Almond Flour Pumpkin Bread

Honey sweetened and studded with pecans and dried cranberries, this Almond Flour Pumpkin Bread is tender, moist and warmly spiced. Made entirely with almond flour, it’s also gluten free.

Most quick breads, even my Oatmeal Banana Bread and Sweet Potato Bread, are best toasted and finished with a dab of butter or some kind of fruit or nut butter spread. But this bread needs nothing at all. Warm from the oven or cold from the refrigerator, it’s delicious as is and makes a wonderful autumn breakfast or snack – perfect for Thanksgiving morning!

Ingredients You Need to Make Almond Flour Pumpkin Bread

• Blanched Almond Flour: Or unblanched super fine ground almond flour. Don’t use almond meal which is more coarsely ground.
• Baking Powder
• Baking Soda
• Kosher Salt: or 1/2 the amount of fine sea salt.
• Pumpkin Pie Spice: Or ground cinnamon with a pinch of nutmeg if you have it on hand.
• Butter: Or coconut oil.
• Honey: Or maple syrup.
• Eggs: Large or extra large.
• Pumpkin Puree: Plain canned pumpkin puree for a pure pumpkin flavor, not pumpkin pie filling which includes sweetener and spices.
• Pecans: Or walnuts.
• Dried Cranberries: Dried cherries or raisins are also options.

Recipe Tips

I’ve spent the past few weeks experimenting with almond flour recipes. It’s been both a challenge and a thrill to get the recipes just right. These tips aren’t difficult, but they’re important and I want you to have a perfect loaf the first time.

• Use a 1 pound loaf pan, 8.5 x 4.5 x 2.75 inches. With a larger pan, the center of your loaf is likely to droop.
• Be sure to use finely ground blanched almond flour not almond meal for the best texture.
• Don’t skip the parchment strip with handles, it’s key to removing the loaf in one piece. Baking with almond flour yields an extra tender texture that makes baked goods delicate and more prone to fall apart.

Recipe Options

• To make this a paleo pumpkin bread recipe, swap in coconut oil for the butter.
• For a vegan version, sweeten with an equal amount of maple syrup and substitute eggs with a vegan egg substitute like flax eggs or chia eggs (directions for making them in this Almond Flour Blueberry Muffin post), or applesauce.
• Try different add-ins: chocolate chips, walnuts or pumpkin seeds, and/ or dried cherries are all good options. You can also add a teaspoon of pure vanilla extract with the other wet ingredients for added flavor depth.
• Spread slices with soft cream cheese or almond butter for a heartier snack or breakfast.
• For another gluten free quick bread option, try my Oat Flour Banana Bread.

More Almond Flour Recipes to Try

• Almond Flour Muffins
• Almond Flour Banana Pancakes
• Almond Flour Blueberry Muffins
• Almond Flour Brownies (So thick and fudgy!)
• Almond Flour Crackers (A versatile cracker that’s cheesy, flaky, and crisp.)
• Almond Flour Oatmeal Cookies
• Almond Flour Peanut Butter Cookies

How to Make Almond Flour Pumpkin Bread

Step 1: Preheat oven to 350˚F and prepare loaf pan, buttering the ends and lining the middle and long sides with a strip of parchment paper long enough to overlap the edges on each side by a couple of inches. Whisk dry ingredients together in a medium bowl (almond flour, baking powder, baking soda, kosher salt, and pumpkin pie spice).

Step 2: Whip butter and honey until fluffy in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Add eggs and mix until incorporated. Pour in dry ingredients and add pumpkin puree and mix to incorporate. Add pecans and dried cranberries; mix until just combined.

Step 3: Scrape batter into prepared loaf pan and smooth top with a rubber spatula. Bake until a knife or toothpick comes out clean, 55 to 60 minutes (tent with foil at 45-50 minutes). Let cool on a wire rack for at least 15 minutes before removing loaf from the pan.