This is seriously the best vegan pumpkin bread you’ll ever eat! It’s perfectly spiced, moist and easy to make in 1 bowl. Better than Starbucks, this will become one of your favorite Fall recipes!
This is one of those recipes that took me quite a few tries to get it just right. Even once I did, I tested again to make absolutely sure! Yep, this is the best pumpkin bread ever. And better yet, it’s vegan!
No one would ever guess this pumpkin bread is vegan. It’s so moist, fluffy, sweet and perfectly spiced with cinnamon, nutmeg and cloves. The bread slices beautifully once cooled, and it tastes better than the popular Starbucks pumpkin bread. I’m not kidding on that one, I had several people tell me it was better than Starbucks when they ate it!
So what are you waiting for? Get in the kitchen and make yourself this wonderful vegan pumpkin bread!
How do you make vegan pumpkin bread?
Start by preheating your oven to 350 degrees F and greasing a standard loaf pan. Then, in a small bowl combine a tablespoon of ground flaxseeds with 2.5 tablespoons water. Set aside to thicken.
In a large bowl, whisk together the pumpkin, brown sugar, canola oil, flax egg and soy milk until well combined and smooth. Now add the flour, then sprinkle the baking soda, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg and cloves on top of the flour. Mix gently until just combined, being careful not to over mix.
Pour into the prepared loaf pan, sprinkle with pepitas and bake for 1 hour and 15 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Let the loaf cool for a few minutes in the pan, then carefully transfer the loaf to a cooling rack.
The loaf will slice best when it’s given some time to cool, at least 30 minutes. But it will still taste good if you must eat a slice immediately!
Store any leftover bread covered on the counter for 2-3 days, or in the refrigerator for 4-5 days.
What else can I add to pumpkin bread?
I love this bread as is, topped with pepitas, but you can also get creative! Try adding chocolate chips, currants, raisins, cranberries, chopped walnuts, pecans or even some grated coconut.
Does vegan pumpkin bread freeze well?
Yes, this bread like most quick breads freezes very well. To freeze, cool completely first. Then, wrap it in plastic wrap, then wrap tightly in foil and freeze. You can also freeze slices of it, wrapped well and placed in a large freezer bag. Make sure to label it so you don’t forgot what it is!
Want more vegan pumpkin recipes?
- Vegan Pumpkin Pie
- Vegan Double Layer Pumpkin Cheesecake
- Starbucks Copycat Vegan Pumpkin Scones
- 1 Bowl Vegan Pumpkin Muffins
- Vegan Pumpkin Spice Latte
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The Best Vegan Pumpkin Bread
Ingredients
Wet Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon ground flaxseeds
- 2.5 tablespoons water
- 15 ounces canned pumpkin puree
- 1 1/4 cups brown sugar
- 1/2 cup canola oil
- 1/4 cup soy milk
Dry Ingredients
- 1 3/4 cups all purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
Topping
- 1/2 cup pepitas
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F and grease a loaf pan.
- In a small bowl, combine the ground flaxseed and water. Set aside to thicken; this is your flax egg.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the pumpkin, brown sugar, canola oil, flax egg and soy milk until smooth.
- Add the flour, then sprinkle the baking soda, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg and cloves on top of the flour. Stir with a large spoon or spatula, gently, until just combined. Do not over mix.
- Pour into the prepared pan and sprinkle the pepitas on top. Bake for about 1 hour and 15 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
- Let it cool in the pan for 10-15 minutes, then transfer the loaf to a cooling rack. Slice carefully right away, or let cool completely for easier slicing and serving.
Video
Notes
- For oil free, you can substitute applesauce for the oil, but the loaf will not be as moist or fluffy. It tends to make a denser, gummier loaf. You can also use coconut oil or another oil if you'd like.
- Feel free to sub any non-dairy milk for soy milk.
- For whole grain, you may sub whole wheat flour for the white flour, it just won't be as light and fluffy. I haven't tried this gluten free, but it may work with a gluten free mix. Do not sub with almond or coconut flour, it will not work!
- Other optional add ins: I like the loaf as is, but feel free to mix in chocolate chips, walnuts, pecans, raisins, currants, cranberries or even shredded coconut.
Nutrition
2nd update: my daughter is allergic to milk, eggs, peanuts, nuts, and sesame seeds. Your recipe was demanded for a second time this passed weekend. My daughter requested for vegan white chocolate chips in the bread. So I did that. I also wanted to mention those of you that would like to use aquafaba as a sub I used 1/4 cup. Every other ingredient was fine.
This is wonderful to hear, Natasha! I’m so happy the bread is such a hit with your daughter 🙂
Could I sub nut butter for the oil? Thanks!
I was wondering if this can be made with oat flour instead?
I haven’t tried it, so I’m not sure it will work. If you do use oat flour, use 2 1/2 cups.
Best pumpkin bread. I substituted flaxseed and used aquafaba!!!! It was perfect!! Thank you so much for helping me give my daughter a choice to enjoy foods she normally couldn’t due to major food allergies.
Hi Natasha. I always love to hear when people enjoy wonderful food where they otherwise may not! Thanks for sharing your wonderful feedback and ideas! I’m so glad to know you loved the bread!
This was just fabulous. I topped with a maple glaze and sprinkled with chopped pecans.
I loved that it uses the entire can of pumpkin – no waste!
Hi Michele. Your maple topping sounds amazing! Thanks for sharing your wonderful feedback and ideas!
Best pumpkin bread recipe yet! I used to be addicted to Starbucks pumpkin loaf… this is by far better tasting and so easy to make! Thank you.
You are welcome! I’m thrilled that you love the pumpkin bread! Thank you for sharing your fantastic feedback and review!
Will gluten free flour work?
I haven’t tried this gluten free, but it may work with a gluten free mix. Do not sub with almond or coconut flour, it will not work! Hope this helps!
Can I use regular flaxseed, I don’t have the ground up kind ?
You might be able to use it, but you will end up with lots of whole flaxseeds in your bread. If that doesn’t bother you, go for it!
Amazing! Used a vegan egg replacer instead of the flax egg and use 1/4 applesauce 1/4 cup oil and it was perfect.
Hi Ally. I’m so happy the pumpkin bread turned out great for you! Thanks for sharing your great feedback!
I’ve followed many of your recipes and this pumpkin bread is another awesome one. It turned out great. So yummy. It’s definite a repeat for the holiday season. Thank you for sharing.
Can I use olive oil or vegetable oil?
Yes, both can be used instead of the canola oil.
Hi, Nora. Just two questions:
What size loaf pan?
Do you use unsweetened soy?
Many thanks!
Hi Nancy. I just use a regular size loaf pan. The pan is 8-1/2 x 4-1/2 x 2-1/2 inches. Yes, I use unsweetened soy. Any unsweetened non-dairy milk will work.
How would I turn these into muffins!?
Hi Amber. This recipe will work well as muffins, though I prefer making my Vegan Pumpkin Muffins. When baking as muffins, they will only take 22-24 minutes in the oven. Enjoy!
Because my batter seemed to have flour lumps I apparently overmixed and my bread ended up dense. How do I avoid those flour lumps?
Try sifting the flour into the bowl next time, and scoop and fold the batter over and onto itself using a silicone spatula. It’s a sure-fire way to break up the lumps 🙂
Best everrrrrr! I Made some changes, instead of the flaca seed egg, I usted 2 tablespoons of cheeckpea flour, instead of the Brown sugar Inused 1 cup of white sugar and 1/4 cup of coconut sugar, and for the vegetables milk Ir usted almond.
Hi Florencia. Thank you for sharing your feedback and ideas! I’m glad the bread turned out wonderful for you!
This pumpkin bread is so moist. I used several substitutions and it was still tasty. I was half cup short of pumpkin puree so I used half cup mashed banana. I used coconut sugar and decreased it by 1/8th cup. I used olive oil and unsweetened almond milk. This bread is delicious and any non-vegan would not know it was vegan. I added chocolate chips because I have always liked the two flavors together. Thank you for a delicious vegan recipe. Like you I have tried different vegan recipes I searched online and it has been hit or miss.
Hi Colleen. Thank you for sharing your ideas and feedback. I’m glad you loved the pumpkin bread!
Looks great can’t wait to try it but when I change the recipe to size up to 2X or 3X servings the pumpkin purée amount in (parentheses) doesn’t change. It still says (1 1/2 cups). But again 15 oz is not a cup and a half in the first place. LOL
Hi there. Yes, unfortunately there is no way to automatically change what is in the parentheses when you 2 or 3x the recipe. I will just remove the 1 1/2 cups since it may not be completely exact anyhow. So to double you’d use two cans. Hope that helps!
I have made this loaf twice now and it is so delicious, though I always get a thin band at the bottom where it is a darker color and much denser. I’m wondering what you’d advise for getting rid of this?
Are you making any substitutions at all? Be careful not to over mix the batter before baking. You could also try adding a little more flour, maybe 1/4 cup and see if that fixes it.
Delicious. I made this twice and both times the load was finished baking in an hour.
any recommendations for substitute egg replacement(s) if we don’t have flax on hand? This is my second my second time baking & WOW this loaf is such a hit!
Also didn’t have flax seeds the first bake around so I used “Just Egg” the vegan liquid egg (it’s bomb). ~ about 2-.5/3 tbsp or so, plus a little extra oil. I also added maybe a little less than a 14c of super dark chocolate powder & chocolate chips on top. So for those searching for a dip into chocolate deliciousness, this loaf is it.
Hi Sofia. I haven’t tried anything besides the flax egg. Perhaps another egg substitute would work, like Bob’s Red Mill, or perhaps applesauce. Hope this helps! I’m glad you’ve enjoyed the bread!
Thank you for sharing your recipe. I did switch it up a bit because of health issues. Cooked my own pumpkin purees/pepitas, used gluten-free flour, coconut sugar, walnut oil, and used almond milk. It was delicious
Thank you for sharing your wonderful review and comments! I’m so glad the pumpkin bread turned out delicious!
This turned out great! I didn’t have enough brown sugar so I subbed 1/2 cup white sugar and also used 2 tsp of premixed pumpkin pie spice instead of the individual spices. I didn’t have a loaf tin so I baked it in a 8x6x2 glass dish. This was moist and not too sweet.
I’m so glad the bread turned out great! Thank you for sharing your great review and comments!
Made this tonight.. omg so good.. never have I had bread rise so good,. I thought I had cloves but didn’t so just upped the nutmeg. I did sub in avocado oil for the canola oil and coconut almond milk blend for the soy since those were what I had.. will make again and again and again..
I’m so glad you loved the pumpkin bread and had great success with it! Thank you for sharing your wonderful review and comments! Happy cooking!
Subbed in a bit of leftover sweet potato and topped with dried cherries and chocolate chips right at the end of baking. I will have to make another loaf the kids ate it all before noon! Thank you for the great recipe.
WOOOOOW!
Phenomenal! I swapped out the canola oil for vegetable oil. I also was out of pumpkin which I didn’t realize until I was searching everywhere for it. Instead I did the recommended amount of banana and listen! This recipe is a perfect ratio of everything. Great job Nora! Finally a baking recipe that actually blends perfectly together. I also used used King Arthur whole wheat flour.
Thank you for this comment, Missy. I was looking for a recipe that I could use interchangeably. Nice knowing that I can make both pumpkin and banana bread with this.