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!
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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!
Rochelle says
Lovely recipe. Sent it in my son's daycare lunch all week. Great with margarine by the end of the week. Used craisins and chocolate chips.
Karen says
When using Bob's Red Mill GF All purpose flour, do you add xanthan gum to the flour to make this bread?
Melanie McDonald says
Bob's Red Mill 1 for 1 baking flour has xanthan gum in it so you don't need to add anything else.
Franny says
An excellent pumpkin bread recipe! Mine turned out perfectly sweet, firm yet moist, and full of chewy and crunchy goodness. I used 1 cup of sprouted spelt flour and 3/4 cup of oat flour, and threw in raisins and walnuts too. Will definitely make this again. Thanks, dear Mel! Happy Autumn from Franny in the high desert of Southern California. USA.
Josefine says
What a fantastic recipe, it turned our great. I used chocolate chips instead of dried cranberries and pumpkin seeds since I didn't have either on hand and it was delicious. I also used whole wheat flour. Super simple to make and it is such a satisfying fall treat.
Cilla says
Can garbanzo bean flour be used?
Melanie McDonald says
Definitely not in this recipe.
Michelle Oie says
Outstanding bread although I served it as dessert. Had to sub monkfruit for sugar as dinner guest doesn't eat sugar. (used 1/2 cup monkfruit) Everyone raved so will make for another dinner this weekend.
Janice says
Absolutely delicious! I love the dried cranberries in it. Much better than the typical raisins! Thank you.
lena says
hi! i'm going to double the recipe. can i use a bundt pan instead of a loaf pan? should i triple it???
Thanks!
Melanie McDonald says
It has only been tested in a loaf pan. I'd be very careful baking it in a bundt pan. This is more bready than cakey. It isn't soft and fluffy. It could end up coming out pretty dry where the thinner, sticky-out bits of the bundt pan are.
As for whether to triple it, that depends on the size of your bundt pan. They come in all sorts of sizes. For reference, a 9 x 5 pan holds about 8 cups (1.9 litres) of water. You'd need to measure how much your bundt holds and multiply the recipe accordingly.
Hope that helps!
Michelle Oie says
If u bake it in a bundt pan, would you report back. How many times did u multiply the recipe & what size bundt pan did you use?
Thank you!
Virginia Sorensen says
Wondering if this can be made using muffin / mini muffin tins instead?
Melanie McDonald says
That should be fine!
Jeremy says
This is such a great recipe!
I've made it many times.
I now like to soak the cranberries in ginger liquor and use less all spice and cinnamon, I love this loaf with the ginger really shining through.
I was skeptical about the pumpkin seeds, but they really add a nice element and it doesn't take away from the feeling that this is a treat!
Thank you so much for sharing!