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This vegan pumpkin bread is the ultimate Fall treat! Featuring a moist and tender crumb, warming spices like cinnamon, ginger, and nutmeg, and a subtle touch of vanilla, each slice is spiced to perfection and packs a ton of pumpkin flavor!
⭐️ Why You Should Try This Recipe
- One bowl and 12 ingredients. Making pumpkin bread at home is easy and tastes much better than store-bought! Plus, it requires minimal prep time and can be made with kids too!
- Moist and so tender. Pumpkin bread can be either too moist or too dry. Not here! This recipe yields soft pumpkin bread with just the right amount of moisture.
- Full of Fall flavors. The fantastic blend of warming autumnal spices combined with the earthy pumpkin make this pumpkin bread a wonderful treat to have during the colder days. Enjoy for breakfast or as an afternoon snack while wrapped in a cozy blanket!
📘 What is Pumpkin Bread
Pumpkin bread is a classic American bread made with pumpkin puree and spices. It is generally prepared during Fall when fresh pumpkins are in season.
The incorporation of pumpkin puree in the ingredients not only imparts a nutty and natural sweetness but also adds moisture and tenderness.
🎃 Ingredient Notes
You will only need 8 ingredients plus a few spices to make this vegan pumpkin bread. Here is what you will need:
- Pumpkin purée – I used canned pumpkin purée as it is more convenient, but feel free to use homemade pumpkin purée.
- Flour – Use regular all-purpose flour. This recipe might work with a 1:1 gluten-free flour blend, but I haven’t tried it yet.
- Sugar – You can use granulated sugar or coconut sugar. Be aware that the latter will alter the flavor and color of your pumpkin bread.
- Oil – Any neutral oil works. A few options are grapeseed, canola, or sunflower oil.
- Milk – Any unsweetened plant-based milk will work. You can use almond, cashew, oat, or even soy milk.
- Vanilla extract – For extra deliciousness. A hint of vanilla always does wonders in sweet baked goods. Use store-bought or homemade vanilla extract.
- Baking powder and baking soda – To help the bread rise. Baking soda also gives the bread a deeper color.
- Spices – Cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, and cloves. You can replace all of the spices with about 2 teaspoons of pumpkin spice.
- Salt – Optional. It enhances the overall flavor.
🥣 How to Make Vegan Pumpkin Bread
Make the batter
- Whisk together the liquid ingredients with the sugar. Add the pumpkin puree, oil, almond milk, sugar, and vanilla extract to a bowl. Mix until combined.
- Add the dry ingredients. Next, add the spices, flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt.
- Mix. Using a wooden spoon, gently mix the batter. Do not overmix. It’s okay if there are a few lumps. At this point, feel free to incorporate your add-ins (see the Tips section).
Bake
- Line a loaf pan. Line an 8×4-inch loaf pan with parchment paper.
- Transfer the batter to the pan. Pour the batter into the prepared loaf pan and spread the top into an even layer.
- Bake. Finally, bake the pumpkin bread for 45-50 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out with just a few crumbs.
- Let cool. Let the bread cool completely before removing it from the pan and cutting it into slices.
🍦What to Serve With Pumpkin Bread
You can enjoy this pumpkin bread for breakfast with vegan yogurt, as an afternoon pick-me-up snack, or for dessert accompanied by a scoop of vanilla ice cream!
❄️ Freezing
Pumpkin bread will keep for up to 2 months in the freezer. To freeze, let the bread cool completely. Then, you can either freeze it whole or in thick slices. Wrap in plastic wrap or a freezer bag before transferring to the freezer. Thaw at room temperature for 3-4 hours or until tender.
📔 Tips
- Use pumpkin purée, not pumpkin pie filling. Ensure you are using unsweetened pumpkin purée. Pumpkin purée contains 100% pumpkin, while pumpkin pie filling contains sugar and other ingredients.
- Customize it. Feel free to add chopped nuts, chocolate chips, or dried fruits to the batter for more texture.
- Top with a streusel. For a crispy topping, add a streusel to the pumpkin bread before baking! To do so, mix 1/4 cup of flour, 2 tbsp of butter, 3 tbsp of sugar, and 1/8 tsp of pumpkin spice. Sand the mixture until it forms crumbs. Then, crumble it on top of the batter.
- Let it cool completely. Straight from the oven, the pumpkin bread will be very soft. Let it cool down completely before removing it from its pan.
- Adjust the sweetness to your liking. This vegan pumpkin bread is not as sweet as most, so feel free to adjust the sweetness to your taste. You can add up to 1/4 cup of sugar without changing the ratio of the other ingredients.
- Regarding the color. Depending on the brand of pumpkin puree used, the color of your pumpkin bread can be lighter or darker.
💬 FAQ
Yes, it works with both canned or homemade pumpkin puree.
Pumpkin bread is best stored at room temperature, wrapped in cling film, or stored in an airtight container. It will stay moist for up to 5 days.
I haven’t tried it yet, but I think it should work with a 1:1 gluten-free flour mix.
Vegan Pumpkin Bread
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 and 1/3 cup pumpkin puree
- 1/3 cup neutral oil
- 1/4 cup unsweetened almond milk
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
- 1/2 tsp ground ginger
- 1/4 tsp ground cloves
- 1 and 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 and 1/4 tsp baking soda
- 1/4 tsp baking powder
- 1/8 tsp salt optional
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to
350 °F (175°C) and line an 8×4-inch loaf pan with parchment paper. - Whisk together the liquid ingredients with the sugar. Add the pumpkin puree, oil, almond milk, sugar, and vanilla extract to a bowl. Mix until combined.
- Add the dry ingredients. Next, add the spices, flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt.
- Mix. Using a wooden spoon, gently mix the batter. Do not overmix. It’s okay if there are a few lumps.
- Transfer the batter to the pan. Pour the batter into the prepared loaf pan and spread the top into an even layer.
- Bake. Finally, bake the pumpkin bread for 45-50 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out with just a few crumbs.
- Let cool. Let the bread cool completely before removing it from the pan and cutting it into slices. Pumpkin bread will keep for up to 5 days at room temperature.
Notes
- Use pumpkin purée, not pumpkin pie filling. Ensure you are using unsweetened pumpkin purée. Pumpkin purée contains 100% pumpkin, while pumpkin pie filling contains sugar and other ingredients.
- Customize it. Feel free to add chopped nuts, chocolate chips, or dried fruits to the batter for more texture.
- Top with a streusel. For a crispy topping, add a streusel to the pumpkin bread before baking! To do so, mix 1/4 cup of flour, 2 tbsp of butter, 3 tbsp of sugar, and 1/8 tsp of pumpkin spice. Sand the mixture until it forms crumbs. Then, crumble it on top of the batter.
- Let it cool completely. Straight from the oven, the pumpkin bread will be very soft. Let it cool down completely before removing it from its pan.
- Adjust the sweetness to your liking. This vegan pumpkin bread is not as sweet as most, so feel free to adjust the sweetness to your taste. You can add up to 1/4 cup of sugar without changing the other ingredients ratio.
- Regarding the color. Depending on the brand of pumpkin puree used, the color of your pumpkin bread can be lighter or darker.
Nutrition
About the Author
Thomas Pagot is the founder, photographer, and recipe developer behind Full of Plants. He created the blog in 2016 as a personal cookbook for vegan recipes. Through years of recipe development, Thomas has successfully grown Full of Plants into a trusted resource for plant-based recipes.
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I like pumpkin. I’ll try this recipe for sure. Thank you for shating.
Hi, Can the slices be toasted? or are they too soft and moist? Thanks.
The slices are moist but if you make them thick enough, I think it could be toasted.
Excellent recipe – nicely moist and flavorful! Goes wonderfully with a vegan pistachio cream.