• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar

Dances with Knives logo

  • About
  • Services
  • Recipes
  • Nav Social Menu

    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
menu icon
go to homepage
search icon
Homepage link
  • About
  • Services
  • Recipes
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
  • ×

    Baked Goods

    Best Vegan Pumpkin Bread

    Published: Nov 25, 2021 · Modified: Nov 25, 2021 by Kim @ DancesWithKnives · Leave a Comment

    Jump to Recipe

    Moist, easy to make, and full of autumn spices this recipe for Vegan Pumpkin Bread is so darn good! It's packed with canned pumpkin and topped with pumpkin seeds for a little added crunch. It works great as a quick breakfast, snack, or even as a dessert topped with a little vegan whipped cream.

    Overhead view of vegan pumpkin bread on a white counter.

    Who does not love a good pumpkin bread!?! It's even better for some of us when it is vegan. And what makes this recipe so amazing is that between the taste and texture you can't tell that it is vegan at all. It's got both the perfect rise and balance in moisture without the use of eggs or any dairy!

    In fact, I sent a loaf of this bread to work with my significant other one day and the entire crew could not understand how a vegan pumpkin bread could be so good.

    But nowadays most of us who do vegan baking know that it's not really that hard to get super yummy vegan baked goods with some time and effort. Once you know a few tricks on how to replace eggs and how to use a few chemical reactions to create rise it seems like dairy was never needed in the first place. The use of dairy is just what we were taught and knew before. Yet, now we know. The possibilities are limitless and this recipe takes total advantage of that.

    However, full disclaimer here. This recipe took a lot of tries to get it to perfection. I have made a lot of quick breads in the past like my super yummy Apple Cinnamon Bread, but working with the canned pumpkin mixed things up a bit. Not to mention, I wanted it packed with pumpkin, so I had to spend some time balancing the moisture with the dry ingredients and leavening agents. In the end, I realized that many of my versions worked. This particular one just turned out to be my favorite.

    Jump to:
    • Ingredients Needed
    • How to Make Vegan Pumpkin Bread
    • Storage
    • Top Tips
    • More Vegan Baking Recipes
    • Easy Vegan Pumpkin Bread

    Ingredients Needed

    This recipe requires your basic quick bread ingredients along with some canned pumpkin puree and a few spices. All of them are easy to find at almost any market.

    A variety of small dishes filled with pumpkin puree, brown sugar, spices, and flour.
    • Canned Pumpkin: You need canned pumpkin puree. Pumpkin pie mix will not work and result in an epic fail because it is way too watery.
    • All-purpose Flour: I have not tried using gluten free flour for this recipe.
    • Brown Sugar: You need light brown sugar.
    • Sugar: You can use granulated or cane sugar.
    • Cornstarch: The cornstarch acts a binder and creates a better crumb. Arrowroot is a good substitute.
    • Baking Powder: One of the main leavening agents of the bread.
    • Baking Soda: Another leavening agent that works together with the acid in the vinegar to give fantastic rise.
    • Salt: I used fine grain kosher salt.
    • Neutral Oil: Oils like canola, sunflower, and safflower work well and have very little flavor.
    • Almond Milk: You can use water if you don't have any plant based milk on hand.
    • Apple Cider Vinegar: Works together with the baking soda to create a beautiful dome on the bread. White vinegar can also be used.
    • Vanilla Extract: Helps to enhance the flavor of all the spices and pumpkin.
    • Cinnamon
    • Ground Ginger
    • Nutmeg
    • Cardamom
    • Ground Cloves

    *Note: If you don't have the spices you can make your own mixture or use 1 to 1.5 tablespoons of pumpkin pie spice.

    How to Make Vegan Pumpkin Bread

    You start by preheating your oven to 375° fahrenheit and prepping a 9x5 loaf tin by greasing it and dusting it with flour. I also line the bottom of my tin with parchment paper to be on the safe side.

    Then you sift your flour, cornstarch, baking powder, baking soda, and salt into a large bowl. Now, add all your spices and whisk the flour mixture together.

    Next, in a different bowl you mix your brown sugar, sugar, canned pumpkin, apple cider vinegar, almond milk, oil, and vanilla together until nice and smooth. You want to make sure that there are no chunks of sugar.

    Then you make a well in your in your flour mixture and pour the wet pumpkin mixture into the bowl. Now, fold it together just until moist and the flour is fully incorporated. But be careful not to overmix your batter.

    The next step is to pour the batter into your prepped 9x5 tin and sprinkle with the raw pumpkin seeds. Then bake for 65 to 70 minutes until the loaf is golden and firm. It's super important not to open the oven door as the loaf is baking. You can check it at 60 minutes but no sooner. A toothpick will come out clean when the pumpkin bread done.

    A loaf of vegan pumpkin bread in the tin.

    Once baked, place the loaf still in the tin on a cooling rack for 10 minutes before removing. However, you will still want the loaf to cool for a few more minutes before cutting into it to ensure the best texture.

    Storage

    The vegan pumpkin bread will keep for up to a week when wrapped in plastic or stored in an airtight container. You can also store it in the freezer for up to 3 months. Just allow it to thaw out at room temperature.

    Vegan pumpkin bread on a white board.

    Top Tips

    • Canned Pumpkin: For this recipe is it crucial that your use canned pumpkin. If you don't your batter is going to be too thin and the loaf will not bake correctly. So don't even try pumpkin pie mix or pumpkin that you cooked and pureed yourself. I have tried that and it doesn't work. The pumpkin puree must be creamy not watery, which is what you get when you buy canned pumpkin at the store.
    • Weigh Ingredients: To the get the best results you want to weigh your dry ingredients. There is no way to know if your cup of flour weighs 120 grams or 175 grams unless you do this and every cup of flour varies unless done by weight. The amounts you need are stated in the recipe and make for much faster prepping in the long run. So if you bake a lot I recommend you get yourself a digital scale. They are cheap and easy to use. However, if you don't have a scale you can follow this method of measuring out flour to get a more accurate result.
    • Mixing Method: In recipes like quick breads the way in which and order that your mix the ingredients is important. It takes no extra time or effort. It just means you need to follow the directions and not throw everything into a bowl.
    Overhead view of a loaf and slices of vegan pumpkin bread.

    This Vegan Pumpkin Bread recipe is amazing because it's...

    • Super moist packed with pumpkin
    • Topped with yummy crunchy pumpkin seeds
    • Totally dairy free
    • Quick and easy to make

    If you try this recipe please let me know how it turns out by leaving a comment and rating. You can also hashtag #danceswithknives with a photo of your creation on Instagram where you can find me @dances_with_knives.

    Slices of vegan pumpkin bread.

    More Vegan Baking Recipes

    • Vegan Peanut Butter Cookies
    • Vegan Pumpkin Muffins with Pecan Crumble
    • Vegan Cranberry Orange Oatmeal Cake with Almonds
    • The Best Vegan Chocolate Chip Cookies

    If you would like to stay up to date with my latest recipes please subscribe to my email list.

    Overhead view of a loaf and slices of vegan pumpkin bread.

    Easy Vegan Pumpkin Bread

    Moist, easy to make, and full of autumn spices this recipe for Vegan Pumpkin Bread is so darn good! It's packed with canned pumpkin and topped with pumpkin seeds for a little added crunch. It works great as a quick breakfast, snack, or even as a dessert topped with a little vegan whipped cream.
    Print Recipe Pin Recipe
    Prep Time 10 minutes
    Cook Time 1 hour 5 minutes
    Total Time 1 hour 15 minutes
    Course: Breakfast, Dessert, Snack
    Cuisine: American, Seasonal
    Diet: Vegan
    Servings: 12 slices

    Ingredients
     

    • 1 ¾ cup all-purpose flour (219 grams)
    • ¼ cup cornstarch or arrowroot (28 grams)
    • 2 teaspoon baking powder
    • ½ teaspoon baking soda
    • ½ teaspoon salt
    • 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
    • ¾ teaspoon ground ginger
    • ¾ teaspoon ground nutmeg
    • ¼ teaspoon cardamom
    • ⅛ teaspoon ground cloves
    • 1 cup light brown sugar (216 grams)
    • ⅓ cup sugar (67 grams)
    • 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar (white vinegar also works)
    • 2 tablespoon unsweetened almond milk or water
    • 1 ½ cup canned pumpkin puree
    • ½ cup neutral oil (canola, sunflower, safflower)
    • 2 teaspoon vanilla extract
    • 2 to 4 tablespoons raw pumpkin seeds

    Instructions

    • Preheat your oven to 375° fahrenheit. Then prepare a 9x5 loaf pan by greasing and dusting with flour. I also line the bottom with parchment paper to prevent any chance of sticking.
    • Sift the flour, cornstarch, baking powder, baking soda, and salt into a large bowl. Now add the cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, cardamon, cloves, and whisk all the dry ingredients together.
    • In a different bowl mix together the light brown sugar, sugar, canned pumpkin, apple cider vinegar, almond milk, oil, and vanilla. I use a whisk. You want to break up any chunks of sugar and have it dissolved overall. The mixture should be creamy and smooth.
    • Make a well in the flour mixture. Then pour the wet pumpkin mixture into well and fold to combine. You want to mix just until all the flour is incorporated together with the pumpkin. Be careful not to overmix.
    • Pour the batter into the prepared loaf tin and sprinkle with the raw pumpkin seeds. Then bake for 65 to 70 minutes. Try hard not to open the oven door until at least 60 minutes have passed. When the pumpkin bread is done a toothpick should come out clean.
    • Once baked place the loaf tin on a cooling rack and allow the pumpkin bread to cool in the pan for 10 minutes before removing from the tin.
    • The pumpkin bread will keep for about a week wrapped in plastic or in an airtight container. You an also freeze it for up to 3 months.

    Notes

    *You can use any spices you want in this recipe. The mix that the recipe uses is my personal favorite. It's basically just pumpkin pie spice. 
    *You can use 1 tablespoon + 1 teaspoon of pumpkin pie spice in place of my spice mixture.
    *This recipe will not work with canned pumpkin pie mix. You must use canned pumpkin puree. And it must be creamy not watery. That means I advise against using puree you make yourself, which often time has a lot more liquid than the canned version.

    Nutrition

    Calories: 257kcal | Carbohydrates: 42.4g | Protein: 2.3g | Fat: 9.8g | Saturated Fat: 1.3g | Sodium: 429mg | Potassium: 412mg | Fiber: 1.8g | Sugar: 24.6g | Calcium: 65mg | Iron: 1mg
    Keyword pumpkin, pumpkin bread, quick bread, vegan pumpkin bread
    Tried this recipe?Mention me on Instagram @dances_with_knives and add the hashtag #danceswithknives! Would love to see your yummy creations!
    « Vegan Pumpkin Muffins with Pecan Crumble
    Creamy Vegan Carrot Ginger Soup with Coconut Milk »

    Reader Interactions

    Leave a Reply Cancel reply

    Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

    Recipe Rating




    Primary Sidebar

    Photo of Kim with her name and welcome.

    I'm a professional chef with a culinary degree in my back pocket along with training from all over the world. Dances With Knives is where I share my passion for vegan food and healthy delicious recipes for everyone to enjoy. More about me >


    Trending Recipes

    • Simple Baked Tofu with Sesame Soy Marinade (Just 7 Ingredients!)
    • Easy Vegan Cinnamon Sugar Muffins (Moist & Buttery)
    • Easy Vegan Seafood Cakes with Old Bay Seasoning
    • Vegan Salvadoran Pupusas with Curtido
    • How To Make Chipotle Puree
    • Vegan Gumbo Louisiana Style

    Get the exclusive content you crave straight to your inbox.

    Footer

    ↑ back to top

    About

    • Privacy Policy
    • Terms & Conditions
    • Nutrition Disclaimer
    • Accessibility Policy

    Subscribe

    • Sign Up! for emails and updates

    Find Me On

    Contact

    • Contact
    • Services

    As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

    Dances With Knives earns commissions on purchases made through our links to retailers. Affiliate details >>

    Copyright © 2023 DANCESWITHKNIVES.COM