Gluten Free Olive Oil Pumpkin Bread
This gluten free olive oil pumpkin bread is rich, moist, and full of fall spices. Made with oat flour and almond flour, it combines melted butter and olive oil for a tender crumb that stays fresh longer. Enjoy it plain or add chocolate chips and/or walnuts!
I've been baking this version of pumpkin bread for many years, at least as long as we've lived in California, which has just crossed the eight-year mark. What makes this one stand out from the rest is the combination of melted butter and olive oil, which adds both richness and moisture. Oil is key in quick breads and cakes to give them staying power; they'll taste fresher, longer, thanks to the oil.
You can find Sarah's original recipe in her first cookbook, The Vanilla Bean Baking Book, with regular all-purpose flour called for. I chose to use single-origin gluten-free flours here (see my thoughts on gluten-free baking and baking with oat flour for why I prefer single gluten-free flours), but you can certainly use a baking blend or my homemade gluten-free flour mix instead.
Besides the obvious changes, I also decided to bake this pumpkin bread using baking powder rather than baking soda. I don't mind baking soda in small amounts in recipes, especially when it's paired with baking powder, but too much baking soda and I can taste it. I don't know if anyone else is bothered by this, but I don't love that slightly salty, baking soda-y undertone. Baking powder works perfectly well without any aftertaste, though note there is a higher quantity needed than you might be familiar with!
This recipe makes two loaves, so you can keep them both for snacking, give one away, or freeze one for another time. You can also get the best of both worlds by keeping one loaf plain and stirring chocolate chips into the other. I love adding walnuts for crunch, too, or a mix of nuts and chocolate to make things really decadent.
For more delicious pumpkin bread recipes, check out my oat flour pumpkin bread, gluten free pumpkin bread, and gluten free pumpkin chocolate chip bread recipes!
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What You'll Love About Gluten Free Olive Oil Pumpkin Bread
- Rich and moist. The combination of melted butter and olive oil gives this pumpkin bread a lovely texture and helps it stay fresh longer.
- Naturally gluten-free. My favorite pairing of oat flour and almond flour create flavor, structure, and a tender crumb without being obviously gluten-free.
- Easy to customize. Keep it plain, stir in chocolate chips, add walnuts, or combine nuts and chocolate (yum).
- Makes two loaves. Enjoy one now and freeze the other, or bake mini loaves for holiday gifting.
- Adjustable sweetness. I sometimes reduce the sugar when I want a less-sweet loaf, and I've included my favorite adjustments below.
Ingredients Needed
Here's what you'll need to make olive oil pumpkin bread, along with some ingredients notes. Make sure to scroll down to my recipe card at the bottom of this post for the full ingredient amounts and instructions!
- Oat flour - Learn how to make oat flour or pick up a package (certified gluten-free if necessary) at the store. If you don't eat oats, swap brown rice flour.
- Almond flour - Fine ground almond flour blends seamlessly into the batter. If you don't eat nuts, substitute another whole grain gluten-free flour or use all oat flour.
- Spices - A blend of ground cinnamon, ginger, and nutmeg, or use my homemade pumpkin spice blend or apple pie spice recipe.
- Baking powder - Don't panic, the 2 tablespoons of baking powder are accurate! If you prefer, use 2 teaspoons of baking soda as per the original recipe.
- Salt - Use fine sea salt or table salt.
- Eggs - Large or medium eggs are best.
- Granulated sugar
- Brown sugar - Light or dark brown sugar is fine.
- Olive oil - I like extra virgin olive oil, but you can use your favorite olive oil here. Swap vegetable oil if needed.
- Butter - Unsalted butter is best. You can also play with browning the butter first for even more depth of flavor.
- Vanilla - Use pure vanilla extract or vanilla bean paste.
- Pumpkin puree - You'll need one can of pure pumpkin puree, or use 2 cups of homemade pumpkin puree. Skip the already-sweetened pumpkin pie mix.
- Optional add-ins - Chocolate chips, nuts, etc.
How to Make Olive Oil Pumpkin Bread
Here's an overview in photos of how to make this delicious quick bread:
- Whisk dry ingredients: In a bowl, whisk together the flours, baking powder, salt, and spices.
- Combine wet ingredients: In a separate large bowl, whisk together the eggs, sugars, oil, and pumpkin.
- Combine and rest: Fold the dry ingredients into the wet mix, then divide into two lined loaf pans. Rest while the oven heats to hydrate the flour.
- Bake: Place in a 350F oven and bake for 1 hour.
A Tip for the Best Pumpkin Bread
Make sure to weigh your flour for absolute accuracy, since every flour weighs differently. This is especially helpful when baking with gluten-free flours, which can vary quite a bit in weight and texture. This will also allow you to easily swap in flours; for example, if you don't eat oats, try brown rice flour or sorghum flour by weight.
Tips & Recipe Notes
- Choose the right pumpkin. Always use pure pumpkin puree! (Or easily make your own with a pumpkin using my homemade method.) Pumpkin pie filling or "sweetened pumpkin," which I almost bought the other day by mistake - yikes - will add extra sugar.
- Adjust the sweetness. I do find this recipe to be a tad on the sweeter side, which on some days I love and others it just feels a bit much. When I want to go a little less sweet, I reduce the amount of sugar to 1 cup of brown sugar and 1 cup of granulated sugar, and that suits me fine. I've also done 1½ cups brown sugar and ½ cup maple syrup. You can experiment or make the recipe as written. Just know you may wish to reduce the sweetener, too.
- Use your favorite gluten-free flour. I prefer single-origin gluten-free flours here, but you can use a gluten-free baking blend or my homemade gluten-free flour mix instead.
- Try different mix-ins. Stir ½-1 cup of semisweet chocolate chips into one loaf, or add walnuts for crunch. Sarah calls for pecans in the original recipe, so those work beautifully, too. A combination of nuts and chocolate is especially good.
- Make your own pumpkin spice blend. When I'm feeling lazy, I use my homemade pumpkin spice mix instead of measuring out the spices individually. It doesn't much matter as long as there's a decent amount of cinnamon to give the bread a fall-ish kick.
- Bake mini loaves for gifting. Since the recipe makes two loaves, you can divide the batter among mini loaf pans for a lovely homemade holiday gift.
How to Store Olive Oil Pumpkin Bread
- Counter - Store any leftover pumpkin bread in an airtight container or sealable bag on the counter for up to three days.
- Fridge - Place the bread in its container or bag in the fridge and store it for up to 5 days.
- Freezer - Freeze the whole loaf wrapped in plastic and foil in the freezer for up to 3 months. Or, freeze slices in a freezer-safe sealable bag for up to 3 months. Thaw in the fridge before serving.
More Easy Pumpkin Recipes
Happy baking! If you make this gluten free olive oil pumpkin bread recipe, let me know! Please leave a comment below or reach out with any questions. I hope you loved it! ❤️
Gluten Free Olive Oil Pumpkin Bread
Ingredients
- 3 cups oat flour 360 grams
- ½ cup almond flour 60 grams
- 1 ½ teaspoons cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon ginger
- ½ teaspoon nutmeg
- 2 tablespoons baking powder
- 1 teaspoon fine sea salt
- 4 large eggs
- 1 ½ cups granulated sugar
- 1 ½ cups brown sugar
- ½ cup olive oil
- 8 tablespoons unsalted butter melted and cooled
- 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- 1 15-oz can pure pumpkin puree
- 1 ½ cups chocolate chips optional, or more or less depending on if you use them for both loaves
Instructions
- Adjust an oven rack to the lower middle position. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Grease two 8 by 4-inch loaf pans and line each with a parchment paper sling.
- In a medium bowl, whisk the 3 cups oat flour, ½ cup almond flour, 1 ½ teaspoons cinnamon, 1 teaspoon ginger, ½ teaspoon nutmeg, 2 tablespoons baking powder, and 1 teaspoon fine sea salt. until combined.
- In a large bowl, vigorously whisk the 4 large eggs until pale yellow and doubled in size, 2 to 3 minutes. Add the 1 ½ cups granulated sugar and 1 ½ cups brown sugar, and whisk well to combine. Whisk in the ½ cup olive oil, 8 tablespoons unsalted butter , 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract, and 1 15-oz can pure pumpkin puree until smooth. Fold in the flour mixture until well combined. Add the 1 ½ cups chocolate chips now or wait to add to one loaf.
- Divide the batter equally between the prepared pans, stir 1 cup chocolate chips into one of the loaves if using, then place in the oven and bake for about 1 hour, until a tester inserted in the center comes out clean.
- Remove the loaves from the oven, place on a wire rack, and cool in the pans for 20 minutes. Using the parchment sling, gently lift the loaves out of the pan, peel off the paper, and let the bread finish cooling on the wire rack.
Notes
- Choose the right pumpkin. Always use pure pumpkin puree! (Or easily make your own with a pumpkin using my homemade method.) Pumpkin pie filling or "sweetened pumpkin," which I almost bought the other day by mistake - yikes - will add extra sugar.
- Adjust the sweetness. I do find this recipe to be a tad on the sweeter side, which on some days I love and others it just feels a bit much. When I want to go a little less sweet, I reduce the amount of sugar to 1 cup of brown sugar and 1 cup of granulated sugar, and that suits me fine. I've also done 1½ cups brown sugar and ½ cup maple syrup. You can experiment or make the recipe as written. Just know you may wish to reduce the sweetener, too.
- Use your favorite gluten-free flour. I prefer single-origin gluten-free flours here, but you can use a gluten-free baking blend or my homemade gluten-free flour mix instead.
- Try different mix-ins. Stir ½-1 cup of semisweet chocolate chips into one loaf, or add walnuts for crunch. Sarah calls for pecans in the original recipe, so those work beautifully, too. A combination of nuts and chocolate is especially good.
- Make your own pumpkin spice blend. When I'm feeling lazy, I use my homemade pumpkin spice mix instead of measuring out the spices individually. It doesn't much matter as long as there's a decent amount of cinnamon to give the bread a fall-ish kick.
- Bake mini loaves for gifting. Since the recipe makes two loaves, you can divide the batter among mini loaf pans for a lovely homemade holiday gift.
I love it!!! You read my mind!! Many thankful wishes for now and the next .... So much we have, so much we create, there is abundance in places we least expect!