Cinnamon Swirl Pumpkin Oatmeal Bread made with whole grain oats! Moist, fluffy, positively packed with warmly-spiced flavors, and the absolute best pumpkin bread for fall!
If you made my Healthy Cinnamon Swirl Banana Bread recipe, you already know what you’re in for here!
We’re taking a delicious whole grain pumpkin oat bread and swirling in a little cinnamon sugar goodness to level up the entire experience.
The cinnamon swirl in the middle of the bread creates a big burst of cinnamon and pumpkin spice flavors and also results in a caramelized sugar effect which brings a beautiful texture to the loaf.
The end result is a moist spiced pumpkin bread with an addictive thread of sweet cinnamon bliss.
Many of my followers try to limit their sugar intake (as do I the majority of the time), so know that the cinnamon swirl is entirely optional. You can omit the step of making the cinnamon swirl and simply add a little more sweetener to the pumpkin loaf.
Make the most of pumpkin season with this crowd-pleasing pumpkin bread! You will love it alongside breakfast or as an afternoon snack with a mug of tea or coffee, or even as dessert.
The best part is this easy recipe doesn’t require any special equipment like a stand mixer or baking experience. It is such a simple yet remarkable quick bread recipe for the fall season!
Let’s discuss the simple ingredients for cinnamon swirl pumpkin oatmeal bread.
Ingredients for Oatmeal Pumpkin Bread:
Oats: Rolled oats, quick oats, or instant oats take the place of regular all-purpose flour in this flourless pumpkin bread recipe.
I like using oats because they are a whole grain which doesn’t increase blood sugar as rapidly as white flour.
I also love the flavor and texture ground up oats bring to a baked good.
If you need the recipe to be gluten-free, be sure to use certified gluten-free oats. I use gluten-free sprouted oats.
Canned Pumpkin Puree: We need one cup of pureed pumpkin to make this healthy pumpkin bread recipe. Be sure the only ingredient on the can of pumpkin is pumpkin, as pumpkin pie filling includes sugar and spices in addition to pumpkin.
If you have pumpkin butter on hand, feel free to use it instead of the pureed pumpkin.
Eggs: We need two large eggs to help make the bread nice and fluffy. I haven’t tested this recipe using an egg replacer such as flax eggs or a powdered egg replacer like No Egg.
Avocado Oil: In order to bring moisture and richness to the bread, we use a little avocado oil. I like using avocado oil because it contains healthy fats and neutral flavor.
You can also use melted butter if you aren’t dairy-free, or melted coconut oil.
Vegetable oil works too but I don’t recommend using it unless you’re okay with the high concentration of omega-6 fatty acids.
Olive oil also works but if you use extra virgin olive oil, you will be able to taste the rich olive flavor through the sweet cinnamon sugar.
Vanilla Extract: While vanilla extract isn’t mandatory, it adds a nice well-rounded nuance to the bread that makes it so inviting. Skip it if you don’t have it on hand.
Granulated Sweetener of Choice: Use coconut sugar, regular cane sugar, brown sugar, maple sugar or sugar-free sweetener for this delicious pumpkin bread.
If you use a sweetener that isn’t regular white sugar, be sure that it can be used as a 1:1 replacement for regular sugar.
Pumpkin Pie Spice: We add some pumpkin spice to the bread itself in addition to the cinnamon swirl to really drive home the concept that we’re baking a loaf of autumn.
Pumpkin spice is a combination of ground cinnamon, ground nutmeg, allspice, ground cloves, and sometimes cardamom. Fall flavors galore!
I use store-bought pumpkin spice but you can also make your own blend if you’d like.
Baking Powder: The leavening agent in this delicious pumpkin oatmeal bread recipe. Baking powder helps the bread rise and ensures it stays held together when sliced.
Sea Salt: While it can be easy to forget the salt in a baked good (I forgot it the first time I tested this bread), it is so pivotal! Without it, baked goods have a monotone flavor and just taste sweet and bland. With salt, you are able to identify all of the individual flavors of each ingredient, which makes the treat taste bold and delicious!
For the Cinnamon Swirl: The cinnamon swirl is a simple combination of cinnamon, pumpkin spice and sugar. Use the same granulated sweetener you used to sweeten the pumpkin loaf and combine it with ground cinnamon, pumpkin pie spice, and a pinch of sea salt.
If you’d like, you can use only cinnamon for the cinnamon swirl; however, the pumpkin spice lends a warmly-spiced vibe that makes you feel like all the colors of fall are exploding in your mouth.
For a lower sugar bread, you can skip the cinnamon swirl altogether.
Add up to 1 cup of chocolate chips for a chocolate infused pumpkin cinnamon swirl bread! This moist pumpkin bread may just turn into one of your new favorite pumpkin recipes.
If you’re into a cream cheese frosting, feel free to whip one up to spread on top of your bread.
Now that we’ve covered the basics, let’s bake a loaf of pumpkin bread!
How to Make Cinnamon Swirl Pumpkin Bread:
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit and line a 9” x 5” loaf pan with parchment paper.
Transfer the oats to a high-powered blender and blend on high speed for 30 seconds, or until a flour forms. Add the granulated sweetener, baking powder, sea salt, and pumpkin pie spice and blend for a few more seconds to combine the dry ingredients. Set aside.
In a large bowl, stir together the pumpkin puree, eggs, avocado oil and vanilla extract until well-combined (wet ingredients).
Transfer the dry ingredients to the mixing bowl with the wet ingredients and stir well until a thick batter forms.
In a small bowl, stir together the cinnamon sugar mixture (sugar of choice, pumpkin pie spice, ground cinnamon and a pinch of sea salt) until well-combined.
Pour half of the batter into the prepared loaf pan and spread it into an even layer.
Sprinkle the cinnamon swirl mixture over the layer of bread batter, creating an even layer of cinnamon and sugar. This is going to seem like an obnoxious amount of sugar. And that’s because it is.
Transfer the remaining batter to the bread pan and spread it evenly, covering the cinnamon sugar layer.
Use a butter knife to draw a large “S” shape into the pumpkin batter mixture. This creates the cinnamon swirl.
Cover the loaf pan with aluminum foil and bake for 40 minutes. Remove the foil and continue baking for another 10 to 15 minutes, or until the bread is golden brown around the edges and tests clean.
Quick breads are fully baked once they have reached an internal temperature of 190 to 200 degrees Fahrenheit in the center.
If you own a digital thermometer, insert it into the center of the loaf and wait until the numbers stop moving to get an accurate read.
Allow the pumpkin loaf to cool completely before slicing it into individual slices and serving.
Store leftovers in an airtight container or zip lock bag in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. Freeze bread in a freezer bag or large zip lock bag for up to three months.
You can wrap the bread pan in plastic wrap and store on the counter at room temperature for up to two days just after baking if you don’t live in a very humid area.
You can also make mini loaves or pumpkin muffins instead of one standard large loaf if you have mini loaf pans or a muffin tray.
The cinnamon sugar swirl is what sets this delicious recipe apart from other pumpkin recipes. It reminds me of cinnamon roll cake or cinnamon coffee cake with the thick cinnamon swirls.
I enjoy a warm piece heated up with some melted butter on top for a real fall favorite.
The moist crumbs paired with the sweet cinnamon swirls are what make this flavorful pumpkin bread so remarkable.
And that’s it! The best pumpkin bread to enjoy throughout pumpkin season.
If you’re looking for more cozy fall baking recipes, try out these reader favorites!
More Fall Baking Recipes:
- 6-Ingredient Oatmeal Apple Pumpkin Bars
- Healthy Sweet Potato Chocolate Cake
- Paleo Pumpkin Pie Bars
- Spiced Apple Carrot Muffins
- Healthy Oatmeal Apple Bread
- 5-Ingredient Flourless Pumpkin Oatmeal Bars
It’s a pumpkin spice swirl kind of life!
Cinnamon Swirl Pumpkin Bread
Equipment
Ingredients
- 2 cups rolled oats
- 1/4 cup coconut sugar brown sugar, or white sugar
- 2 tsp baking powder
- 3/4 tsp sea salt
- 1 tsp pumpkin spice
- 1 1/3 cup pumpkin puree
- 2 large eggs
- 1/2 cup avocado oil
- 1 ½ tsp pure vanilla extract optional
Cinnamon Swirl:
- ½ cup coconut sugar or cane sugar
- 1 Tbsp ground cinnamon
- 1 Tbsp pumpkin pie spice
- Pinch sea salt
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit and line a 9” x 5” loaf pan with parchment paper.
- Transfer the oats to a high-powered blender and blend on high speed for 30 seconds, or until a flour forms. Add the granulated sweetener, baking powder, sea salt, and pumpkin pie spice and blend for a few more seconds to combine the dry ingredients. Set aside.
- In a large bowl, stir together the pumpkin puree, eggs, avocado oil and vanilla extract until well-combined (wet ingredients).
- Transfer the dry ingredients to the mixing bowl with the wet ingredients and stir well until a thick batter forms.
- In a small bowl, stir together the cinnamon sugar mixture (sugar of choice, pumpkin pie spice, ground cinnamon and a pinch of sea salt) until well-combined.
- Pour half of the batter into the prepared loaf pan and spread it into an even layer.
- Sprinkle the cinnamon swirl mixture over the layer of bread batter, creating an even layer of cinnamon and sugar. This is going to seem like an obnoxious amount of sugar. And that’s because it is.
- Transfer the remaining batter to the bread pan and spread it evenly, covering the cinnamon sugar layer.
- Use a butter knife to draw a large “S” shape into the pumpkin batter mixture. This creates the cinnamon swirl.
- Cover the loaf pan with aluminum foil and bake for 40 minutes. Remove the foil and continue baking for another 10 to 15 minutes, or until the bread is golden brown around the edges and tests clean.
- Quick breads are fully baked once they have reached an internal temperature of 190 to 200 degrees Fahrenheit in the center. If you own a digital thermometer, insert it into the center of the loaf and wait until the numbers stop moving to get an accurate read.
- Allow the pumpkin loaf to cool completely before slicing it into individual slices and serving.
Notes
Nutrition
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Can I use oat flour (instead of blended oats)? I already have some that needs to be used! How much would I need?
@Angelique, I had the same question and scenario as you. I googled the equivalent and it said 1 and 1/2 cups oat flour. It’s in the oven now, so I’ll let you know how it turns out!
Thanks so much for weighing in here, Deb! How’d it go for you using the 1 1/2 cups of oat flour? xo
Hi Angelique! If you haven’t tried it yet, I would use 1 1/2 cups to start and add more if the batter looks like it is too thin. I often substitute slightly less oat flour for oats, so you may end up needing 1 2/3 to 1 3/4 cups. The batter should be thick enough that the cinnamon-sugar mixture sits on top of it easily without sinking. Hope this helps!
Just made this recipe and it is so good! I used a pumpkin muffin pan (makes muffins shaped like pumpkins), baked for 25 minutes, and they turned out perfectly making 9 large muffins.
Thanks so much for sharing this, Kathy! I need to find a pumpkin shaped muffin pan! This sounds so cool! I’m thrilled to hear it all worked out and thanks so much for sharing the bake time – this is super helpful to others who want to turn the recipe into muffins too 🙂 xo
Can you make a cream cheese swirl instead of the sugar swirl?
Oooh, a cream cheese swirl sounds delightful! I’m sure you could make one although I admit I’ve never tried it myself so I’m not sure the quantities of ingredients you would need. It may be worth googling a cream cheese swirl pumpkin bread to troubleshoot 🙂 Hope you enjoy!