The Best Whole Wheat Pumpkin Bread

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The best Whole Wheat Pumpkin Bread recipe is made with simple ingredients like whole grain flour and maple syrup instead of sugar. It's perfect for busy mornings or as a quick afternoon snack!

One loaf of pumpkin bread topped with chocolate chips and sliced. Part of a decorative pumpkin is in the background.

'Tis the season for pumpkin spice everything, from pumpkin spice lattes to this easy pumpkin bread recipe. In fact, this recipe is so easy and delicious, you'll may find yourself making it even after pumpkin season ends. Yes, it's that good. 😍

Seriously though, this chocolate chip pumpkin bread is one of my favorite Fall recipes and I can't wait for you to try it!

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Why You'll Love This Recipe
Dietitian Tip
Ingredient Notes
How to Make This Dairy-Free Pumpkin Bread Recipe
Helpful Tips
Questions You May Have
More Pumpkin Recipes
More Easy Breakfast Recipes
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Why You'll Love This Recipe

Get ready for your home to fill with all of the favorite and familiar scents of Fall as this delicious pumpkin bread bakes in your oven. I knew I had the right proportions when my son said, "This is perfect. Don't change anything!". I hope your kids love this as much as mine do!

Easy Recipe This easy recipe for whole wheat pumpkin bread with incredible pumpkin flavor uses just one large bowl and one loaf pan. There's no need to separate the wet and dry ingredients.
High in Fiber This recipe is made with whole grain flour which is higher in fiber and protein than white flour. Fiber helps kids feel full longer and keeps things moving through the digestive tract.
Less Sugar Sweetened with pure maple syrup instead of sugar. And even though maple syrup is still considered an added sugar, this recipe has fewer grams of added sugar than most pumpkin bread recipes made with cane sugar or brown sugar.
One bowl Less mess and fewer dirty dishes. You're welcome!
Dairy-Free This is made with olive oil instead of butter, and as long as you use dairy-free chocolate chips, this is a dairy-free pumpkin bread recipe.

Dietitian Tip

There's nothing like scrambling to figure out what to feed kids for breakfast or snacks. It can be stressful!

Keeping quick bread recipes on hand made with whole grain flour and less sugar, like this pumpkin bread or my banana bread, can help lessen the craziness of trying to figure out what to feed kids when you are short on time.

And what kid will turn down something made with chocolate chips? You can easily leave them out, but my kids would advise you to keep them in!

Ingredient Notes

Pumpkin bread ingredients placed separately on a white background and labeled.

Pumpkin Use pure pumpkin, either canned pumpkin or homemade pumpkin purée. Do not use pumpkin pie filling. Pumpkin is high in fiber and rich in vitamin A.
White whole wheat flour White whole wheat flour, also known as Golden Wheat flour, is unbleached. It has the same nutritional value as regular whole wheat flour (excellent source of fiber and other nutrients like B vitamins, iron, folate, and selenium). Because of the variety of wheat used to make it, white whole wheat flour has a milder flavor, a lighter color, and a softer texture. I use King Arthur flour.
Eggs Helps bind the bread together and give it a consistent texture. Eggs are a good source of protein. I use eggs right out of the fridge (there's no need to let them come to room temperature first in my opinion).
Maple syrup Use pure maple syrup for natural sweetness.
Baking soda Used for leavening. Do not use baking powder in place of baking soda.
Salt Helps activate the baking soda. If you leave the salt out, this bread may not rise well.
Vanilla and spices Pure vanilla extract and spices are what make this pumpkin bread as great as it is! I prefer to measure out the cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, and cloves. Still, I'm sure you can use pumpkin pie spice instead.
Chocolate chips (optional) Who needs cream cheese frosting on pumpkin bread when you can have chocolate chips? 😉 I've been trying to get my kids used to dark chocolate, so I've been using half semi-sweet and half dark chocolate chips. I buy my chocolate chips at Trader Joe's.

How to Make This Dairy-Free Pumpkin Bread Recipe

Four pictures showing how to make pumpkin bread in a loaf pan.

Here's a quick overview of how to make this moist and flavorful healthy pumpkin bread. For the full list of ingredients and specific instructions, scroll down to the recipe card.

Add wet ingredients to a large mixing bowl and whisk well.
Add all dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and mix just until all of the dry ingredients are incorporated. The batter will be lumpy.
Pour the pumpkin bread batter into a prepared loaf pan. Sprinkle cinnamon on top. Use a knife to make zig-zag lines on the top to blend the cinnamon.
Optional: top with chocolate chips and lightly press them into the batter (so they are still visible). Then, bake in a preheated oven at 325 degrees for one hour.

Helpful Tips

For best results, use the 'scoop and sweep' method for measuring flour. To do this, use a spoon to fill the measuring cups and then use the flat side of a knife to even it out on top.
Chocolate chips are optional, but highly recommended.
Chopped walnuts or raisins can be used in addition to or in place of chocolate chips.
It takes about an hour in the oven, so make this when you know you will be home for a little while.
Some loaf pans do not require you to grease them first. For example: Pampered Chef stoneware loaf pan and the metal Loaf Pan by Le Creuset.
Place the loaf pan on a wire rack to let cool before serving. Enoy!
Can substitute some or all of the flour with all-purpose flour, if it's what you have.
Can use avocado oil or melted coconut oil in place of olive oil, if you prefer. Canola oil can also be used.
To make this a vegan pumpkin bread recipe, use flax eggs instead of regular eggs.
If you are looking for ways to enhance the flavor or calories in this recipe, you can use soy milk or almond milk in place of water. If you don't need to avoid dairy, you can use regular milk instead.
Baking time may vary by 5 minutes or so depending on where you live and the oven you use. This pumpkin bread will be done when an inserted toothpick comes out clean.
If you know you are going to be eating this pumpkin bread the next day, let the pumpkin bread cool completely in the loaf pan, then cover the pan with aluminum foil. After that, you'll want to store the remaining slices of pumpkin bread in a resealable bag or airtight container in the refrigerator.

Questions You May Have

Can you freeze this pumpkin bread?

Yes! Let the pumpkin bread cool completely before freezing. You can freeze a whole loaf or individual slices. plastic wrap and
Wrap the whole loaf or individual slices with plastic wrap and place it in a freezer-safe bag before freezing.

What flour can be used in place of white whole wheat flour?

Either all-purpose flour or regular whole wheat flour can be used but the texture, flavor and nutrition profile of the pumpkin bread will be different.

What does pumpkin replace in baking?

Pumpkin typically replaces oil or butter in baking. They all add moisture and substance to quick breads, which is why they can be used as substitutes.

How do you keep pumpkin bread from drying out?

First, it helps to use a moist pumpkin bread recipe like this one.

Once baked and cooled completely, the key to keeping it from drying out is to keep as much air out as possible by wrapping the pumpkin bread in saran wrap or plastic wrap.