Vegan Pumpkin Bread is a quick and easy gluten-free bread that everyone will love for fall! If you miss Starbucks pumpkin bread, you don't need to with this delicious vegan recipe.
VEGAN PUMPKIN BREAD RECIPE
I used to go to Starbucks every morning in the fall for a slice of moist, warm pumpkin bread. Now, I make this vegan pumpkin bread instead! It's made with basic ingredients and is packed with delicious fall flavor, too!
Enjoy it plain, with a little vegan butter, or use it for the easiest air fryer French toast. No one would ever guess this pumpkin bread is vegan — and gluten-free, too! It's so moist, fluffy, and perfectly sweetened with a little pumpkin pie spice blend to boot.
INGREDIENTS IN VEGAN PUMPKIN BREAD
Pumpkin puree: Be sure to use 100% pure pumpkin for this recipe, not pumpkin pie filling. It's got tons of extra ingredients that will lead to a flat pumpkin bread!
Gluten-free flour: I love to keep my baking gluten-free when I can, and Bob's Red Mill Gluten-Free Flour Mix is perfect!
Xanthan gum: My gluten-free flour mix includes xanthan gum, but if yours doesn't, you'll need to add a bit. Be sure to check the ingredients first!
Baking powder: For the fluffiest vegan pumpkin bread, you want some baking powder for that bread light as a cloud.
Baking soda: For the bit of rise, baking soda is perfect. You just need a tiny bit to make the best vegan bread.
Pumpkin pie spice: I use a combination of cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, and cloves for that perfect pumpkin pie flavor in a loaf. If you have a pre-mixed pie spice blend, that works too!
Salt: You always want a pinch of salt in your baking recipes. It adds the perfect balance of salty and sweet, plus it enhances all the flavors. Win-win!
Brown sugar: I love the addition of brown sugar in baking. It has an extra richness and subtle sweetness from the molasses.
Vegetable oil: This adds so much moisture to the bread with no eggs or dairy.
Almond milk: I use unsweetened almond milk for a little extra moisture.
Apple cider vinegar: This healthy vinegar reacts with the baking soda for a perfectly dense but still moist loaf.
Vanilla extract: Every sweet bread needs a little vanilla extract!
Pepitas: I love the extra crunch and flavor of these pumpkin seeds. If you don’t like pepitas, you can also do a sugar topping instead!
If you have any questions about how to make vegan pumpkin bread, please leave a comment below and I will get back to you ASAP!
HOW TO MAKE VEGAN PUMPKIN BREAD
- First, whisk together the dry ingredients: gluten-free flour, xanthan gum if needed, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, cloves, and salt.
- Then, in another mixing bowl, add the brown sugar, pumpkin puree, vegetable oil, unsweetened almond milk, apple cider vinegar, and vanilla extract.
- Whisk your wet ingredients together until thoroughly combined.
- Now, add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients.
- Mix the wet and dry ingredients together until no flour streaks remain. Don't over mix!
- Next, pour the batter into a prepared loaf pan.
- To garnish, sprinkle pepitas over the dough. You can skip this step, but I love the look and extra crunch!
- Finally, bake the loaf until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Let it cool completely on a wire rack before slicing.
These numbered steps match the numbered photos above and are for illustration purposes. For the complete list of ingredients and instructions, please see the recipe below.
WHAT TO SERVE WITH VEGAN PUMPKIN BREAD
You can have this loaf truly any time of day, from a quick breakfast to a yummy afternoon snack. Pair it with a dirty chai latte for the coziest fall meal.
Looking for a healthy breakfast on-the-go? Try this spirulina breakfast smoothie! It's packed with Vitamin B, Vitamin E, and beta-carotene.
Double the fall flavors and slather a little Instant Pot Apple Butter on your pumpkin bread! No need to simmer apples, cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves all day thanks to this handy pressure cooker recipe.
WHY IS MY PUMPKIN BREAD DRY?
One of the worst things you can do with bread dough is over-mix it, even with gluten-free flour. It can lead to a dry, dense end result. No one wants that!
Also, be sure to use the scoop and measure method for your flour. If you pack more flour than needed into the measuring cups, you'll get a dry loaf, too.
WHAT CAN YOU SUBSTITUTE FOR EGGS IN PUMPKIN BREAD?
I don't use any vegan egg substitutes in this pumpkin bread recipe. I find the oil helps bind everything together well and keep the dough moist.
I've used a lot of egg subs in my baking and vegan cooking, and the flax egg has worked best for me! You only need 2 ingredients to ditch eggs and still have the best baked treats.
MORE EASY FALL RECIPES
Need more pumpkin in your diet? These pumpkin sugar cookies are so soft and iced with a yummy cinnamon cream cheese frosting.
We love to go apple picking in the fall, and my family begs me to make this apple crisp every year. It's so fresh and flavorful with sweet cooked apples and crunchy oats.
Vegan pumpkin pasta is the easiest way to turn pumpkin puree into a savory meal.
Sick of waiting forever to roast a whole acorn squash? Make it in the air fryer! You'll be surprised how quickly and perfectly it cooks in just half an hour.
Vegan cinnamon coffee cake is so easy to make! Add this simple icing drizzle over the cinnamon streusel topping for the best sweet breakfast treat that's perfect for holiday mornings.
MORE VEGAN PUMPKIN RECIPES
- Vegan Pumpkin Cheesecake
- Vegan Pumpkin Muffins
- Vegan Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Muffins
- Pumpkin Cream Cheese Dip (with vegan cream cheese!)
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Vegan Pumpkin Bread
Equipment
- Loaf pan
Ingredients
- 3 cups gluten-free flour blend
- ¾ teaspoon xanthan gum if your flour blend doesn't contain it
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1 teaspoon ground ginger
- ½ teaspoon cloves
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 ½ cups brown sugar
- 1 ¾ cups pumpkin puree
- ¾ cup vegetable oil or melted coconut oil
- ¼ cup unsweetened almond milk
- 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
- 2 teaspoons vanilla
- ¼ cup pepitas for topping, optional
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F/180°C. Line 9x5-inch loaf pan with parchment paper.
- In a large bowl, whisk together gluten-free flour blend, xanthan gum if needed, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, cloves and salt. Set aside.
- In a medium bowl, add in the brown sugar, pumpkin puree, vegetable oil, unsweetened almond milk, apple cider vinegar, and vanilla extract. Whisk until combined.
- Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients. Stir until no more streaks of flour remain.
- Pour the batter into the prepared loaf pan.
- Sprinkle pepitas over the batter.
- Bake for 60 to 75 minutes, until the bread is fully cooked through. Check by inserting a wooden skewer into the center of the bread.
- Allow to cool completely before slicing.
Notes
- If you don’t like pepitas, you can also do a sugar topping instead. You will only need about 2 teaspoons of coarse sugar.
- Make sure your sugar is vegan. Sometimes sugar is processed with bone char.
- I used Bob’s Red Mill 1-to-1 Gluten-Free Baking Flour for this recipe which already contains xanthan gum. If your blend does not contain it, you will want to add it to the dry ingredients.
- This pumpkin bread stores well wrapped at room temperature for up to 4 days. For longer storage, you can freeze it. I like to slice and then freeze in a single layer on a baking sheet for an hour. Then place the individual slices in a freezer safe bag with parchment paper in between each slice. You can then grab as many slices as you need. Defrost at room temperature to serve.
- I like to place my pumpkin bread on the middle rack of the oven. If you find that your pumpkin bread is browning too much in the oven, place some aluminum foil over the top for the duration of the bake time.
- If you don’t want to line your loaf pan, you can also grease it with non-stick cooking spray or vegan butter. I prefer to use parchment paper so I can easily lift the bread out of the loaf pan and onto a cutting board for slicing.
This is so good! I specifically love the seeds on top, so crunchy and yummy.