The best healthy pumpkin bread made loaded with pumpkin spices and naturally sweetened with pure maple syrup. It’s perfectly moist with the addition of protein-packed Greek yogurt and pumpkin puree.

Say hello to a nourishing pumpkin bread! We've made a few tweaks to a classic pumpkin loaf recipe to boost the nutrition, fibre, and protein content of the recipe. 

• Greek yogurt: we've added Greek yogurt which replaces oil used in most loaf recipes. The Greek yogurt adds a boost of protein, calcium, and helps to keep the bread moist.
• Maple syrup: we've chosen to sweeten the loaf with flavourful maple syrup. Feel free to swap the maple syrup for your preferred sweetened (eg. brown sugar). If you're looking for a sweeter loaf, you might consider dialling the maple syrup up from ¼ cup to a ½ cup.
• Oats: we prepared our own oat flour by grinding rolled oats in a food processor. This makes for a fibre-packed alternative to regular wheat flour! Oat flour also makes the loaf suitable to those with intolerances or allergies to gluten as oats are naturally gluten free. Choose "gluten free certified oats" if you have an allergy or intolerance that requires you to avoid cross contamination of your oat product!

If you'd prefer to enjoy the recipe in muffin form then see this link for specific instructions on how to use a similar recipe to make pumpkin spiced muffins!

INGREDIENTS

• 2 cups rolled oats (160g)
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• ½ teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• 1 cup (225g) plain Greek yogurt
• 1 cup (200g) pureed 100% pumpkin
• 2 eggs
• ¼ cup maple syrup* (add ½ cup if you prefer a sweeter version)
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• ¼ cup (30g) pumpkin seeds

NOTES:

* add ½ cup of maple syrup for a sweeter muffin or substitute your preferred sweetener like brown sugar or honey.

DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F and prepare a loaf tin with a spritz of non-stick spray.
2. Add the oats to a small hand blender alongside the baking powder, baking soda, spices, and salt. Blend until the oats turn into a flour-like texture.
3. To a large bowl, add the wet ingredients including the Greek yogurt, pumpkin puree, maple syrup, eggs, and vanilla extract. Stir to combine.
4. Add the oat-flour mixture to the wet ingredients and stir to combine.
5. Pour the batter into the prepared loaf pan and sprinkle with the pumpkin seeds. Bake for 30-35 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the loaf comes out clean!
6. Store in an air-tight container in the fridge for up to 5 days.

DIETITIAN TIP

We like to enjoy a slice of this pumpkin loaf as a snack throughout the day or as a pre-workout snack. It is important to note that the oil in this recipe has been replaced with Greek yogurt and pumpkin puree. For this reason, a slice of the loaf is low in fat which makes for two key considerations:

• Snack during the day: If you'd like the snack to sustain you for an hour or more then you might consider pairing it with a fat or protein source like almond butter or cheese. Adding a fat or protein source slows the digestion of the loaf ensuring that your blood sugars are sustained for longer!
• Pre-workout snack: Alternatively, you might use a slice of this loaf as a pre-workout snack if you only have 30-60 minutes to digest before a workout. A snack that contains carbohydrates (but little fat!) is ideal as fat can slow digestion during your workout making you feel sluggish or fatigued. This loaf makes for the perfect pre-workout snack with the energizing carbohydrates found in the oats and maple syrup. You can read more about peri-workout nutrition here or listen to our podcast on pre-workout nutrition here!

MORE RECIPES!

Looking for more pumpkin recipes? Try using the leftover pumpkin puree in pumpkin curry or pumpkin spice muffins!