Healthy gluten free double chocolate pumpkin bread made with oat flour, maple syrup, and lots of pumpkin for an extra moist, tender loaf that tastes like chocolate cake!
When a craving for pumpkin bread and a craving for chocolate cake strikes at the same time, what do you do?
Fuse the two into a totally healthy, ultra moist, perfectly dense and chocolatey pumpkin bread.
Trust me, it’s the right thing to do.
I opted for oat flour in this recipe because:
- Using oats keeps the loaf entirely gluten-free (pro tip: buy certified GF oats if serving to someone with a severe allergy, as oats tend to be processed in facilities that process wheat, too, and thus cross-contamination can occur)
- I love how dense and moist oat flour makes baked goods. For some recipes that’s not ideal, but in a pumpkin bread that’s attempting to taste like a rich, moist chocolate cake, it’s absolutely divine.
- Organic oats are quite affordable, and can be turned into oat flour right at home by pulsing them in your food processor or blender, so there’s no need to go buy an additional flour if you have oats on hand.
- Oats are a whole grain which means they’re loaded with protein + fiber, so this loaf is not only sweet and tasty, but hearty and filling, too.
The cool thing about baking without gluten is that there’s no need to worry about over-mixing the batter, so this recipe can either be made in 1-bowl by hand OR directly in your food processor.
In the case of the food processor, you can literally just dump everything in (including whole oats…no need to start with oat flour, as the food processor will break them down) and blend until smooth. If making by hand, you’ll want to either make oat flour in your blender/processor first, or buy a bag of oat flour at the store, to ensure your loaf has the right texture.
Either way, this Double Chocolate Pumpkin Bread needs to go on your weekend to-do list, ASAP. It’s dense, fudgy, kissed with a little hint of cinnamon, and totally moist thanks to all that pumpkin. And, because this is a double chocolate loaf, we’re sprinkling chocolate chips on top instead of stirring them into the batter to create pockets of melty chocolate in every bite.
Seriously…if thick, hearty, whole grain chocolate cake with pockets of melty chocolate on top doesn’t get you excited, I don’t know what would.
If you make this recipe, let me know what you think! Leave a comment below, or take a picture of your chocolate pumpkin bread and share it with me on Instagram. I love seeing my recipes in your kitchen!
- 1 cup unsweetened pumpkin puree (homemade or canned)
- 1 large egg
- 1/2 cup maple syrup
- 1/4 cup virgin coconut oil, melted
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1 cup oat flour (or 1 cup + 1 Tablespoon rolled oats)
- 1/2 cup cocoa powder
- 1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 cup dark chocolate chips, for topping
- 1. Preheat oven to 35o degrees Fahrenheit. Line a loaf pan with parchment paper, or grease well with coconut oil or olive oil.
- 2. To make in blender: put all ingredients, including whole oats or oat flour, into the bowl of a food processor and blend until no lumps remain, about 1 minute. Stop to scrape down the sides as needed, ensuring any whole oats have been pulverized.
- 3. To make by hand: Whisk together the pumpkin, egg, maple syrup, melted coconut oil and vanilla. Then, add in all dry ingredients (if using whole oats, turn them into flour in a blender or food processor first by pulsing until a fine, flour-like consistency is achieved) and stir well to combine.
- 4. In either case, scrape the batter into your prepared loaf pan, then sprinkle chocolate chips on top, pressing down gently to help them stick to the batter.
- 5. Bake for 35-40 minutes, or until loaf is cooked through. Let cool in pan until just barely warm before cutting and serving. Store leftovers at room temperature, covered, for up to 5 days.