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Easy Plant Based Pumpkin Bread – Vegan, Oil Free Recipe

Today’s easy plant based pumpkin bread makes a perfect vegan treat any time of the year (especially fall). It’s oil free and refined sugar free, as well as egg and dairy free. The addition of oats and walnuts make it extra healthy and delicious!

Plant based pumpkin bread recipe - oil free, egg free, refined sugar free

As much as I love baking, I’ll admit that I’m not very good at coming up with my own recipes for baked goods.

Following other people’s baking recipes? – No problem, I do that at least once a week. Coming up with my own stuff? That’s trickier, since baking is kind of an exact science.

Imagine my joy when this plant based pumpkin bread actually came out good!

This pumpkin bread is moist, dense, and not overly sweet. As with a lot of my recipes, I didn’t add any oil.

This isn’t a low-fat recipe because there’s plenty of fat in the walnuts, but at least nuts ate a natural, unrefined source of fat. Want to make it extra-indulgent? Smear it with some of my homemade peanut butter!

Bread in the pan

This loaf makes a lovely dessert, a healthy anytime snack, or a good breakfast on the go. I think sprinkling the top with walnut pieces makes it look very pretty, but you can use other nuts or seeds if you like.

Shelled pumpkin seeds (a.k.a. pepitas) will make a delicious and healthy addition.

Vegan pumpkin-walnut bread recipe

Feel free to experiment with other mix-ins. Dried cherries, cranberries, raisins, or even chocolate chips will add a delicious twist. I chose to keep it simple with walnuts only to let the subtle flavors of pumpkin stand out.

Here’s an interesting trick that lets this vegan, oil-free loaf come out nice and moist: after you add the batter to the baking pan, make a dome out of aluminum foil and cover the pan with it. It doesn’t have to be very tight, in fact some wiggle room is preferable.

The picture below, bottom right, shows what my dome looked like. Once your pan is covered, insert it into the oven, bake for 45 min, then take the foil off, and continue baking until done.

Collage (1)

And since Thanksgiving is right around the corner, I just might add this pumpkin-walnut loaf to the list of desserts I’ll be making.

Looking for vegan recipes for this year’s Thanksgiving dinner? Check out my collection of 80+ vegan Thanksgiving recipes, from appetizers and sides to main courses and of course dessert.

Oil free vegan pumpkin walnut bread recipe

Related recipes from the blog:

Vegan Banana Bread with Walnuts and Raisins – oil-free, made with aquafaba

Vegan Irish Soda Bread – made with aquafaba

Vegan Chocolate Chip Banana Bread – oil-free

Vegan Oatmeal Raisin Cookies – made with aquafaba

Vegan Double Chocolate Zucchini Muffins – oil-free

Yield: 1 loaf

Vegan Pumpkin Walnut Bread Recipe

Vegan pumpkin walnut bread recipe

A classic fall dessert, this vegan pumpkin walnut bread is made with no added refined sugars, fat (besides walnuts) or oil. Enjoy a slice of this vegan pumpkin bread with a hot cup of your favorite tea. Vegan, vegetarian, egg free, dairy free, soy free.

Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 1 hour 5 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 15 minutes

Ingredients

Dry Ingredients:

  • 1 cup all-purpose unbleached flour
  • 3/4 cup whole wheat flour
  • 1/2 cup old-fashioned rolled oats
  • 1 Tbsp ground flaxseed (optional)
  • 1 tsp baking soda
  • 1/2 tsp baking powder
  • 1/2 tsp salt

Spices*:

  • 1 tsp cinnamon
  • 1/2 tsp nutmeg
  • 1/2 tsp allspice
  • 1/4 tsp cloves

Wet Ingredients:

  • 1 1/2 cup canned pumpkin (not pumpkin pie filling!)
  • 1/2 cup dark brown sugar
  • 1/3 cup maple/agave syrup
  • 1/2 ripe banana, mashed
  • 1/4 cup almond milk

Mix-ins**:

  • 1 cup chopped walnuts, divided

Instructions

  1. Preheat the oven to 350° F.
  2. In a medium bowl, mix all of the dry ingredients and spices until combined.
  3. In a large bowl, whisk all of the wet ingredients until no lumps are left.
  4. Add dry mixture to the wet, one-third at a time, gently stirring to combine. Avoid overmixing, a few lumps are ok.
  5. Fold in 2/3 cup of chopped walnuts (or all of the other filler you are using).
  6. Lightly spray a loaf pan with cooking spray. (The pan I used is 9 x 5 x 4 inches.) Spoon all of the batter into the pan, making it even on top. Sprinkle the reserved chopped walnuts over the top of the loaf.
  7. Make a dome out of aluminum foil and loosely cover the pan with it. make sure to leave some room for the rising bread!
  8. Bake for 45 min at 350° F, then take off the foil and bake for 15-20 min more, or until a chopstick inserted in the thickest spot comes out dry and clean.
  9. Let rest for at least 10 min before attempting to take the loaf out of the pan, and then cool a little longer on a wire rack before serving.

Notes

*Alternatively, use 2 tsp pumpkin pie spice.

**Alternatively, use up to 1 cup of mixed dried fruit and nuts, or 1/2 cup vegan chocolate chips

Nutrition Information:

Yield:

10

Serving Size:

1 slice

Amount Per Serving: Calories: 253Total Fat: 9gSaturated Fat: 1gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 8gCholesterol: 0mgCarbohydrates: 40gFiber: 4gSugar: 16gProtein: 6g

Please note that the provided nutritional information data is approximate.

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Want to see more pumpkin recipes? Click here to see a list of 10 more interesting ideas!

Question for you: Have you made a vegan pumpkin loaf before using another recipe? Or do you have a favorite Thanksgiving recipe that calls for pumpkin? Please share below!

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author avatar
Alina Zavatsky - Vegan Runner Eats
Alina first made a switch to a vegan diet in 2013 to optimize her athletic performance as a marathon runner. Eventually she embraced veganism as a way to be kinder to fellow living beings and the environment. Alina hopes that this blog helps its readers on their path to becoming vegan and making this world a better place.
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Sarah Miller

Sunday 12th of November 2017

Made this in muffin form and they were absolutely amazing!!!!

Alina Zavatsky - Vegan Runner Eats

Sunday 12th of November 2017

Awww Sarah, that's so great to hear!

Linda @dutchbakerblog

Tuesday 18th of July 2017

Hii :) thank you for sharing all your recipes. I just found your blog and Im super excited because Ive been trying all week to bake something amazing for my mum, who due to health issues can't eat eggs, dairy and milk. I hav yet to find a recipe that makes a non gummy cake/bread/muffin but im so excited to try this and your banana bread. My question is whether I can use honey instead of the maple syrup/agave syrup? Will the bread still be okay?

Thank you xx

Alina

Tuesday 18th of July 2017

Hi Linda! I haven't tried honey in this recipe but I don't see why it would be an issue. If you try this, please let me know how it comes out!

Lauren

Wednesday 29th of October 2014

Can I just say OMG? My success rate with baked goods is pretty low (it was worse when I was non-vegan). This recipe is so good, and I danced around the kitchen when 1)it looked beautiful coming out of the oven, and 2)it tasted amazing!! I added choc. chips to the batter and just sprinkled the walnuts on top. Heaven in my mouth!! I will be reposting this recipe on my own blog site and give you full credit!

Alina

Wednesday 29th of October 2014

Wow Lauren, I'm so glad you loved this pumpkin bread! I've had my share of hits and misses with baked goods too, both vegan and non-vegan, but this recipe never disappoints! I've also made pumpkin-walnut muffins following this recipe.

Annie

Friday 15th of November 2013

Yay! The VVP is only a few hours away!

Oil-free pumpkin bread: yum!!

Alina

Friday 15th of November 2013

I know, I'm so excited!

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