One Bowl Easy Vegan Pumpkin Bread Recipe (Gluten Free)

This one bowl easy vegan pumpkin bread is even BETTER than Starbucks! Naturally eggless, dairy free, lower in fat, and easily gluten free, yet tastes just like the classic! Topped with a cinnamon cream cheese frosting, this vegan pumpkin bread is full of warming spices, super moist, and tender- absolutely no one will know this pumpkin bread is vegan!

Why this vegan pumpkin bread is even better than Starbucks

You can stop the search. The best vegan pumpkin bread is officially here. And it’s even better than Starbucks, TRUST ME.

With fall coming in very fast, you might be craving that classic Pumpkin Spice Latte and a good slice of Starbucks pumpkin bread. Unfortunately, Starbucks doesn’t have a vegan version of their pumpkin bread. But don’t worry- we can make it at home just as easily and naturally vegan. 

This vegan pumpkin bread is every bit as moist and tender in texture, with sweet warming spices that come through for the ultimate pumpkin flavor. 

Made in just one bowl and with just a few simple ingredients, this is easily one of my easiest vegan quick bread recipes (though the vegan banana bread and vegan gingerbread loaf are favorites!) and the perfect cozy fall breakfast treat that you need this season. 

Ingredients & Substitutions:

I am quite obsessed with how simple this easy vegan pumpkin bread is. It’s so incredibly quick to throw together, and your kitchen will smell just absolutely amazing throughout the process.

Plus, the ingredients are so incredibly simple. All you’ll need for this super moist yet oil free vegan pumpkin bread is:

• Flour: you can use all purpose, gluten free 1:1 baking flour, or oat flour. I’ve tested both and they work perfectly! 
• Organic sugar & brown sugar: you can also use coconut sugar to be refined sugar free.
• Pumpkin spice: This is a blend of cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, and cardamom. You can purchase it in stores or make it yourself! 
• Dairy free yogurt: This is our vegan egg replacement. You can also swap in applesauce or more pumpkin puree. I personally like it in place of flax egg. 
• Vegan butter: You can also swap in coconut oil.
• Pumpkin Puree
• Leavening agents: don’t forget the baking powder and baking soda!

How to make vegan pumpkin bread (overview)

For the full written instructions and ingredient measurements, see the bottom of this post in the recipe card. You can also hit the “jump to recipe” button at the top of this post! Here, we’ll go over a brief overview of the steps, along with providing visuals for a better understanding of the recipe. 

To make a vegan pumpkin bread:

1. If you’re making a streusel topping, prepare that first! Then onto the pumpkin bread.
2. Whisk together the wet ingredients in a large mixing bowl.
3. Then add in the dry ingredients, and whisk gently into the wet ingredients. Mix the batter JUST until all of the dry is mixed into the wet. You don’t want to over mix the batter
4. Pour the pumpkin bread batter into the loaf pan.

Now for this next part, you can either add a cinnamon streusel on top for a vegan pumpkin bread with streusel topping or you can just bake it as a regular (but still absolutely amazing) vegan pumpkin bread!

Once baked, remove the loaf from the oven and cover it to let it cool for 10 minutes before serving!

Make a vegan gluten free pumpkin bread:

If you’d like to make this a vegan gluten free pumpkin bread, simply swap in gluten free 1:1 flour.

I’ve tested both methods with nearly identical results. If you’re going the gluten free route, I highly recommend using King Arthur Measure for Measure. It’s really quite amazing!

Optional add-ins:

You can, of course, jazz up your vegan pumpkin bread with a few of these optional stir ins:

• Vegan chocolate chips
• Walnuts
• Cranberries
• Pumpkin seeds or pepitas
• Pecans

How do you keep pumpkin bread moist?

The question everyone is asking! So because this is an eggless pumpkin bread, you might be thinking it’s impossible to get a moist pumpkin bread.

Nope! In fact, because this is a vegan pumpkin bread, it’s actually extraordinarily moist, thanks to the applesauce. Even though we’re not using any oil in the actual loaf, the applesauce provides a lot of moisture to help from drying out the bread.

That being said, here’s a trick for making sure that your pumpkin bread is always moist:

• Cover the pumpkin bread immediately after your remove it from the oven!

I like to use a piece of tinfoil (the same one I use to keep the streusel from burning- if you’re using the streusel!) and just gently place it over the loaf pan. Allow the vegan pumpkin bread to sit for 10 minutes covered, then carefully remove it from the pan.

How to know when vegan pumpkin bread is done

Typically, pumpkin bread, whether vegan or not, usually cracks at the top, and that’s how you’ll know it’s done.

However, if you’re going with the cinnamon streusel route on top of this vegan pumpkin bread, I recommend sticking a toothpick into the middle of the loaf to check the doneness. The toothpick should be completely clean when removed.

Either way, the toothpick method is a very good and tried-and-true method. If you’re not doing the cinnamon streusel topping, though, another trick you can do is towards the end of the suggested bake time, lightly press the top of the pumpkin bread.

If it bounces back, then you know it’s ready. If it’s sort of slow to bounce back, it still needs some time.

Can I substitute pumpkin in pumpkin bread?

Yes, this is a pumpkin bread recipe, but what if you’re all out of pumpkin and can’t run to the store? Not a problem!

You can easily swap in an equal amount of pureed sweet potato or pureed butternut squash.  The bread will taste slightly different, but not by much.

Storage & Reheating

• Room Temperature: Because this pumpkin bread is so moist, you can store it easily at room temperature for 2 days. I recommend wrapping it tightly with plastic wrap to ensure that it keeps as long as possible.
• Fridge: Alternatively, you can keep this pumpkin quick bread in the fridge, wrapping it in plastic wrap the same day. The vegan pumpkin bread will last for about 5 days with this method (although I bet you’ll finish it before then!).
• Freezer: If you want to have pumpkin bread for weeks after you make it, not a problem! I recommend slicing the pumpkin bread and storing in a freezer safe bag for up to a month. To reheat the pumpkin bread, simply place a slice on a piece of tin foil and heat in the oven at 350F for 5-7 minutes.

You are just going to absolutely love this super soft & tender vegan pumpkin bread! This fall inspired bread is:

• Super easy to make
• Simple in ingredients
• Naturally vegan, eggless, dairy free, and nut free
• Easily refined sugar free and gluten free
• Perfect with a cup of coffee
• Full of warming spices
• Naturally lower in fat 
• Tastes BETTER than Starbucks!!

As always, I love to see your beautiful creations on Instagram and Pinterest, so be sure to tag me there!

Happy Pumpkin Bread Baking!

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If you make this recipe, please be sure to leave a comment and a rating ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ below. This helps others to find the recipes! As always, I absolutely love to see your beautiful creations on Instagram and Pinterest, so be sure to tag me there as well!

Watch how to make vegan pumpkin bread:

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