Skinny Pumpkin Bread

October 7, 2021 By Steph 46 Comments

A favorite fall treat, a spiced pumpkin bread pairs perfectly with a cup of coffee or tea, either toasted with butter, or with homemade cream cheese frosting (recipe included here!). With notes of cinnamon and cloves, sweetened with real sugar, this skinny pumpkin bread is lower in calories than the traditional version, but will satisfy that sweet tooth.

All about this skinny pumpkin bread

With Fall comes the demand for all things pumpkin. What is it about that pumpkin flavor that people love so much? It is the addition of the warm and earthy spices like cinnamon, cloves, and nutmeg that bring the Fall flavors to pumpkin recipes. This bread has all of that: sweetened with real sugar, this bread is subtly sweet and made with all real ingredients. Cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg, and vanilla extract flavor the bread for that pumpkin spice experience. This pumpkin bread is lightened up in calories and WW points, but you won’t be able to tell.

This skinny pumpkin bread recipe also includes a recipe for a delicious cream cheese frosting, which is also lightened-up. For one slice of the bread and 1/2 tablespoon of cream cheese frosting, this pumpkin bread is only 171 calories and 7 WW points (or 6 WW points if you omit the frosting).

This bread is delicious without the frosting for breakfast, or add the frosting for a sweet snack or dessert.

What makes this recipe “skinny?”

For reference, the pumpkin loaf from Starbucks is 17 WW points and 410 calories. Of course, that makes for a great treat to enjoy occasionally, but if you are looking for something lower in calories and points to enjoy at home, this recipe is a great option.

You might be surprised to learn that all real ingredients are used here: real flour, real sugar. So what makes this pumpkin bread “skinny” exactly? Well, I use all of the real ingredients, just less of them. Where maybe a traditional pumpkin loaf might call for 2 cups of sugar, I use 1 cup. It’s still enough sugar to really sweeten the bread, but not enough to increase the calories or WW points to an unrealistically high number.

The only other lightened-up ingredient for this recipe is the reduced fat cream cheese, rather than full fat. But it is sweetened with real maple syrup to create the most delicious frosting!

If you want to use sugar replacements here, this recipe would be reduced to only 2 WW points per serving, and the calories would be cut drastically as well. The choice is yours! I like the flavor of real sugar, but if you prefer to use sugar replacements, they will work well too.

What will I need to make this recipe?

To make this skinny pumpkin bread, you will need some simple pantry staples, and pumpkin of course!

all-purpose flour
cane sugar
- I use cane sugar here, but any sugar will do.
- You can also use sugar replacements here if you prefer.
cinnamon
nutmeg
ground cloves
- Make sure you use ground cloves; if you use whole cloves, you will have to crush them into a fine powder, otherwise they will be too overpowering.
kosher salt
baking powder
baking soda
vanilla extract
eggs
14 oz can pumpkin puree
- Make sure you don’t get pumpkin pie filling, which has additional ingredients. This is just pumpkin puree; the only ingredient should be pumpkin.
- I use this one from Libby’s usually.

How to make skinny pumpkin bread

To make this recipe, start by preheating your oven to 350F. Spray a standard size loaf pan with cooking spray.

Next, combine the dry ingredients (the flour, the sugar, cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg, salt, baking powder, and baking soda). In another mixing bowl, combine the wet ingredients (the eggs and the pumpkin puree, with the vanilla extract). Then, add the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients and mix thoroughly.

Pour the batter into the sprayed loaf pan and sprinkle the remaining 2 tablespoons of sugar on top of the loaf, and bake for 45 minutes to 1 hour, or until a toothpick comes out clean. Make sure to check the bread at the 45 minute mark, to make sure it is not overcooking (as oven times vary!)

How to make the cream cheese frosting

To make the cream cheese frosting, simply whisk the cream cheese with the maple syrup. One serving of the frosting is 1/2 tablespoon, for 1 slice of the bread.

Wait for the bread to cool a bit before using the frosting on each slice. This bread is also delicious toasted with some butter, or sprinkled with cinnamon sugar on top. You can also add walnuts or raisins if you wish. Chocolate chips would also be a delicious addition!