Homemade Vegan Pumpkin Bread is a reader's favourite fall recipe packed with delicious spices, juicy chewy cranberries & crunchy pumpkin seeds. It's an easy quickbread that is perfect for breakfasts or snacks!
This Vegan Pumpkin Bread is hearty and delicious. It's packed with pumpkin and pumpkin spice flavours and has great texture thanks to the delicious mix-ins. Add your favourites or go with my suggestion of dried cranberries and pumpkin seeds.
Smear thick slices with vegan butter or nut butter and enjoy for breakfast or snacks throughout fall and beyond!
Jump to:
Ingredient & equipment notes
(For detailed measurements and instructions, see the printable recipe card).
Here is what you'll be needing to make my vegan pumpkin bread:
- Flour - Wholewheat, spelt, all-purpose flour (plain in the UK) or a good all purpose GF blend like Bob's Red Mill 1 for 1 Baking Flour are all fine to use.
- Sugar - Brown, white, cane or coconut sugar are all ok to use. I like to use brown or coconut sugar though because they complement the pumpkin and spices perfectly.
- Baking soda and baking powder - A combination of both. Baking powder as per usual in a cake/quick bread and because this is an eggless pumpkin bread, baking soda too as it reacts with the slightly acidic pumpkin puree. This causes bubbles to form and provides extra lift which compensates for the leavening that eggs would usually provide.
- Spices and salt - For maximum flavour!
- Pumpkin puree and plant milk - Our wet ingredients. Unless you have a very sweet tooth use unsweetened plant milk, and be sure to use pumpkin puree and not pumpkin pie filling. You can use canned pumpkin puree or homemade pumpkin puree in this recipe.
- Mix-ins - I love to use dried cranberries and pumpkin seeds but you could omit them completely or use chocolate chips, chopped nuts like walnuts or pecans and any dried fruit you like. Just keep the quantity roughly the same.
You will also need a loaf pan. An 8.5 x 4.5inch or a 9 x 5inch pan are both fine to use. It also bakes great as muffins if you don't have a loaf pan, but be sure to adjust the bake time to compensate.
How to make vegan pumpkin bread
This is a super simple recipe to make. Here's how:
- Mix all of the dry ingredients together in a bowl.
- Mix all of the wet ingredients together in another bowl.
- MIx the wet with the dry.
- Spoon into a loaf pan and bake.
See my video for a more detailed look.
Success Tips
For the very best results when making this recipe follow these tips:
- When you mix this together it will be stiff. It isn't as slack as cake batter. Just sayin' so you know and don't get all weirded out and pour in a gallon of liquid to remedy it or something!
- Follow the recipe closely and as always with recipes involving flour, I highly recommend you use a kitchen scale. Cup measurements are not accurate enough to get the best and consistent results, but if you do need to use them, spoon the flour into the cup then level off the top with a knife without compacting it or shaking it down. By doing it like this you will get roughly the correct amount. If you scoop the flour up into the cup, you will end up with much more than is needed and it will affect the outcome of the recipe. Digital scales are available at most big superstores now and you can pick one up for around $10. They are a great investment and are so worth having
- Even if your loaf pan is non stick, I recommend lining the bottom of it with a strip of parchment paper. One long strip that goes along the bottom and overhangs the ends is fine, then it can act as handles for you to easily lift the loaf out once it’s baked.
- How can you tell when it’s cooked properly? You can use the toothpick test. Stick it in the centre and if it comes out clean then its done, or gently press down on the center of the loaf. If it bounces back completely, it is done. If your finger leaves a dent in the loaf it needs a little more time.
- Let the loaf cool completely before you cut it. I know it’s tempting to break into it when it’s still warm, but if you let all of the steam inside escape, you will affect the quality of the crumb. It won’t be as moist and it won’t keep as well.
Storage & freezing
Once cooled completely store your vegan pumpkin bread either well wrapped or in an airtight container for 4 to 5 days. You can also wrap it well and freeze it for up to 3 months.
Hungry for more?
Love pumpkin recipes? You might also enjoy:
- Vegan Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Vegan Pumpkin Muffins
- Pumpkin Oatmeal Bars
- Double Chocolate Pumpkin Muffins
- Vegan Pumpkin Pie
- Vegan Pumpkin Pancakes
📖 Recipe
Vegan Pumpkin Bread
Author:
Ingredients
Dry ingredients
- 1 ¾ cup (240 grams) flour , all-purpose (plain in the UK), spelt, wholewheat or 1 for 1 GF all-purpose baking flour
- ¾ cup (150 grams) sugar , coconut, brown sugar, cane or white
- 1 teaspoon baking soda , (bicarbonate of soda in the UK)
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon ground ginger , (or switch the 3 individual spices for 2 teaspoons of pumpkin spice)
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ¾ teaspoon ground allspice
- ⅔ packed cup (100 grams) dried cranberries , or other mix-ins of choice
- ½ cup (75 grams) pumpkin seeds , or other mix-ins of choice
Wet ingredients
- 1 slightly heaping cup (260 grams) pumpkin puree , NOT pumpkin pie filling!
- ½ cup (120 ml) unsweetened plant-based milk
RECOMMENDED EQUIPMENT
INSTRUCTIONS
- Preheat oven to 350°F and lightly grease an 8.5 x 4.5inch or 9 x 5inch loaf pan. Lay a strip of baking parchment down the length of the pan with some overhang each side to make it easier to remove when cooked.
- Add all of the dry ingredients to a large bowl and stir to combine.
- Add the pumpkin puree and milk to another bowl or a jug and mix them together.
- Add the wet ingredients to the dry and mix until just combined. It is a stiff batter so do not be concerned.
- Spoon the batter into the prepared tin and smooth the top with a spatula so it's level.
- Bake for about 55 minutes or until golden and starting to come away from the sides of the pan. Test it by inserting a skewer, toothpick or sharp knife into the centre. If it comes out clean it's done. If not give it a few more minutes.
- Remove from the tin immediately and cool on a wire rack.
NOTES
NUTRITION
Nutritional information is provided for convenience & as a courtesy. The data is a computer generated estimate so should be used as a guide only.
Recipe FAQS
Yes, any type of squash puree will work in this recipe. Sweet potato puree will too!
This bread will last for 4 to 5 days if wrapped well. It can also be frozen for up to 3 months.
Yes, you can make it gluten-free. Use a good all-purpose GF blend like Bob's Red Mill 1 for 1 Baking Flour
Yes. Simply substitute the spices in the recipe for 2 teaspoons of pumpkin spice.
This recipe was originally published on September 23rd, 2020. I've since rewritten the post and now I am republishing it for you. I hope you enjoy it. Thank you for following A Virtual Vegan!
Teresa says
Thank you for this! I collect pumpkins every year after people discard them post-Thanksgiving. This year I had 30+ pumpkins of all sorts to use up. I still have many to go. But every single one, I've made at least two loaves of this recipe. I use fresh cranberries when I can find them, and have subbed walnuts and pecans, or throw in a handful of flax meal or oatmeal. It's a very forgiving, moist, delicious recipe. So happy to have a good, moist pumpkin bread that doesn't require oil or egg substitute.
A Virtual Vegan says
I'm so pleased you are enjoying the recipe Teresa. I love that you are using up all the local pumpkins that would otherwise be wasted. Good for you!
Julie says
I love recipes that don't contain oil or egg! This bread was a big hit. I subbed brown sugar for the coconut sugar but next time I'll reduce it a little. I made it with spelt and the texture was fantastic.
Julie says
I tried this recipe with apple sauce instead of pumpkin and it worked great. I also used 1/3 cup maple syrup instead of the coconut flour. The texture was fantastic.
Alva says
This recipe was a huge hit! I live in Sweden and when I finally could find canned pumpkin in my supermarket I was so excited to bake this. I didn't have coconut sugar so I substituted it for ca 120g maple syrup. I have a hot fan oven so it was done in about 40 minutes. Now the whole house smells amazing. ????
A Virtual Vegan says
I'm so pleased you enjoyed it and that you were able to work out a sub for the coconut sugar. Thank you for stopping by to leave feedback. I really appreciate it!
Stephanie says
I made this for a church breakfast because we have two members who are vegan and they were thrilled. Everyone loved it and asked me for the recipe! I used walnuts instead of pumpkin seeds because I couldn't find them at the store. I used coconut milk it was delicious! Thank you!
A Virtual Vegan says
I'm so pleased everyone enjoyed it Stephanie. I bet walnuts were great in it!
Johanne R says
This is a great recipe! Thank you so much for sharing! It has great flavor & texture!
Karla says
Can I make these in a cupcake pan?
A Virtual Vegan says
You could yes. I would bake it at the same temp, probably for about 22-25 mins, or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean.
Lyne Brunelle says
Wow!!
Yasmine says
How much pumkin?
A Virtual Vegan says
All the ingredient and their quantities are listed. The pumpkin is in the wet ingredient list.
Alison says
Looks delish!! In the oven right now!! I used stevia as sweetener and also subbed fresh cranberries for dried!
A Virtual Vegan says
Thank you Alison. I hope you enjoy it!
Paul Hanrahan says
This is a great recipe because it uses no oil or egg. Thank you!
A Virtual Vegan says
Thank you Paul!
Sarah says
Brought this to a potluck and everyone LOVED it!! Even non-vegans! I used brown sugar and reduced it to 1/2 C and added some chocolate chunks instead of seeds. I will definitely be making this again:)
A Virtual Vegan says
So glad you and everyone else enjoyed it! I should totally make a chocolate version for the blog!
Elina says
Made this yesterday using just a bit less ginger and more cinnamon, given personal preferences. Had to use brown sugar rather than coconut, because that's what we had at home, and tossed in 1/4 cup chopped walnuts for crunch. It. Was. Incredible. My dad, for whom we baked this, can't stop raving about it.
Will be remaking this ASAP, and trying a reduced sugar version out of curiosity. If it has less sugar, that means you can guiltlessly eat half a loaf in one sitting, yeah? ????
A Virtual Vegan says
So glad you enjoyed it! Be careful with reducing the sugar as it doesn't just provide sweetness, it gives structure in cakes. If you reduce it too much it will affect the rise and texture. Have fun experimenting though! Anything that means you can eat it guiltlessly is a good thing! ;O)
Genyvieve says
Just made these and they were delicious!! Thanks!!
I reduced sugar to 1/2 cup and cranberries and pepitas to 1/4 c each and still fantastic.
A Virtual Vegan says
So glad you enjoyed it!
Jan says
GREAT recipe. The pumkin seeds and cranberries add nice texture. I used heaping spoons full of the spices and went with the option to use cloves (I really enjoy the flavor of cloves) and I was very happy with the outcome. It holds well for days and doesn't loose a bit if flavor. It also froze well. I will make this year round and as Christmas gifts.
Mel, Thank You for this amazing recipe!
A Virtual Vegan says
Thank you Jan. I'm so glad you are enjoying it!
Steve says
Thanks it turned out great!
A Virtual Vegan says
So glad you enjoyed it!