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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.
Originally Published: August 22, 2021 | Updated: September 5, 2024
📝 Why You’ll Love This Vegan Pumpkin Bread Recipe
September is here and it may still be a little hot where I live, but that won’t stop me from embracing pumpkin season and fall baking!
This recipe is a classic…it makes the BEST vegan pumpkin bread with just the right amount of sweetness. All around perfect for autumn and I love that it also makes a great Thanksgiving dessert. 🎃
Emily’s Recipe Notes:
- Taste: So much pumpkin flavor with warm spices. The bread has just the right amount of sweetness and the addition of the snickerdoodle streusel topping makes this quick bread absolutely addictive!
- Texture: Super moist, tender and fluffy with crunchy streusel in every bite. It’s downright delicious topped with a smear of dairy-free cream cheese or butter.
- Difficulty: Easy! And you only need 11 pantry-friendly ingredients.
- Time: Like most loaf recipes, it takes about an hour to bake, but the prep time only takes a few minutes. Plus, the batter can be made in one bowl!
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.
Vegan Butter
I love using Violife Vegan Butter in baking recipes. You can learn more about which vegan butter brands are the best for baking here!
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.
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
Use regular unsulphured molasses (not blackstrap). 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.
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.
Pumpkin Pie Spice
This can be swapped for Cinnamon, Nutmeg, and Ground Ginger. See the notes in the recipe card below for quantities.
Dairy-Free Milk
I use dairy-free milk in this recipe which yields a light and fluffy, yet moist texture. You just need 3 tbsp of oat milk, soy milk or almond milk.
Pumpkin Puree
This acts as the main egg substitute in the bread! If you’d like to make a banana bread version, check out this vegan pumpkin banana bread recipe which adds mashed banana to the batter.
Other Add Ins
- 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.
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 & Storage
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.
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.
FAQ
Below are some tips, tricks, and faqs to help you make the best vegan pumpkin bread!
Of course! You can add nuts like walnuts or pecans to make this pumpkin nut bread. You could also add in other flavorings if you’d like. Be sure not to add in ingredients that have too much moisture. The extra moisture will affect the baking time and texture of this bread.
Yes! This bread is dairy-free since it uses vegan butter for the fat to add moisture. I recommend using Violife Vegan Butter or Trader Joe’s Vegan Butter in this recipe.
Unfortunately, this recipe requires molasses and I have not tested substitutes. The acidity in the molasses reacts with the baking soda to help the bread rise.
Absolutely! This recipe would make the best vegan pumpkin muffins. You’ll need to decrease the baking time to be about 22–25 minutes instead of 55 minutes.
More Vegan Pumpkin Recipes
Vegan Pumpkin Bread with Snickerdoodle Streusel Topping
Rate this RecipeIngredients
Snickerdoodle Streusel Topping
- ⅓ cup all-purpose flour, 45g
- ¼ cup light brown sugar, 45g
- 2 tbsp salted vegan butter, 28g, cold
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon, 2g
- ⅛ tsp cream of tartar, 0.5g, optional
Vegan Pumpkin Bread
- ½ cup salted vegan butter, 114g melted but cooled
- ¾ cup light brown sugar, 150g, lightly packed
- ¼ cup unsulphured regular molasses, 80g – not blackstrap
- 1 cup pumpkin puree, 245g
- 1 tbsp + 1 tsp pumpkin pie spice, 7g see notes for substitutions
- 1 tsp vanilla extract, 4g
- ¼ cup soy milk or oat milk, or other dairy free milk
- 1 ¾ cup all-purpose flour, 210g, spooned (not scooped) into the measuring cup and leveled off
- 1 tsp baking powder, 4g
- ½ tsp baking soda, 3g
- ¼ tsp salt, 1g
Instructions
To make the snickerdoodle topping:
- Mix the snickerdoodle streusel topping ingredients together in a small bowl. The mixture should form large crumbles. Set aside while making the bread batter.⅓ cup all-purpose flour, ¼ cup light brown sugar, 2 tbsp salted vegan butter, 1 tsp ground cinnamon, ⅛ tsp cream of tartar
To make the bread:
- Preheat the oven to 350°F.
- Prep an 8.5×4.5” metal loaf pan by lining it with parchment paper.
- Mix the melted vegan butter, light brown sugar, molasses, pumpkin puree, pumpkin pie spice, vanilla and dairy free milk together in a large mixing bowl.½ cup salted vegan butter, ¾ cup light brown sugar, ¼ cup unsulphured regular molasses, 1 cup pumpkin puree, 1 tbsp + 1 tsp pumpkin pie spice, 1 tsp vanilla extract, ¼ cup soy milk or oat milk
- Sprinkle the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt on top. With a fork, sift the dry ingredients together, then fold the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients until they are just combined. The batter should be on the thick side but pourable.1 ¾ cup all-purpose flour, 1 tsp baking powder, ½ tsp baking soda, ¼ tsp salt
- Transfer the batter with a spatula or spoon into the prepared loaf pan. Even out the top of the batter with a spatula.
- Sprinkle the snickerdoodle streusel on the top of the batter. Lightly pat it into the batter.
- Bake for 55-60 minutes at 350°F. TIP: Start checking the bread around the 45-50 minute mark for doneness. The bread should be golden brown on top and the center should spring back when touched. A toothpick inserted into the center should be removed with only a few moist crumbs.
- Let cool in the pan for 10 minutes on a wire rack. Then, remove the bread from the pan and let cool completely before slicing.
Recipe notes
- For the best results, I recommend using a digital scale to measure the ingredients, especially the flour and the pumpkin puree!
- The dairy free milk can be substituted for 1 tbsp Bob’s Red Mill Egg Replacer (11g) mixed with 2 tbsp water. In a small bowl, mix the egg replacer and water together until there are no lumps. Set aside for 3 minutes to thicken. Do not let it thicken for more than 10 minutes.
- Pumpkin pie spice can be substituted for 1 tbsp ground cinnamon, ½ tsp ground nutmeg, and ½ tsp ground ginger.
- The cream of tartar in the streusel is optional. It gives the topping that characteristic snickerdoodle tang.
- This recipe was tested with a 8.5×4.5″ metal loaf pan. If using a glass pan, the bread will need 5-15 additional minutes of baking time.
Did You Make This?
Leave a star rating and a comment below to let others know how it turned out for you!
Categories:
Baked Goods, Fall Recipes, Seasonal, Thanksgiving, Vegan Breakfasts, Vegan Dessert Recipes, Vegan Recipes,
I love this recipe!
I had a can of pumpkin that I couldn’t bring myself to open until I found this recipe. It turned out so good!
I substituted maple syrup for molasses, and used pumpkin pie spice instead of a mix of spices.
Perfect loaf, great texture and not overly sweet. Will definitely make again!
Ive tried a lot pf pumpkin bread recipes over the years…. But this one is honestly perfect. Only minute issue with my outcome is the bread sunk a bit in the center after leaving the oven? Not sure what the science behind that is or if it was a temp issue because the bread was still fully cooked and absolutely delicious. Also subbed coconut and olive oil for the butter in the bread (but did use vegan butter for the crumble topping) I usually dont bother with streusel/ crumble toppings in general just because its messy, but this one was totally worth it. Will be making again.
Hi Sydney! This absolutely makes my day… I’m so glad you loved it!
A little sinking in the center can happen for a few reasons. Even when a loaf looks fully baked, the very middle can still be a touch underbaked, especially with pumpkin since it brings so much moisture. It could also be the pumpkin itself… some cans are really thick and some are looser, and that extra moisture can through off the structure of the loaf. I used Libby’s, which tends to be on the thicker, more consistent side.
Pan size and the material of the pan can play a role too.
If you want to troubleshoot it together, feel free to share what pan you used and whether your pumpkin was on the thicker or runnier side.