Readers, I have some advice. Listen; it’s important. You know those times when you have dinner at a friend’s house, and they serve you something really incredible? Always ask for the recipe. If you don’t, you will regret it. It might take months, or even years, but eventually, you’ll find yourself trying every recipe on the Internet to recapture that memory. Save yourself the hours of failed batches: just get the recipe and file it away somewhere safe. So when the folks I was living with a couple of years ago dished out this amazing vegan pumpkin bread, that’s exactly what I did.
This recipe is very slightly adapted from one over at Joy the Baker. Fortunately for you, this post is totally free of irritating, snarky commentary on veganism! Whatever, let’s not fight: we can all agree that this bread rules.
Yesterday I posted about agave-sweetened pumpkin muffins, so check those out if you want something brighter and milder in flavor. This here is the dark, spicy stuff, with a dark, crunchy top and dense, moist insides. It is my absolute favorite pumpkin bread of all time. I’m not always a fan of nuts in baked goods, but don’t even think about omitting the walnuts or pepitas here; they really take this quick bread to another level.
- 1 c flour
- ¾ c whole wheat flour
- 1 c dark brown sugar
- 1 tsp baking soda
- ½ tsp baking powder
- ½ tsp salt
- ½ tsp nutmeg
- ½ tsp cinnamon
- ½ tsp allspice
- ¼ tsp cloves
- 1 c pumpkin purée
- ½ c oil
- 3 Tbsp maple syrup
- 3 Tbsp water
- ½ c chopped walnuts or pepitas
- Preheat oven to 350°F.
- Grease and flour a loaf pan.
- In a large bowl, mix together flours, sugar, soda, baking powder, salt, and spices.
- In a small bowl, whisk together pumpkin, oil, syrup, and water.
- Add wet mixture to dry; combine until just moistened. The batter will be very thick; don’t worry!
- Fold in nuts.
- Pour into prepared pan and bake 45-50 minutes or until top is browned and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
- Let cool 20 minutes; use a butter knife to gently loosen bread from sides of pan, then invert onto a cooling rack.
40 comments
jojo @ veganinbrighton says:
Oct 12, 2012
You’re killing me with all of this pumpkin based awesomeness! This looks amazing!
claryn says:
Oct 14, 2012
Thanks, Jojo
And seriously, you should try it!
Sarah says:
Oct 12, 2012
I’ve got to try this! I love pumpkin bread… who am I kidding.. I love all things pumpkin! Mmmm Thank you, thank you!
Jaclyn says:
Oct 13, 2012
I made these into 6 jumbo muffins and they were so tender and delicious!
Pumpkin Bread by way of Hell Yeah It’s Vegan | Recipe for Going Vegan says:
Oct 14, 2012
[...] decided to try the Pumpkin Bread recipe from Hell Yeah it’s Vegan. I used light brown sugar rather than dark but other than that I followed everything in the recipe. [...]
Christy says:
Oct 24, 2012
So delicious! I didn’t have maple syrup on hands so I subbed sorghum syrup instead, so yummy! This is going to be a new fall favorite. Thank you!
Caryn says:
Nov 5, 2012
This was my first attempt at vegan baking. So good!!! I’m feeling much less apprehensive now about going vegan thanks to this recipe. Thank you so much!
Blue says:
Nov 6, 2012
I’ve made this recipe at least 10 times now. It is amazing.
Victory! « TalkBackJaq says:
Nov 6, 2012
[...] got the recipe from a website called Hell Yeah It’s Vegan! Another lesson learned last night… never give up, you just don’t know what’s [...]
Irene says:
Nov 15, 2012
I’ve made this bread tonight. It’s amazing, so moist and wonderful. I didnt have the maple syrup so i added honey instead. i also replaced a half of the oil with applesauce. I’ll be making it again and again.
Melissa Jo says:
Nov 16, 2012
I was very concerned this wouldn’t work because the batter was so gummy but whoa. This is delicious and I love that there are no egg substitutes. I didn’t have walnuts or cloves but substitutes coriander and extra ginger. Seriously yum. Can’t wait to make again with walnuts and cloves!
Sharing with my anti-vegan coworkers today. They can’t not love this.
Thanks!!
Sydney says:
Nov 19, 2012
I made this last week, and it is absoulutely AMAZING! I’m addicited! But question: would it work for me to make this in a 9×13 pan? I wasn’t sure…and if I did, would it turn out kind of like a “cake”? THe texture & taste of this bread is already like a pumpkin cake I make, but that isn’t vegan, so I thought this could possibly make an awesome replacement!
claryn says:
Nov 24, 2012
Hi Sydney! Cakes are usually a bit sweeter and lighter in texture than quick bread (and the batter is usually quite a bit thinner than this one), so you might want to consider adding more liquid and/or sweetener if you convert this into a cake. But if you like the texture and flavor as is, go for it!
Secondly, you may want to try it in an 8×8″ pan instead of a 9×13″ one — or double the recipe if you want to use it in the larger pan. I suggest this because both a 9x5x3″ loaf pan and an 8x8x2″ pan hold 8 cups. A 9×13″ pan, by comparison, holds 14 cups, so if you’re spreading the same amount of batter across this larger area, it’s going to make for a much thinner cake.
Good luck and have fun!
Beth says:
Nov 21, 2012
YUMMY!!! Tried it on my 16 year old that loves Starbucks Pumpkin Bread, she gave it a thumbs up:-) Thanks!!
Erika Medina says:
Nov 25, 2012
Hello! Thanks a lot! I just made it! Its amazing im eating right now
so moist, dense and flavorfull even my 4 yrs old kid is devouring 
Nicole says:
Nov 27, 2012
This was absolutely amazing and so easy to make! I have been vegan for over a year now and have made a couple vegan pumpkin bread recipes and this was by far the best. I feel like vegan baked good recipes are really hit or miss, but this was delicious and no one even knew it was dairy free! I would also recommend baking it the full 50 minutes. I baked mine for 45, thought it was done, but it was still a little gooey in the middle.
claryn says:
Dec 2, 2012
Yay, I’m glad you liked it, Nicole! Some ovens run a little hotter than others, which is why I usually give a range for baking time — burnt baked goods make me sad!
At-Home Coffee Shop « Travel Eat Repeat says:
Nov 28, 2012
[...] shop it is! Cafe au lait made with a used-twice-a-year milk frother, our latest book club book and vegan pumpkin bread, all enjoyed in sweatpants on my own couch with a kitten on my lap. Who needs a real coffeehouse? [...]
Aimee says:
Nov 29, 2012
Hot damn! I have made this recipe before and wouldn’t share these muffins with anyone they were so good (i made them into muffins). I also added in molasses and chocolate chips. I do a lot of vegan baking and have tried recipes from many different sources and this is by FAR the best. The muffins weren’t the least bit dense or gummy on the inside. I tried to find this recipe again to make tonight and I couldn’t find it (due to Googling vegan pumpkin muffins instead of bread) and i was sorely disappointed with the other recipe I used from another very popular vegan blog. Thank you! I remembered to bookmark you and can’t wait to try out your other recipes!
claryn says:
Dec 2, 2012
I hate when I can’t find the specific recipe I’m looking for! It’s definitely part of why I keep this blog — keeping all my favorites in one place. Glad to hear you love this one as much as I do!
Laila says:
Dec 9, 2012
even the raw batter is delicious…..hmmm… cookie dough vegan ice cream possibilities…any ideas how ?
Patricia says:
Dec 12, 2012
Can I substitute rice flour for the wheat flour? And use only maple syrup for the sweetener? These will be gifts for gluten and sugar intolerant people.
Irene says:
Dec 22, 2012
I made it with a mix of white, wheat and buckwheat flour. I also replaced some syrup with honey and added raisins. Also, cut down sugar in half. Made this bread over 5 times now. Love it!!!
dawn says:
Dec 18, 2012
I want to try this but I was wondering if I should make any changes due to higher altitude. Some cakes require this but I’m not sure about this.
Michelle says:
Dec 29, 2012
So happy I found your blog and can’t wait to try this recipe. I absolutely love anything pumpkin and have been looking for vegan recipe. Do you think coconut oil would work for the oil?
claryn says:
Dec 29, 2012
Though I haven’t tried it myself, I do! Obviously you’ll want it to be liquid enough to blend with the pumpkin, but other than that you should be good to go.
Elena says:
Jan 4, 2013
I made a gluten free version of this and it was amazing! thanks a lot for the recipe!!
claryn says:
Jan 6, 2013
Awesome! Glad you liked it, Elena
Elle Withaar says:
Jan 15, 2013
WOW! this bread is perfect and tastes just like the one at Starbucks! I replaced the whole wheat flour for all-purpose flour (didn’t have any) and didn’t use nuts. I’m going to share this with everyone I know. Thank you!!
claryn says:
Jan 21, 2013
Thanks for the sweet review, Elle!
evolvingtastes says:
Jan 16, 2013
I have made this a couple of times now with tweaks in the spices, and it always turns out great! Thanks for posting this lovely recipe.
Chia says:
Jan 20, 2013
I JUST took this out of the oven- mmmmm yum! I followed the recipe exactly except on 4 points:
1) I used butternut squash rather than pumpkin.
2) I added fresh cranberries instead of seeds/nuts. As a result, I also decreased the liquid by 2 tbs.
3) Instead of a full 1/2 cup of oil, I put in 1/3 cup of oil, and then added applesauce to fill it up to the 1/2 cup line.
4) I halved the amount of sugar.
Like one of the bakers in the comment section above, I was also a little worried since the dough seemed to be a little gummier than the typical sweetbread dough (like banana bread), but it baked beautifully! The spices used complement the butternut squash flavor wonderfully. I will DEFINITELY be making this again (but maybe with 2/3 cup of sugar next time instead of 1/2, since the fresh cranberries tarten it up a bit… but still much preferred over dried cranberries!)
Thank you for sharing this delicious recipe with us!
claryn says:
Jan 21, 2013
Thanks for sharing your twist, Chia! I know folks’ve substituted squash in my sweet potato cranberry muffin recipe before, but I think this is the first I’ve heard of someone using an alternative squash for this one. Butternut squash rules!
Susan J. says:
Jan 30, 2013
Delicious — thanks for the recipe!
I found this one by googling “vegan pumpkin bread,” and this one sounded best. Instead of nuts, I used a couple of handfuls of dried cranberries. This recipe is definitely a keeper.
Stephanie says:
Feb 14, 2013
I don’t have maple syrup, can I substitute agave nectar?
Irene says:
Feb 14, 2013
I did and it turned out great. Mine was actually a light agave syrup
claryn says:
Feb 22, 2013
You can! Obviously it will taste a little different, but the maple flavor isn’t very pronounced in the first place — so you’ll be just fine.
Vanessa says:
Feb 23, 2013
This bread is fantastic! I used a heavy dose of Penzeys Pumpkin Pie spice and it was aromatic and delicious. You were right, you have to add the walnuts to give it the balance in flavor and the texture. I wrapped it up in foil and let it sit overnight and it was absolutely perfect this morning. In fact, I think I’ll eat another piece now….thank you for sharing this and many other fabulous recipes!!
claryn says:
Feb 23, 2013
Thank YOU for the nice comment, Vanessa! This bread — with nuts, please! — is one of my favorites.
Rhonda says:
Mar 20, 2013
Tried this recipe last month and it was awesome, so good. Wanted more, but was out of pumpkin and made it with fresh bananas and no spices, still so awesome. Allergic to eggs and finding a recipe that tastes so good is a treasure. Thank You for posting.