This vegan pumpkin bread is everything I love about fall baking. It's soft, warmly spiced and filled with real pumpkin flavor. The recipe is simple to make, naturally gluten-free, nut-free and refined sugar-free. Enjoy a slice for breakfast with a cup of coffee or as a cozy afternoon treat.
If you follow me on Instagram you've already seen how much my kids LOVE this pumpkin bread. It's the perfect fuel for a busy day, and since it's so easy to make, I'm happy to bake it as often as they want!
I personally love it when pumpkin season rolls around. There are so many recipes that can be made with pumpkin! This pumpkin bread is perfect for fall. It can be made in your blender with super quick prep, and the result is a fluffy, moist bread just right for breakfasts or snacking!
Gluten-Free Pumpkin Bread
I used gluten-free oat flour as a base for this bread. Oats also offer awesome nutritional benefits since they're higher in protein and healthful fats than most other grains you'll encounter. I love the sustainable energy that comes from these nutritious carbohydrates!
Homemade Pumpkin Purée in Pumpkin Bread
You can use canned pumpkin purée (NOT pumpkin pie filling!) for this recipe, but I really recommend making your own! Homemade pumpkin purée can be made in the Instant Pot and it's easy as can be (you can also make it in the oven if you don't have a pressure cooker). You can totally taste a difference between homemade and canned pumpkin purée! My little one eats the homemade pumpkin purée with a spoon, but pushes the canned stuff away.
Reminder on Pumpkins Health Benefits
It's the best vegetable during the best season of the year! All of the pumpkin craze is totally warranted because not only does it taste delicious, it's super good for you. Pumpkins are a disease-fighting "super food."
They contain powerful antioxidants (carotenoids) that can protect cells from free radical damage. They also offer fiber, calcium, iron, magnesium, copper, folate, potassium and vitamins A, C, E and K. What a list! Canned pumpkin is packed with these nutrients too so don't stress if you don't have the fresh stuff!
Vegan Pumpkin Bread
This pumpkin bread recipe is vegan, dairy-free, egg-free, nut-free, soy-free and gluten-free. It's also sweetened with pure maple syrup, making it refined sugar-free as well!
More Pumpkin Recipes
- Vegan Pumpkin Pie Smoothie
- Vegan Creamy Pumpkin Oatmeal
- Creamy Vegan Pumpkin Garlic Pasta
- Vegan Pumpkin Chili
- Vegan & Gluten-Free Pumpkin Chocolate Swirl Muffins
- Easy Blender Pumpkin Soup
- Garlic Pumpkin Hummus
- Pumpkin Risotto
- One-Pot Pumpkin Curry
Vegan Gluten-Free Pumpkin Bread (refined sugar-free)
- Total Time: 1 hour 5 minutes
- Yield: 8-10 1x
- Diet: Vegan
Description
This cozy pumpkin bread is everything you want in a fall bake-fluffy, flavorful, and so easy to make. It's vegan, gluten-free, nut-free, and refined sugar-free, making it an allergy-friendly treat everyone can enjoy. Perfectly spiced and naturally sweet, this pumpkin bread is a wholesome option for breakfast, snack time, or dessert.
Ingredients
- 2 cups store-bought oat flour (no substitutions), gluten-free if desired
- ½ cup maple sugar (or coconut sugar)
- 1 tablespoons ground flaxseed
- 2 teaspoons baking soda
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
- ½ teaspoon fine salt
- ¼ cup plain, unsweetened non-dairy milk
- ½ cup pure maple syrup
- ⅔ cup melted coconut oil
- 1, 15-ounce can store-bought pumpkin purée or 1 ½ cups homemade pumpkin purée*
- 1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
- Optional: top with a sprinkle of more maple sugar and/or a few mini vegan chocolate chips and/or a sprinkle of hemp seeds
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Grease a 1-½ quart loaf pan with coconut oil or avocado oil. Or line the load pan with parchment paper.
- Add the dry ingredients (oat flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon and pumpkin pie spice) to a mixing bowl and whisk until well combined.
- Add all the wet ingredients to the mixing bowl (non-dairy milk, maple syrup, melted coconut oil, vanilla and pumpkin purée). Whisk until no lumps remain.
- Transfer the batter to the greased loaf pan. Top with mini vegan chocolate chips or hemp seeds if desired.
- Place the loaf pan on the middle rack of the oven and bake for 55 minutes. Insert a knife to ensure it comes out clean.
- Remove loaf pan from oven and allow to cool completely before removing, slicing and enjoying. I like to place the entire loaf pan in the freezer to speed up the process. Otherwise, wait at least an hour for it to fully cool to room temperature before slicing and enjoying.
Notes
*Canned pumpkin works fine (1 can = 1.5 cups) but I find homemade pumpkin purée to have a more authentic pumpkin flavor. Homemade pumpkin purée is also thicker, creamier and sweeter than canned which can oftentimes taste a bit bitter. If you do not have a pressure cooker you can use my oven method to make homemade pumpkin purée. It is surprisingly easy!
- Prep Time: 10
- Cook Time: 55
- Category: Dessert, Breakfast or Snack
- Method: Oven
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.
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
Amy says
Thanks Elaine!
Elaine Gordon says
Aw you are very welcome, Amy!
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 🙂
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!
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!
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