Gluten-Free Pumpkin Bread with Cream Cheese Frosting

There’s nothing that marks the start of fall like freshly baked pumpkin bread. This gluten-free loaf with cream cheese frosting and crumbled pecans is the perfect sweet treat for autumn!

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A Little Slice of Home

I’d be lying if I said I didn’t look forward to fall solely for the food. Yes, the change of seasons is great and I love Halloween and Thanksgiving. But, there’s just something about fall food. From the delicious seasonal produce and reintroduction of soups to the pumpkin-spiced baked good, the recipes of autumn are far superior.

When I think of fall, I think of pumpkin bread. Growing up, my mom would make the William Sonoma pumpkin bread for my brother and I. We always looked forward to it and it was a staple throughout the season. When my brother and I moved away to college, my mom always made sure to send that same pumpkin bread mix in our care packages. She even sent us the same bread pan that she had so we could feel like we had a piece of home with us.

When I went gluten-free in 2018, I switched over to the gluten-free pumpkin mix. It was just as good as I remembered the other being but I wanted to make a homemade recipe. How hard could it be? Turns out it so easy to make! I’ve taken the years to perfect my gluten-free pumpkin bread recipe that I believes rivals any store-bought brand. And the recipe remains one of the simplest creations on my blog!

The Epitome of Fall

So, what makes pumpkin bread so delicious? For starter’s, the flavors are unmatched. While I love fall and all thing’s pumpkin, I personally don’t love anything that’s overly sweet. This gluten-free pumpkin bread is the perfect balance of sweet pumpkin and aromatic spices, like cloves and nutmeg. Furthermore, although this bread is topped with a thing layer of cream cheese frosting, even that isn’t too sweet because it’s homemade. The frosting uses a mixture of cream cheese and Greek yogurt to give a lightness and hint of tang to it. Finish it with crumbled pecans and the end result is truly the perfect bite.

A Simple & Straightforward Batter

Would you believe me iff I told you this batter only uses ten ingredients? Unlike other baked goods, this recipe doesn’t add unnecessary ingredients that aren’t a staple in your pantry. The recipe starts with five dry ingredients: gluten-free baking flour, baking soda, baking powder, pumpkin pie spice, and salt. If you’re a regular on my blog (thank you!), you know I’m partial to the Bob’s Red Mill Gluten-Free 1-to-1 Baking Flour. This is the flour that I use for 99% of my desserts and sweet treats. The flour yields an unbeatable texture that is light and fluffy. I love this flour because it’s easy and doesn’t require a mixture of five different gluten-free flours to get the same result.

Start by combining two cups of the gluten-free baking flour in a medium-sized bowl with one teaspoon baking powder and one teaspoon of baking soda. Then, you’ll just need two teaspoons of the pumpkin pie spice and a pinch of salt. Pumpkin pie spice is an easy alternative to using a variety of different spices. This spice is made from a combination of cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, allspice and ginger. It saves you so much time and is a beautiful blend!

Once the dry ingredients are combined, set the bowl to the side and grab a large bowl. In it, combine half a cup of cane sugar with one fourth cup of softened butter. Use an electric mixer to cream together for three minutes on medium speed. Once the mixture is whipped and creamy, add an egg and splash of vanilla extract. Blend again for two minutes to mix the ingredients together before adding the pumpkin puree. You’ll add one cup of pumpkin puree and mix again before sifting in the dry ingredients. Mix again to incorporate the dry and wet ingredients until smooth.

Bake the Batter

Once the batter is combined and smooth, it’s time to bake it! First start by greasing a bread pan and lightly dusting it with flour. Dusting it will help prevent the bread from sticking to the pan and make for an easy release! Once prepared, pour the batter into the bread pan. The batter should fill the pan a little more than halfway. It may look like it’s not enough but it”s rise in the oven. Bake the gluten-free pumpkin bread for 45 minutes at 400 degrees Fahrenheit. After the allotted time has past, allow the bread to rest in the pan for about 15 minutes. To release the bread, you should be able to flip the pan upside down but if you have trouble, you can run a clean knife along the edges. Once out of the pan, let the bread cool on a wire rack for one hour.

The Cream Cheese Frosting & Pecans

This next step isn’t necessary and it definitely makes the recipe more of a dessert. But it does taste so good together! The cream cheese compliments the pumpkin beautifully and the pecans add a nice crunch to the soft loaf. If you choose to forgo the frosting, you can slice and sere the gluten-free pumpkin bread without waiting an hour for it to cool.

Like I said before, the cream cheese frosting isn’t overly sweet. Unlike store-bought brands, this frosting is not sugar forward. It uses a mixture of cream cheese and plain Greek yogurt to have a smooth consistency and tangy flavor. Start by beating together room temperature cream cheese and butter for two minutes until smooth. Then, sift in the powdered sugar. Sifting the sugar makes a huge difference and yields a creamy frosting with no lumps. Once all of the powdered sugar is incorporated into the frosting, add a fourth cup of Greek yogurt and splash of vanilla extract. To balance the sweetness of the vanilla, add a pinch of salt. Mix the ingredients together until well incorporated and light.

After making the frosting, I like to refrigerate it for 20-30 minutes. This allows the frosting to firm up a bit before spreading it over the gluten-free pumpkin bread. Once the pumpkin bread is cooled, you can use a clean knife to spread an even layer across the top. Finally, to finish the recipe just sprinkle crumbled pecans over the top.

Why This Recipe is a Must-Make for Fall

I truly can’t imagine fall without this recipe. Probably because I grew up eating pumpkin bread but also because this is one of my favorite recipes to make. This bread comes together so quickly and is one of my go-to’s if I want to make a baked good in little time. It’s also the perfect party favor or potluck item to bring over for Halloween or Thanksgiving! Trust me when I say this this bread is always devoured in no time at all. And if you have little ones, this will definitely become a favorite of theirs!