The Best Vegan Pumpkin Bread
The Best Vegan Pumpkin Bread- made in just one bowl with simple wholesome ingredients, this pumpkin bread is perfectly moist and full of delicious flavor. It truly is the best!
Each year I find myself struggling to hold off with the pumpkin recipes. Fall decor, no problem. But I just can’t help myself in the food department. The spices fill the house with the most comforting scent and instantly makes me feel all cozy inside. Even if it’s still sweltering hot outside.
So far I’ve made pumpkin waffles, pumpkin cake, pumpkin bars, apple pancakes and alas, pumpkin bread. Yep, our house has been smelling mighty fine lately.
I decided to be bold and title this “the best” because I genuinely believe that it is. It took me quite a bit of testing to figure out the right amount of liquid and leavening agent. I started out by attempting to veganize this gluten-free pumpkin bread but friends, it just wasn’t happening. Every batch came out mushy inside no matter how long I cooked it for.
After suffering from a short bout of depression, I turned to my old friend spelt flour for help. The result came out so perfectly moist and flavorful that I knew that was it. It couldn’t get any better than that.
The best part is that the ingredient list doesn’t call for anything fancy and it’s made in just one bowl. Can I get a hallelujah for that? Amen!
I topped it with cashew cream cheese frosting for a little extra but it is more than fine all on it’s own so feel free to skip that part if you want.
As for my gluten-free and vegan friends, I promise I will revisit a gluten-less version for you soon. I just needed a break from the fails for a while. ;)
The Best Vegan Pumpkin Bread
Yield: 1 loaf
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 70 minutes
Total Time: 1 hour 15 minutes

Ingredients:
- 1 tablespoon ground flax + 4 tablespoons water
- 1 and 1/2 cups spelt flour*
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 and 1/2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice**
- 1 cup canned pumpkin puree (not pumpkin pie mix)
- 1/2 cup pure maple syrup
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1/3 cup + 1 tablespoon melted unrefined coconut oil***
Directions:
Preheat the oven to 350°F then lightly grease a standard size loaf pan. In a measuring cup, combine the flax and water. Stick together then set aside to thicken.
In a large bowl, add the spelt flour, salt, baking powder, baking soda and pumpkin pie spice. Whisk together to combine.
To the bowl, add the pumpkin puree, maple syrup, vanilla extract, coconut oil and flax mixture. Fold ingredients together until evenly combined. Transfer to the batter to the loaf pan and smooth down across the edges.
Bake in the oven for about 70 minutes, or until firm and dark brown on the edges. Set aside to cool for at least an hour before serving. Leftovers can be stored in an airtight container for up to 3 days (or longer if refrigerated).
*Spelt flour can be substituted with all purpose flour or whole wheat flour. I haven’t tried a gluten-free all-purpose so I’m not sure if that will work.
**Pumpkin pie spice can be replaced with 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon, 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger, ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg, and ¼ teaspoon cloves.
***Coconut oil works best in this recipe but you could also use olive oil or any neutral flavored vegetable oil that you prefer. I haven’t tried replacing or reducing the oil because I feel like this amount is necessary for the most desirable result. If you experiment and have good results please let us know in the comments below!
I topped mine with cashew cream cheese frosting from my carrot banana bread but that’s totally optional if you want to leave it plain :)
Did you try this recipe? Please let me know how it turned out by rating the recipe, leaving a comment and rating below or sharing a picture on Instagram with the hashtag #makingthymeforhealth. I love hearing your feedback!
haha I’m with you – I’ve been doing tons of fall baking lately even though it’s still hot out! That’s what AC is for right?? lol I even lit my favorite fall candle. Makes me so happy.
And spelt flour for the win! This pumpkin loaf looks just perfect!
I love pumpkin bread. Any chance you would be willing to share the icing recipe? Icing is a big win in my household for sure and it looks delicious!
Yes! I shared it in the blog post but I’ll leave the link here for easy access :)
https://www.makingthymeforhealth.com/vegan-banana-carrot-bread-cashew-cream-cheese-icing/
It’s raining and there’s a cold front coming through. Some pumpkin bread sounds just about perfect right now! It’s the ultimate fall comfort food.
I’ve been on a major vegan baking kick lately using flax eggs! : )
This looks amazing Sarah!! I was actually JUST on the hunt for a pumpkin bread recipe a few weeks ago so I’m glad I saw this! I’ll be making this over the weekend :)
Yay! I hope you enjoy it, Liz!
Hi Sarah, I love all you vegan recipes! I was wondering if the vegan pumpkin bread can be made with cassava flour instead of spelt? Thanks Mary
Hi Mary! I’ve actually never experimented with cassava flour so I’m not sure. Please let me know if you decide to give it a try!
I actually went to starbucks today JUST to buy some pumpkin bread! it’d definitely be a better option to make it myself though. I like the frosting recipe you recommended as well but by any chance do you have a chocolate one instead?
It sure looks like it could be the best! I’ll have to buy some more spelt flour and give it a try soon! I’ve made pumpkin waffles already but I am ready to move on to pumpkin pancakes and pumpkin bread.
Tis the season for ALL the pumpkin ;)
Oh Sarah… could we talk. Gluten free AND vegan baking is no joke. I’m on my fourth round of gf + v oat pumpkin bread – I’ve been testing muffins and bread, with and without nuts, chocolate, more pumpkin, less pumpkin… I think I’m getting there but sheesh!!! I’ve been eating so much do I dare make another batch? This spelt flour loaf looks sooo good. Perfect. And that creamy cashew frosting is a delicious way to top this beauty off! Sending my best for a beautiful Fall weekend!
The struggle is so real! Hopefully your hard work pays off soon! :)
Wow!
Absolutely Delicious!
Thank you so very much!
Penny
Love ittt! So good. Gonna be making this weekly — haha. I didn’t do the frosting because I was in a hurry. I imagine it’s even better with but this way makes me feel not guilty. Camryn is enjoying her piece right now for snack time. :)
I’m so glad you and Camryn like it! :)
Wowow tried to this yesterday and the entire loaf is gone. Perfectly moist and so flavourful I’m so impressed thank you!!
Thanks for the awesome review, Julia! I’m so happy you like it!
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Perfect recipe! So moist and the mix of spices was perfect.
I subbed just a little less than 1/2 cup of the spelt flour with almond flour to add more protein. I reduced the maple syrup by 1/8 cup – not sweet enough. The extra 1/8 cup would have made it sweet enough. Added 1/2 cup of walnuts too.
Thank you for this recipe! Definitely making again!
This was easy and delicious. Thanks very much!
I was trying to print this recipe then I read “Did you try this recipe pls rate” lol
5 out of 5, flurry, yummy, soft!
Thank you so much for sharing, I had no maple syrup so I used 1/3cup honey, and gave it to 3 people including myself, they all loved it! 1 of them was a pastry Chef/cook. So well done, please keep adding more yummy recipes….
Blessings…
Aw thank you so much! I really appreciate you taking the time to write the review! :)
I just made this and it smells so good! Can it be frozen?
Yes! Just make sure it’s cooled completely and stored in an airtight container. It should last a few months in the freezer! :)
Made this today. Very moist and delicious. For some reason 60 minutes was enough to cook mine. Will make it again with the frosting. Thank you.
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Do you know if I could use oat flour?
You could but the texture will be different. When I use oat flour on it’s own without eggs the texture tends to be gummy.
This recipe is fantastic! I ended up subbing honey for the maple syrup and canola oil for the coconut oil since I didn’t have enough of either one. I added 1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips. This smelled amazing while it was baking. It sliced up nice, and it tasted terrific. I will definitely be keeping this recipe to make. I keep homegrown pureed pumpkin in my freezer pre-measured. I used that and it worked great. Love this recipe!!
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DEEEEELICIOUS!!! Tasty & super moist! Made without the icing and will continue to make… It’s soooo good! Thank you for sharing your recipes!
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