Simple and seriously delicious, tender and perfectly spiced Paleo Pumpkin Bread that’s great alone or toasted with your favorite butter or nut butter. It’s hearty yet soft and moist, gluten free, grain free, dairy free and refined sugar free.
Totally cool to post Paleo Pumpkin bread the day before labor day, right? Glad I have your approval – and if I don’t – well, maybe you can revisit when you’re in full fall mode and craving pumpkin spice. Patience!
Believe it or not, I was a premature pumpkin whipper-outer way before blogging. I know that seems strange and unnatural, but I was also the type to shop for sweaters in July.
I love fall and I’m not so big on summer. I have frizzy hair, pool germ phobia and I’m not the greatest swimmer. And the heat is just really hot, you know?
Plus, my birthday’s in late October, which means that at my core I actually AM A PUMPKIN. Or a Scorpio, depending on your perspective on life.
Either way, I’m flipping PASSIONATE for pumpkin, and, most recently, this Paleo Pumpkin Bread 🙂
I briefly mentioned my woes with this recipe the other day so I won’t bore you again with the details. But, I will say that the final loaf came out so perfectly that I’m tempted to make it again, which would put my weekly total for loaves of Paleo pumpkin bread baked at 4 – an insane amount considering it really is just September 4.
And, once September hits, it’s basically “go pumpkin or go home” until Christmas, right?
We all talk about the timing to start baking with pumpkin, but do we ever discuss when to stop? My vote is Christmas. Take a break for a week between Halloween and Thanksgiving, maybe, too.
This Paleo pumpkin bread recipe is all kinds of right, in so many ways. It’s hearty enough to withstand toasting and buttering, or nut buttering if that’s how you roll. PLUS, I even turned one of the loaves into a french toast bake (coming soon!) so it’s proven to be extremely versatile.
It also happens to be sweet, tender, and moist enough to simply eat on it’s own with breakfast or as a snack. Said the family members who ate it all week, which is all 4 of them.
It’s loaded with pumpkin spice and cinnamon flavor and is simply delicious, wholesome and healthy. Easy to make, kid friendly, and very portable too!
For this Paleo pumpkin bread recipe, I used organic pumpkin puree, but you can easily use your own homemade puree if you’re so inclined.
The recipe is very forgiving, actually (I made it 3 times, each different yet each delicious!) and you can tweak the amount and type of sweetener if you desire (I have a major sweet spot for maple syrup.) Raw honey or even coconut palm sugar would be delicious!
If you make this recipe (or any of my recipes!) be sure to tag paleorunningmomma (me!) on Instagram so I can see your yummy creations!
Simple Paleo Pumpkin Bread {Gluten free, Grain free, Dairy free}
Simple Paleo Pumpkin Bread
Ingredients
- 3 eggs
- 1 cup organic pumpkin puree
- 1/3 cup full fat coconut milk *See Note for how I prepare
- 1/3 cup pure maple syrup
- 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
- 1 3/4 cups blanched almond flour
- 1/4 cup tapioca flour
- 1 Tbsp coconut flour
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1 tbsp pumpkin pie spice
- 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
- pinch fine grain sea salt
Instructions
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Preheat your oven to 350 degrees and line a medium loaf pan** (I used this 8.5x4.5" one) with parchment paper, with a couple of inches overlapping for easy removal.
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In a large bowl, whisk together the eggs, pumpkin puree, creamy coconut milk*, maple syrup, and vanilla extract.
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In a medium bowl, combine the almond flour, tapioca flour, coconut flour baking soda, pumpkin pie spice, cinnamon and salt
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Slowly and gently mix the dry ingredients into the wet until just combined. If desired, you can add in raisins, chocolate chips, or nuts (or leave it plain like I did - you can use it for french toast - coming soon!)
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Transfer all the batter into the prepared loaf pan, scraping the bowl with a spatula to use every drop. Bake in the preheated oven for 1 hour or until a toothpick inserted in the center of the loaf comes out clean, and the top is deep golden brown.
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Remove from oven and allow to sit in the loaf pan for about 5 minutes. Then, hold each side of the parchment paper to gently remove the loaf (it will stay in the parchment paper) to cool on a wire rack.
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Allow the loaf to cool untouched for 2 hours before slicing. Enjoy!
Recipe Notes
*I take a chilled can of full fat coconut milk, discard half the "water" and blend up the rest before adding to the recipe
**I used a Wilton medium loaf pan which is 8.5"x4.5" but you can also use a standard 9 x 5
Nutrition
What I Used to Make My Simple Paleo Pumpkin Bread
Looking for more Paleo pumpkin recipes? Try one of these!
What’s your personal pumpkin window?
Any fall birthdays?
Are you ready to drink hot apple cider and bake pumpkin goodies?
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Looks so delicious! Can you believe I have never cooked with pumpkins before! I guess my mom wasn’t a big fan so I didn’t learn any recipes from her that included pumpkins… I am planning to bake it later this afternoon, if I can get my body to the grocery store to get the few missing ingredients after I run my 22-miler this morning… Last long run of the marathon training cycle… Scary and exciting at the same time 😉
Oh man, hope the run went well! I remember that feeling from last year!
Hi! Would it be possible to make this without maple syrup or sugar to make it more Candida diet friendly?
You could sub a different sweetener if you’d like, I haven’t tested so I’m not sure if it would come out, but let me know if it works!
I’ve tried it with erythritol and it turned out nice. I haven’t made it with the maple syrup yet though so I’m not sure how much the flavor and texture differs from the original recipe.
Good to know it worked that way!
I still have pumpkin sitting in the pantry from last year so I think my interest in pumpkin has waned over the last few years . but this bread looks great! I love fall and my son’s birthday is in October so this season is always fun for me. oh right, and I got married way back when in the fall too. it’s a fun time of year
Definitely a fun time of year and lots to celebrate and of course bake for 🙂 And the bar mitzvah this year!!
You know I really only got “in to” pumpkin because I started blogging! Haha! Boy, I was missing out on all the pumpkin goodness! Pumpkin is just so good in so many things and not just baking or sweets! Haha! I love its versatility! (and omg…as I’m typing this I realize I did NOT bring any cans of pumpkin down to school with me :O )
It’s definitely great all around along with all the other winter squash that I’m patiently waiting for!
Wow Michelle this bread looks incredible! It’s so thick, moist and oh so perfect! Be still my heart <3
Yes! It’s a good one. Thank you!
I am SO ready to cook with pumpkin again. I’ve already started with an awesome pumpkin pie, but had a failure with pumpkin brownies. Need to stock up again! Love this bread – will have to try it!
Pumpkin brownies can be a little tough I think! I remember making a recipe last year a few times to get it right.
If you can only find unbleached almond flour is that ok?
Also tapioca flour is difficult to source locally. Is there a substitute for that?
I would only used blanched almond flour when baking breads and cookies (you can purchase on amazon), however you can try it out with unblanched if you want to see how it turns out, I’d love to hear about it! Also here is the link to purchase tapioca or you can omit and just add 1/4 cup more almond, however the bread will be less soft and more grainy this way.
How will unbleached versus bleached change the flavor of the receipe? Or is it more of a texture change?
Unblanched almond flour just grinds up the whole almond (outside and in) versus blanched which is the white inside of the almond ground very finely. I don’t think the flavor would change much at all.
Could you sub coconut flour for the tapioca?
No, unfortunately coconut flour is so dense that it’s never easy to sub it without testing it first. If you don’t have tapioca you can also use arrowroot starch, if neither are available I’d say add 1/4 cup more of blanched almond flour.
I never realized that tapioca flour would make it softer. When i’ve cooked with just almond flour, it tends to be very moist. Is that a common combo you do for paleo almond flour breads? where you sub 1/4 cup with tapioca flour? I’m thinking of making this to bring to my relatives for thanksgiving as after dinner snack. I have almond flour but would need to go buy tapioca flour.
I almost always add tapioca whether using almond, coconut flour or a combo. I like the texture it gives the bread!
Almond flour is so expensive. Do you think some coconut flour, more tapioca and some almond flour would do? Maybe a one third each combination?
My guess is if you wanted to do a coconut/tapioca combo you could use 3/4 cup coconut flour and 1/4 cup tapioca. I find bread gets too gummy in texture with too much tapioca, and coconut is very dense so you’d use a lot less. Let me know if you try this!
I made this yesterday. I used Cuisinart ground almonds and finely sifted them. I don’t have anything else to chop things. And, believe it or not, I had some already ground hazelnuts which I also sifted and replaced the same amount of almond, about 1/4 cup. It came out great! The bread is a little more moist than I would like, but it has a crunchy crust. It’s also a little less sweet than I might like, but that could be because of the almond skins? I am going to make it again, with blanched almond flour so I can see the difference. My husband will be thrilled! I am lactose and gluten intolerant, so he’s just happy that I am baking!
I’d definitely try with blanched almond to see if you still find it too moist, if so, I’d recommend adding a tbsp or so of coconut flour. Curious to see how it goes. Glad you liked it!
I made this tonight and my husband usually asks what the “catch” is to my baked goods since he knows I usually substitute things or make paleo or sugar free breads and muffins. His mouth dropped open when I told him this was paleo! He LOVED it and my kids devoured it! We ate the entire loaf tonight for “dessert” after dinner. I’m going to make another one after the kids go down since I still have pumpkin and coconut cream leftover!
That makes me so happy to hear! I actually have a follow up french toast bake recipe going out tomorrow using the pumpkin bread, it’s a pretty versatile bread and worked really well, hope you try that too!
Do you know if a substitution for the tapioca flour? I live in Turkey and I can’t get it here.
You can omit it and add more almond flour, probably 1/4 cup, or about 2 tbsp of coconut flour. It won’t be quite as soft, but it will still be very good!
I have been getting my specialty flours from Vita Cost. Prices are good and they usually have everything I need.
Sounds good!
I’m so excited for fall and pumpkin flavored everything! This pumpkin bread looks so delicious! Can’t wait to try it!
Thanks! Hope you like it!
Most quick breads can be made as muffins. Do you think this one would work?
Yes, I do! I’d say it might make 8 muffins? I’d follow the recipe exactly except bake at 350 for about 20-25 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean 🙂
Just made these as muffins and they turned out great. I filled regular muffin cups up and ended up with 10. I did bake them for 20 to 25 minutes. I cut the maple syrup back to 1/4 cup because I don’t like too sweet and it was good for my tastes. Thanks!
Perfect! Glad it worked out 🙂
This bread is absolutely wonderful! It tastes just like the loaves my mom made when I was young, but soooo much healthier. I even decreased the maple syrup to 1/4 cup and added 8 drops of liquid stevia. My kids gobbled up the first loaf, so I’m currently baking a second. I can foresee using this recipe at least once a week through the fall.
What can I substitute instead of tapioca flour? Can I just leave it out? I am following the Specific Carbohydrate Diet, which allows all of the ingredients besides maple syrup (going to sub honey) ans tapioca flour!
THANKS 🙂
I would leave it out and add 2 tbsp extra of coconut flour. Subbing honey might cause the loaf to brown early so keep an eye on it and cover the top with aluminum foil if it’s a problem! Let me know how it goes 🙂
If my coconut milk isn’t chilled will the recipe still turn out?
Yes it should, I typically like to discard half the water and blend first for a very thick coconut milk which is the reason for the chilling beforehand (water and cream separate) but you shouldn’t have a problem.
This was really yummy and moist. I used 1/3 cup of coconut oil instead of coconut milk. Never the less is was really good, Everyone enjoyed it even the kids.
That’s awesome! Good to know the coconut oil works too! When the kids like it, you know it’s a keeper 🙂
Can I use almond milk?I have no coconut milk in the house and I want to bake this. Now.
Since it has a much lower fat content I don’t think it would totally come out the same, I would sub the coconut milk for half coconut oil (melted) half almond milk if I were to guess!
This was amazing! Thank you!
Only question I have is that it went bad after 4-5 days sitting out. I think it’s from the maple syrup. Would it keep better in the fridge? I’m just the only one in my house eating it and while I could eat it in 2 days I think that defeats the point ??
This would definitely keep better in the fridge, I would only leave it out a day or so. Glad you liked it!
it’s really hard to read your post if all the pop up are going to keep scrolling and covering the post.
Made this twice in two days! It’s such a great pumpkin bread. We liked it because it is not “mushy” like some paleo breads tend to be.
Ooh so glad you liked it! Truthfully my first try at creating this loaf was mushy, the persistence paid off though 🙂 You can use this bread for pretty much anything – I made a Thanksgiving stuffing and a french toast bake with it!
Hi! Mine did come out kind of mushy. I baked for 1 hour and 5 mins, tested with a toothpick which came out clean. Do you think I can try just the cream and no coconut water from the can?
Can’t get over how perfect this bread looks! I am so used to baking paleo-friendly bread with coconut flour but should really try my hand at almond flour! Love the look of the texture in this bread.
Thanks Ashley! I love almond flour but my favorite bread recipes usually involve some combo of almond, coconut and tapioca. Tapioca has to be in there!
I was pleasantly surprised by how DELICIOUS this is! So many of these types of recipes are dry and tortureous to eat, but this one was wonderful. No one would suspect it to be “free” of so many things! Thanks for sharing this!
That’s awesome! Thrilled you liked it 🙂
I just made this today (as well as the cranberry sauce), and I have to say, it’s another winner! I’ve made lots of paleo pumpkin bread variations, and this simply is the most like my beloved grandma’s recipe that is FULL of gluten, sugar, and all the other things I don’t eat anymore. Thanks AGAIN! Yum, yum, yum.
Awesome! I made a double batch of it too – for stuffing and to eat. Happy Thanksgiving!
I just made this tonight – thanks so much for sharing this recipe. It was moister than other pumpkin bread recipes that I’ve tried. I didn’t have tapioca flour, so subbed it with coconut flour and it turned out great. How do I store this? At room temperature or in the fridge? And for how long?
I’ve always stored mine in the fridge, I’d say up to 5 days or so? I gently reheat or toast out of the fridge 🙂 Glad you liked it!
Just curious, do you know the nutritional information on the finished recipe? Calories per servine, how many servings, etc? Thank you! I made it tonight and it came out perfect! I didn’t have a full 1/4 cup of tapioca starch, so I had to add about a tablespoon of potato starch (all I had), but it still came out perfect!
I made this today as 4 mini loaves to put in the freezer for future snacking. The texture is probably the best of the paleo breads I’ve tried, but I’m a bit disappointed in the flavor. I was hoping for a lot more spice & pumpkin flavor. Came out a bit bland. I’ll make it again, but will adjust the spices to give it more kick.
Michele, thanks for such a lovely recipe! I adapted it somewhat from your original to make it LCHF friendly (so no tapioca or maple) and suitable to cook in my convection steam oven. It’s very moist and dense but we loved it so much I posted the adaptation on my own blog (I have linked and credited your delicious original!).
For the several commenters who asked about not using the maple syrup, I left it out altogether and had no problem at all with the flavour. The natural sweetness of the pumpkin and the almonds was sufficient – I’m sure it’s really delicious with the maple syrup (and the texture will be a little different), but I am still really impressed without it. 🙂
That’s so great to know it works with those changes in place, thank you!
Seemed like a lot of baking powder! Other than that, very good!
There’s no baking powder in the recipe, you mean the baking soda? It’s just one tsp. Glad you liked it 🙂
Does this need to be kept in the refrigerator?
I made this today and followed the recipe and after taking it out of the oven, I left it in pan for 5 minutes and my bread fell and caved in. I did put it on the rack next for two hours, do you know why it might have done this?
Thanks,
I’d say either the flour was slightly under measured, or the batter was over-mixed. If you attempt a second time, try adding an additional Tbsp coconut flour if it was the flour issue and gently folding the dry ingredients into the wet when combining.
I didn’t read your tidbits until the end. Do you think it will still work out if i didn’t discard half of the water before mixing the can of coconut milk together? Also, my batter wasn’t runny. What was the consistency of yours?
Yes as long as the coconut milk is full fat and blended it will be fine. Typically paleo breads have a thick batter, more so with coconut flour but it’s never actually runny/pourable. Hope it works out!
You’re so great to always respond! Thank you! I did blend it beforehand and it was full fat. It’s in the oven now making my house smell delicious and I’ll post back with the results. 🙂
This was my first time baking with tapioca and i love how this bread turned out. Beautiful, fluffy loaf with wonderful flavor. I can’t wait to see how it tastes tomorrow out of the fridge. Thanks for sharing such a delicious recipe!
That sounds great! Happy it worked out 🙂
Just made this using the Bob’s Red Mill paleo flour I had on hand and it turned out super yummy. Loved how easy this recipe was. Added dairy free chocolate chips too. Will definitely be making again!
Thanks for this comment, Lisa! I was just wondering if I could use Bob’s Paleo Flour!
Hello, what can i sub for the coconut milk ? Not a fan of coconut flavor =) Will full cream dairy milk works? Or full fat greek yogurt?
I’d try yogurt since it’s thicker, let me know if you make it 🙂
I baked it on Sunday and sub greek yogurt for the coconut milk. Delicious and just enough sweetness. It slices pretty well but they easily fell apart in slices. May I know if the substitution that I made causes it that way? It is very very moist and I wonder if adding any dry ingredients will help.
Delicious! Thank you so much for this recipe. My son and I made it this morning. We had a hard time waiting the 2 hours for it to cool! We’ve tried many paleo bread recipes. The others are so dry. Do you think it’s the full fat coconut milk that makes a difference? We’re excited to try the other bread recipes like the cinnamon raisin and banana blueberry breads.
Hi there Michelle my name is Lisa and I have been paleo for a few years and I just found you pumpkin bread recipe OMG! so perfect! ? you rock! And I too am a scorpio and my birthday is actually today and made this for me instead of cake ? yummy ……….. I LOVE FALL …… This is Lisa from Bonney Lake WA and I am a massage therapist and qigong teacher….. Thank you so much
Wow so happy you loved it that much! A good one for sure 🙂
A million X THANK YOU!!! I have been considering going grain free, and I was thinking Kashi has some gluten…. just a hunch. I have not been Dx with leaky gut, but have read that this can cause IC (interstitial cystitis) which I have not gotten tested for either b/c for one, it’s an “elimination test” and what they call it when something is wrong with your bladder but they don’t know why… and 2 i am not going to have that catheter tube with the camera put into my bladder just to rule things out (dr. words) – to all the people who have gone before me, thank you for your blogs saying IC symptoms is probably gut related. So, have cut out gluten as of 2 weeks ago, and there is a HUGE difference in my symptoms, but still thinking I need to go totally grain free which up until reading your blog I was thinking no way, what will I eat besides meat and veggies b/c I have already lost a couple pounds and I don’t need or want to lose more. . So happy that there is BREAD that is grain free, can’t wait to try this. I am so happy I could almost cry. Thank you!!
Hope you try a few breads and muffins, enjoy!
I’m surprised nobody has asked or commented about substituting the eggs for this! Anyways I just decided that I need to work towards a grain free diet, and my hubby is allergic to eggs, so I am baking up three mini loaves right now with flax egg! 🙂
The batter is so creamy and delicious….someone mentioned the spices not being as strong as expected, and I agree. It’s tasty with just the smooth pumpkin and subtle spices, but I like more spice! I added a 1/2 tsp of cloves and it was better! 🙂
They’ve got 30 minutes left in the oven— can’t wait to eat this!!!!
Let me know how the flax eggs work out! Hope you enjoy 🙂
It’s good, …flax eggs are tricky though. It’s gonna take a little tweaking. It’s very moist in the middle, almost raw. ?
I wonder if maybe just cutting the agg amount in half would work.
Hi 🙂
I cannot do peanuts/tree nuts. Do you think I could sub rice flower or oat flower for the almond flower?
I have another pumpkin bread recipe that’s nut free, here it is:
I don’t usually make comments on recipes I try, but I had to with this pumpkin bread. Holy cow it was delicious!!! moist and full of fall flavor….even my non gluten / non paleo family loved it. And it was gone so fast…I can’t get over the moistness..thank you for the recipe, it will be part of my collection of recipes. I think I will try your other recipes as well. I stopped making quick breads because the gluten free versions were always so dry…this one is not.
Hi Michele,
How would you recommend modifying this recipe for high altitude (~5,200 ft)? Your site is my new cookbook! I just made your Teriyaki Pork Tenderloin recipe this week and it was the BEST PORK EVER! Everything I have made from your site has turned out perfectly, with the exception of this bread. It rose too quickly in the oven and then collapsed when it cooled and made the inside mushy and almost under cooked instead of moist. I am thinking of cutting way back on the baking soda so it doesn’t rise too quickly, but then in the past with non-paleo bread recipes I had success adding more flour at high altitude. Any recommendations you have would be appreciated!
I would probably add more flour (almond flour) rather than cut the baking soda. Hope this helps!
I love this bread! It’s my go-to quick breakfast. I have done variations with home made apple sauce & I also only bake it 45 min & do half the maple syrup.
Disappointed 🙁
The bread came out too moist and the taste is very bland… can’t even tell it’s a pumpkin bread. I’d put more spices and more sweetener as well.
IF i have Bob’s Redmill Paleo baking flour, would I just use 2 cups of that in place of all of the flours? Thanks!
Love this recipe! Super simple ingredients, tastes delicious!
Happy you liked it!
Can this recipe be used to make muffins vs loaf of bread?
Yes definitely, I’d say bake for 25 minutes.
I tried making this and for some reason mine came out with the top really brown and looking fine but the inside was not cooked at all. Not sure if I maybe added too much of something or what would cause this. Any suggestions would be appreciated 🙂 I cooked it in one of those foil loaf pans.
Yummy really great pumpkin bread…so good ! Easy to make I ate to much warm out of the oven with gee yum .
So happy you liked it!
Dusting this one off and giving it a go today for a fall party I’m hosting. It looks legit!!! Your baking knowledge is impressive— that’s why you’re my go-to for recipes. You know your stuff 🙂
Excited/interested to taste the difference with the addition of tapioca flour!!
Is there anything that can be subbed for the coconut milk? Maybe equal parts nut pods pumpkin spice creamer? Or melted butter+almond milk? You’re the expert, wanted to run that by you!
You also mention other sweeteners working just as well. Would coconut palm sugar be an equal sub? Or maybe do a little of both? I so respect and value your opinion!!!! 🙂
I forgot the coconut oil but it turned out great. I’m thinking coconut milk has a lot of fat so maybe that’s why it turned out good too. I will try your other recipes like banana bread. I’m on a no grain diet for pain and trying to find supstitutes for foods I love like stuffing for turkey…how to make great I fried chicken in the oven – thank you for sharing!!
Loved this. swapped out the coconut milk for almond milk and the tapioca flour for arrowroot. turned out great, have made it several times already!
There are already so many comments about how great this bread is, but I just had to add another!! I subbed a super ripe mashed banana for the maple syrup and added about a cup of raisins for natural sweetness and it was perfect! Even my pickiest eater ate a slice for breakfast. And turning it into french toast was a brilliant idea. I can’t wait to try more of your recipes!
Incredible! Made with coconut oil over the full fat coconut milk, and honey instead of maple syrup. Baked in muffin tins for about 20 minutes, and they were incredible! Will definitely be making more often
I made this and it’s very good. Though baking for 1 hour did make it turn too brown. I’ll try 50 minutes next time.
I have made this a few times and I absolutely love it. I have made other Paleo breads and the texture was off. This one makes me feel like I am getting a real treat. Nothing lacking in this bread. Thanks
I added maybe 1/3 cup chopped walnuts & handful of currants—didn’t have tapioca flour so used the almond as written, & 1/4 cup coconut flour. It turned out really great!