Pumpkin Bread (No Oil!)
This Pumpkin Bread is vegan, low fat, oil free and can even be made gluten free by replacing the whole wheat flour with oat flour! It’s easy to throw together and makes the perfect contribution to holiday parties and get-togethers, and no one will even be able to tell there are no eggs or dairy!
This is a delicious treat to make any time of year, and because it’s so full of healthy ingredients, you can feel great about enjoying it any time of day, too! It will not only satisfy your taste buds, but satisfy your soul. Once you try this and share around the recipe, you’ll be coming back to it again and again.
I love making this recipe when I want something filling, cozy and healthy that I can easily reheat throughout the week whenever I need a quick breakfast or snack. It freezes well, so once you’ve finished baking it and allowing it to cool, feel free to cut it into slices and freeze the slices individually if you’re not making it for a gathering to be served right away!
This vegan, oil-free Pumpkin Bread is absolutely delicious served warm with plant-based butter, strawberry or apricot jam, or even peanut butter! I like peanut butter on everything, and a pumpkin/peanut butter combination is never out of the question for me! This recipe is also super easy to make, so even if it’s your first time making it, you can be confident that it will impress anyone who tries it. This recipe can also easily be doubled; because you’re using loaf pans rather than baking dishes like many cakes and dessert bars, you can simply double the ingredients in the recipe below and then use two separate loaf pans to make two loaves of bread. Bake them at the same time, one for your home and one for loved ones!
Whole Wheat Flour: Whole wheat flour serves as a light and fluffy, nutritious foundation of this pumpkin bread. Whole wheat flour, rather than refined white flour, also provides fiber and healthy, complex carbs.
Baking Soda and Baking Powder: Both of these leavening agents work together to help the bread rise and provide a slight crumbly texture to the outside. Be sure to incorporate both of these to give your bread a beautiful rise.
Cinnamon, Nutmeg, Cloves and Ginger: Choosing these spices together gives the bread its warm, cozy, festive taste. Don’t underestimate the health benefits of these spices, either! They boost antioxidants and anti-inflammatory properties, as well. I incorporate ginger in my smoothies, as well, and sprinkle cinnamon on everything from oatmeal bowls to even stir-fries and black coffee!
Pumpkin Puree: What’s a pumpkin bread recipe without pumpkin!? Pumpkin has so many health benefits, and incorporating it in this delicious recipe is a great way to get an extra serving of fruit in. (Yes, pumpkin is technically a fruit!) Pumpkin puree is also a great egg replacer and helps in binding this bread together.
Vegan Condensed Milk: Simply replacing dairy-based condensed milk with its vegan counterpart is a simple way to transform this recipe into a plant-based masterpiece. There is canned vegan condensed milk that you can purchase in-store or online, or you can combine one can of coconut milk with ¼ C organic sugar on the stove, bring it to a boil, then allow it to simmer for about 30 minutes. Remove from the heat and allow it to thicken as it cools.
Unsweetened Applesauce: Applesauce is another great egg replacer in baking, and adds moisture and flavor to sweet recipes, as well. It’s also fat free, and even works as a wonderful replacement for oil in many baking recipes, like this one! Choose sweetened applesauce if you would like your pumpkin bread to be even sweeter, but with the other ingredients in this recipe, it shouldn’t be necessary.
Maple Syrup: In this recipe, maple syrup works as a perfect sweetener because it naturally has the warmth and richness that a comfort food like this needs. It even adds more moisture without preventing the bread from rising.
Vanilla Extract: Of course with vanilla extract, a little goes a long way. It rounds out the flavors of the pumpkin bread, and although it’s such a seemingly-simple ingredient, it’s incredibly versatile and provides the depth that many baked goods need. If you have other types, such as almond or maple extract, you can feel free to play with these flavors instead for a uniquely delicious, subtle twist.
Salt: Just a pinch of salt enhances all of the other flavors and also helps regulate the fermentation process, allowing the bread to develop a more nuanced taste profile by balancing the sweetness and also intensifying the savory notes.
Chopped Walnuts: The chopped walnuts are optional, but they really do elevate both the taste and the texture of your pumpkin bread! Spread a bit of plant-based butter on a slice of this Vegan Pumpkin Bread with walnuts in it and thank me later!
Ingredients
Dry Ingredients
1¾ C whole wheat flour
1 tsp baking soda
½ tsp baking powder
½ tsp salt
1 tsp ground cinnamon
½ tsp ground nutmeg
¼ tsp ground cloves
¼ tsp ground ginger
½ C chopped walnuts
Wet Ingredients
1 C pumpkin puree
¾ C vegan condensed milk
¼ C unsweetened applesauce
¼ C maple syrup
1 tsp vanilla extract
Instructions
1. Preheat your oven to 350°F. Then, line a loaf pan with parchment paper.
2. In a mixing bowl, combine all of the dry ingredients and mix well.
3. In a separate bowl, whisk together all of the wet ingredients.
4. Gradually add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients, stirring until just combined. Be careful not to overmix; a few lumps are fine.
5. Pour the batter into the prepared loaf pan, and smooth with a spatula. Bake in the preheated oven for 50-60 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
6. Once done, remove the bread from the oven and allow it to cool for 10-15 minutes before slicing.
Stefanie is the founder of Life, Veganized, and a passionate vegan and animal advocate. She creates vegan recipes for all palates and resides in Los Angeles with her adorable puggle, Zeus.
