This season, Trader Joe’s added a new pumpkin baking mix to their fall lineup: Trader Joe’s Gluten Free Pumpkin Bread & Muffin Baking Mix. The mix promises to be a good alternative to TJ’s popular pumpkin loaf mix, which is a more traditional mix that uses wheat flour. As a fan of all things pumpkin, I couldn’t resist picking up a box to taste test at home.
This mix contains dried pumpkin and there is enough of it to translate to a good pumpkin flavor in the finished loaf. The bread has a wonderful aroma in the oven and smells even better once you take it out. The loaf was very moist and very tender, with plenty of pumpkin and spice in every bite. I did find that the bread needed a longer baking time than the package indicated by about 5 minutes in my oven, but a few extra toothpick-tests ensure dthat the bread baked evenly. The loaf that I underbaked was unpleasantly soft, so I really recommend double checking for doneness before taking your loaf out of the oven. Once I had the baking time sorted out, the loaf was very good – gluten free or not!
I would definitely consider picking up another box of this mix to have on hand for the holiday season, especially if I thought I would need to be prepared for gluten free items on short notice. It has a good flavor and is easy to use. The only modification I would recommend making is to cut down on the oil by 2-3 tablespoons. The bread is both moist and tender even with less oil, and cutting back helps the bread seem a bit less dense (and makes it a little lower in fat, too). Another nice addition might be to stir in 1/2 cup of chopped, toasted nuts to add some contrasting texture to the loaf.
Amber
September 25, 2015I have seen alternative recipe for traditional spice cake box cake mix to use pumpkin purée in place of eggs and oil. Do you think this will work for this muffin mix?
Nicole
September 28, 2015Hi Amber, This mix has plenty of pumpkin flavor, so I don’t think you need to add additional pumpkin to it. I think that since the bread is so moist to being with, adding additional pumpkin might actually make it a bit too dense. That said, if you want to give it a try, you could try adding in a small quantity at a time. If you are looking to eliminate the eggs, try an egg replacer instead.
Janet
October 25, 2015Thanks for posting this review. It’s in the oven right now and I was worried about the fact that it wasn’t done after 55 minutes. I don’t want it to get dried out. If I like this and make it again, I’ll try using a little less oil per your recommendation. I can see how nuts would be nice in this too. Thanks!
Jill
January 5, 2016I used the box mix to make the muffins and they were fantastic; very light moist and flavorful. 5 Stars!!! Wish I could buy the mix year round.
Patricia Deese
April 12, 2016I have looked all over the box to see if this was produced in a non gluten facility or a facility where there is gluten. Made these for our trip so my daughter could eat but wasn’t sure about the facility so she could not have. They were very good & moist, I made muffins. So disappointed she couldn’t have. I know you do have to watch with the gluten free products at Trader Joe’s.