This vegan pumpkin loaf recipe is moist, spiced, delicious and 100% kid approved. My whole family absolutely love this pumpkin bread, so much so that I’ve made it five or six times in the last month alone.
What is pumpkin loaf?
Pumpkin loaf, or pumpkin bread, is a moist loaf cake that is made with fresh or tinned puréed pumpkin. It is similar in consistency to banana bread and often contains spices. It’s usually made in autumn (or fall) as that’s when pumpkins are in season.
I usually stock up on quite a few tins of pumpkin purée* in September and use them over the next few months to make pumpkin based recipes but if you prefer to make your own you could try this recipe by Charlotte’s Lively Kitchen or this one by Yumsome.
If you do make your own pumpkin purée make sure that it’s not too runny – it should be almost a spreadable consistency to make this pumpkin loaf recipe.
My kids really enjoy this vegan pumpkin loaf. To make it more of a healthy pumpkin bread recipe I’ve reduced the sugar content by half – if you do want a sweeter loaf you can use 250g sugar instead. Alternatively if you prefer, this pumpkin loaf can be made refined sugar free by using coconut sugar. When I experimented with this I found that the loaf was slightly crumbly but still delicious. My kids didn’t notice any difference at all.
How to serve pumpkin bread
This vegan pumpkin loaf is deliciously moist as it is and doesn’t really need to be served with anything. However if you do want to make it even more special it’s delicious lightly toasted and served with butter or dairy free spread – or even with nut butter. I love it with peanut butter and find it a very hearty and substantial snack that works particularly well as an after-school energy boost for my kids.
My pumpkin bread is always very popular when I put it in my kids’ lunchboxes – there’s seldom even a crumb left at the end of the day! If you want you can slice the loaf and freeze it in portions so it can be added to lunchboxes in the future. Pop a little bit of baking paper between each slice to stop it from sticking together in the freezer.
How to make vegan pumpkin loaf
Vegan pumpkin loaf
Ingredients
- 125 g plain flour
- 125 g wholemeal flour eg wheat, spelt or buckwheat or use all plain
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp bicarbonate of soda
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1/2 tsp ginger
- 1/4 tsp nutmeg
- 125 g light brown soft sugar or coconut sugar
- 1/2 tsp sea salt optional
- 200 g pumpkin purée homemade or half a tin
- 120 ml oat milk or other plant milk
- 120 ml sunflower oil
- 2 tbsp maple syrup optional
Instructions
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Preheat oven to 180°C (fan)/200°C/gas mark 6.
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Lightly grease a 900g loaf tin and line with baking paper.
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Sift the flours, baking powder, bicarbonate of soda and spices together in a large mixing bowl. Stir in the sugar. Use your fingers to break down any lumps if needed. Stir in the salt if using.
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In a separate bowl or jug whisk together the pumpkin purée, oat milk, sunflower oil and maple syrup.
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Fold the pumpkin mixture into the flour until just combined, then transfer to your prepared loaf tin.
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Bake in the centre of the oven for 40 minutes or until a skewer inserted in the centre comes out clean. Check after 30 minutes and cover the top with foil if getting too brown on top.
Recipe Notes
When I made this pumpkin loaf with coconut sugar it was delicious and the kids didn’t notice any difference but it was slightly more crumbly.
More pumpkin recipes
easy oven roasted pumpkin seeds
Pin vegan pumpkin loaf for later
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this was so delicious that the friend I gave a slice to texted me to ask for the recipe!
Thank you so much Catherine – really appreciate you took the time to comment and very glad you enjoyed it!