Vegan Pumpkin Bread (Easy + Healthy)
The best Vegan Pumpkin Bread is made with simple ingredients from your pantry and bakes up perfectly moist and flavorful! It uses 1 whole can of pumpkin puree, is healthy, dairy-free, and eggless – but most importantly, it’s delicious!
Fall is here – it’s time to get the oven going and the house smelling like autumn!
Who doesn’t love the taste of fall? And what better way to celebrate fall than with a loaf of vegan pumpkin bread wafting through the air – especially one that’s healthy and so easy to make!
Turn on the oven, open up the windows, and let your neighbors smell all the deliciousness. It’s seriously the best air freshener!
Adapted from my favorite Vegan Banana Bread, this pumpkin loaf bakes up beautifully and works well replacing the banana with one whole can of pumpkin puree. It is the BEST vegan pumpkin bread if I do say so myself!
If you are a pumpkin lover, for variation, give this Vegan Pumpkin Oatmeal, Pumpkin Oat Muffins, or Pumpkin Spice Pancakes a try. The whole family will love them!
Ingredient Notes
In this recipe, flour, pumpkin puree & spice, sweetener, and almond milk are made into a batter and baked to perfection, creating a perfectly moist and flavorful loaf of the best vegan pumpkin bread.
Here is everything you will need, including ingredient substitutions:
- Pumpkin Puree – Instead of the standard 1 cup of puree used in many recipes, I prefer using the whole can of pumpkin puree so as not to waste or have to use the rest later, which I never end up doing. Be sure to only use 100% pumpkin puree, not pumpkin pie filling.
- Flour – Just about any flour will work – spelt, white whole wheat, all-purpose, 1 to 1 GF flour blend.
- Sugar – I used coconut sugar, but feel free to use your favorite. I have also made this using 2/3 cup maple syrup at room temperature in place of sugar with great results.
- Applesauce or neutral oil – I’ve used both with excellent results. Applesauce may yield a slightly denser loaf. Here is an easy homemade Unsweetened Applesauce.
- Plant milk – Preferably unsweetened, use your favorite – almond, soy, cashew, oat, etc.
- Spices – I used the pumpkin pie spice mix, plus a little extra cinnamon for an added boost of flavor. If using the individual spices, adjust the measurement to suit your taste.
- Baking powder + baking soda – If you don’t have baking soda on hand, double the baking powder.
- Toppings: Adding chopped pepitas, walnuts, whole sesame seeds, or oats to the top will add texture and visual appeal. Sometimes, I’ll lightly sprinkle the top with raw sugar before baking (this is my daughter’s preferred topping).
Now, let’s put it all together…
How To Make Vegan Pumpkin Bread
Making vegan pumpkin bread is as easy as 1, 2, 3! Here you’ll find photos for reference when baking your loaf.
- Simply mix the dry ingredients together in a bowl, add the wet ingredients, and mix just until the flour is combined.
- Place batter in a 9 x 5 loaf pan, top with optional pumpkin seeds (shown above right), and bake for 55 – 60 minutes.
- Once done, let it cool (shown below) and enjoy the flavors of fall!
And that’s it – the best 1 bowl vegan pumpkin bread made easy and healthy!
Top Tips!
- Use room temperature ingredients for best results. Cold ingredients do not incorporate as well as when they are at room temp. Room temp ingredients will yield a fluffier pumpkin loaf.
- Don’t overmix the batter. Just mix until there are no streaks of flour. Overmixing may result in a loaf that does not rise well and may become gummy in the center.
- Add chocolate chips. For variation, try adding a handful of chocolate chips to the batter!
- For best results, remove the loaf from the pan after 10 minutes and let it cool on a wire rack. Letting your loaf remain in the pan while cooling may result in a soggy bottom and possibly a gummy center.
F&Qs
Can I make pumpkin bread gluten-free? Absolutely! You can use any gluten-free flour blend, oat flour, or buckwheat flour, replacing 1 – 1 the amount of flour called for. I do not recommend using all coconut flour as it’s tricky to work with.
Can I make this quick bread recipe oil-free? Yes! Replace the oil with unsweetened applesauce for a healthy oil-free pumpkin bread. The loaf may be a little denser but the flavor will still be great.
Can I make pumpkin bread without baking soda? You sure can! Instead of using baking soda, use 1 level tablespoon baking powder with great results!
How To Store + Freeze
Counter + Refrigerator: Once cooled, pumpkin bread can be stored, covered, on the counter for up to 3 – 4 days. You can also store it in the refrigerator for up to one week.
Freezer: Vegan pumpkin bread is freezer-friendly and can be stored in the freezer for up to 2 – 3 months. To freeze, let cool completely and store in freezer wrap or freezer bags, removing as much air as possible before closing. Let thaw in the refrigerator. Pumpkin bread can also be stored, covered, on the counter for up to 3 – 4 days. You can also keep in the refrigerator for up to a week.
More Vegan Quick Bread Recipes!
Vegan quick breads are the best and so easy to make! Take a look at these other quick bread recipes, you just may find yourself a new favorite!
- Applesauce Bread (Oil Free)
- Cranberry Orange Bread
- Vegan Banana Bread
- Healthy Blueberry Banana Oat Bread
- Buckwheat Banana Bread (Gluten Free)
If you try this pumpkin loaf recipe or have a question, please let me know! Leave a comment and rate it below. I love to hear what you think, or any changes you make.
PrintCLASSIC VEGAN PUMPKIN BREAD (1 BOWL + HEALTHY)
Simple, minimal ingredients, bring in the fall season with a freshly baked loaf of pumpkin bread wafting through the air! This easy, 1 bowl pumpkin bread recipe is vegan + wfpb.
- Prep Time: 10 min
- Cook Time: 55 min
- Total Time: 1 hour 5 minutes
- Yield: Makes 8 – 10 slices 1x
- Category: Quick Bread
- Method: bake
- Cuisine: American
- Diet: Vegan
Ingredients
- 2 cups flour (spelt, all-purpose, whole wheat, 1-to-1 GF flour blend)
- 1/2 – 3/4 cup sugar (coconut, turbinado or organic pure cane)
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 tablespoon pumpkin pie spice or 1 tsp each cinnamon & ginger and 1/2 tsp each nutmeg & allspice and a pinch of clove
- pinch of mineral salt
- 1 – 2 teaspoons vanilla
- 1/3 cup water or unsweetened almond milk (at room temp)
- 1/3 cup neutral-flavored oil (or coconut oil is liquid state) or applesauce
- 1 can (15 oz) 100% pumpkin puree or 1 1/2 cups (338 g) fresh pumpkin puree
- small handful pepitas (pumpkin seeds), for topping (optional)
Instructions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly grease loaf pan.
Mix: In a medium size bowl, combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, spices and salt. In a 2 cup measuring cup, combine oil, sugar, water/milk and vanilla. Add the wet mixture to the dry mixture along with the pumpkin puree and mix well. Careful not to over mix, but be sure there is no flour clumps. Taste batter, adjusting flavor or sweetness to your liking.
Bake: Pour batter into prepared loaf pan, place in oven, on center rake, and bake for 55 – 60 minutes. Once done, remove from oven and let cool 5 – 10 minutes. Remove loaf from pan and transfer bread to a wire rack to cool slightly before serving.
Sliced pumpkin bread is delicious warmed in a toaster oven and served with a smear of vegan butter.
Makes 8 – 10 slices
Store: Let cool completely before storing. Keep covered on the counter for 2 – 3 days. Warm in the toaster oven.
Notes
For ingredient conversions to grams, I recommend using the thorough King Arthur conversion weight chart.
Use room temperature ingredients for best results. Cold ingredients do not incorporate as well as when they are at room temp. Room temp ingredients will yield a fluffier pumpkin loaf.
Adjusting oil: I’ve made this loaf using less oil, anywhere from 2 – 4 tablespoons, while substituting the remaining amount called for with almond milk or water. It turned out fabulous while cutting some fat out of the recipe. Use applesauce in place of oil as well, loaf may be a little denser – but still delicious!
Spices: I used the pumpkin pie spice mix plus some extra cinnamon. I like all the flavors. If using the individual spices adjust the measurement up to suit your taste. Use less spice if you want to taste more of the pumpkin. Remember to always start with the smaller amount and work your way up. You cannot take away, but you can always add.
Optional flax-eggs: Since there are no flax-eggs here, if you wish you can add two flax-eggs in place of the water + add 3 extra tablespoons water or you can simply add two tablespoons of flaxseed meal to the batter with the dry ingredients. Ground flax seeds have great nutritional benefits and can be added to boost the nutritional profile of this recipe. If you have some on hand, go for it!
Sugar adjustments: Adjust the sugar up a little if you like it a bit sweeter. Because this batter is on the thicker side, you can also add in up to 1/4 cup, or replace dry sugar with, warmed or room temperature pure maple syrup. Chilled maple syrup needs to be warmed or it will harden the coconut oil.
Maple Syrup: I have successfully made various loaves using 2/3 cup maple syrup at room temperature. I made a loaf using all unbleached all-purpose flour and another with half all-purpose and half whole wheat. Also, I tested one loaf with light flavored olive oil and another with applesauce. All my loaves baked up perfectly!
Toppings: Add chopped pepitas, walnuts or whole sesame seeds or oats to the top for added texture and visual appeal. Sometimes I will lightly sprinkle the top with raw sugar before baking (this is my daughters preferred topping). Even a cinnamon sugar mix would be delicious!
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I made this the other day and it was great! I have a question though- if I were to use 2 8 x 4 pans, could I use this recipe as is and split the batter between the 2 pans? Thanks!
Yes, you can do that. Bake time will be about 35 – 45 minutes. Would love to know how it goes, it’s super helpful to others as well!
Made this today and it turned out great! Easy and delicious, would totally recommend
This isn’t actually a one bowl recipe. The directions use two bowls. I made this with gluten free flour yesterday. I used two different AP flour blends. The results were delicious. The texture was more like pudding bread than like what I expected from a quick bread, but that was probably a result of the GF flour.
Tonight I made this using regular flour. It rose a lot higher. The bread was still moist, but not overly so. Much more like a regular quick bread than like pudding bread.
I added about 3/4 cup of nuts to both breads. That was about the right amount of nut to bread ratio for me. I also doubled the amount of spice I used. I like bold flavours with my pumpkin.
I love your site. It is one of the best ones for finding vegan recipes I am almost sure to enjoy.
Love that this bread uses a whole can of pumpkin! My husband had to go gluten and egg free and he was so excited about this bread, said it was amazing! Thank you!
So glad you enjoyed it! Cheers :)
So good! I didn’t have almond milk so I used water instead haha still came out amazing! Thank you!
Delicious! I made it with applesauce and the consistency was spot on. Will definitely be making again.
Looks pretty but totally gummy inside no matter how long I cook it. Going on 90 minutes. Used applesauce instead of oil.
Sorry to hear! Sometimes it happens when I bake too, and I think I lost a loaf or batch of muffins, but letting it cool completely should do the trick. Using applesauce will make the loaf a little denser, but it shouldn’t be gummy. Let it rest, and see if that helps!
I had the same issue with the gummy texture! I wasn’t sure if I needed to bake longer but the edges were getting pretty toasty so I decided to take it out. I let it sit overnight before slicing and it still was gummy :(
I had that issue a few times with this and a no knead bread recipe, come to figure out my flour was old. I just made this again this week using fresh all purpose flour and it was the lightest it has ever been. I also only use applesauce. Hope this helps
Made this with my family (including my toddler!) A nice easy to follow, straightforward recipe I appreciate with no funny ingredients! We had fresh pumpkin purée and doubled the recipe for two loaves. I was really pleasantly surprised. Everything was portioned perfectly, so it cooked perfectly in the said amount of time! It was moist but cooked through and had a nice denseness. I did the extra sugar and I used 1/2 tsp salt for each loaf. Might try to make it a bit sweeter as that is my preference but it was very good. We topped it with a glaze of melted butter (vegan) and coconut sugar and it made a thick buttery syrup. Absolutely decadent! First loaf gone in one go! Will definitely make again! Thank you!
I made gluten free with an all purpose gluten free flour blend (pillsbury is my favorite). I also substituted the coconut sugar with 1/3 cup maple syrup. I was very happy with the result!
Yay, so glad it worked well! Thank you for sharing the inspiration, Abigail!
I made it and it was Fantastically Moist, fluffy and Delicious. So Good even the family enjoyed it. I used the Applesauce in lieu of oils. I could not find an equivalent for “a pinch” so I used 1/4 teaspoon. I also used All purpose flour. It did take 90 minutes to cook… As all my vegan breads have been taking…. I just tented the top with foil for the last 30 minutes and checked it every 15 minutes. It was not heavy at all compared to Vegan Banana breads I have made. Great for snacking on too! It is a Keeper and I will probably be making this at least twice a month. I have been on the Dr. McDougall Starch Based plan for about 3 weeks now and this fits right into the plan….100% Thank you for the Awesome Healthy recipe, I Love it and have shared it with my Mom who is on Dr Caldwell Esselstyn’s plan.