Name: Vegan Gluten-Free Pumpkin Bread
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 1 h
Total time: 1 h 10 min
Cuisine: American
Ingredients: 1 cup pumpkin puree (not pumpkin pie filling); 1 tablespoon ground flaxseed + 3 tablespoons water (see note 1); ⅓ cup unsweetened non-dairy milk of choice; 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar (note 2); 1 ½ teaspoons vanilla extract; ½ cup coconut sugar (see note 3); ½ cup organic cane sugar; 1 ⅞ cups (235 grams) gluten-free 1:1 flour (see note 4); ½ teaspoon baking powder; ¾ teaspoon baking soda (see note 5); ½ teaspoon sea salt; 2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice; ¾ cup chocolate chips + more for topping (or use pepitas, nuts, or nothing)

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This moist and delicious Vegan Gluten-Free Pumpkin Bread is the perfect mix between breakfast and dessert. Easy to make and customize, this loaf can be made with the same measurements using regular all purpose flour if you aren’t gluten-free.

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Hey Internet, while I’m not a PSL (pumpkin spice latte) kinda gal, I do love me some pumpkin baked goods.

And though it’s now the middle of October, I’m still feelin’ pumpkin-y, so I’ve brought you a vegan gluten-free pumpkin bread today! I mean technically, as I’m writing this, it’s more like I’ve updated you one today as I’ve given this recipe some new photos and helpful tweaks to the recipe.

This recipe is loved by my husband who isn’t gluten-free. I also made this and took it into work where it was devoured by my omni, non-gluten-free coworkers. They all told me they loved it and none were the wiser. :)

You just need a bowl, a spatula, a loaf pan, and a few simple ingredients to make this dreamy breakfast / dessert hybrid.

My favorite way to eat this pumpkin bread is warmed in the toaster oven or microwave, and then straight up stuff it in my mouth.

But you could also serve it with fresh fruit (I’m thinking apples and clementines) or other breakfast things like tofu scramble or a vegan omelette.

It’s also great with coffee or tea. I enjoyed mine all week with a homemade cough OK once I went to Starbucks--matcha latte.

I’m sure you can see the gratuitous amount of chocolate chips I’ve added to the recipe. You can swap those out for pepitas (raw pumpkin seeds) or nuts or whatever if you’d like. But you know, chocolate.

Anyway, enough yammering, let’s make some vegan pumpkin bread.

What You’ll Need

Pumpkin puree: Not pumpkin pie filling (which has other ingredients). Just 100% pure pumpkin puree. If you’re making your own, do it beforehand and let it thicken in the fridge for a few hours otherwise it will change the recipe.
Ground Flaxseed + Water: I used flax eggs in this recipe because it works well as a binder and also has a nice taste with the pumpkin (not that it’s that big of a flavor considering there’s such a small amount). However, other vegan egg replacements should work. I’m also a fan of Bob’s Red Mill Egg Replacer, and Just Egg has worked well for me in other baking recipes.
Non-dairy milk: Any kind of unsweetened non-dairy milk will do here. I am partial to soy milk, but any carton plant milk is fine.
Apple cider vinegar: This does a few things--it helps activate the baking soda in the recipe but it also helps the texture. Gluten-free baked goods can sometimes be dense or stodgy (internet cookie for you if you know where I picked up that term), so apple cider vinegar helps counteract that.
Vanilla extract: So nice with the pumpkin here!
Coconut Sugar and Organic Cane Sugar: I love the flavor of the warm coconut sugar with the pumpkin in this recipe, but I was also missing an overall sweetness when I just used coconut sugar so I blended the two. You’re welcome to use all coconut sugar or all organic cane sugar.
Gluten-Free Flour: I used King Arthur Measure for Measure Gluten-Free Flour in this recipe and it works great. I have also made it with Bob’s Red Mill 1:1 Gluten-Free Flour with a lot of success. I’ve heard wonderful things about Cup4Cup gluten-free flour but I haven't used it personally. As I mentioned above, I’ve also tested this recipe with regular all purpose flour and it works great for those of you who aren’t gluten-free.
Baking powder and baking soda: Both of these together help create a gluten-free pumpkin bread with good rise and good crumb.
Sea salt
Pumpkin pie spice: Use a store-bought pumpkin pie spice blend like I did or make your own--I found a nice looking recipe for pumpkin pie spice for you.
Vegan chocolate chips: Make sure to buy certified gluten-free vegan chocolate chips if you need. You can also just substitute pepitas or nuts.

How to Properly Measure Flour

We want to measure our flour by weight, not by volume. When you scoop flour out of a bag or tin with a measuring cup, you're packing it in there and not necessarily getting the same amount each time.

What's better is to use a food scale with a tare function (allowing you to zero out the scale after you've put the bowl on it so your bowl isn't playing a factor in your equation.

Working in grams, put your bowl on the scale and zero it out. Scoop the flour into the bowl until you reach the desired measurement.

How to Make Vegan Gluten-Free Pumpkin Bread

Make the flax egg: mix together the ground flaxseed and water and stick it in the fridge for a few minutes to gel.
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit (177 degrees Celsius) and grease a loaf pan. I also like to line a long strip of parchment paper so that two “tabs” stick out of the long ends of the loaf pan (see picture in article), to make it easy to get it out of the pan.
In a large mixing bowl, add the pumpkin puree, gelled flax egg, non-dairy milk, apple cider vinegar, vanilla extract, and the two sugars (if using both). Mix well.
In the same bowl, sprinkle in the gluten-free flour, baking powder, baking soda, and pumpkin pie spice. Mix until JUST combined--if a few powdery bits remain at this point, that’s OK.
Fold in the chocolate chips if using.
Transfer the mixture to your lined loaf pan. Smooth out the top with your spatula. Pick up the pan and tap it on the counter a few times to settle any air pockets.
Sprinkle a small handful of chocolate chips, pepitas, or nuts on top.
Bake uncovered for an hour or until an inserted toothpick comes out clean. Let cool in the pan for 10 minutes. Use a butter knife to separate the unpapered edges if anything is stuck. Let it finish cooling on a wire rack. It’s best to let gluten-free baked goods cool completely before cutting, otherwise they can be gummy if cut too soon.
Store leftovers in an airtight container on the counter for 2-3 days. Remember that gluten-free baked goods don’t last as long as their gluten counterparts (especially since we don’t use preservatives like commercial brands do).

More Gluten-Free Baked Goods

Like gluten-free baking? I certainly wouldn’t call myself an expert but I fancy myself a good challenge sometimes. Here’s some of my favorite gluten-free baking recipes.

Anything Else?

I really hope you like this recipe! I know I do and so does Mr. Zardyplants, who was happy to eat up all the extra we had from testing.

This vegan gluten-free pumpkin bread is:

Sweet but not too sweet
Moist (sorry)
Chocolat-y :)
Tender
Super Fall-y
Warm
Satisfying
And really easy to make!

Let me know in the comments below if you make this recipe or tag me @Zardyplants on Instagram so I can see your beautiful recreations! If you tag me on IG, I will share your post in my stories :)

Also, one quick request: if you love how this recipe looks or tastes, please leave me a 5-star rating and a nice comment–ratings help more people find my recipes which helps me keep providing them! Thank you!

<3 Liz

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