This pumpkin bread is so soft, incredibly moist and filled with warm fall spices. It's made with oat flour and pumpkin purée and you'd never guess it's vegan and gluten-free. It also happens to be nut-free and refined sugar-free.
If you follow me on Instagram, you may have already seen how much my kids love this recipe. During the fall, I make it often for quick breakfasts, lunchboxes and after-school snacks. It has plenty of pumpkin flavor, just the right amount of sweetness and the coziest combination of cinnamon and pumpkin pie spice.
It's also incredibly easy to make with ingredients I almost always have on hand. The hardest part is waiting for the loaf to cool before slicing it!
Why You'll Love It
- Soft, moist and warmly spiced
- Easy to make with simple ingredients
- Perfect for breakfast, snacks or lunchboxes
- Vegan, gluten-free, dairy-free and egg-free
- Nut-free when prepared with nut-free non-dairy milk
- Naturally sweetened with maple syrup and maple sugar
- Freezer-friendly
A Few Notes Before You Bake
Be sure to use 100% pure pumpkin purée, not pumpkin pie filling. Pumpkin pie filling contains added sweeteners and spices and will change the recipe.
For the best texture, use finely ground store-bought oat flour and measure it carefully. When measuring the oat flour, spoon the flour into the cup and level off the top rather than scooping directly from the bag.
It's also important to let the bread cool completely before cutting it. The loaf continues to set as it cools, and slicing it too soon can make the center seem gummy. I know waiting is hard (especially when your kitchen smells this good) but it makes such a difference!
Using Homemade Pumpkin Purée
Canned pumpkin works perfectly here, but you can absolutely use homemade. I love its fresh flavor, and making it is easier than you might think. Try my Instant Pot Pumpkin Purée or make Pumpkin Purée in the Oven.
Homemade purée can sometimes contain more water than canned pumpkin. If yours looks thin or watery, let it drain through a fine-mesh sieve before measuring it. Homemade pumpkin puree is less bitter and I think it makes a huge different in this recipe.
Optional Add-Ins/Add-Ons
We usually enjoy this bread exactly as written, but vegan chocolate chips are always a fun addition. You can also fold in chopped walnuts or pecans if you don't need the loaf to be nut-free. Pumpkin seeds sprinkled over the top add a pretty little crunch, too.
I also love to serve it with my homemade Vegan Cream Cheese Frosting.
Storage
Store the completely cooled pumpkin bread in an airtight container at room temperature for up to two days or in the refrigerator for up to one week.
It also freezes beautifully. Freeze the whole loaf or individual slices in an airtight container for up to three months. I like to place parchment paper between the slices so I can easily pull out one at a time for breakfast or lunchboxes.
More Sweet Vegan, Gluten-Free Pumpkin Recipes
- Pumpkin Cheesecake
- Pumpkin Milk (like a PSL without the caffeine)
- Creamy Pumpkin Oatmeal
- Pumpkin Pie Smoothie
- Pumpkin Muffins
- Chocolate Pumpkin Muffins
- Pumpkin Soup
You can find all my favorite pumpkin recipes here - including savory pumpkin recipes (they're also all vegan and gluten-free).
Print
Vegan Gluten-Free Pumpkin Bread (Moist & Easy!)
- Total Time: 1 hour 10 minutes
- Yield: 8-10 1x
- Diet: Vegan
Description
This vegan gluten-free pumpkin bread is soft, moist and filled with cozy pumpkin spice flavor. It's an easy fall baking recipe made with oat flour, real pumpkin purée and simple ingredients (no eggs, dairy or gluten needed).
Ingredients
- 2 cups store-bought oat flour (gluten-free if desired)
- ½ cup maple sugar (or coconut sugar)
- ¼ cup arrowroot starch (or arrowroot flour)
- 2 tablespoons ground flaxseed
- 1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 ¼ cups pumpkin puree
- ½ cup pure maple syrup
- ⅓ cup avocado oil
- 2 tablespoons non-dairy milk
- 1 tablespoon white distilled vinegar or apple cider vinegar
- 1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
- optional: top with my vegan cream cheese frosting (once fully cooled)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line a 9 x 5-inch metal loaf pan with parchment paper or use a non-stick loaf pan.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the oat flour, arrowroot starch, maple sugar, ground flaxseed, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, pumpkin pie spice and salt.
- In a separate bowl, whisk together the pumpkin purée, maple syrup, avocado oil, non-dairy milk, vinegar and vanilla until smooth.
- Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and gently fold together just until no dry flour remains. Do not overmix.
- Transfer the batter to the prepared loaf pan and smooth the top.
- Bake on the center rack for one hour. If the top is browning too quickly, loosely tent it with foil during the final 10 minutes.
- The loaf is done when the center feels set and an instant-read thermometer inserted into the very middle registers about 200-205°F. A toothpick should come out clean or with a few moist crumbs, but no wet batter.
- Let the loaf cool in the pan for about 15 minutes, then transfer it to a wire rack.
- Allow it to cool completely for at least 1½-2 hours before slicing so the crumb can fully set.
- If adding the vegan cream cheese frosting make sure your load is completely cooled to room temperature.
- Prep Time: 10
- Cook Time: 60
- Category: Breakfast or Snack, Dessert
- Method: Oven
Dee says
Is okay to substitute chia for flax? I have not tried the recipe yet.
Elaine Gordon says
Hi Dee: Good question. For this recipe I would not recommend chia seed. For the best texture and best results I recommend following the recipe exactly as written with no substitutions. Please let me know how it goes for you. Best, Elaine
Cheryl says
This pumpkin bread is so delicious!! It’s so easy to make and it is very moist. I like to toast it and put a little apple butter on it.
Elaine Gordon says
Thank you so much, Cheryl! I'm so happy to hear you enjoyed it and I love your spin on it!
Brandilyn Haynes says
Love this recipe. Minimal dishes (hooray for blender recipes!) and hemp seeds on top made it such a yummy breakfast.
Elaine Gordon says
Thank you so much, Brandilyn! I'm so happy to hear you love this one and I agree it makes for a super yummy and nutritious breakfast!
Phyllis Unterschuetz says
Hi Elaine, I don't know if you're still following comments for this recipe as it was posted over a year ago. I just made this pumpkin bread tonight and can't figure out what I did wrong. The batter was so thick, there was no way to mix it in my Blendtec blender and I had to transfer it to my food processor. It definitely did not pour. Took it out of the oven after 55 minutes and the crust is tough and the inside gooey. I thought I followed directions and measured ingredients carefully. It looks and smells so good and I want to eat it!! Do you have any guess about what I might have missed? Thanks! I'm looking forward to trying other recipes
Elaine Gordon says
Hi, Phyllis: I'm so sorry to hear about your difficulty with this pumpkin bread. I have made this recipe a couple of times and have not had this issue. It is hard to say what may have happened here... Perhaps there was a missed ingredient by accident or something was measured incorrectly? I really cannot say... I use a high speed blender and grind the oats into a very fine flour. Were your oats fully turned into a fine flour before you added the other ingredients?
Hannah Joy says
Hi Phyllis,
I just tried this recipe today and had the same problem as you did. It was cooked on the top but very gooey on the inside. I can’t figure out what could have happened and faced with the same dilemma as you. I am a very precise person and is always careful to follow directions and measurements so can’t figure out what happened. ?♀️Now I have two loafs wasted as none of my family will like gooey bread. It definitely was a disappointment.
Elaine Gordon says
Hi, Hannah: I'm so sorry to hear you had difficulty with this recipe as well and that it was such a disappointment for you and your family. I strive to make my recipes easy to follow and fail-proof so as not to waste people's time or ingredients. I'm so sorry this happened to you. I actually recently retested it because of Phyllis' comment and it turned out great for me... When baking with oats it is important to allow the loaf to FULLY cool to room temperature before slicing otherwise it will be gooey as you described. Did you find once it was cool the texture was improved? I hope so! It is also extremely important with gluten-free and vegan baking to follow ingredients exactly - did you make ANY swaps at all? Another potential issue could be measuring the oat flour and if you packed it in or had a loose measurement - do you recall if you had a loose measurement? That could potentially be the issue. Especially when grinding your own oats if they are not fully ground. They should be a fine flour with no chunks or pieces visible. This is super important in this recipe for sure. Please let me know a bit more about your experience and process so I can help. This is a really delicious recipe and I would love for you to be able to enjoy it with your family. I apologize again for the huge inconvenience. Best, Elaine
Elena says
One of my favorite fall recipes full of yummy flavors! I love that it uses simple ingredients that I always have on hand.
Elaine Gordon says
Thank you so much, Elena! I'm so happy to hear you enjoy this one and find it simple as well 🙂
Amy says
Thanks Elaine!
Elaine Gordon says
Aw you are very welcome, Amy!
Amy Campbell says
Hi Elaine. This looks delicious & super healthy and would love to give it a try! Wondering though if I could replace some or all of the avocado oil with apple sauce, banana or other ingredient. Do you think this might work? Thanks!
Elaine Gordon says
Hi, Amy! Thank you so much. I think you could start by trying half avocado oil and half applesauce and see how it goes. I'm not sure if banana would work but it might! It could alter the flavor though. I would stick with applesauce for sure. I hope that helps! Best, Elaine
MIN says
Woukd there be any possible substitute for oats as I am allergic? Almond flour?
Elaine Gordon says
Hi, Mindy! Unfortunately oats and almond flour are not interchangeable in baking recipes since oats are denser and highly absorbant. Almond flour is super light and doesn't absorb liquid as much. I have not yet found a good substitute for oat flour in baking recipes. I do have other grain-free recipes on the website though - have you tried my grain-free cookie cake!? It is made with almond flour. I hope this helps!
Michelle says
Mindy, you can possibly try the Bobs Red Mill one to one Gluten Free Baking flour in the blue bag. It works very well for most gluten free recipes.
Michelle Starr says
Mindy, you can possibally try Bobs Red Mill one to one Gluten Free Baking Flour. It works very well in most gluten free recipes and there is no almond flour in it.