This gluten-free pumpkin biscotti is crispy, spiced, and perfect for dunking in your afternoon coffee or tea. Made with real pumpkin puree and warm fall spices, it has just the right balance of sweetness and crunch. They are made with simple ingredients, including gluten free flour, sugar, pumpkin spice, an egg, pumpkin puree, and butter. Easy to make dairy-free and I include mix-in options.
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❤️ Sandi’s Recipe Summary
The Quick Bite: This homemade gluten free pumpkin biscotti turns out crunchy, and I tested both two gluten-free flour blends and a dairy-free option to give you options. I include a list of delicious mix-in ideas to vary the flavor. These pumpkin spiced biscotti are perfect for dipping in coffee or milk, and they keep well for gifting or holiday trays.
“This was an amazing recipe! I had to make mine gluten free and dairy free for Farmers Market. It turned out delicious! And it made a bunch. I used King Arthur’s GF flour, coconut milk, and plant butter, along with char free sugar and aluminum free baking powder. I will definitely use this recipe again!”
Sally H., Blog comment
I have not kept it much of a secret that we love pumpkin at the Fearless Dining House. We are also fans of biscotti. Our family used to buy the big containers of biscotti before we went gluten free. Mr. Fearless Dining would have them in the afternoon with his coffee. When we went gluten free, making homemade biscotti never crossed my mind.
A few years ago, I created this Gluten-Free Biscotti recipe, and it became a base for adding dried fruit, different nuts, and eventually this Gluten-Free Almond Biscotti. Once I knew I had perfected getting that crunch, I created this pumpkin biscotti recipe. See my Testing Notes section for my struggle in keeping them crunchy with the pumpkin puree.
The light pumpkin spice flavor in this biscotti is not overwhelming, but it gives you a hint of that fantastic flavor. This biscotti recipe is like nothing you have ever tasted before, and I can’t wait to hear what you think. If you’re a pumpkin fan like me, you will want to try all of my delicious gluten-free pumpkin recipes!
Testing Notes From My Kitchen
I tested this recipe with two gluten-free flour blends, King Arthur Measure for Measure and Bob’s 1:1, so you have reliable options. Other blends will work, but you may need to adjust the moisture by adding a little more flour or butter to make the dough easy to shape. Every flour blend varies depending on its starch-to-grain ratio. If you do add more flour or butter to adjust for your blend, make adjustments 1 TBSP at a time so you have better control of the results.
Because pumpkin adds more moisture than typical biscotti recipes, I found that I needed a stiffer dough to hold its shape during the first bake. Be sure to look at my step-by-step photos; I included several, so you can compare my dough texture to yours.
Ingredient Notes:
- Gluten-Free Flour Blend – I tested this recipe with King Arthur Measure for Measure and Bob’s Red Mill 1:1 Blend. Other blends should work, but you may need to adjust the moisture level. Read Why Gluten-Free Flour Blends Vary to learn more.
- Binder – If your flour blend doesn’t include a binder, such as xanthan or guar gum, add one to the dry ingredients. Add 3/4 teaspoon of xanthan gum. Read Why Binders Are Needed In Gluten Free Baking to learn more.
- Sugar – Use white cane sugar. Brown sugar will prevent the biscotti from getting crunchy.
- Baking Powder – Use aluminum-free baking powder. I always use aluminum-free baking powder because regular baking powder leaves a metallic aftertaste in your baked goods.
- Eggs – Use a large egg. This helps to bind the ingredients, so they hold together.
- Pumpkin Puree – I recommend canned pumpkin for its smooth texture. Do not use pumpkin pie filling; it will not work as well.
- Butter – Use unsalted butter. If you prefer, you can use salted butter. Do not add any additional salt if you do.
How to Make Gluten-Free Pumpkin Biscotti (Step-By-Step)
Step 1: Add the wet ingredients to a
Step 2: Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients. Mix well.
Step 3: Your pumpkin biscotti dough will be a bit stiff. As I mentioned above, the pumpkin puree adds moisture, and you will need a little extra flour to help get these biscotti crunchy.
Step 4: Shape the dough into an oval (about 1 inch thick) on parchment paper. Bake at 350º F for 20 minutes.
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Step 5: Remove the biscotti from the oven and slice it. It is time to bake them individually so they get crunchy.
Step 6: Turn the pieces on their side and bake for 10 minutes on each side. If the biscotti isn’t hard (depending on how thickly you sliced it), you may want to flip it and bake it on the other side for an additional 5 minutes.
Slide the parchment paper with the baked biscotti onto a cooling rack. While the biscotti are hot, they are more fragile and can break easily. They will continue to harden as they cool. In 15 minutes, gently slide the parchment paper out so the biscotti are directly on the cooling rack.
Flavor Options:
Yes, like most of my recipes, you can customize these tasty gluten-free pumpkin biscotti to add even more flavor. Try some of these scrumptious variations.
- White chocolate chips and dried cranberries – Add dried cranberries to the dough and, after baking, drizzle melted white chocolate chips over the biscotti.
- Caramel or cinnamon chips – Caramel with pumpkin…Need I say more? Delicious!
- Nuts – Dip the biscotti in white chocolate, then in crushed nuts of your choice. So good!
- Crushed Heath Bar – You can buy crushed Heath Bar Bits at the grocery store. They are very good in this biscotti! So are the Crushed Butterfinger Bits.
If you prefer something a little softer but still with that biscotti crunch, try this easy Gluten-Free Mandelbrot Cookie! I have holiday biscotti flavors, including this delicious Gluten-Free Gingerbread Biscotti and this Gluten-Free Peppermint Biscotti.
Frequently Asked Questions:
I tested this recipe with both regular and dairy-free butter. The Earth Balance plant-based butter worked very well in this recipe.
If your gluten-free biscotti crumbles after baking, you either forgot to include a binder or picked one up while it was still hot.
If your gluten-free pumpkin biscotti is soft, it is probably because it wasn’t baked long enough. You can always bake them longer than the recipe says if you want them extra crunchy. Don’t underbake the biscotti, or they won’t have the typical biscotti texture everyone knows and loves.
More Gluten-Free Pumpkin Recipes:
I love making a gluten-free pumpkin biscotti recipe for fall. Here are some more of my favorite pumpkin recipes:
- These cream-filled Gluten-Free Pumpkin Whoopie Pies are delicious.
- This is the only Gluten-Free Pumpkin Cheesecake recipe you will ever need again…it is that amazing.
- These cake-like Gluten-Free Pumpkin Madeleines cookies are full of pumpkin goodness.
- These Gluten-Free Pumpkin Scones are perfect for tea or coffee.
Love This Recipe?
If you made and enjoyed this recipe, I would be incredibly grateful if you could leave a comment below. Please include which flour blend you used. This will help others know this recipe is delicious. Thank you!
Homemade Gluten-Free Pumpkin Biscotti
Ingredients
- 1 ¾ cups gluten free flour blend * see note
- ⅔ cup cane sugar
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ¾ teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
- ½ cup pumpkin puree
- 1 large egg
- 1 teaspoon baking powder aluminum-free
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter melted
Equipment
Method
- Preheat the oven to 350º F.
- In a large mixing bowl, add 1 3/4 cups gluten free flour blend, 2/3 cup cane sugar, 1 teaspoon baking powder, 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon, 3/4 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice, and 1/2 teaspoon salt; whisk to blend.
- In a smaller bowl, add 1/2 cup pumpkin puree, 1 large egg and 4 tablespoons unsalted butter (partially melted) and mix well.
- Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and mix.
- Place a piece of parchment paper onto a cookie sheet and add the dough.
- Spread the dough out to a 1 inch thick oval. Bake for 20 minutes uncut.
- Remove the cookie sheet from the oven. Slice the biscotti into slices carefully turning the biscotti slices onto one side. (Use caution, they are more fragile while hot and can break.) Bake for an additional 10 minutes.
- Turn the slices onto the other side and bake an additional 10 minutes. The biscotti will harden more as they cool, but if they seem very soft, you can bake them longer on each side.
- Gently slide the parchment paper onto the cooling rack. Let the biscotti sit on the cooling rack for 15 minutes, then gently slice the parchment paper out so the biscotti are directly on the rack.
Nutrition
Notes
- I have tested this recipe with King Arthur Measure for Measure and Bob’s Red Mill 1:1. Other blends will work, but you may need to adjust the moisture level. Because of the pumpkin in the dough, you need a little more flour to absorb moisture so the biscotti turn out crunchy. If the dough seems sticky or wet, add more flour. If the dough is too dry and is crumbly, add more butter.
- If your gluten-free flour blend does not include a binder such as xanthan gum, add 3/4 teaspoon. This helps hold the biscotti together.
- To make this recipe dairy-free, substitute vegan butter for the butter. I tested Earth Balance, but other brands should also work.
- These gluten-free biscotti cookies will last around 1-2 weeks if kept in an airtight container. Keep them away from moisture and steam. Otherwise, they will get soft and will spoil.
- To freeze pumpkin biscotti, just put them in a freezer-safe zipper bag or an airtight container. They will last around 2-3 months in the freezer.
- To thaw, remove them from the freezer and set them on the counter until they have defrosted.
Private Notes
Tried this recipe?
Let us know how it was!
I truly hope you enjoy this recipe. I have been testing and creating gluten-free recipes for over 15 years. Creating gluten-free recipes that do not taste gluten-free is my goal for every recipe. Sometimes I only have to test a new recipe a couple of times, and others it takes multiple times. I do this so you get reliable, delicious results every time!
Yum these are fantastic! Very easy to make too. I used Bob’s red mill flour. Thank you!!
I am so glad you loved the biscotti, Jennifer. Thank you.
This was an amazing recipe! I had to make mine gluten free and dairy free for Farmers Market. It turned out delicious! And it made a bunch. I used King Arthur’s GF flour, coconut milk, and plant butter, along with char free sugar and aluminum free baking powder. I will definitely use this recipe again!
I am so glad you loved the biscotti!! I have made them dairy free a few times, which tastes just as good. Thank you so much for coming back to leave a kind review.
Can I use oil instead of butter?
I haven’t tested using oil. I know plant-based butter works. If you try an oil, please come back and let me know how it turns out.
OMG!!! I can’t stop eating them. Sandi, what an easy and yummy treat.
LOL, I have that problem with biscotti too :-). I am really glad you are enjoying the recipe.