The Ultimate Vegan Pumpkin Bread
This fluffy and ultra moist pumpkin bread has a dreamy texture and is perfectly spiced, super pumpkin-y, and insanely delicious. Warning: it’s very comforting & highly addictive.
I think that pumpkin bread might be one of my all-time favorite baked goods. Last year, in my determination to develop the “perfect pumpkin bread that also didn’t use refined flours or refined sugars,” I developed a pumpkin bread recipe that was...okay. After remaking it, I realized it just didn’t taste like the vision of the *perfect* pumpkin bread that was very clearly imprinted into my brain. The texture was dreamy (no knocks there), the spicing was on point, but the overall flavor left something to be desired. It’s not that that specific concept can’t be executed perfectly (it can, and it probably has been!), it’s just that my version didn’t produce the classic pumpkin bread flavor I was going for.
This year, on an unseasonably cold, dreary, and rainy September day, the pumpkin bug bit me again (trust me, it’s a real thing) and I started re-testing a new (#redemption) pumpkin bread. It was intended to be a low-pressure exercise where I’d publish a recipe if it came out like I wanted to, but I wasn’t going to force developing a recipe if it didn’t taste right. But sure enough, within less than 36 hours and only 3 test batches later, my pumpkin bread came out just like I dreamed it would. Even after meticulously taste testing it countless times over the next couple of days, I couldn’t find anything wrong with it - it really was perfect this time!
So without any further delay, let’s get into why I think you’ll love this classic pumpkin bread as much as I do. And why it’s so perfect that you may never need another pumpkin bread recipe again. 😉
Why You’ll Love this Pumpkin Bread
Very pumpkin-y and perfectly spiced. Obviously, pumpkin bread needs to be very pumpkin-y. But what’s pumpkin bread without all those classic pie spices?! This bread is loaded with the ideal amounts of cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, allspice, and cloves to complement the pumpkin flavor and give it its irresistibly delicious flavor.
Fluffy and tender texture. No mushy or dense breads here! This pumpkin bread has an ultra fluffy and insanely soft texture - it almost tastes like biting into a cloud because it’s so tender! And I don’t know about you, but I find there’s something really satisfying about biting into a really fluffy slice of bread.
Moist. And very importantly, it’s also super moist (thanks to all that pumpkin in there!) without being dense, so it maintains that pillowy texture!
Super comforting fall vibes. This pumpkin bread tastes like fall in baked sweet loaf bread format - i.e. what pumpkin bread is supposed to taste like. Sure, it’s probably overplayed to say that there’s nothing more comforting and satisfying than waking up to a (very thick) slice of pumpkin bread to accompany your morning espresso/coffee on a crisp fall morning. 🍂 But if you’re into that vibe, this pumpkin bread will help you rock it. No shame in comfort!
Perfectly balanced. This bread is sweet, but not overly so. It’s super moist while still maintaining an insanely light and fluffy texture. It’s well spiced and complements the pumpkin flavor without overwhelming it. And it’s obviously delicious. In other words, it checks all the boxes for the perfect pumpkin bread!
Ingredient Overview
All-purpose flour. For the pumpkin flavor to really shine through, plain all-purpose flour works best here. (Just don’t forget to get your whole grains in throughout the day! 💪)
Spices. Is it even pumpkin bread if it doesn’t conjure up visions of cool breezes and warming spices on a crisp autumn day? 😂 (Kidding.) A mix of cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, allspice, and cloves achieves *the perfect pumpkin spice* mix to complement the pumpkin flavor in this bread.
Baking soda & baking powder. The leaveners that make the bread rise!
Salt. For texture and flavor balance.
Aquafaba. When whipped, aquafaba (i.e. the liquid in a can of chickpeas!) provides structure and lift (acting similarly to eggs), which helps give the bread its addictively fluffy texture!
Light brown sugar. To sweeten the bread! Because brown sugar contains molasses, it has a more robust flavor that makes it the perfect flavor pairing for pumpkin-flavored baked goods, like this one!
Avocado oil (or another neutral oil like high-oleic sunflower oil). Oil makes for magically moist quick breads! In fact, quick breads with oil are typically better the day after you bake them as they become even more moist. This recipe calls for avocado oil because it contains a higher amount of oleic acid than many other oils, but any neutral oil (such as grapeseed, sunflower, etc.) will work.
Pro tip: if possible, opt for “high oleic” neutral oils (you can check the nutrition label to see if your oil is “high-oleic”)! High-oleic oils have a much higher content of monounsaturated fats than other neutral vegetable oils, so they are the more healthful option when it comes to choosing an oil.
Pumpkin puree (plus non-dairy milk to thin, if needed). Pumpkin puree is obviously a key ingredient in pumpkin bread! Not only does it give the bread that pumpkin flavor, but it actually adds a ton of moisture, too. I developed this recipe using the Farmers Market brand pumpkin puree, which tends to be thinner than other canned pumpkin brands. So if you use a different brand of canned pumpkin that’s thicker, simply replace 1-2 tablespoons of the pumpkin puree with 1-2 tablespoons of plant milk to thin out the pumpkin and achieve the same perfectly fluffy texture!
Apple cider vinegar. Don’t worry - your pumpkin bread won’t taste like vinegar. It just adds the necessary acidity to react with the baking soda (a base) and make the bread rise!
Vanilla extract. For some added warmth to beautifully complement the pumpkin flavor.
Tips for Baking the Best Pumpkin Bread
Use a scale to weigh the flour and sugar. Baking is a very specific science, and any deviations from the exact quantities can turn a perfectly textured baked bread into a mushy or dense one! For the most consistent results, make sure you weigh out the exact quantities of flour (too little flour = mushy bread; too much flour = dense and dry bread) and sugar.
Don’t have a food scale? Use the “spoon and level” method to measure out the flour (here’s a detailed guide on how to do that). For the brown sugar, measure it out by lightly packing a 1-cup measuring cup. These two tips will get you fairly close to the exact gram measurements!
Do not overmix. Look, I know it’s tempting to mix everything until you're 1000% sure that everything is incorporated, but RESIST THE URGE as you want to avoid creating any tunneling in your final bread. Mix just until the dry ingredients have been fully incorporated in with the wet ingredients to form a batter.
Bake the batter ASAP after mixing. Once the dry ingredients touch the wet ingredients, baking soda begins reacting immediately to release carbon dioxide, which creates little pockets that help the loaf rise. This means you’ll want to work quickly to mix everything together and get that loaf into the oven to bake ASAP so you don’t lose any rising power!
Let the pumpkin bread cool completely before slicing. After it’s done baking, you’ll want to let the loaf cool for a few hours (about 3 full hours) before digging in (an incredibly heinous task - I KNOW). It’s a necessary evil that allows the crumb to form fully and create a structured loaf! My advice? Bake it the night before so you can eat it for breakfast.
The Ultimate Pumpkin Bread
Vegan
Ingredients
240 grams / 2 cups (spooned & leveled) all-purpose flour*
1 teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon fine salt
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground ginger
½ teaspoon ground nutmeg
¼ teaspoon ground allspice
¼ teaspoon ground cloves
¼ cup + 2 tablespoons aquafaba (the liquid from a can of chickpeas)
⅓ cup sunflower or avocado oil (or another neutral oil like grapeseed, safflower, etc.)
192 grams / 1 cup (lightly packed) light brown sugar
1 ½ cups pumpkin puree** (not a whole can) OR 1 ½ cups MINUS 1-2 tablespoons thick pumpkin puree combined with 1-2 tablespoons oat or other non-dairy milk to thin so the total volume is still 1 ½ cups (see notes)
1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Directions
Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line a standard 9x5 sized loaf pan with parchment paper, letting the excess paper hang over the sides.
In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, baking powder, ground spices (cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, allspice, and cloves), and salt.
In a small or medium bowl, use a handheld electric mixer to whip the aquafaba on medium speed for ~60 seconds until uniformly very foamy. Set aside briefly.
In a large bowl, use the electric mixer to beat together the brown sugar and oil until combined. Add in the pumpkin puree (combined with non-dairy milk, if using to thin out thicker pumpkin purees - see notes below), apple cider vinegar, and vanilla extract and continue using the electric mixer to mix until thoroughly combined. Add in the whipped aquafaba and use the mixer once more to combine.
Fold the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients and use a rubber spatula to mix together until just combined, being careful not to overmix. (I like to do this in two rounds, adding the second half of dry ingredients once the first is mostly incorporated.)
Transfer the batter to your prepared loaf pan and use the spatula to smooth out the top.
Bake for about 60-70 minutes (mine typically take about 65-68 minutes), or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean.
Let the bread cool for 15 minutes inside the loaf pan. After 15 minutes, transfer to a wire rack to cool fully (about 3 hours) before slicing.
Notes:
*If you don’t have a food scale, measure the flour using the “spoon and level” method. To do this, “fluff” the flour to aerate it. Then, spoon the flour into a measuring cup until it overflows slightly, and use the back of a knife to “level” the excess flour off the top.
**I developed this recipe using the Farmers Market brand pumpkin puree, which tends to be more watery than other canned pumpkin brands. If you use a different brand of canned pumpkin that’s thicker, simply replace 1-2 tablespoons of the pumpkin puree with 1-2 tablespoons of non-dairy milk to thin out the pumpkin puree (so that the total volume of pumpkin + milk still equals 1 ½ cups) and achieve the same perfectly fluffy texture in your bread!
Loving my pumpkin bread? Please take a moment to leave a review in the comments below and tag me on Instagram (@teostinykitchen) when you share it (I’d love to see)! And if you find yourself dreaming of cool breezes, warm flannel, and corduroy hats, check out more pumpkin recipes here!