This is, hands down, the best vegan pumpkin bread. It’s moist and tender, not too dense like many pumpkin breads, and is packed with a warming homemade pumpkin spice! It’s loved by tough critics and vegan skeptics, and unless you announce it ahead of time, no one will ever guess it’s vegan!
Plus, it’s so simple to make and no fancy baking equipment is needed. It’s adapted from my fan-favorite easy Vegan Banana Bread recipe, so you know it’s gonna be good!
Serve it plain for breakfast or afternoon snack. For dessert, dress it up with one of two icing options: a sweet and nutty maple tahini icing or a decadent cream cheese frosting!
Table of Contents
1. Why this recipe works
2. Ingredient notes
3. Step-by-step instructions
4. Tips for making this recipe
5. Frequently Asked Questions
6. YouTube recipe video
7. Recipe card
Why this recipe works
Not too dense or heavy
Pumpkin puree is itself very dense, and vegan loaf cakes are often too dense. As a result, most vegan pumpkin breads are too dense and heavy.
Despite the natural density of pumpkin bread, this pumpkin bread recipe is the most tender and moist variety I’ve tried, thanks to two ingredients: aquafaba and vegan buttermilk.
The type of vegan egg substitute used in baking use should depend on the type of baked good you’re making and your desired texture. With a cake, light and fluffy is always good. When you lightly whip aquafaba, it turns foamy. This, in turn, gives a nice lift to cakes and makes them fluffier.
While this pumpkin bread isn’t fluffy per se, it is significantly more tender than most.
As for the vegan “buttermilk,” its acidity—when combined with baking soda in the oven—enhances the amount of rise in the bread.
Real pumpkin spice and flavor
Many pumpkin desserts are lackluster because (1) not enough pumpkin spice is used and (2) a store-bought pumpkin spice blend is used.
This recipe calls for 4 teaspoons of a homemade pumpkin spice blend, so that pumpkin flavor really comes through.
Tip: Spices lose some of their potency shortly after being ground. As a result, any store-bought spice will be less flavorful than its freshly ground counterpart.
And when you combine several pre-ground spices into one pumpkin spice blend, the flavor will always be lackluster. Plus, there’s no way to tell how fresh the pre-ground spices were when the manufacturer bottled them into a pumpkin spice blend.
Plus, if you’re relying on last season’s pumpkin spice bottle in the back of the cupboard, the bread will lack that deep pumpkin flavor.
Takeaway: Make the homemade spice blend. It takes less than 5 minutes and is so worth it.
Ingredient Notes
Vegan buttermilk. This is simple a mix of plant-based milk and a source of acid, like apple cider vinegar or lemon juice. I use oat milk for its superior browning capabilities in baking, though some readers have used soy milk successfully.
Aquafaba. Just the liquid from a can of chickpeas! If your can of chickpeas has salt added, scale back on the salt in the recipe a bit. It’s a crucial ingredient, so I recommend you don’t skipping or subbing it.
Canned pumpkin. A whole can for lots of serious pumpkin flavor. If canned pumpkin is not a thing where you leave, check out the FAQ section to see how to make this with whole pumpkin.
Homemade pumpkin spice: Freshly grated nutmeg adds a sweet, spicy zing and a generous amount of cloves brings a uniquely pungent, warming-sweet flavor.
Organic brown sugar: Adds more moisture and caramel-y flavor than cane sugar.
All-purpose flour. Necessary for structure. I have not had good results when using gluten-free flour and would not recommend it, but some comments have given it a try with mixed-results.
Step-by-step instructions
In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and homemade pumpkin spice.
In a large bowl, mix the brown sugar and oil using a hand mixer until well combined.
Add your lightly whipped aquafaba to the brown sugar mixture. Mix until the aquafaba is well incorporated.
Add in the pumpkin puree, maple syrup, vegan buttermilk, and vanilla. Mix again until smooth.
Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients. Use a silicone spatula to gently fold the ingredients into each other.
Mix just until the flour pockets are gone, then stop mixing. The batter should be somewhat lumpy and thick.
Pour the batter into a lined 9×5” (23×13 cm) loaf pan and smooth out the top with the spatula.
Bake at 350ºF/176ºC for 55 to 60 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack for 10 minutes. Using the parchment paper handles, remove the bread from the pan and cool on the wire rack for 30 minutes before slicing.
When ready to serve, drizzle with tahini icing (or serve on the side), or spread with the cream cheese frosting.
Tips for making this recipe
Opt for conventional canned pumpkin puree (not organic), if possible
I noticed a difference in canned pumpkin brands when making this recipe. When I used organic canned pumpkin puree instead of the conventional canned pumpkin from Libby’s, the pumpkin puree was more watery, resulting in a somewhat more liquid-y batter and a soggier bottom bread.
If you only have organic canned pumpkin, be sure to strain the pumpkin puree until all the excess water runs off.
Be Precise
- Use a digital scale. It yields the most exact results and baking is a science.
If you don’t have a digital scale, measure your flour using the spoon and level method. Spoon your flour out of the bag/jar into the measuring cup, spoon by spoon, until almost full, then use a butter knife to level it off. - Get an oven thermometer and allow adequate time to preheat. Every oven is different, and if yours isn’t calibrated, chances are it’s a bit off. Plus, most home ovens don’t reach the stated temperature when the preheat cycle is over.
- Use a toothpick for doneness. Insert a toothpick in the top sides of the cake at an angle, not straight down. This angled position is a much more reliable indicator of whether a tall loaf cake is baked through. See a few moist crumbs? The bread is done.
If the toothpick reveals batter that is still a bit gooey, return the pan to the oven for 5-10 more minutes. Worried about the top overbrowning? You can loosely tent the pan with aluminum foil.
No overmixing!
Overmixing is one of the most common baking mistakes, and it can cause the gluten to overdevelop, resulting in a cake that is dry and tough, or dense and gummy.
Once the wet and dry ingredients are just incorporated and flour pockets are gone, stop mixing. The batter doesn’t need to be (and shouldn’t be) smooth.
Know your pan size
I use a standard 9×5-inch loaf pan (23×13 cm), but if your pan is slightly smaller (e.g., 8×4-inch), there will be a small amount of excess batter. Don’t try to fit it all into the loaf pan, or it might rise too high and make a mess in your oven.
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes. Here’s how:
1. Slice a sugar pumpkin or pie pumpkin in half using a sharp knife and rocking motion (you can also use a kabocha squash). Don’t use the really large carving pumpkins – they are pretty flavorless and don’t have much flesh. If it’s too tough to slice, pop it in the microwave for 30 to 60 seconds.
2. Lightly salt the flesh of the pumpkin, then place the pumpkin halves on a parchment paper lined baking sheet, cut side down. Bake in the oven at 400°F/205°C until fork tender, about 30 minutes for a small pie pumpkin, or 40-45 minutes for a larger one.
3. Once the pumpkin is cool enough to handle, the skin should peel off easily. Add the flesh to a food processor and puree for about 2 minutes, or until you have a really smooth puree.
4. Place the puree over a fine mesh sieve and stir with a spoon to let any excess water drain out. If you have cheesecloth, line the sieve with that and drain. This step is essential since homemade puree is more watery than canned.
5. Finally, measure out the appropriate amount of pumpkin puree for this recipe: 425 grams, or about 2 tablespoons shy of 2 cups.
Aquafaba is one of the ways I keep this pumpkin bread light and tender, so I wouldn’t recommend substituting it. A lot of recipes suggest using flax eggs but in my experience, it results in a denser and less tender loaf.
If you want to eat this bread for breakfast or as an afternoon teatime snack, you can serve it plain! It’s a little sweet but not too sweet.
If you want something more dessert-like, there are two icing options!
First, the maple tahini icing, which was the original pairing for this recipe. The tahini brings a unique nutty flavor that pairs beautifully with the classic pumpkin spice flavors. Max said that this icing tastes like halva, a delightful Middle Eastern dessert made from tahini and sugar, and I’d have to agree with him. I recommend pouring the icing only on the amount of bread you plan to eat to prevent any sogginess.
Second, the vegan cream cheese icing. This is the more decadent option of the two and my recent favorite. The frosting is a bit tangy from the cream cheese and lemon juice and it perfectly balances the sweetness. When you refrigerate the bread, the icing sticks to it like a traditional frosting and it is SO good.
If unfrosted, store it covered or wrapped in plastic on the counter for up to 5 days. If you make the maple tahini icing, you can leave it at room temperature but it’s best to pour the icing only over the amount of bread you plan to eat that day (to prevent sogginess). If making the cream cheese icing, store the bread covered in the fridge for at least 5 days.
Watch! How to make this recipe
More delicious pumpkin treats
For more pumpkin treats, check out my Pumpkin Tart or my Pumpkin Pancakes.
And if you love this Vegan Pumpkin Bread recipe, please rate and review the recipe below :)
Big Vegan Flavor
Techniques and 150 recipes to master vegan cooking.
The Best Vegan Pumpkin Bread
Ingredients
Pumpkin Bread Ingredients
- 1/4 cup + 2 TBSP (90g) aquafaba
- 1/4 cup (60 mL) oat milk, or unsweetened plant-based milk of choice
- 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
- 1/3 cup (75g) sunflower oil, or any neutral-flavored oil
- 1 cup + 2 TBSP (170g) organic brown sugar, loosely packed
- 1 15-ounce (425g) can pumpkin puree (ideally NOT organic pumpkin, see Note 1)
- 2 tablespoons maple syrup
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 2 cups (250g) all-purpose flour, spooned and leveled
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
Homemade Pumpkin Spice
- 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon ground cloves (see Note 2)
- 3/4 teaspoon ground ginger
- 1/4 teaspoon ground allspice
- 1/2 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg (see Note 3)
Frosting option 1: Cream Cheese Icing
- 4 tablespoons (56g) vegan butter, softened at room temp
- 2 ounces (56g) vegan cream cheese, softened at room temp (see Note 4)
- 1 cup + 2 TBSP (135g) organic powdered sugar, sifted
- 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- Pinch of sea salt
- 1/2 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
Frosting option 2: Maple Tahini Icing
- 1 cup (120g) organic powdered sugar
- 2 tablespoons good-quality tahini (see Note 3)
- 3 tablespoons oat milk, or unsweetened plant-based milk of choice
- 1 teaspoon pure maple syrup
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F/176°C. Arrange a rack in the middle or bottom third of the oven. Line a 9×5-inch loaf pan (23×13 cm) with parchment paper, letting the excess hang over the long sides to form a sling.
- Stir the vinegar into the milk and set aside for a few minutes. This is the “buttermilk.”
- Pour the aquafaba into a small bowl. Using a handheld electric mixer, whip the aquafaba on medium speed for 45 seconds, or until uniformly foamy.
- In a large mixing bowl, add the brown sugar and oil. Mix using the electric mixer or a whisk until well combined. Add the whipped aquafaba and mix until well incorporated. Add in the “buttermilk,” pumpkin puree, maple syrup, and vanilla. Mix until smooth and the ingredients are very well incorporated (this is important so you don't overmix).
- In a medium bowl, combine the flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, and Homemade Pumpkin Spice. Whisk well to ensure the leaveners and spices are evenly distributed.
- Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and gently stir using a silicone spatula or wooden spoon until just barely combined and no flour pockets remain, then stop mixing! The batter doesn’t need to be totally smooth—some lumps are normal. It should be quite thick and almost fluffy at this point.
- Pour the batter into the prepared loaf pan and smooth out the top.
- Bake for 55 to 60 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the top sides of the cake comes out mostly clean with just a few moist crumbs.I like to check the bread at 53-55 minute mark. To test if it's done, insert a toothpick downwards at an angle (not just straight down). If the toothpick has batter that is a bit gooey, bake for 5-10 more minutes. If you’re worried about the top browning too much, loosely tent the pan with foil.
- Transfer the pan to a wire rack and cool for 10-15 minutes. Then, using the parchment paper handles, remove the bread from the pan and cool on the rack for at least 30 minutes before serving. Serve plain, or with the Cream Cheese Icing or the Maple Tahini Icing and scatter with handful of pepitas or chopped pistachios. See Note 5 for storage instructions.
Cream Cheese Icing (optional)
- To a medium mixing bowl, add the softened butter. Beat on low speed with an electric hand mixer until smooth. Add the cream cheese and beat until well incorporated and creamy. Add HALF of the powdered sugar, mix on low speed to combine, and then add the rest of the sugar. Mix until well combined and fluffy, scraping down the sides as you go. Add the vanilla, salt, and lemon juice and mix until smooth. If too thick, add a splash of plant-based milk. If too thin, briefly refrigerate.
Maple Tahini Icing (optional, see Note 6)
- Sift the powdered sugar into a large bowl (sifting gets rid of the lumps in the sugar). Add in the tahini, milk, and maple syrup. Whisk to combine until the icing is thick but pourable. If too thin, add more sugar. If too thick, add more milk. Pour icing ONLY on the amount of bread you plan to eat (or serve it on the side).
Notes
This recipe is phenomenal. I have made it often enough that it now has a place in the tried and true recipe binder we keep for the worthy ones! The cream cheese frosting paired with it is perfection.
We appreciate your feedback and support, Stef. This one’s a favorite of mine as well! :)
Great recipe! I never thought to ice pumpkin bread before, but this turned out to be better than I expected.
I used organic canned pumpkin and added quarter cup water then puréed in my food processor and it turned out to be the perfect consistency.
Thanks for a great recipe. This is a keeper!!!
Awesome, MaryAnn. Thanks for your comment and for taking the time to review!
Thank you so much for the recipe ❤️ Love it!
Thanks for the lovely feedback, Marília!
Excellent! I never iced my pumpkin bread before and makes for a next level treat. I did used bulk pumpkin pie spice, and Violife cream cheese.
Thanks for sharing your experience with us, Julie! :)
I know this sounds crazy, or maybe heartbreaking, but my daughter has a severe cinnamon allergy. As a result, she doesn’t enjoy fall foods at all. I’m wondering if it is possible to sub the cinnamon for cardamom or … ? Something? I do not know spices well enough but I’m trying to make this holiday season tasty and fun for her.
Hi Tia, sorry to hear that! You can try replacing the cinnamon with a mix of spices. Increase the ginger to 1 teaspoon, the freshly grated nutmeg to ¾ teaspoon (make sure it’s freshly grated, as pre-ground nutmeg will be too strong), the allspice to ½ teaspoon. And yes, some cardamom would be lovely! I’d say ½ teaspoon ground cardamom, or if you have whole green cardamom pods, those are even lovelier; use ¾ teaspoon of the seeds and grind them up in a mortar & pestle or spice grinder.
Another lovely addition would be orange zest! It tends to work beautifully in spiced baked goods, so try adding 1 to 1 ½ teaspoons of grated orange zest.
Best of luck with your holiday baking! :)
Thank you! She is excited this Thursday. I appreciate your response!
Yay! We hope the substitutions work wonderfully for you, Tia :)
This looks so great! I am not a vegan but do need to make a dairy-free cake for thanksgiving. Wondering if I can substitute an egg white for the aquafaba?
Hi Shirley, we can’t wait for you to try the pumpkin bread! And as for the swap, we’re vegan and don’t cook with eggs, so I’m afraid we cannot advise you about whether it will work in this recipe.
I highly recommend trying it with the aquafaba- it’s an easily sourced ingredient and works wonderfully in this recipe!
Hi!
I made the pumpkin bread recipe; the taste is awesome like all Nisha’s recipes, but the texture was off. It raised perfectly in the oven but went flat while cooling and was sort of gummy. Ichecked the oven temperature, my leavening product and didnt overmix.
The recipe card went 1 teaspoon baking soda and half a teaspoon baking powder; could it be the other way around?
Thanks
Chantal
Hi Chantal, sorry to hear you had trouble with the texture of the pumpkin bread!
Baked goods often fall flat because they are underbaked, so be sure to insert a toothpick in the center to ensure it’s entirely baked through–either no crumbs or just a small amount of cake crumbs that aren’t wet. Also, look at the edges of the cake–if the cake has pulled away from the pan a bit, that’s a good sign it’s done. If the center feels soft or loose, you need to bake a little longer.
Another possible culprit is the baking powder or soda. It’s possible a bit too much was added, which can result in cakes that expand quickly but then sink. (our measurements on the blog post are correct!)
A few other things you can check or change for next time: use an oven thermometer (often our ovens are cooler or hotter than they say, which can lead to underbaked or overbaked cakes); don’t open the oven during baking, as it lets out heat and can cause the cake to take longer to bake; make sure to cool the individual layers (not stacked) on cooling racks on the counter for minimum 30 minutes (maybe longer).
Finally, this in-depth article might have more helpful information.
We hope you’re able to figure out what went wrong!
I couldn’t get the cream cheese icing quite right (no electric mixer and I tried a homemade cream cheese), but the bread was delicious!
Hi Michelle, sorry to hear you didn’t have great luck with the cream cheese icing, hopefully next time you can try it with the recommended equipment and ingredients. But happy to hear the recipe went well otherwise!
Another delicious recipe! We especially liked the homemade pumpkin spice. Thank you, Nisha.
Thanks for the lovely feedback, Darrell!
Really truly great pumpkin bread. :) I brought some to my friends and they all agreed that it “slaps.”
Thank you!!
Thanks for the lovely feedback, Jane!
Came out delicious, similar to the Banana bread version! 😍
The color is not as orange as the photos/I expected, could this be because I used whole grain flour & white flour 50/50?
By the way, the texture still came out still moist and soft even though I used half whole grain flour! = D
I taste the spices more than the pumpkin. Could this be because:
-I used freshly grated cloves versus store bought ground cloves, which was very strong/almost overpowering? Did Nisha use freshly ground or pre-ground cloves?
-I made a homemade puree of sugar pumpkin (vs canned)?
-I used half the amount of brown sugar (which didn’t have any visible negative affect on texture 🙂)?
PS I didn’t smooth out the top before baking and it came out more rustic-looking which I think looks great.
All in all, it’s a keeper! Thank you Nisha Vegan Queen 👸🏽 🌱 🙌🏻
Hi Karl, thanks for the feedback! We’re happy to hear all of those substitutions worked well for you.
Let me get to your questions:
Using whole grain flour mixed with white flour can definitely affect the color. Whole grain flours are darker, which can result in a slightly more muted or brownish hue rather than the vibrant orange you might see in our photos.
The color will also depend on the pumpkin you use. Even with canned pumpkin, there is variability across colors. Some brands have a light orange color, others like Libby’s in the US have a deep orange color.
Canned pumpkin purée is usually more concentrated in flavor and color because of the specific varieties of pumpkin used and the processing method. Homemade purée made from sugar pumpkin tends to be less intense in flavor and lighter in color, and tends to have a more watery texture. This could contribute to a subtler pumpkin taste and a change in color of the final baked good.
Since sugar helps bring out the natural sweetness and intensifies the flavors in baked goods, using less sugar could mean the spices tasted more prominent by comparison (especially if using strong freshly grated cloves). Nisha uses ground cloves in baking and the recipe will always specify if she’s used whole spices.
If you’re happy with the texture and softness (which is fantastic considering the whole grain addition!), you could try slightly decreasing the cloves next time or using canned pumpkin if you prefer a bolder orange and more pronounced pumpkin flavor.
We hope that helped, and thank you for all of your support of RPL!
tips for making it glutenfree ?
Hi Loes, unfortunately we have not had good results when using gluten-free flour and would not recommend it, but some readers have given it a try with mixed-results in the comments section.
Could I double this recipe and put it into a Bundt pan with a design on top? I want to make it for Thanksgiving.
Hi Siane! We haven’t tried this and are hesitant to recommend it because it would require a different cook time and baking conversions can be tricky. If you wanted to try this, we would recommend doing a test run before Thanksgiving. This blog post on cake pan sizes and conversions may also be helpful to you!
I’m excited to try this! Can you substitute light spelt flour for white and reduce the sugar some?
Hi Diane, we are excited for you to try the recipe as well!
Unfortunately with baking recipes, you have to be pretty spot on with ingredients and measurements.
With that being said, we have not tested this recipe with spelt flour, so we can’t advise you as to whether it would work in this recipe. And we recommend against reducing the sugar because that will affect the texture of the pumpkin bread.
Sorry we couldn’t be of more help!