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This Pumpkin Tahini Loaf is delicious. It’s made with pumpkin puree, creamy and nutty tahini topped with crunchy sesame seeds. It’s not overly sweet and the crumb is tight yet very tender. As it bakes this pumpkin loaf will make your home smell cozy and like fall! This quick bread is easy to prep in 15 minutes and tastes so good with a warm Pumpkin Spice Latte in the morning!
Fall is for all things pumpkin and pumpkin spice. Everything from Pumpkin Coffee Cake, Pumpkin Churros, Pumpkin Funfetti Cake and Sesame Pumpkin Chocolate Cake is sure to please!
Ingredients You’ll Need for a Pumpkin Tahini Loaf
- Sesame seeds – White and black sesame seeds for color and to give texture to the cake itself plus more for a nice crunchy exterior.
- Pumpkin – Use 100% pure pumpkin puree not pumpkin pie filling which contains added sugars and spices.
- Pumpkin pie spice – Warm fall spices like ground cinnamon, cloves, ground ginger and ground nutmeg compliment the flavors of pumpkin so well.
- Tahini – This a condiment made from blending hulled sesame seeds into a paste. It is nutty and creamy and used throughout the Middle East and North Africa.
For the rest of the ingredients, please refer to the recipe index card below!
How To Make A Pumpkin Tahini Loaf
- Prep your baking pan – Grease and line a loaf pan with vegetable oil and parchment paper, leaving overhang so it will be easier to lift out.
- Mix your dry ingredients – In a large bowl whisk your dry ingredients together then set aside.
- Make the batter – In a medium bowl whisk together pumpkin puree, oil, tahini, eggs and sugar. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients mixing until just combined. Pour the batter into the loaf pan then sprinkle with more sesame seeds.
- Bake your pumpkin loaf for 40 – 45 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Allow to cool for 10 minutes in the pan then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
Tips and Tricks
- Don’t over mix the batter – Stir until the flour is just combined. Over mixing can cause your loaf to be tough and dense.
- Use parchment paper – In addition to greasing the loaf pan, line it with a sheet of parchment paper leaving overhang on the sides so you can easily lift the loaf out after baking.
- Uses for leftover pumpkin puree – Since we are only using 1 cup of pumpkin for this recipe, use up the rest of it by making a Pumpkin Spice Latte, Iced Pumpkin Spice Latte, Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies or Pumpkin Pasta alla Vodka.
Recipe FAQs
Warm fall spices like those in pumpkin spice mix really help to the bring out the flavor of the pumpkin into the loaf. I also added tahini paste because it gives a delicious but subtle nutty flavor.
Try not to add too much flour, the batter should be wet and loose. Also make sure to use vegetable oil instead of butter. Even though butter adds lovely flavor it can make your loaf dry and heavy. Oil is a better choice to add moisture and lightness.
Tahini is a condiment made from toasted sesame seeds that is ground into a paste. It’s known as the star of such amazing dishes like hummus, baba ganoush and halva. It’s glorious and adds such nice flavor to so many dishes. It can be slightly bitter which makes it an interesting addition to sweet applications, in which case you’ll need to add extra sugar to offset its bitterness.
More Fall Recipes
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Pumpkin Tahini Loaf
Equipment
- 1 (8×4-inch) loaf pan or 9×5-inch loaf pan lined with parchment paper
- 1 Medium-mixing bowl
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 tablespoons white sesame seeds
- 2 tablespoons black sesame seeds
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 cup pumpkin puree
- 1/4 cup vegetable oil
- 3 tablespoons tahini
- 2 large eggs
- 1 1/4 cups granulated sugar
Instructions
- Grease and line a 8×4-inch or 9×5-inch with a sheet of parchment so that you have extra on the sides (this makes it easy to lift the loaf out). Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. *If you use a 9×5-inch loaf pan, itโll be a bit more stout than using a 8×4-inch.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, white and black sesame seeds, baking powder, baking soda, pumpkin pie spice and salt.
- In another medium bowl, whisk together pumpkin puree, oil, tahini, eggs and sugar, until very smooth.
- Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and mix until just combined, being sure not to over-mix. Add the batter to the loaf pan and smooth out the top.
- Sprinkle the top with sesame seeds. Bake for about 45 to 50 minutes, until a skewer comes out mostly clean (a few crumbs are ok!).
- Cool in pan for about 10 minutes and then remove and place on a cooling rack.
Notes
Tips and Tricks
- Donโt over mix the batter โย Stir until the flour is just combined. Over mixing can cause your loaf to be tough and dense.
- Use parchment paper โย In addition to greasing the loaf pan, line it with a sheet of parchment paper leaving overhang on the sides so you can easily lift the loaf out after baking.
- Uses for leftover pumpkin puree โย Since we are only using 1 cup of pumpkin for this recipe, use up the rest of it by making aย Pumpkin Spice Latte,ย Iced Pumpkin Spice Latte,ย Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookiesย orย Pumpkin Pasta alla Vodka.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Perfect consistency and the tahini gives it a distinctive and yummy flavor.
This was fantastic. I made this vegan by using an egg replacer, and I reduced the sugar to 1 cup brown sugar, and used whole wheat flour. I also didnโt have black sesame on hand so I used all white sesame. Perfect for breakfast with a little vegan butter. Thank you!
Wonderful to hear!
Could I substitute almond or sunflower seed butter instead of tahini? I’m out and don’t want to make another grocery run ๐
that should work. i’ve never tried it but in theory should be fine! ๐
I’m gluten free – I know I can use a 1:1 flour – but wondering if you’ve ever tried making this with almond flour?
you can’t use 1:1 with almond flour. i would recommend using a gluten-free flour mix. ๐
I tried this recipe and loved it! I used a little bit less sugar (only 1 cup) because I don’t have that much of a sweet tooth. Delicious! The texture was great too– very moist.
“Made this” but modified honey for sugar, and flour for a zany blend of vanilla protein powder, oat flour and a tbsp flour (?!). Still tasted amazing! My mom asked me for the recipe! Thanks so much as always xx!
My Nephew loves pumpkin in any meal, he’s definitely going to enjoy, pumpkin or sweet potato, can’t wait mix things up for him.. thank you for sharing.
Hi Adrianna! I could not help trying this recipe when I saw pumpkin paired with tahini on a sweet proposal. So, basically, it literally came out of my oven about one hour ago and it was served as sort of a dessert after dinner.
Sooo good and very subtel, especially because I’ve used coconut sugar and had just enough for one cup (I am no sweet tooth, and it definitely works for me). No one complained, they loved it, actually.
Thank you for such (inspired and) great ideas!
Ahh this is amazing. Love hearing that it worked out! ๐
Your tahini banana bread is a staple in my house so Iโm going to trust you on this. However, here in Australia, we donโt get the whole Fall/Thanksgiving/Pumpkin craze so Iโll have to make the pumpkin purรฉe from scratch. Would I add anything to the pumpkin? We also donโt have pumpkin pie spice so what would be in that?
You can’t find pumpkin puree in the can? You can also probably substitute canned sweet potato puree ๐
Neither are available here. Itโs just not something we use. The only canned purรฉed veggies are in the baby food aisle. Iโll have to make the purรฉe from scratch
Hello! I’m from Hungary, we also don’t have pumpkin pie spice, but I guess we can also use honey-cake spice. I made the purรฉe by myself too, but I didn’t add anything for this loaf… its so delicous in this way! ๐ I haven’t found nutmeg here, too, but I don’t give up! ๐ I’m also interested the answer of the blogger, I’ve just shared my experiences.
Oh wonderful! ๐