Looking for more pumpkin recipes? Check out Pumpkin Muffins, Pumpkin Cookies, or this favorite Pumpkin Cake.
Healthy Pumpkin Bread
My family is OBSESSED with all things pumpkin (hi Pumpkin Snickerdoodles), but with the holiday season approaching and sick season quickly approaching, I’m always trying to find better options for the kids. While we indulge in this regular Pumpkin Bread all the time, I love making this healthier pumpkin bread filled with the protein and nutrients we all need! And bonus—it’s just as delicious!
I put this recipe to the test, refining it again and again to get it just right. It’s moist, full of fall flavors, and made with wholesome ingredients.
Give it a try and enjoy a pumpkin bread that’s both tasty and wholesome!
Ingredients In Healthy Pumpkin Bread Recipe
- Canned Pumpkin: Make sure you’re using plain canned pumpkin puree, not pumpkin pie filling.
- Vanilla Greek Yogurt: Use Greek yogurt, preferably honey-vanilla flavored for an even sweeter bread.
- Egg and Vanilla: Binds the ingredients together.
- Coconut Oil: Measure after melting and make sure it’s cooled to room temperature before adding. Other oil will work as well.
- Light Brown Sugar: Pack the sugar lightly when measuring to avoid over-sweetening.
- Baking Soda and Salt: Helps the bread rise and balances the sweetness.
- Spices: Make your own pumpkin pie spice using a mix of cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, and cloves.
- All-Purpose Flour or White Whole Wheat Flour and Oat Flour: Avoid using regular whole wheat flour as it can make the bread too dense.
- Dark Chocolate Chips or Chopped Nuts (optional): Fold these in with the dry ingredients to make sure they don’t sink to the bottom of the bread.
How To Make Pumpkin Bread Healthy
- Preheat oven to 350°F and prepare a 4.5 x 8.5-inch bread pan.
- Whisk together all wet ingredients in a large bowl.
- Mix dry ingredients in another bowl; add chocolate chips or nuts if desired.
- Combine dry mix with wet, avoiding over-mixing.
- Pour batter into the pan; sprinkle with brown sugar (optional).
- Bake for 40-55 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.
- Let it cool, cut into slices, and then enjoy each bite!
Tips For Success
- Quality Matters: Use Libby’s® pumpkin, LouAna® melted coconut oil, and Greek Gods® honey vanilla yogurt for the best results (not sponsored). Skip low-fat or plain yogurts.
- Mix-Ins: Dark chocolate chips are delicious, but you can leave them out or use chopped nuts instead.
- Mixing: Don’t over-mix to avoid a dense loaf. Grease and flour your pan for easy removal after a 10-minute cool down.
- Toothpick Test: Insert a toothpick into the center. The bread is done if it comes out with moist crumbs or clean.
- Loaf Pan: Use the recommended pan size for even baking and accurate cooking times.
Quick Tip
What’s the difference between canned pumpkin and pumpkin pie filling? Canned pumpkin is pureed pumpkin, while pumpkin pie filling has added sweeteners and spices. For Healthy Pumpkin Bread and most non-pie recipes, use plain canned pumpkin.
How To Make “Oat Flour”
Oat flour adds moisture and flavor to this Pumpkin Bread Recipe. To make it:
- Add old-fashioned or quick oats to a blender or food processor.
- Blend until it turns into a fine powder, like flour.
- Stir to make sure all the oats are finely ground.
- Measure the oat flour after grinding, not the whole oats.
Healthy Pumpkin Bread FAQs
Common Issues: Over-baking, too much flour, not enough wet ingredients, or overmixing can cause problems when baking.
How I Keep This Bread Moist: I use precise measurements, add Greek yogurt and coconut oil for extra richness, and follow easy mixing and baking steps to keep the bread moist.
Too much moisture, over-mixing, and under-baking can be problems. My recipe solves these issues with the right balance of wet and dry ingredients, tips to prevent over-mixing, and exact baking times for a perfect loaf.
It stays fresh for 2-3 days at room temperature and up to a week in the fridge if kept in an airtight container.
What Makes This Pumpkin Bread Healthy?
- Whole Grains Galore: I use oat flour for extra fiber and nutrition.
- Packed with Vitamins: The pumpkin adds vitamins A and C.
- Lightly Sweetened: I use just a little sugar to sweeten the bread.
- Good Fats: Coconut oil is heart-healthy.
- Extra Goodies: Oats and Greek yogurt provide antioxidants, protein, and more!
Other Healthy Pumpkin Recipes:
- Healthy Pumpkin Muffins with chocolate chips
- Pumpkin Protein Shake using vanilla protein
- Healthy Pumpkin Cookies with oats
- Gluten Free Pumpkin Cake without flour
- Pumpkin Granola with nuts and seeds
Healthy Pumpkin Bread
Equipment
- Bread pan 4.5 x 8.5-inch
- Blender
Ingredients
- Cooking spray
Wet Ingredients
- 1 cup pumpkin see note 1
- 1/2 cup vanilla Greek yogurt see note 2
- 1 large egg
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/3 cup melted coconut oil see note 3
- 3/4 cup light brown sugar lightly packed
Dry Ingredients
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice see note 4
- 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1 cup all-purpose flour or white-whole wheat flour
- 1/2 cup oat flour
- 1/2 cup dark chocolate chips or chopped nuts, optional
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C). Grease a 4.5 x 8.5-inch bread pan and lightly flour. Set aside.
- In a large bowl, whisk together all wet ingredients until smooth and well combined.
- To make oat flour, blend either old-fashioned or quick oats until they form a fine powder that resembles flour. Measure out the required amount after blending.
- In a separate bowl, mix together all the dry ingredients. If you're adding chocolate chips or nuts, fold them in now.
- Gradually add the dry ingredients to the wet mixture, stirring until just blended. Avoid over-mixing to prevent the bread from becoming too dense.
- Pour the batter into the prepared pan. Optionally, sprinkle 2 tablespoons brown sugar on top for a crunchy crust! Bake for 40–55 minutes. Check for doneness by inserting a fork or toothpick into the center; it should come out clean or with moist crumbs. If the bread's top starts to brown too quickly, shield it with foil.
- Let bread sit in pan for 10 minutes before transferring to a wire cooling rack. Allow the bread to cool completely before slicing or it will crumble.
Recipe Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
This is the best pumpkin bread I have ever made! Less oil, but better taste! My old recipe called for a cup of oil. Ew.
So happy to hear that! 🙂 Thank you!
I just made this, a triple recipe. It made one loaf, three mini loaves, and eight muffins. I used about half the sugar and I feel like I should have used a little bit more — all those spices need a tad more sweetness to let their flavor shine. I still like the idea of less sugar, so next time I’ll try with 3/4 the sugar. I’m hoping the flavors will blossom and be fabulous if we can let it sit for a day or two!
So I totally missed the part where you say only use 1 cup of pumpkin. Guess it’ll be a little moist. I’ll let ya know what happens. Fingers crossed it’s still good
Oh shoot! How’d it turn out?
I LOVE THIS!! Thank you for doing the leg work finding the best recipe for pumpkin bread! It’s so moist and delicious and not overly sweet! I did use the pumpkin pie mix (libby’s) and whole wheat flour (not white wheat) and it’s phenomenal!
So happy you enjoyed this bread! Thanks for the comment Ashley!
Looks like a great recipe but I’m out of brown sugar, do you think maple syrup would work?
Sorry I don’t think maple syrup will work — the bread will be too moist!
Holy delicious!! I am in love with this recipe. I came out perfectly, super moist and flavorful. I doubled the recipe to share, but I’m sitting at my desk hiding the loaf so I have some for tomorrow! Thank you so much!
Yay!! Love hearing that! So happy you enjoyed 🙂 Thanks for the comment Erica!
Question, do you think I could add zucchini to this to make it a pumpkin zucchini bread? Or will the moisture of the zucchini do something to the bread? Thanks in advance!
I haven’t personally tried but I think the moisture from the zucchini would throw this bread off quite a bit!
How will this recipe turn out with non-fat vanilla greek yogurt? My publix doesnt sell any full fat vanilla greek!
It will be a bit more moist and rise less
This is really good! I made only two changes. I used canola oil instead of coconut oil. I used 1 heaping teaspoon of pumpkin pie spice and a half teaspoon of cinnamon. I left out the nutmeg as the kids don’t like it. I will definitely make this again.
Searched until I found your recipe…this is exactly what I was looking for! My cookbook’s recipe called for a freaking 3 cups of sugar. I tripled your recipe (big family) and it was delicious. My kids raved. Thank you.
So happy to hear this bread was a hit! 🙂 I’m glad you were able to find this recipe! Thanks for the comment Emily 🙂