Protein Pumpkin Bread with Cream Cheese Frosting
This protein pumpkin bread is a gluten free oat flour loaf with 10g of protein per slice, finished with a three ingredient cream cheese frosting that sets up like cheesecake in the fridge.
The frosting is the reason this one gets made on repeat around here. Light cream cheese, plain Greek yogurt, and a couple spoonfuls of sugar free cheesecake pudding mix, whipped together and spread over a cooled loaf, and it firms up in the fridge like actual cheesecake instead of sliding off the top.
Protein pumpkin bread is a gluten free pumpkin loaf made with oat flour, canned pumpkin, and vanilla protein powder in place of white flour and oil. Each slice has 10g of protein, the batter comes together in one bowl in about 10 minutes, and it bakes at 350F for 40 to 45 minutes.
I have made this 4 times since August, and the version with half a mashed banana is the one that stuck. The banana does not make it taste like banana bread. It puts back the moisture that protein powder pulls out of a loaf, which is the exact thing that goes wrong with most protein baking.
Why You’ll Love This Protein Pumpkin Bread
- 10g of protein per slice without the dry, chalky crumb that protein powder usually leaves behind.
- Gluten free with no flour blends and no xanthan gum. Oat flour is the only flour in it.
- The frosting takes two minutes in one bowl and there is no powdered sugar anywhere near it.
Ingredient Notes
Canned pumpkin puree. Check the label says pumpkin and nothing else. Pumpkin pie filling is already sweetened and already spiced, and it will throw the sugar and the spice in this loaf completely off.
Mashed banana. This is the moisture insurance. Riper is better, and half a banana is nowhere near enough to make the loaf taste like banana.
Eggs. Structure – the eggs are doing real work in here and this is not the recipe to try a flax egg in.
Oat flour. The gluten free part. Buy certified gluten free oat flour if you are baking for someone with celiac, because oats get cross contaminated during processing and a plain bag is not a safe assumption.
Vanilla protein powder. I use 1UP Vanilla Ice Cream Whey Isolate. If your protein bakes always come out chalky, the powder is the first thing to change and not the recipe. Whey isolate absorbs more liquid and sets firmer than a whey casein blend.
Brown sugar substitute. Keeps the sweetness without the sugar. Regular brown sugar swaps in one for one if that is what is in your cupboard.
Baking powder and baking soda. Both, not one. The soda reacts with the acidity in the pumpkin and the banana, the powder handles the lift.
Cinnamon and pumpkin pie spice. Two separate spices on purpose, even though pumpkin pie spice already contains cinnamon. Oat flour mutes spice hard, and a loaf that tastes vaguely orange instead of like fall is almost always underspiced.
Light cream cheese, plain Greek yogurt, and sugar free cheesecake pudding mix. The frosting. The pudding mix is the whole trick, because it is what makes the frosting set instead of weeping into the loaf overnight.
How To Make Protein Pumpkin Bread
- Heat the oven to 350F and line a 9×5 loaf pan with parchment, leaving an overhang on the long sides so you can lift the whole loaf out later.
- Mash the banana in a large bowl until there are no big lumps left, then whisk in the pumpkin puree, eggs, and vanilla extract until it looks smooth and evenly orange.
- Add the oat flour, protein powder, brown sugar substitute, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, and pumpkin pie spice straight into the same bowl.
- Stir until it just comes together and stop the second you stop seeing dry flour. Overmixing is what turns a protein loaf rubbery, and it happens faster with protein powder than it does with regular flour.
- Scrape the batter into the pan, smooth the top with a spatula, and bang the pan on the counter twice to knock out the air pockets.
- Bake for 40 to 45 minutes. A toothpick in the center should come out with a few moist crumbs on it and no wet batter. If the top is browning fast around the 30 minute mark, tent it loosely with foil, because protein powder browns quicker than flour does.
- Cool the loaf completely in the pan. COMPLETELY. Frosting a warm loaf turns the whole thing into soup and there is no coming back from it.
- For the frosting, beat the light cream cheese, Greek yogurt, and cheesecake pudding mix together until it is smooth and thick, then spread it over the cooled loaf. Chill it for 20 minutes before slicing if you want clean edges.
Tips For The Best Protein Pumpkin Bread
- Spoon and level your oat flour, do not scoop it. Scooping straight from the bag packs in an extra 20 to 25 grams, and in a loaf with no oil in it that is the difference between tender and dry.
- The most reliable doneness check is temperature, not time. A quick bread is done at 200F to 205F in the center. Protein powders absorb liquid differently from brand to brand, so bake times move around and a thermometer does not care.
- It tastes better on day two. The protein powder keeps pulling in moisture as the loaf sits, so the crumb softens overnight in the fridge.
Variations And Substitutions
- Chocolate chips. Fold them in at the end of step 4, and save a small handful to press into the top before it bakes.
- Chopped pecans or walnuts on top of the frosting, added after it has chilled so they stay crunchy.
- Skip the frosting and it stops being dessert and starts being breakfast, which is how it gets eaten around here most mornings.
- Muffins. I have not tested this one yet, so treat it as a starting point rather than a promise. Divide the batter into a lined muffin tin and start checking around 18 to 20 minutes.
How To Store Protein Pumpkin Bread
Once it is frosted, this loaf lives in the fridge. Store it in an airtight container for up to 5 days, and the frosting will keep setting firmer as it sits.
For longer storage, freeze it unfrosted. Cool the loaf completely, slice it, wrap the slices individually, and freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw a slice overnight in the fridge or for about 30 seconds in the microwave, then frost it fresh.
Protein Pumpkin Bread FAQ
Why is my protein pumpkin bread dry? Two usual suspects, in order of likelihood. You overbaked it or you packed the oat flour instead of spooning and leveling it. Pull the loaf at 200F to 205F in the center and the dryness problem mostly solves itself.
Is protein pumpkin bread gluten free? This one is, because oat flour is the only flour in it. Oats are naturally gluten free but get cross contaminated with wheat during processing, so buy oat flour that is labeled certified gluten free if you are baking for celiac. Check your protein powder label too.
Can I make protein pumpkin bread without protein powder? I have not tested it that way, so I cannot give you a swap I trust. The powder is doing two jobs in here at once, adding structure alongside the oat flour and adding most of the sweetness, so pulling it out changes the texture and the flavor at the same time.
Can I use pumpkin pie filling instead of pumpkin puree? No. Pumpkin pie filling comes presweetened and prespiced, so it stacks sugar on top of the brown sugar substitute and spice on top of the cinnamon and pumpkin pie spice already in the recipe. The can you want lists pumpkin as the only ingredient.
Why did my loaf sink in the middle? It came out of the oven early. Protein loaves look set on top well before the center is baked through, and the middle collapses as it cools. Give it the full 40 to 45 minutes and check the center with a toothpick or a thermometer before you pull it.
Protein Pumpkin Bread with Cream Cheese Frosting
Ingredients
Pumpkin Bread
- 1 can pumpkin puree 400g – not pumpkin pie filling
- ½ cup banana mashed
- 2 large eggs
- 1 tbsp vanilla extract
- 1½ cups oat flour certified gluten free
- 2 scoops vanilla protein powder
- ¼ cup brown sugar substitute
- 2 tsp pumpkin pie spice
- 2 tsp cinnamon
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp baking soda
Cream Cheese Frosting
- ¼ cup light cream cheese softened
- ½ cup plain Greek yogurt
- 2 tbsp sugar free cheesecake or vanilla pudding mix
- 2 tbsp powdered sweetener I used Truvia calorie-free confectioners sugar
Instructions
- Heat the oven to 350F and line a 9×5 loaf pan with parchment, leaving an overhang on the long sides so you can lift the whole loaf out later.
- Mash the banana in a large bowl until there are no big lumps left, then whisk in the pumpkin puree, eggs, and vanilla extract until it looks smooth and evenly orange.
- Add the oat flour, protein powder, brown sugar substitute, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, and pumpkin pie spice straight into the same bowl.
- Stir until it just comes together and stop the second you stop seeing dry flour. Overmixing is what turns a protein loaf rubbery, and it happens faster with protein powder than it does with regular flour.
- Scrape the batter into the pan, smooth the top with a spatula, and bang the pan on the counter twice to knock out the air pockets.
- Bake for 40 to 45 minutes. A toothpick in the center should come out with a few moist crumbs on it and no wet batter. If the top is browning fast around the 30 minute mark, tent it loosely with foil, because protein powder browns quicker than flour does.
- Cool the loaf completely in the pan. COMPLETELY. Frosting a warm loaf turns the whole thing into soup and there is no coming back from it.
- For the frosting, beat the light cream cheese, Greek yogurt, cheesecake pudding mix and sweetener together until it is smooth and thick, then spread it over the cooled loaf. Chill it for 20 minutes before slicing if you want clean edges.
Notes
Nutrition
The nutrition information provided is calculated based on industry-standard software and should be used as a general guide only. The information may vary depending on ingredient substitutions, cooking techniques, and individual serving sizes. It is the responsibility of the reader to ensure the accuracy and appropriateness of the nutritional information provided. Always consult a qualified healthcare provider for personalized medical or nutritional advice.
More Pumpkin Recipes You’ll Love
- Copycat Pumpkin Perfect Bars
- Pumpkin Cottage Cheese Cookie Dough
- Pumpkin Coffee Syrup
- Starbucks Pumpkin Cream Cold Foam
- High Protein Pumpkin Cinnamon Rolls
If you make this protein pumpkin bread, leave a star rating and a comment below and tell me how yours baked up, because that is what helps other people find it. Snap a photo of your slice and tag me @basicswithbails on Instagram or save it on Pinterest with #basicswithbails.
About Bailey
I love to bake, cook, exercise, and document all of the above. Nutrition is not low fat. It is not low calorie. It’s not feeling deprived or being hungry all the time. It’s nourishing your body with real, whole foods so that you are consistently satisfied and energized to live your life to the fullest! Read more…
