An easy gluten-free pumpkin loaf that’s perfect for fall! It’s a seasonal twist using a boxed gluten-free muffin mix plus the additional ingredient of pumpkin- this is a great way to make a gluten-free dessert for friends or family who are gluten free or celiac!
I’m not an expert on gluten-free baking and I’m not gluten-free but one of my best friends is. So when I want to bake with her I tend to lean on the experts in gluten-free baking to ensure we make something that she can eat! So I either turn to bloggers who specialize in gluten-free recipes or the experts at King Arthur Baking Company who have developed several gluten-free flours and baking mixes. This recipe uses the King Arthur Gluten-Free Muffin Mix and tweaks it into a loaf recipe.
Tweaking boxed mixes is a great way to experiment with baking when you’re new to it! They already come with the basic ingredients and you can try out adding additional ingredients to see how they turn out. I recommend following the instructions as written the first time you try a boxed mix- that way you know what the maker intended the final product to be. Try the original recipe with 1/4 or half the box (don’t forget to scale down the other ingredients it calls for like eggs!) so you can experiment within the same box. Then make swaps one ingredient at a time to see the impact to the outcome.
For this pumpkin loaf we swapped out the milk the box called for with pumpkin puree. We knew we wanted to add pumpkin to make this a fall recipe so we looked for which ingredient was adding liquid to the recipe- the milk- and picked that one to remove so the overall outcome would not be too wet. It does change the consistency of the batter- following the original recipe yields a more liquid batter that flows when you pour it from the bowl into the baking dish, our pumpkin version is a thicker batter more like a bread recipe which sticks together and required more of a scope into the loaf pan versus a smooth pour.
The final outcome of the recipe changed as well- it added the pumpkin flavor obviously but the overall consistency of the baked good was different too. The original recipe makes a fluffy muffin that’s light and bounces back if squished. The pumpkin loaf alteration made a dense more bread like consistency, which was still delicious but heartier then the muffin consistency.
Make sure you take notes of your experiments with boxed mixes- you might just create a new family favorite that’s easy to replicate!
Equipment Needed
- Mini Loaf Pan: I got mine in a mini baking set from TJMaxx but I’ve had good experiences with other Cuisinart mini baking pans so this one could be a good option
- Hand Mixer or whisk: We used a hand mixer for this recipe, but it doesn’t require a ton of mixing so you could easily make this with just a whisk.
Ingredients
- King Arthur Gluten-Free Muffin Mix: this boxed mix serves as the base of our recipe and therefore is an essential ingredient! We’re using just 3/4 cup of the mix to make one mini pumpkin loaf- so you’ll have mix left over to make the original muffin recipe or try a new twist.
- Melted Butter: one of the ingredients the muffin mix calls for, we’ll scale it down to make just 1 pumpkin loaf. So you need just 1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon of melted butter.
- 1 Egg: another ingredient the muffin mix calls for, scaled down for size.
- Pumpkin Puree: I like the Libby brand best but have also had good results with the Trader Joe’s brand. Note you want plain pumpkin puree not pumpkin pie filling. Pumpkin pie filling will have spices and sugar mixed in which is too much given the muffin mix already has sugar and spices.
- Cinnamon & Sugar: dust the top of the loaf with a mix of cinnamon and sugar to add a sweet crunch to the top of the loaf. If you don’t have cinnamon on hand you could substitute a different fall spice like nutmeg or ginger or leave out the spice and just use plain sugar.
How to make Easy Gluten-Free Pumpkin Loaf with boxed mix
- Preheat your oven to 375 F
- Grease your loaf pan- use a little butter or Pam spray to coat the loaf pan to prevent sticking
- Whisk together the melted butter, egg and pumpkin puree.
- Gradually add the 3/4 cup of boxed mix, while you whisk it together so it gets equally incorporated
- Fill the greased loaf pan with the batter
- Mix together cinnamon and sugar, then sprinkle it over the loaf creating an even layer of sugar
- Let the loaf pan rest on the counter for 10 minutes – this instruction comes from the box and is essential for a good outcome. I believe it has to do with letting the ingredients meld together before baking because there is no gluten in the recipe to give it structure. Don’t skip it! Also your oven will still be preheating during this time, which is good it gives your oven a chance to really get up to temperature and be hot from the moment you put the loaf into the oven.
- Bake for 15 minutes, until a toothpick in the center comes out clean.
- Cool in the pan for 5 minutes then turn out onto a cooling rack to cool completely.
- Slice & enjoy! It’s great on its own but would be amazing with a little spread of butter, apple jam or pumpkin cream cheese!
Easy Gluten-Free Pumpkin Loaf with boxed mix
Ingredients
- ¾ cup King Arthur Gluten-Free Muffin Mix
- 1 tablespoon Melted Butter
- 1 teaspoon Melted Butter
- 3 tablespoons Pumpkin Puree
- 1 tablespoon Sugar
- ½ teaspoon Cinnamon
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375 °F and grease loaf pan
- Whisk together the melted butter, egg and pumpkin puree.
- Gradually add 3/4 cup of boxed mix, whisking until equally incorporated
- Fill the greased loaf pan with the batter
- Mix together cinnamon and sugar, then sprinkle it over the loaf creating an even layer of sugar
- Let the loaf pan rest on the counter for 10 minutes
- Bake for 15 minutes, until a toothpick in the center comes out clean.
- Cool in the pan for 5 minutes then turn out onto a cooling rack to cool completely.
- Slice & enjoy!
