Today’s easy plant based pumpkin bread makes a perfect vegan treat any time of the year (especially fall). It’s oil free and refined sugar free, as well as egg and dairy free. The addition of oats and walnuts make it extra healthy and delicious!
As much as I love baking, I’ll admit that I’m not very good at coming up with my own recipes for baked goods.
Followingother people’s baking recipes? – No problem, I do that at least once a week. Coming up with my own stuff? That’s trickier, since baking is kind of an exact science.
Imagine my joy when this plant based pumpkin bread actually came out good!
This pumpkin bread is moist, dense, and not overly sweet. As with a lot of my recipes, I didn’t add any oil.
This isn’t a low-fat recipe because there’s plenty of fat in the walnuts, but at least nuts ate a natural, unrefined source of fat. Want to make it extra-indulgent? Smear it with some of my homemade peanut butter!
This loafmakes a lovely dessert, a healthy anytime snack, or a good breakfast on the go. I think sprinkling the top with walnut pieces makes it look very pretty, but you can use other nuts or seeds if you like.
Shelled pumpkin seeds (a.k.a. pepitas) will make a delicious and healthy addition.
Feel free to experiment with other mix-ins. Dried cherries, cranberries, raisins, or even chocolate chips will add a delicious twist. I chose to keep it simple with walnuts only to let the subtle flavors of pumpkin stand out.
Here’s an interesting trick that lets this vegan, oil-free loaf come out nice and moist:after you add the batter to the baking pan, make a dome out of aluminum foil and cover the pan with it. It doesn’t have to be very tight, in fact some wiggle room is preferable.
The picture below, bottom right, shows what my dome looked like. Once your pan is covered, insert it into the oven, bake for 45 min, then take the foil off, and continue baking until done.
And since Thanksgiving is right around the corner, I just might add this pumpkin-walnut loaf to the list of desserts I’ll be making.
Looking for vegan recipes for this year’s Thanksgiving dinner? Check out my collection of 80+ vegan Thanksgiving recipes, from appetizers and sides to main courses and of course dessert.
Related recipes from the blog:
Vegan Banana Bread with Walnuts and Raisins – oil-free, made with aquafaba
Vegan Irish Soda Bread – made with aquafaba
Vegan Chocolate Chip Banana Bread – oil-free
Vegan Oatmeal Raisin Cookies – made with aquafaba
Vegan Double Chocolate Zucchini Muffins – oil-free
Yield: 1 loaf
Vegan Pumpkin Walnut Bread Recipe
A classic fall dessert, this vegan pumpkin walnut bread is made with no added refined sugars, fat (besides walnuts) or oil. Enjoy a slice of this vegan pumpkin bread with a hot cup of your favorite tea. Vegan, vegetarian, egg free, dairy free, soy free.
Prep Time10 minutes
Cook Time1 hour 5 minutes
Total Time1 hour 15 minutes
Ingredients
Dry Ingredients:
- 1 cup all-purpose unbleached flour
- 3/4 cup whole wheat flour
- 1/2 cup old-fashioned rolled oats
- 1 Tbsp ground flaxseed (optional)
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp salt
Spices*:
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- 1/2 tsp nutmeg
- 1/2 tsp allspice
- 1/4 tsp cloves
Wet Ingredients:
- 1 1/2 cup canned pumpkin (not pumpkin pie filling!)
- 1/2 cup dark brown sugar
- 1/3 cup maple/agave syrup
- 1/2 ripe banana, mashed
- 1/4 cup almond milk
Mix-ins**:
- 1 cup chopped walnuts, divided
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350° F.
- In a medium bowl, mix all of the dry ingredients and spices until combined.
- In a large bowl, whisk all of the wet ingredients until no lumps are left.
- Add dry mixture to the wet, one-third at a time, gently stirring to combine. Avoid overmixing, a few lumps are ok.
- Fold in 2/3 cup of chopped walnuts (or all of the other filler you are using).
- Lightly spray a loaf pan with cooking spray. (The pan I used is 9 x 5 x 4 inches.) Spoon all of the batter into the pan, making it even on top. Sprinkle the reserved chopped walnuts over the top of the loaf.
- Make a dome out of aluminum foil and loosely cover the pan with it. make sure to leave some room for the rising bread!
- Bake for 45 min at 350° F, then take off the foil and bake for 15-20 min more, or until a chopstick inserted in the thickest spot comes out dry and clean.
- Let rest for at least 10 min before attempting to take the loaf out of the pan, and then cool a little longer on a wire rack before serving.
Notes
*Alternatively, use 2 tsp pumpkin pie spice.
**Alternatively, use up to 1 cup of mixed dried fruit and nuts, or 1/2 cup vegan chocolate chips
Nutrition Information:
Yield:
10Serving Size:
1 slice
Amount Per Serving:Calories: 253Total Fat: 9gSaturated Fat: 1gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 8gCholesterol: 0mgCarbohydrates: 40gFiber: 4gSugar: 16gProtein: 6g
Please note that the provided nutritional information data is approximate.
Want to see more pumpkin recipes? Click here to seea list of 10 more interesting ideas!
Question for you: Have you made avegan pumpkin loaf before using another recipe? Or do you have a favorite Thanksgiving recipe that calls for pumpkin? Please share below!
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Alina Zavatsky - Vegan Runner Eats
Alina first made a switch to a vegan diet in 2013 to optimize her athletic performance as a marathon runner. Eventually she embraced veganism as a way to be kinder to fellow living beings and the environment. Alina hopes that this blog helps its readers on their path to becoming vegan and making this world a better place.
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