Better Than Starbucks Pumpkin Bread Recipe (2024)

Better than Starbucks Pumpkin Bread Recipe

I posted this recipe for Better than Starbucks Pumpkin Bread several years ago on Something Swanky, and people went nuts over it! It’s a healthier copycat version of the iconic Starbucks pumpkin loaf– lower in calories and fat, and including nutritious ingredients like bananas, yogurt, and pumpkin seeds.

Since then, I’ve updated the recipe on Something Swanky to make it more of an exact Starbucks copycat and nixed the healthier version. But every year around pumpkin season, I get dozens of emails asking for the “original recipe.” So I’ve decided to give it a new permanent home on Keat’s Eats for my readers to continue to use and enjoy!

Starbucks Pumpkin Bread Ingredients & Supplies

Great ingredients and the right tools make all the difference in any recipe. Here are the ones I recommend for this Better Than Starbucks Pumpkin Bread:

▢ all purpose flour

▢ whole wheat flour

▢ pumpkin spice

▢ salt

▢ baking soda

▢ baking powder

▢ brown sugar

▢ nonfat Greek yogurt

▢ egg whites

▢ canned pumpkin puree

▢ optional: ground flax seed

What’s on Top of Starbucks Pumpkin Bread

Starbucks Pumpkin Bread is topped with crunchy, little pepitas. Pepitas are the green pumpkin seeds inside of the white outer shell (which is what most people identify as ‘pumpkin seeds”).

Fun fact: a one-ounce serving of pepitas has 15g of heart-healthy fats and 9g of protein (WHAT!). Pepitas are filled with important vitamins and minerals, like iron, zinc, manganese, phosphorous, and magnesium.

Why does pumpkin bread crack on top?

Guess what? That crack along the top of your perfect loaf of pumpkin bread (and your other quick bread loaves) is actually a good thing. It’s a little counterintuitive, because in baking a crack usually indicates a problem (see my recent post about cheesecakes!). But in this case, it means that your bread has cooked all the way through. Yay!

Step-by-Step Recipe Overview

➊ Start by bringing all of the cold ingredients to room temperature. THIS IS SO IMPORTANT. By doing this first, you eliminate any chance of having dry or crumbly bread.

➋ Then you’ll mix together the dry ingredients in a medium sized mixing bowl: the flour, the pumpkin pie spice, the baking soda baking powder, and the brown sugar. If you’re trying to be extra healthy, toss in about 1/4 cup of ground flax seed too!
➌ Add in the rest of the ingredients, and mix it all up into a batter. Transfer the batter into a loaf pan.

➍ Add the pumpkin seeds to the top and then bake for 55-60 minutes.

➎ It’s tempting to eat it warm, but it’s really best if you let it cool completely first. The flavors will shine through so much better, and the crumb will be much more moist and tender.

I hope you love this delicious recipe as much as we do!

Better Than Starbucks Pumpkin Bread Recipe

Yield: 10

Cook Time: 10 minutes

Prep Time: 1 hour

Total Time: 1 hour 10 minutes

This Better than Starbucks Pumpkin Bread a healthier copycat version of the Starbucks iconic pumpkin loaf-- lower in calories and fat, and including nutritious ingredients like bananas, yogurt, and pumpkin seeds.

Ingredients

• 3/4 cup all purpose flour
• 3/4 cup whole wheat flour
• 1 tsp pumpkin pie spice
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 1/2 cup nonfat Greek yogurt, room temperature
• 3 egg whites, room temperature
• 1 cup canned pumpkin
• optional: 1 tbsp ground flax seed

Instructions

Bring the cold ingredients to room temperature.
Preheat the oven to 350ºF.

1. Mix together the dry ingredients in a medium-sized mixing bowl: the all purpose flour, the whole wheat flour, the pumpkin pie spice, the baking soda, the baking powder, and the brown sugar. If you're trying to be extra healthy, toss in a tablespoon or two of ground flax seed as well.
2. Add the remaining ingredients and gently stir until batter forms.
3. Transfer the batter to a 9x5 loaf pan that has been lightly greased and lined with parchment paper or foil.
4. Sprinkle a handful of pepitas on the top of the batter.
5. Bake for 55-60 minutes. A toothpick inserted should come out clean.
6. Let cool completely before slicing.

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published on September 21, 2021