Vegan Pumpkin Bread with Snickerdoodle Streusel

This tried and tested recipe makes the best vegan pumpkin bread that’s fluffy, moist, and packed with cozy pumpkin flavor. Plus, it’s topped with a sweet, snickerdoodle-inspired, cinnamon sugar streusel that will have you wanting one more slice.

Ingredients:

This vegan quick bread is made with about 11 ingredients that make it flavorful, sweet, and tender. 

Since this is an eggless recipe, I’ve opted for pumpkin puree, a bit of molasses, dairy free milk, and baking soda to create a super moist yet fluffy pumpkin loaf. Don’t omit the molasses. The acidity in the molasses and brown sugar reacts with the baking soda, helping the bread rise. Without it, the bread will be too dense.

To make this one-bowl recipe, you’ll need to gather to following:

• Vegan Butter: You can learn more about which vegan butter brands are the best for baking here!
• Pumpkin Puree
• Molasses
• Pumpkin Pie Spice
• Light Brown Sugar
• Pure Vanilla Extract
• Dairy Free Milk
• All Purpose Flour
• Baking Soda
• Baking Powder
• Salt

Vegan Egg Substitutes for Pumpkin Bread

To make sure this was the best vegan pumpkin bread recipe, I tested it with different egg replacers and without egg replacers. 

When testing this recipe, I really loved the texture that dairy free milk and pre packaged egg replacers like Ener-G Egg or Bob’s Red Mill gave the pumpkin loaf. Both of these egg replacers are proprietary blends of starches that help bind and leaven the baked goods. They are harder to come by than ground flaxseed but they do give this eggless pumpkin bread a fluffy texture.

• For Dairy Free Milk: This is what I recommend using for this pumpkin bread. It yields a light and fluffy, yet moist texture. You just need 3 tbsp of oat milk or almond milk.
• For Bob’s Red Mill Egg Replacer: This recipe can also be made with 1 egg worth of egg replacer. Use 1 tablespoon of the Bob’s Red Mill Egg Replacer powder and 2 tablespoons of warm water to create the vegan egg. Let the mixture sit for 2 minutes to thicken.
• For a flax egg: To make a flax egg, all you need is a ground flaxseed meal and water. This recipe requires 1 egg worth of egg replacer. So use 1 tablespoon of ground flaxseed and 2 tablespoons of warm water to create the flax egg.

Substitutions & Add-Ins

• Light Brown Sugar: This can be swapped for another granulated sweetener like coconut sugar. I don’t recommend using regular white sugar as the bread will lack flavor and I don’t recommend using a liquid sweetener like maple syrup as it will alter the texture. 
• Molasses: While I don’t recommend subbing the brown sugar for maple syrup, other readers have had success swapping the molasses in this recipe for pure maple syrup.
• Pumpkin Pie Spice: This can be swapped for Cinnamon, Nutmeg, and Ground Ginger. See the notes in the recipe card below for quantities.
• Vegan Butter: Canola oil, melted coconut oil, vegetable oil, or even olive oil can be used in place of the vegan butter. However, be sure to increase the amount of salt by about 1/8 tsp.
• Chocolate Chips: Feel free to fold in a few handfuls of dark chocolate chips or chunks to make a ooey-gooey vegan chocolate chip pumpkin bread.
• Pumpkin Seeds: You can top the pumpkin loaf with pepitas (or pumpkin seeds) instead of the snickerdoodle topping. 
• Add Mashed Banana: Sub out half the pumpkin puree for mashed banana to make a yummy vegan pumpkin banana bread.

Helpful Equipment

• Loaf Pan: I used a metal loaf pan which helped the loaf bake evenly, but you can also use a glass bread pan. A glass pan will require 5-10 extra minutes in the oven to bake all the way through.
• Large Bowl: To make the batter.
• Wire Cooling Rack: For cooling the pumpkin bread after it bakes. 
• Parchment Paper: This is optional. You can line the baking pan for easier removal of the bread.

Step by Step Instructions

*Ingredient quantities are in the recipe card below*

STEP 1: Prep the snickerdoodle topping by mixing the ingredients together in a small bowl.

TIP: The topping calls for a tiny bit of cream of tartar to give it that characteristic snickerdoodle tang. It can be omitted to make a normal cinnamon sugar streusel.

STEP 2: Mix the wet ingredients together with the light brown sugar (melted vegan butter, pumpkin puree, molasses, spices, vanilla, and dairy free milk) in a large mixing bowl.

STEP 3: Sprinkle the flour, baking powder, salt and baking soda on top. With a fork, sift the flour and baking soda together. Then, mix the wet and dry ingredients together to form a thick batter.

STEP 4: Transfer the batter to the prepared loaf pan.

STEP 5: Press the streusel topping on the top and bake for 55 minutes to 1 hour.

Serving

Once the pumpkin bread is done baking, let it cool for about 10 minutes in the pan. Then, transfer it to a wire rack to finish cooling at room temperature. 

Slice the bread and serve with a tall glass of soy milk or almond milk! You can also pair it with a classic pumpkin spice latte for double the pumpkin, and your friends and family will be begging you for more.

Storage

This bread can be stored in an airtight container or wrapped in plastic wrap at room temperature for 2-3 days. To keep it extra fresh, wrap the whole loaf (without slicing it)- this will prevent it from drying out.

After 2-3 days I recommend freezing the slices to prevent the loaf from drying out.

Helpful Baking Tips

• Don’t omit the molasses: Molasses helps add extra moisture, flavor, and sweetness to the bread. It is also acidic so it reacts with the baking soda which helps the bread rise. 

• Use a digital scale: Like all my baking recipes, I highly recommend using metric measurements / using a digital scale to weigh out ingredients. This will produce the most accurate results.

• Make sure the batter is on the thicker side: The batter should be thick yet pourable. You can spoon it into the baking pan if needed.

• Let the bread cool before slicing: Cooling the loaf completely will help give you clean slices. 

More fall-inspired vegan recipes and quick breads: 

• Double Chocolate Zucchini Bread
• Vegan Pumpkin Biscuits
• Fluffy Maple Pumpkin Pancakes
• Pumpkin Pie Cream Cheese Danish
• Cinnamon Cupcakes
• Vegan Sweet Potato Muffins
• Vegan Pumpkin Cinnamon Rolls