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Celebrate pumpkin season with this Vegan Pumpkin Bread! It’s made with only 9 ingredients and topped with a maple glaze making it the perfect drool-worthy breakfast or fall dessert!
This Vegan Pumpkin Bread is simple to make, sweetened to perfection, and so light and fluffy it melts in your mouth. Drizzle with the optional, yet highly recommended, velvety cream cheese and maple glaze for the ultimate fall treat. It’s so unbelievably delicious, you’ll be tempted to eat the whole loaf yourself!
Table of Contents
Indulge in the Flavors of Fall
Once Fall hits, it means it’s now socially acceptable to add pumpkin to anything and everything. And if you’re currently deciding between my Vegan Pumpkin Muffins, Vegan Pumpkin Pancakes, and Pumpkin and Chai Spiced Donuts for breakfast this week, I’m here to make the decision that much harder. Introducing the best vegan pumpkin bread. It’s light, fluffy, filled to the brim with real pumpkin and fall spices, then generously topped with a maple cream cheese glaze that you’ll be excited to spring out of bed for. Curl up with a slice on a chilly morning with a warm cup of coffee and savor every cozy bite!
Ingredients for Vegan Pumpkin Bread
Making dairy-free and eggless pumpkin bread from scratch only requires 9 simple ingredients:
- Flour: I used all-purpose flour as it is a staple in most home kitchens. It also has a moderate level of protein content, making it the perfect balance between too delicate and too dense. I have not tested a gluten-free pumpkin bread version. If you’d like to experiment, I’d recommend using a 1:1 gluten-free flour blend.
- Pumpkin pie spice: This spice mix is a classic during the fall season for its superior blend of warm, aromatic spices. It adds hints of cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, cloves, and allspice and naturally enhances the fresh, sweet flavor of pumpkin.
- Pumpkin puree: For the convenience, I used a store-bought can of pumpkin puree. If you are looking for a new brand to try, check out my Canned Pumpkin Comparison. When shopping, make sure to purchase pure pumpkin, not pumpkin pie filling.
- Sugar: Brown sugar highlights the warm, rich flavors in the bread and the added molasses helps give the bread a deeper, golden color.
- Oil: Any neutral oil of choice will work. I recommend vegetable oil, canola oil, or avocado oil.
- Milk: Unsweetened, plain non-dairy milk is best. If you’re interested in learning How to Make Nut Milk from scratch, check out the Ultimate Guide here.
- ACV: Apple cider vinegar or a squeeze of fresh lemon juice is necessary to activate the baking soda and help the loaf rise.
How to Make Vegan Pumpkin Bread
- Mix together the dry ingredients.
- In a separate bowl, mix together the wet ingredients.
- Form a well in the center of the dry ingredients and add the wet ingredients.
- Mix until a smooth batter forms.
- Bake for 55 to 60 minutes in the prepared loaf pan, or until cooked through and golden brown on top.
- While the bread cools, whisk together the cream cheese, maple syrup, and powdered sugar to form the maple glaze.
- Drizzle the glaze over the cooled pumpkin bread and press a few pecans or pumpkin seeds gently into the glaze.
- Slice and enjoy!
Caitlin’s Cooking Tips
- Test your baking soda. Baking soda is used as the leavening agent in this easy vegan pumpkin bread to help the bread rise. It reacts with the lemon juice to create gas bubbles and is essential for that light, tender crumb. Before starting this recipe (or any recipe calling for baking soda!), it is important to make sure your baking soda is fresh. Here’s how to tell.
- Spoon and level your flour. If you don’t have access to a baking scale, measure the flour using the spoon and level method. This method ensures that you don’t pack too much flour into the measuring cup, which can yield dry, dense baked goods. To spoon and level flour, first fluff the flour, then gently spoon it into the measuring cup. Once the measuring cup is full, gently sweep the excess flour off of the top using the back of a knife. While a baking scale is best, this is the next best method to ensure your flour is measured accurately and consistently.
Serving Suggestions
A slice of this soft and fluffy vegan pumpkin bread can be served as a sweet breakfast, afternoon snack on-the-go, or vegan dessert with a scoop of your favorite dairy-free vanilla ice cream or a tall glass of almond milk. There’s truly never a wrong time of day to enjoy a pumpkin treat.
If you’re looking for more vegan pumpkin recipes to indulge in this fall season, you’ll also love these Healthy Pumpkin Truffles, these Pumpkin Spice Cake Pops, and this Pecan & Pumpkin Custard Pie!
How to Store Vegan Pumpkin Bread
Fresh pumpkin bread will keep best in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days. To keep the glaze from melting, store the bread in a cool, dry place.
Substitutions and Variations
- Gluten-free option? I have not tested this vegan pumpkin bread with gluten-free flour. Instead, I’d recommend making these well-tested Gluten-Free Pumpkin Muffins, these Pumpkin & Chai-Spiced Donuts, or these Pumpkin Apple Muffins.
- Brown sugar substitution: Replace the brown sugar with coconut sugar. The bread may be slightly less moist, but it will work.
- Pumpkin puree substitutions: If canned pumpkin puree is not available to you or your local grocery store is simply out, purchase a fresh pie pumpkin and learn How to Make Homemade Pumpkin Puree from Scratch. Or, check your store shelves for pureed butternut squash. It will have a slightly different flavor but be a very similar end result.
- Pumpkin pie spice: I used a pre-mixed spice blend, but you can use a Homemade Pumpkin Pie Spice Blend.
Recipe FAQs
This pumpkin bread freezes incredibly well and can be frozen in individual slices without the glaze. To freeze, allow the bread to cool completely, then slice. Wrap each individual slice tightly in plastic wrap before placing in a large, freezer-safe bag. Freeze for up to 2 months and thaw at room temperature until soft and fluffy again.
Quick breads are more likely to become soggy when there is too much moisture in the bread batter or the bread is cooled in the bread pan. To prevent this, it is important to use correct dry and wet ratios (use weighted measurements when possible) and carefully transfer the cooked bread out onto a cooling rack once finished baking.
Store the bread at room temperature, not in the refrigerator. Refrigerated quick breads almost always become incredibly dense and will no longer be soft and fluffy.
Enjoy! If you make this recipe and decide to share it on Facebook or Instagram, don’t forget to tag me @FromMyBowl + #FromMyBowl! I would also love it if you could leave a comment below with a recipe rating! Thank you for the support 😊
Vegan Pumpkin Bread
Ingredients
For the Bread:
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 tablespoon pumpkin pie spice*
- 1 15 ounce can pumpkin puree not pumpkin pie mix
- 1 cup brown sugar loosely packed
- 1/3 cup avocado oil or other neutral oil
- 1/3 cup unsweetened plant milk
- 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar or lemon juice
For the Cream Cheese Maple Glaze (Optional):
- 2 ounces cream cheese softened (I used dairy-free)
- 2 tablespoons grade A maple syrup
- 1 cup powdered sugar
Instructions
- Prep: Preheat your oven to 350F and grease or line a 9″x5″ bread pan and set aside.
- Dry Ingredients: In the meantime, add the flour, pumpkin pie spice, baking powder, baking soda, and salt to a large bowl. Mix well and set aside.
- Wet Ingredients: In a small bowl, mix the pumpkin puree, sugar, oil, milk, and vinegar until the sugar has dissolved. Form a well in the center of the dry ingredients and add the wet ingredients; mix well until no clumps remain. Pour the batter into the bread pan, smoothing the top off with a spatula.
- Bake: Bake in the middle rack of the oven for 55 to 60 minutes, or until the top is golden brown, and a toothpick comes out cleanly or with minimal crumbs. Remove from the oven and carefully transfer to a cooling rack.
- Make the Maple Glaze (Optional): Add the softened cream cheese and maple syrup to a medium bowl and whisk vigorously until mostly smooth. Add in the powdered sugar and whisk again, until a smooth glaze forms. Drizzle on top of the pumpkin bread once it has cooled.
- Serve & Store: Allow to cool completely before slicing. Enjoy immediately, or store any leftovers in a container at room temperature for up to 5 days. You can also pre-slice and freeze this vegan pumpkin bread for up to 2 months.
Recipe Notes
- Pumpkin Pie Spice: If you do not have this spice blend in your pantry, here is an easy recipe to make your own!
- Baking Soda: The lemon juice and baking soda create gas bubbles once combined / placed in the oven to help the bread rise. It’s important to make sure your baking soda is new/fresh, otherwise this will not happen. Here’s an easy way to test it.
- Gluten-Free: Replace the all-purpose flour with 2 1/4 cups of oat flour; the bread will not rise as much but will still be delicious!
- Oil-Free: Replace the oil with 1/2 cup nut or seed butter; the finished bread will be slightly drier and more dense
Hi! I Recently found out I’m allergic to eggs and dairy amongst soy, wheat and corn. So am super happy to stumble across your blog. Can’t wait to try your Recipes! Thanks so much! ????
Welcome, Shamin!
hi! this looks awesome! I am wondering if you could substitute maple syrup in place of the sugar, or would the wet/dry ratio get thrown off and affect texture? thanks!
Hi Lauren! It may work, but I would recommend subbing with another dry sweetener over a wet one; I can’t guarantee the end result will be as fluffy
If you just used oat flour how much would you use?
The same amount – 2 1/4 cups!
I made this recipe this morning and it is amazing! My baking soda wasn’t fresh so it didn’t rise the way it’s supposed to but I don’t even care. It’s so good! I made this for my family, but i don’t want to share lol.
Haha – I’ve definitely felt the same way, Lorna!
I’ve got all the ingredients to make this on Friday after school! I can’t wait!
I love ANYTHING pumpkin. Pumpkin spice, pumpkin lattes, pumpkin cereal, pumpkin oatmeal, pumpkin nut butter, pumpkin pie, pumpkin muffins, pumpkin curry, pumpkin soup, and of course, pumpkin itself! That being said, I have yet to make pumpkin bread, though I am TOTALLY down to do so. Your loaf is so orange that it screams fall spirit! How neat!
Just made this and it was amazing!! Thank you for sharing this recipe with us, I will definitely have to save it to make again!
Yay! Thanks Theresa 🙂 I’ve made it several times myself!
Yummy, baked it earlier today and ate most of it. Outside is nice dark pumpkin color but inside is dark green. Any thoughts, Cautlin? Could it be sunflower butter used in this loaf? Why would it turn dark green? Otherwise i like it alot!
Yes – when you bake with sunflower butter it tends to do that! It’s still safe to eat though 🙂
Made this again and again, so good! I also subbed oat flour with almond flour and it turned out amazing! I think the fat from almond flour made it fluffier and more moist delicious pumpkin bread!
Thanks for this recipe!
Most likely! I’m glad to hear it worked for you 🙂
I made this last night and am so blown away! This is my first foray into gluten free baking and to be honest the simplicity of the recipe made me unsure how it would turn out but everything about this bread is amazing. I will say mine didn’t rise either (maybe my baking soda is too old?) but I didn’t mind at all, the texture and flavor are still on point. Thank you for this recipe!!
Thanks, AJ!
I love when it becomes socially acceptable to put pumpkin in everything!!! Thanks for sharing this Caitlin, it looks amazing!!
This came out SO WELL. I accidentally didn’t grind my oats quite fine enough (don’t be impatient!) so there was a little more ‘oaty’, but even then it was SO FLUFFY. I absolutely loved it and I’ll be making it again. Thank you!
Hey! This recipe looks AMAZING
But I was wondering, could you substitute the pumpkin with bananas?
Thank you
Hi Millie! I would actually recommend that you make my Banana Bread instead: https://frommybowl.com/fluffy-banana-bread/ You can add Pumpkin Pie Spice if you’d like!
Looks amazing! What is the spread in the picture?
Hazelnut Butter!
Hi Caitlin
I’m from Switzerland and we don’t have canned pumpkin puree here (or I couldn’t find it). However, how much does one can weigh in the US?.
15 oz! But you don’t use a whole can, you only use one cup (~8 oz) of that
Hello, how much pumpkin should I use of fresh pumpkin?
And how much oat flour do I use for pre-bought oat flour? 🙂
The fresh pumpkin would need to be turned into a puree with some water first, and then you would use the same amount!
You can use the same amount of oat flour as dry oats 🙂
For those with celiac disease, quick cooking oats are not gluten free. Only use oats, such as Bob’s Red Mill, that specifically state, gluten free. Otherwise, you risk contamination.
Yes, thank you for pointing that out. This is important.
The may be the issue, baking soda as the recipe is written vs baking powder?
Sorry – typo on my end. It should be baking soda.
The bread tastes great, but it didn’t rise at all and is a very flattish loaf. Is there something I did wrong that I could fix next time? Thanks!!
P.S. Eating the summer corn chowder as I write this and it is delicious and great for meal prepping!
Hmm, that is strange! I tested the bread multiple times and it rose well for me. How “fresh” is your Baking Soda? It should be replaced every few months. Also, did you use a 8″ x 4″ loaf pan? Otherwise, it may come out as more “flat”
Caitlyn, is it baking powder or baking soda? The recipe says soda but this comment says powder
Baking Soda!
I just made this bread and it was fantastic! I used black chia seeds, almond butter, and added 1/4 cup more pumpkin purée. It was absolutely delicious. I topped it with some pumpkin seeds and served it with vegan butter. My non-vegan family loved it.
The only thing I didn’t do right was grind the oats to a fine texture. It made the bread have a little bite to it, but the oats were soft and the bread still turned out. Great recipe!
Glad you enjoyed it! Those toppings sound delicious, Megan!
Hi! This looks like a great recipe 🙂 Just a question about the oats – is it 2 1/4 cup oats and then blended, or is it oats blended into 2 1/4 cups of flour? Thanks!
2 1/4 cups of oats, then blended!
Would this work as a muffin recipe as well?
I have not tested it as muffins, but it should work out! I would bake for about 30ish minutes and start to check for doneness from there
Hi there! Wow this looks real yummy! Super keen to test it out. 😀
I was just wondering though if you have any reccomendations on substitutions for the nut/seed butter?
Thanks! 🙂
Hey! The nut and seed butter is to substitute oil, so if you’re not wanting to use a nut or seed butter you could use something like coconut oil, however we never did any testing that way with this recipe so it might take some experimenting!