As the weather cools off, pumpkin is certainly the dessert flavor du jour. Nothing warms up your kitchen or gets you in the fall mood quite like a fresh loaf of pumpkin bread coming out of the oven. And while there are endless variations on traditional pumpkin bread, our favorite recipes are always the ones that give back to our bodies in some way, whether that’s packing on the protein or swapping out sugar for something that won’t bring on an afternoon crash. So ahead, we tapped three health experts (from a registered dietician to a chef) for their favorite ways to make this fall dessert all the healthier.
1. Pumpkin Zucchini Bread
Registered dietician and nutritionist (and the woman behind the @onceuponapumpkin Instagram account) Maggie Michalczyk is just about the best person you could ask for a fun, fall-inspired pumpkin recipe with a healthy twist. Her account is full of pumpkin-based recipes made with healthy substitutes, but this pumpkin zucchini bread has to take the cake. Pro tip: top with pumpkin puree to intensify the flavor and keep the bread moist.
Ingredients: 1 cup pumpkin puree ¾ heaping cup of shredded zucchini 1 ¾ cup whole-wheat pastry flour or whole-wheat flour ⅓ cup honey ½ cup butter or melted coconut oil 2 large eggs 2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice ½ teaspoon nutmeg 1 teaspoon baking soda ¼ teaspoon salt ½ cup semisweet chocolate chips | Steps:
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2. Stevia Pumpkin Bread
Nutrition blogger Amanda Rocchio (@meowmeix) has perfected her healthier take on traditional pumpkin bread, which includes using Stevia instead of cane sugar and almond flour instead of traditional bleached flour. “Pro tip: try topping it with pumpkin seeds or almond butter for even more deliciousness,” Rocchio says.
Ingredients: 1 ½ cups blanched almond flour ¾ teaspoon baking soda 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon ¼ teaspoon pumpkin pie spice 4 eggs ¾ cup canned pumpkin ¼ cup maple syrup 1 teaspoon vanilla extract (optional) 1 ½ – 2 teaspoons monk fruit or stevia (optional if you want it sweeter) | Steps:
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3. Gluten-Free, Dairy-Free Pumpkin Bread
This pumpkin bread recipe from healthy chef Carolina Link (@healthyliciousworld) tastes just like classic pumpkin bread but is free of gluten, dairy, and refined sugars. If you want to make this recipe completely sugar-free, Link recommends using Just Like Sugar and Lakanto Maple Syrup. Fair warning, the scent from this baking in the oven will draw everyone into the kitchen. “It’s full of fall flavors, made with clean ingredients, and made with a lot of love,” says Link. “The tantalizing aroma kept [my daughters] coming into the kitchen asking “Mama, is it done?”
Ingredients: 3 pasture-raised eggs 1 cup organic pumpkin purée 1/3 cup organic maple syrup 3 tablespoons coconut sugar 1 teaspoon baking soda 1 tablespoon organic pumpkin spice 1 teaspoon organic Ceylon cinnamon 1 teaspoon organic vanilla extract 1 teaspoon organic apple cider vinegar 1 1/2 teaspoon almond flour 1/2 cup oat flour | Steps:
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