Better Than Starbucks MOIST Vegan Pumpkin Bread -Truly 1 Bowl Recipe!
Super moist and tender, this vegan pumpkin bread recipe is truly made in one bowl and honestly rivals the Starbucks pumpkin loaf. Perfectly spiced and topped with either a cinnamon streusel or vegan cream cheese icing for the moist MOIST and soft pumpkin bread you’ll ever have, vegan or not!
Why this vegan pumpkin bread is even better than Starbucks
You can stop the search. The best vegan pumpkin bread is officially here. And, like my classic vegan banana bread, 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 gingerbread loaf is a favorite! Check out my vegan cookbook for even more!) and the perfect cozy fall breakfast treat that you need this holiday season.
Wonderful after a Thanksgiving dinner with a cup of coffee, or even for Christmas morning breakfast!
How is this pumpkin bread vegan:
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- most you have in your pantry already! But the key ingredients that make this vegan pumpkin bread so special are:
- Oil: No butter is required here- oil locks in way more moisture for a bouncy and tender soft pumpkin bread slice!
- Organic sugar & light brown sugar: You really need BOTH for a super moist pumpkin bread that has flavor beyond just sweetness. Technically, you can also use coconut sugar to be refined sugar free, but the richness in flavor from the light brown sugar really brings home the autumnal flavors. Just be sure your sugar is organic or certified vegan- all other sugar might NOT be vegan then!
- Pumpkin spice: This is a blend of cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, and cardamom. You can purchase it in stores or make it yourself!
- Pumpkin Puree: Not JUST the flavor and moisture of this bread, but the egg replacement as well. Yep, you read that right! Pumpkin puree is one of my favorite vegan egg replacements. Just like my one bowl pumpkin cake, it helps the recipe to rise perfectly while locking in that moisture.
- Baking soda & baking powder: Because we don’t use eggs, we’re leaning a bit more on the leavening agents to do the rising work alongside our pumpkin. Combined with the pumpkin, it acts as if it’s an egg!
Overview: Step-By-Step How To Make Vegan Pumpkin Bread
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:
- If you’re making a streusel topping, prepare that first! Then onto the pumpkin bread.
- Whisk together the wet ingredients in a large mixing bowl.
- 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
- 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 loaf!
Once baked, remove the loaf from the oven and cover it to let it cool for 10 minutes before serving!
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 pumpkin and oil.
That being said, here’s a trick for making sure that your pumpkin bread is always moist:
- Keep the vegan pumpkin loaf covered immediately after your remove it from the oven!
I like to use a piece of parchment paper (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.
Mini loaves:
I recently tested this recipe as mini loaves, and it worked perfectly! I tested the loaves without the streusel, and the full recipe made 4 loaves baked at 350F for around 32 minutes (though check on them after around 30 minutes).
As always, I love to see your beautiful creations on Instagram and Pinterest, so be sure to tag me there!
Happy Pumpkin Bread Baking!
Want to save this recipe for later? Add it to your favorite recipe board on Pinterest!
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:
Better Than Starbucks MOIST Vegan Pumpkin Bread – Truly 1 Bowl Recipe!
- Prep Time: 10
- Cook Time: 65
- Total Time: 1 hour 15 minutes
- Yield: 12 1x
- Category: Breakfast
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
- Diet: Vegan
Description
Super moist and tender, this vegan pumpkin bread recipe is truly made in one bowl and honestly rivals the Starbucks pumpkin loaf. Perfectly spiced and topped with either a cinnamon streusel or vegan cream cheese icing for the moist MOIST and soft pumpkin bread you’ll ever have, vegan or not!
Ingredients
*Please note that the video features a pumpkin bread recipe that is slightly different than the written. The written version is the most improved upon and therefore should be the one to follow!
- 1 1/4 cup (300 g) pumpkin puree (not pumpkin pie filling)
- 1/2 cup (100 g) organic granulated sugar
- 3/4 cup (150 g) organic light brown sugar
- 2/3 cup (160 g) cooking oil, such as avocado oil, olive oil, or a blend
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1/4 tsp sea salt
- 2 tsp pumpkin spice blend
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 1/4 tsp baking soda
- 2 cup (250 g) all purpose flour or gluten free 1:1 baking flour
Below are the optional toppings. Keep in mind that the cinnamon streusel changes the baking time by 20 minutes.
Cinnamon Streusel:
- 1/2 cup (67 g) all purpose flour
- 1 tsp ground pumpkin spice blend
- 1/3 cup (75 g) light brown sugar
- 3 tbsp vegan butter, melted and cooled to room temperature
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1/8 tsp sea salt
Vegan Cream Cheese frosting:
- 1/4 cup (65 g) vegan butter, room temperature
- 1/4 cup (65 g) vegan cream cheese, room temperature
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
Instructions
- Please read through all instructions before beginning.
- Prep: Preheat the oven to 350F. Grease a 9″ 1 lb. loaf pan and line with parchment paper. Measure out all ingredients before beginning.
- If using a the streusel topping: Whisk together the melted vegan butter, brown sugar, flour, and cinnamon until it resembles a crumble. Then set aside.
- Whisk together the wet ingredients: In a large bowl, whisk together the pumpkin puree, sugar, brown sugar, oil, vanilla extract, and sea salt. Mix until combined. Then add in the pumpkin spice, baking powder, and baking soda, whisking to integrate.
- Finish the pumpkin bread batter: Add in the flour. Whisk until the dry JUST combines with the wet. Be careful NOT to over mix. It’s okay if there are still some clumps- the batter shouldn’t be entirely smooth, just no dry mixture showing.
- Bake the pumpkin bread: Pour the batter into the prepared loaf pan. If topping with the streusel, sprinkle the streusel on top. Place the pumpkin bread into the oven to bake. If baking with the streusel, baking for 1 hour and 20 minutes, covering the pumpkin bread after 1 hour to prevent the streusel from burning. For a plain pumpkin bread, bake for 65 minutes. Remove the pumpkin bread once fully baked and a toothpick comes out clean.
- Slice and serve: Allow the pumpkin bread to cool in the loaf pan for 10 minutes before carefully transferring to a cooling rack to cool for another 10 minutes. If using the frosting, cool entirely before topping with frosting.
- Cream cheese frosting: To make the frosting, use a hand mixer to cream together the vegan butter and vegan cream cheese. Then add in the powdered sugar and vanilla extract, and mix just until combined. Top the pumpkin bread with the frosting, slice and enjoy!
- Storage: wrap the pumpkin bread in plastic wrap and allow it to sit at room temperature for up to 2 days or store in the fridge for up to 5 days. Alternatively, you can freeze the bread by slicing it and placing the slices into a freezer bag. Store in the freezer for up to 1 month. To reheat, place a piece on a piece of tin foil and heat for 5 minutes at 350F.
Notes
Gluten free: use gluten free 1:1 baking flour to make this a vegan gluten free pumpkin bread. I recommend using King Arthur Measure for Measure gluten-free flour blend.
Storage:
-
- 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.
Nutrition
- Serving Size:
- Calories: 173
- Sugar: 16 g
- Sodium: 121.9 mg
- Fat: 2.8 g
- Saturated Fat: 1.6 g
- Carbohydrates: 34.7 g
- Fiber: 1.5 g
- Protein: 2.6 g
- Cholesterol: 6.3 mg
can I do it with buckwheat flour??
Hi Lidia! I haven’t tested this with buckwheat flour so I really can’t speak to how it’ll work. I’m sorry!
hi there,
your recipe says if baking with the streusel it requires a lower temp and 30 more minutes but you didnt provide a specific different baking temperature and then lower down you say bake for 1hr then cover and bake for only an extra 10min? do you mind clarifying this for me please? 😊
it’s currently baking in the oven now so hopefully it turns out OK haha I dropped the temp a tiny bit to account for the extra 10min baking time.
(always love your recipes btw, everything turns out delicious and I bake it all gluten free)
Help, I’m confused about the ingredients in this recipe! In the video you add in yogurt and apple cider vinegar but they are not listed in the recipe. Please advise! It looks so good and I cannot wait to make it!
Hi Lorelei! Oh so sorry for the confusion!! There’s a note at the top of the recipe, that the video slightly varies from the written recipe- the written recipe is the most up to date so you can follow that! 🙂 Enjoy!!
I bake all the time and I followed this recipe perfectly. That being said, this bread has been baking for over 90 minutes and it’s still not even close to finished!! I do not recommend this recipe. I’m very disappointed
Hi Marie! I’m so sorry to hear this is the case, and I’d love to help you because this should not be happening (I’ve tested this recipe myself 8x before publishing, and have since then also made it several times for fun, including this past weekend!). There must have been something swapped- did you happen to use a GF flour that wasn’t recommended?
seriously fantastic recipe! just the right amount of sweet & the pumpkin flavor is outstanding. my friends & family adored it, thank you!!
I am confused by the cinnamon and pumpkin spice with the struesel topping and the bread batter. Is there a misprint of ingredients or does the topping also have pumpkin spice and the bread batter also have cinnamon? thanks!
Hi Aurora! Not a misprint! The bread contains both pumpkin spice and cinnamon, and the streusel contains pumpkin spice 🙂 Enjoy!! Let me know how it turns out!
Hi. Can you check your instructions? I’m making this today, and step number three for the streusel tipping says to add cinnamon. It doesn’t mention the pumpkin spice, so I don’t know if I’m supposed to add the cinnamon, which wasn’t listed in the ingredients for the streusel.
Hi Nathalie! So sorry for the confusion! The pumpkin spice actually goes in at step 4 but isn’t a part of the streusel itself! I hope this makes sense! 🙂
Well, my question isn’t exactly the same. I am leaving out the streusel topping, but want to be sure the batter is supposed to have cinnamon, as it is not in the instructions (but is in the ingredient list). I hope that makes sense!
Has anyone made this without adding the regular sugar? It was my first time making this recipe and you specified when to add the brown sugar but I missed the white sugar! It’s in the oven now so we’ll see! I’m keeping my fingers crossed.
Love love this recipe!! Made last week to get cozy for the fall. Perfect for a sweet treat or breakfast. wish there was another version of the recipe with less sugar.
What a delicious recipe! It has just the right amount of warm spices and great pumpkin flavor. I made mini loaves and they came out great!
Can I reduce the sugar in this a bit? I don’t like the Starbucks bread it’s way too sweet. Just seeing by how much I can reduce it and still make it good! Thank you
Hi Sarah! So I wouldn’t reduce it by more than taking out 1/4 cup (50 g). Otherwise, you’ll impact that rise and bake of the pumpkin bread!
This was my first recipe that I made from your blog – having just discovered your blog! This pumpkin loaf was amazing, super easy and a huge hit at our family Sunday dinner. It was perfectly baked after 55 minutes. I did the version with the frosting – adding a bit of the pumpkin spice mix to the frosting, and then also dusting some on top. Thank you for a great recipe.
This is fabulous!!! Oh I just love it!! Love the frosting on top 🙂 Thank you so much for the lovely review!! Enjoy!
Delicious! My fiancé said “that was delightful!” 🙂 and he is not a pumpkin person!
The flavor was great. The cooking time for the bread with streusel topping was way too long. The outside edges of the cake were overdone and hard. I will try the recipe again and experiment with the cooking time.
This bread is AMAZING! It is so incredibly moist and flavorful, and the whole family loved it. I skipped the topping, and it’s fantastic without it, but next time I will try the streusel topping. Great recipe!
Love the consistency, it’s super soft & moist but not too crumbly or chewy. I used less sugar and put crushed pecans as a topping instead of the crumble and everyone loved it. Perfect for fall 😊
Thanks for this receipt. It is easy to make but too much sugar and therefor way too sweet! Will try it to use half of the amount next time.
Hi!
If I use GF flour for the streusel – is a one to one in terms of grams? I plan to use the KA one to one flour. Thanks.
Hi Susan! Yes 1:1 in grams AND in cup measurements as well! 🙂 Enjoy!
I made this recipe with yogurt (as previously written) and it was fantastic. However, I have made it since it’s been updated and it hasn’t turned out. I’m in a high attitude area and wonder if that is the problem. Any help would be greatly appreciated.
This recipe is excellent! I made it today. I replaced the oil with Forager Project cashew yogurt b/c I don’t use oil or vegan butter. It turned out great. I made the pumpkin bread minus the toppings because I’m a simple girl. This one is a keeper! Thanks so much for the recipe.
Oh my gosh this is wonderful!! Thank you so much for sharing 🙂 Enjoy!!
I made this cake with the crumble topping and it was so good! My whole family loved it 🙂
Hoping you can give modifications for using fresh pumpkin 🎃. Just cooked some up and can tell the hydration level of fresh is so much more than canned…
Thanks!
I adjusted this recipe to make it a bit healthier… I added 20g bran, subbed in a bit of whole wheat flour and cut the oil by 1/4 cup. I had doubled the recipe, a can of pumpkin was a little short so I made up the difference with apple sauce. To insure a good rise, I added a pinch of ginger and a bit of potato starch and flakes! It was a huge hit (thank God).
So happy you loved it!! This sounds amazing 🙂 Thank you for the review!!
Hi there! did you make any swaps to the recipe? It didn’t rise at all so that’s telling me it may have been a baking powder issue- you can check if your baking powder is still working by adding a teaspoon of vinegar to a teaspoon of baking powder- if it foams, it’s still good but if it doesn’t, then that’s likely the culprit. Though it looks like there may have been alterations to the recipe?
No swaps, completely as written, choosing the GF 1:1 option. So strange! It’s a new can of baking soda, but I wonder if it’s just no good, it’s not the kind I usually buy. I’ll try your trick!
Good news is my 5yo destroyed a piece after school and loved it (I cut off the tough edges lol)
Oh I’m so happy your kiddo loved it though!! What GF flour brand did you use?
I made this and brought it to a girls’ weekend for our breakfast. It was delighted by all!! Goes exceptionally well with an autumn cup of joe! I will continue baking this for friends and family!!
AMAZING!! Thank you so much for the review!! So grateful everyone loved it 🙂 It’s one of my all time favorites to bake right now!!