The ULTIMATE Healthy Pumpkin Bread that’s moist, brimming with pumpkin essence and prepared without any butter or refined sugar! Topped with a delightful maple cream cheese frosting for the ideal autumn indulgence this season!
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Is it genuinely fall if you’re not surrounded by the aroma of warm, scrumptious pumpkin bread wafting from the oven? Folks, this healthy pumpkin bread recipe is undeniably the FINEST bread you will ever make! Incredibly moist, airy, and made healthier with whole wheat flour, applesauce, and absolutely no butter or refined sugar. Additionally, we’re drizzling this pumpkin bread with a maple cream cheese glaze that pairs wonderfully with all these cozy flavors.
Why You’ll Adore this Recipe
- Pumpkin, maple syrup, vanilla, and warming spices create the ultimate fall delight!
- This pumpkin bread is fluffy, moist, and SO tasty when topped with a maple cream cheese glaze!
- Prepared with whole grains, applesauce, and absolutely no butter or refined sugar.
- Easily transform this into pumpkin muffins or bite-sized mini muffins suitable for tiny hands.
- Freezer-friendly, allowing you to savor this pumpkin bread throughout the season!
Ingredients You’ll Require
- whole wheat pastry flour – I enjoy baking with whole wheat pastry flour because it retains all the nutritional benefits of whole grain flour while keeping this pumpkin bread light and fluffy. I highly advise utilizing this, but if you lack it, white whole wheat flour or standard all-purpose flour could be used instead.
- all-purpose flour – this, when combined with the whole wheat flour, contributes to an even softer and fluffier pumpkin bread, but feel free to use entirely whole wheat pastry flour if that’s your preference.
- baking powder + baking soda – serve as a leavening agent for this bread to rise.
- pumpkin puree – I utilized canned pumpkin purée; ensure it’s 100% pure pumpkin and not pumpkin pie filling, as that contains loads of sugar.
- eggs – provide protein and contribute to the fluffiness and height of this bread.
- sweetener – I combined maple syrup and cane sugar for sweetness without refined sugar, but honey or regular sugar can work too.
- coconut oil – for added moisture and fluffiness! Feel free to swap it for another type of oil or even butter if you prefer.
- applesauce – I used unsweetened applesauce to cut down on oil while helping keep this bread moist. Greek yogurt or mashed bananas are good alternatives too.
- warm spices – a wonderful mix of pumpkin pie spice, cinnamon, salt, and vanilla extract. If you lack pumpkin pie spice, substitute with 1/2 teaspoon of cinnamon, 1/2 teaspoon of ground ginger, 1/4 teaspoon of ground nutmeg, and 1/4 teaspoon of allspice or cloves.
- cream cheese glaze – this is optional, but it tastes absolutely delightful atop this pumpkin bread! Just need cream cheese, maple syrup, a splash of milk, and vanilla extract.
How to Prepare Healthy Pumpkin Bread
- Combine ingredients. In a large bowl, mix the flours, baking powder, baking soda, pumpkin pie spice, cinnamon, and salt, then set aside. In a medium bowl, whisk together the eggs, maple syrup, cane sugar, pumpkin puree, applesauce, melted coconut oil, and vanilla until blended.
- Create the batter. Fold the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients, mixing with a spatula until just blended, being careful not to over-mix. This is where you can add any mix-ins like chocolate chips or chopped nuts. Pour the pumpkin bread batter into a 9×5-inch loaf pan generously coated with oil or lined with parchment paper.
- BAKE! Bake in the oven for 50 to 60 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. After baking, let the pumpkin bread cool for 10 minutes before removing it from the pan to cool completely on a wire rack.
- Top with cream cheese. While the pumpkin bread cools, place cream cheese in a small bowl and microwave for around 30 seconds. Add maple syrup, a tablespoon of milk, and 1/4 teaspoon of vanilla; whisk together until smooth. Feel free to add more milk a teaspoon at a time to achieve desired consistency. Drizzle the glaze over the bread, slice, and enjoy!
Tips for Crafting the BEST Pumpkin Bread
- Avoid over mixing the batter. This will lead to a dense pumpkin bread which we want to avoid. We’re aiming for something fluffy and soft!
- Feel free to swap whole wheat pastry flour with 1:1 gluten-free flour or all-purpose flour. Almond or coconut flour is not recommended for this recipe.
- Incorporate fun extras like chopped walnuts or pecans, coconut flakes, dried fruit, or fresh berries!
- I suggest lining your baking pan with parchment paper and spraying it with nonstick spray for easy removal of the pumpkin bread.
- To turn this pumpkin bread vegan, replace the eggs with flax eggs and use vegan cream cheese for the glaze.
How to Create Healthy Pumpkin Muffins
I adore this recipe as it not only produces the finest pumpkin bread, but you can also whip up delicious pumpkin muffins!
- Easily create 12 pumpkin muffins by distributing the batter among 12 muffin cups and baking for 20 to 25 minutes.
- This recipe also yields 24 mini muffins — just distribute the batter into 24 muffin cups and bake for 15 to 17 minutes. Great for little hands!
- Alternatively, you can make three mini pumpkin loaves, perfect for gifting! Bake at 350 degrees F for 35 to 40 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted shows clean. When making for friends and family, I like to double the recipe for 6 mini loaves.
Preparation and Storage
To Store: Keep this pumpkin bread in a sealed airtight container or wrapped in aluminum foil on the counter at room temperature for up to a day or two, then refrigerate to extend it up to a week.
To Freeze: This pumpkin bread freezes wonderfully too! Wrap the bread in aluminum foil or freeze individual slices in freezer-safe bags. When you’re ready to indulge, thaw overnight in the refrigerator. This pumpkin bread can last in the freezer for up to 3 months.
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I hope you all relish this Healthy Pumpkin Bread, and if you adore it as much as we do, please leave me ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ below and don’t forget to tag me on Instagram using #eatyourselfskinny! I truly enjoy seeing all your tasty recreations!
For the maple cream cheese drizzle:
Preheat your oven to 350°F.
In a small bowl, whisk the flours, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, pumpkin pie spice, and salt; set aside.
In another bowl, combine eggs, pumpkin, maple syrup, cane sugar, applesauce, coconut oil, and vanilla until smooth. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry mixture and stir with a spatula until just blended, being cautious of over-mixing.
Transfer the pumpkin mixture into a greased 9×5-inch loaf pan or lined with parchment paper and bake for 50 to 60 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
Afterward, let the pumpkin bread cool in the pan for 10 minutes before removing it to cool completely on a wire rack.
While cooling, heat cream cheese in a small bowl in the microwave for about 30 seconds. Mix in the maple syrup, a tablespoon of milk, and 1/4 teaspoon of vanilla, whisking until smooth. Adjust milk as needed for the right consistency.
Drizzle the maple cream cheese icing over the pumpkin bread, slice, and savor!
Serving: 1slice | Calories: 179kcal | Carbohydrates: 26.8g | Protein: 3.4g | Fat: 6.6g | Saturated Fat: 4.9g | Sodium: 93.8mg | Fiber: 2.9g | Sugar: 14.3g
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.