The Best Store-Bought Pumpkin Bread Mix Outshines Pillsbury And Libby's — And It's Gluten-Free

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Pumpkin pie might get all the attention during the fall, but there's another pumpkin treat you absolutely should add to your to-bake list this season: pumpkin bread. Moist, spiced, and even better with chocolate chips, pumpkin bread is the perfect breakfast treat or midday indulgence. Even better? There's a handful of store-bought mixes to make the baking process even easier. If you're not sure which to start with, King Arthur Baking Company Gluten-Free Pumpkin Bread and Muffin Mix comes highly recommended.

Tasting Table's taste tester ranked eight store-bought pumpkin bread mixes. King Arthur's gluten-free mix was the only one that checked all our boxes, even when pitted against big names like Libby's, Trader Joe's, and Pillsbury. But this win comes as no surprise: Tasting Table historically ranked King Arthur's gluten-free mixes — like its gluten-free chocolate cake and fudge brownie mix — very highly.

At $7.95, the King Arthur Baking Company Gluten-Free Pumpkin Bread and Muffin Mix is quite expensive, but it's a winner in both flavor and texture, making it absolutely worth the splurge even if you're not gluten-free. It's dense but not tough, grit-free, and perfectly moist. Our writer tasted notes of pumpkin flakes, molasses, and spices. However, the pumpkin flavor is more pronounced than the featured spices, which was a nice change compared to the other spice-forward mixes. The best part? The leftovers tasted just as good.

Tasting Table's taste tester isn't alone in their opinion about this King Arthur baking mix. Plenty of other shoppers have expressed their love for the mix on King Arthur's review page, too, where the average rating is 4.8 stars. "Great flavor, moistness, and texture," one reviewer shared. "King Arthur really is the best gluten-free we've found!" The same fan shared that they make it with toasted walnuts and chopped apricots, too, which sounds like an excellent way to elevate the base mix.

Another reviewer said, "I made these muffins and added chocolate chips for a decadent gluten free treat," highlighting the mix's versatility, especially if you don't have a loaf pan. "My husband, who doesn't like pumpkin things, loved them." That should tell you all you need to know, but if it doesn't, some of the other standout reviews call this baking mix "a raging success," "terrific," and "very tasty." Even more impressive are the comments that state that they didn't even realize it was gluten-free.

King Arthur's baking mixes are available at many stores. However, if you can't find it at your local store this fall, it's possible to make a three-ingredient pumpkin bread recipe from scratch. Tasting Table's recipe — which can easily be adapted into a gluten-free bread — takes less than an hour to put together, and when it's finished, you'll be left with an incredibly moist, autumn-inspired dessert that's just as delicious as King Arthur's mix.