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 love this recipe! Ingredients are super simple and I never have to run out just to grab one thing. Also bakes up nicely and is the perfect balance of moist and fluffy. I need to experiment with adding things in/on top because it usually ends up burning or falling to the bottom; may be because I added too much? But when I don’t add anything, it’s perfect
LOVE this recipe! I swapped out sugar for about 10 medjool dates (blended into a paste with the pumpkin purée).
I also used 1.5 cups whole wheat and 3/4 cups oats. It turned out amazing!
I used the Bobs GF 1:1 flour and it came out gummy. Everytime I bake a loaf it comes out gummy with GF flour this time I used bob’s because someone said it was better and you listed GF 1:1 in possible flours to use. I read the notes later and you said could use flax egg. I didn’t because I made the recipe EXACTLY and didn’t read all the notes. I wish flax egg had been listed in the recipe as optional but suggested because that is what your notes say. Would it have still come out gummy? Maybe a loaf that is GF requires eggs? I am getting fed up and ready to give up. The flavor was good but it tastes uncooked. The knife came out clean after 1 hour. Does GF need to be cooked longer?
So sorry you have issues with the recipe, Janine! I don’t think the flax egg would have done any good since you say it was gummy. I would say to let it cool completely and see how that goes. Next time, you may want to add an additional 10 minutes to the cooking time.
So tasty and such a resilient recipe- I switched to it when I realized I didn’t have any eggs, and despite wonky dry ingredient proportions, it still turned out beautifully. So pretty, too!
Hi
Would love to make this. I always convert cups to grams using the King Arthur tables. But these conversions don’t agree with yours. According to the tables:spelt is the lightest at 99g per cup, all purpose is the heaviest at 120g per cup and whole wheat is in the middle at 113g per cup. For 2 cups, even the heaviest (all purpose) is 240g – well short of the 280g you recommend. (To be honest, I normally use 120g per cup for all purpose or wholewheat but I looked up spelt as I knew it was lighter per cup (like oat flour) but wasn’t sure exactly how much lighter it was).
Did you use 280g yourself?
Would love to know as there is such a big discrepancy in the cup/gram conversions for spelt especially.
Take care
Helen
Great question, Helen! I might have used another chart and have since removed the grams included with the ingredients, adding a note to the King Arthur conversion page instead (it’s the one I like to refer to as well). I’m working on a conversion toggle and hope to have it working soon. Until then, it is best to refer to the chart for your specific ingredient since I list variations in the ingredient line. Thank you for pointing that out, and enjoy the pumpkin bread! :)
Yes, KA conversion chart is great conversion and one of the best I’ve ever used. As a general rule when short of time, equating a cup flour to 120g has never let me down yet. I’ll be using 240g flour in the above recipe whichever flour I use. (This means that the lighter flours, like oat, will be more than 2 cups but that’s why gram conversions are so essential.) Will bake in the next week or so as it looks lovely
Great recipe: so easy and delicious! My only complaint is that it doesn’t last long because we eat it too quickly….
I followed the recipe exactly and baked for an hour, but the inside was completely gummy.. not sure why.
I used teff, almond, coconut flour combo. Plus mixed walnuts tofu and dates. Added prunes processed with pomegranate juice. All substitutes because no sugar in the house and this turned out healthy and yummy. Made muffins so servings could be frozen. So much fun to play around with this recipe. Truly was looking for a pumpkin tofu nut loaf! Thanks for the measurements it worked great.
Could I add some oats to this recipe and maybe reduce the flour?
Delicious! I made using coconut oil at room temp and it came out perfectly. Also added the crumble from your pumpkin muffins and some chopped pecans to the top of the bread before going in the oven!