice; 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

on Oct 28 2026

Table of Contents

Pumpkin is the ingredient that makes gluten-free baking easier rather than harder. It carries moisture into a crumb that would otherwise go dry, and it does work that butter and buttermilk usually have to do.

Which is why this loaf has neither. It is made with oil, from scratch, in one bowl, and it is dairy-free and nut-free without substituting anything.

Built on Pamela's 1:1 All-Purpose Flour, which is bound with guar gum, so there is no xanthan gum to add. Recipe by Audrey Roberts at Mama Knows Gluten Free, adapted to our flour.

Ten minutes of mixing, fifty in the oven, and it keeps three days. So good, no one will guess it is gluten-free, the way Pamela's has done it since 1988.

What Kind of Flour Is Best for Pumpkin Bread

A quick bread is forgiving, which makes it a good place to use a one-to-one blend rather than a specialty mix.

Pamela's 1:1 All-Purpose Flour is rice-based and bound with guar gum, already in the blend. Most gluten-free recipes call for xanthan gum separately. You do not need it here, and adding it on top of the guar would make the crumb gummy.

The flour this is built on Pamela's Gluten-Free 1:1 All-Purpose Flour Rice-based, finely milled, nut-free, and bound with guar gum rather than xanthan. Substitutes one for one for wheat flour. GFCO-certified.

A single-ingredient flour will not work in its place. Almond and coconut flours behave completely differently and need a recipe written for them.

We have two other pumpkin breads, both built on a mix rather than flour. Our pumpkin bread with crumble nut topping uses the Pancake & Baking Mix, and our pumpkin quick bread uses the Bread Mix. This is the from-scratch one, and the only one that is dairy-free and nut-free.

Measuring the Flour Matters More Than Anything Else

Too much flour is the single most common reason a gluten-free loaf comes out dense or dry.

Use a dry measuring cup and the spoon and level method. Spoon the flour into the cup, then level it with the back of a knife. Do not scoop the cup straight through the bag, which packs the flour down and leaves you with far more than the recipe calls for.

A kitchen scale is better. Gluten-free blends vary a great deal in density, so a cup of one can weigh noticeably more than a cup of another, and that difference lands directly in the crumb.

If you are adapting a recipe written for a different blend, go by weight rather than by cup. That one habit prevents most gluten-free baking disappointments.

How to Keep It From Sinking

Four things, and the first two are the usual culprits.

Check your flour measurement. A sunken middle is more often too much flour than too little heat.

Mix gently. Overmixing knocks the air out of a chemically leavened batter and leaves a heavy loaf.

Check your leaveners. Baking soda and baking powder lose strength over time, and an old tin will not lift a batter this wet.

Give it longer. Sometimes the loaf simply needs another 5 to 10 minutes. If the top browns before the center is set, lay foil loosely over it for the rest of the bake.

Fill the pan two thirds to three quarters full, no more, and make sure the oven is fully preheated before the batter goes in. Both help the loaf dome rather than spread.

Prep Time 10 minutes

Cook Time 60 minutes

Total Time 1 hour 10 minutes

Yield 12

Serving Size 1 slice

Ingredients

1 cup (245 g) canned pumpkin, not pumpkin pie filling
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon gluten-free baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup (150 g) granulated sugar
1/2 cup (110 g) brown sugar, packed
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
3 large eggs
1/3 cup (80 ml) vegetable oil
1 1/2 cups Pamela's Gluten-Free 1:1 All-Purpose Flour
1 tablespoon pumpkin pie spice
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Shop Gluten-Free 1:1 All-Purpose Flour, 4 lb.

Directions

Heat the oven to 350 degrees F and spray a 9x5 loaf pan with gluten-free cooking spray.
In a large bowl, mix the canned pumpkin with the baking soda, baking powder, and salt until combined.
Add the granulated sugar, brown sugar, and vanilla. Mix until fully combined and smooth.
Add the eggs and the oil and mix until the batter is smooth and glossy.
Add the flour, pumpkin pie spice, and cinnamon. Mix until combined and no streaks of flour remain. The batter will be thick. Do not add xanthan gum, since our flour already contains guar gum.
Spoon the batter into the pan and smooth the top. Fill no more than three quarters full.
Bake 50 to 60 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. If the top browns before the center is set, lay foil loosely over it.
Cool in the pan 2 minutes, then turn out onto a rack. Let it cool at least 10 minutes, and 30 is better, before slicing.

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Gluten-Free 1:1 All-Purpose Flour, 4 lb.

Bake like you always have

Measure it 1:1 in place of wheat flour for cookies, cakes, muffins, pancakes, and pie crusts. Most recipes need no changes at all; if a batter thickens as it sits, thin it with a splash of liquid and keep going. The subtle flavor works in savory cooking too: thickening gravy, coating chicken, breading fish.

Yes, even yeast breads

Use 1 teaspoon of dry yeast per cup of flour and add water until the dough is a sticky batter, like banana bread. For a taller loaf, line the pan with a parchment collar 3 to 5 inches above the rim.

Never scoop the bottom of the bag

The 4 lb. bag keeps serious bakers stocked, and Subscribe & Save delivers a fresh bag on your schedule with 10% off every order. Pause or cancel anytime.

Brown Rice Flour, Tapioca Starch, White Rice Flour, Potato Starch, Sorghum Flour, Arrowroot Starch, Guar Gum, Sweet Rice Flour, Rice Bran.

Pamela's Products are manufactured in a Gluten-Free Certified Facility and peanut-free facility. Our products are produced on equipment that processes Tree Nuts, Coconut, Eggs, Soy, and Milk.

Recipe Tips & Notes

Dairy-Free and Nut-Free Without Substituting Anything

This loaf uses oil rather than butter and has no milk in it, so it is dairy-free as written. There is nothing to swap.

It is also nut-free. Pamela's 1:1 All-Purpose Flour is rice-based, so there is no almond meal in it, which is not true of every gluten-free baking mix.

That makes this the one pumpkin bread on our site that works for a household avoiding both dairy and nuts. Our other two are built on mixes that contain one or the other.

The three eggs are structural. The original suggests a flax egg, one tablespoon of ground flaxseed to three tablespoons of water per egg, though we have not tested that version.

Other Pans That Work

The recipe is written for a 9x5 loaf pan. The original was tested in three pans with good results in all of them: a metal 8x4, a 9x4, and a 9x3 glass loaf pan.

A glass pan holds heat longer, so start checking a few minutes early.

An 8x8 square pan also works and gives a shallower bake. Start checking at 35 minutes.

For muffins, divide between 12 lined cups and bake 20 to 24 minutes.

Storing and Freezing

Room temperature: up to 3 days in an airtight container.

Refrigerator: up to 5 days if your kitchen runs warm or humid. Wrap it tightly so it does not dry out.

Freezer: up to 3 months. Freeze the cooled loaf whole or in slices, wrapped in plastic or foil inside a freezer bag. Thaw at room temperature, or warm a slice in the toaster.

Let it cool completely before slicing. A warm gluten-free loaf tears rather than slices, and the texture improves as it sets.

Ways to Change It Up

Chocolate chips, chopped walnuts or pecans, or dried cranberries. Toss any add-in in a little flour first so it does not sink to the bottom.

A streusel topping for extra texture.

A maple glaze, or a cream cheese frosting if you do not need it dairy-free.

Pepitas scattered over the top before baking, for a rustic finish.

Swap the pumpkin pie spice for chai spice, or add extra cinnamon or ginger.

For a crumb-topped version, our pumpkin bread with crumble nut topping is built on the Pancake & Baking Mix instead.

What This Contains

This recipe contains egg.

The three eggs are structural. There is no dairy and there are no nuts, since the recipe uses oil rather than butter and Pamela's 1:1 All-Purpose Flour is rice-based.

Check your baking powder. Not all brands are gluten-free, and most contain cornstarch if you are avoiding corn.

Everything from Pamela's is certified by the Gluten-Free Certification Organization and made in a certified gluten-free, peanut-free facility.

Recipe FAQs

A one-to-one all-purpose blend. Quick breads are forgiving, so you do not need a specialty mix. Pamela's 1:1 All-Purpose Flour is rice-based and bound with guar gum, so there is no xanthan to add. A single-ingredient flour like almond or coconut will not substitute, since they behave completely differently.

Usually too much flour, which comes from scooping the cup through the bag rather than spooning and leveling. After that, check that your baking soda and powder are fresh, mix gently rather than thoroughly, and give the loaf another 5 to 10 minutes if the center is still wet.

Not with our flour. Pamela's 1:1 All-Purpose Flour is bound with guar gum already in the blend. Adding xanthan on top would make the crumb gummy. If a recipe calls for xanthan separately, leave it out when using this flour.

This one already is. It uses oil rather than butter and has no milk in it, so there is nothing to substitute. It is also nut-free, since the flour is rice-based. A cream cheese frosting would add dairy back, so use a glaze instead if you need it dairy-free.

Toss them in a little flour before folding them in. Chocolate chips, nuts, and dried fruit all sink in a thin batter, and a light coating of flour gives them enough grip to stay suspended while the loaf sets.