Name: Vegan Pumpkin Bread with Cranberries & Pumpkin Seeds
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 55 min
Total time: 65 min
Yield: 10 slices
Ingredients: 1 ¾ cup / 240 g wholewheat flour (, spelt flour works too); ¾ cup / 150 g coconut sugar (, or brown sugar (lighter sugars like cane and granulated white work well too, but the darker sugars are best flavour-wise. ); 1 teaspoon baking soda; ½ teaspoon baking powder; ¼ teaspoon salt; 1 teaspoon ground ginger; 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon; 1 teaspoon ground all spice (, if you don't have all spice use an extra ½ teaspoon cinnamon with ½ teaspoon ground cloves and a big pinch of nutmeg or just sub the all spice for pumpkin pie spice); ⅔ packed cup / 100 g dried cranberries; ½ cup / 75 75g pumpkin seeds; 1 slightly heaping cup / 260 g pumpkin puree (, NOT pumpkin pie filling! (Pureed orange sweet potato works well too)); ½ cup / 120 ml unsweetened plant-based milk

JUMP TO RECIPE

This healthy Vegan Pumpkin Bread is made with wholewheat flour & is completely oil-free. It is heartily stuffed with juicy chewy cranberries & crunchy pumpkin seeds & is perfect for breakfast or snacking!

This Vegan Pumpkin Bread with Cranberries & Pumpkin Seeds is perfect for when you really want cake but are trying to be healthy……

That’s like all the time if you’re anything like me.

I’ve made this bread again and again because we enjoy it so much, and now it’s here because you folks deserve to be enjoying it too. Plus pumpkin is super good for you and shouldn’t just be restricted to a few weeks around Halloween.

This Vegan Pumpkin Bread is not light and fluffy like some more cake-y pumpkin breads. It’s heartier, a little denser and very slightly chewy. Almost like a cross between proper bread (as in the yeasty sandwich kind) and a cake. It feels a whole lot more substantial than most cake-y breads.

It is just sweet enough without being ‘cake sweet’ and this sweetness is enhanced by the lovely juicy, chewy dried cranberries. For a bit of added crunch and more nutrition the pumpkin seeds works beautifully.

It’s lovely with a smear of my Easy Vegan Butter or some nut butter for breakfast, general snacking or packed lunches. It’s pretty sturdy and will hold up to being rattled around a lunch box.

HOW TO MAKE VEGAN PUMPKIN BREAD

FOR INGREDIENTS & FULL INSTRUCTIONS PLEASE SEE THE RECIPE CARD AT THE END OF THIS POST

My Healthy Pumpkin Bread is very easy to make. All you need is a loaf pan, a mixing bowl, a small bowl or jug and a spoon/spatula. Then:

Add all of the dry ingredients to one bowl and mix them together, then add the two wet ingredients to another bowl and mix them together.

Pour the wet into the dry and mix then spoon into the pan and bake

You can also make it in a stand mixer if you prefer. I trialled it by hand and in a mixer as I am still crushing on the new Kitchen Aid my lovely hubby brought me for Christmas. Any excuse to use it is a good thing! ♡ If you do use a stand mixer be sure you don’t over-mix. The flour should be just combined so there are no dry spots.

Success Tips

When you mix this together it will be stiff. It is not like a cake batter. It’s more like a dough. It takes a bit of elbow grease to mix it all up. 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.

Ways to adapt my Pumpkin Bread

– Switch out the pumpkin seeds and cranberries for chocolate chips

– Switch out the pumpkin seeds and cranberries for chopped nuts of choice

– Use pureed butternut squash or sweet potato instead of pumpkin puree

– Add some grated orange zest. The orange flavour works really well with pumpkin.

– Make it as muffins instead of bread

If you are loving my Pumpkin Bread then you might also enjoy my:

Vegan Zucchini Bread
Lemon Blueberry Loaf
Best Vegan Banana Bread
Vegan Chocolate Banana Bread
Healthy Banana Bread

And if you love this recipe, please do check out my cookbook, and subscribe to my email list for a fabulous FREE eCookbook featuring my top 10 recipes. Being on the list means you will be first to see my new recipes and you’ll be kept in the loop on all things new and exciting too!