Plant-based Pumpkin Bread
A healthy and delicious oil-free quick bread featuring pumpkin and a crunchy pumpkin seed topping.
Equipment
- oven
Ingredients
- 1 can 15 oz pure pumpkin puree (about 1¾ cups)*
- ¾ cup plant milk
- ½ cup apple sauce
- 1 tsp vanilla
- 1 tsp cake batter or vanilla extract
- 1¾ cups white wheat flour or spelt flour**
- ½ - ¾ cup coconut or date sugar or cane sugar
- 1 Tbsp milled flax seed (flax meal)
- 1 Tbsp + 1 tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp pumpkin pie spice***
- ½ tsp cinnamon
- ¼ tsp salt optional
- ¼ cup pumpkin seeds pepitas (optional)
- 1 tsp coconut sugar optional
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350° F.
- Prepare a standard bread loaf pan by greasing the inside with coconut oil. No greasing required if using a silicone pan. See Notes below if making muffins.
- In a separate mixing bowl, combine the dry ingredients. Set aside.
- In a larger mixing bowl, combine the wet ingredients.
- Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients; fold together until just combined.
- Taste the batter and add a little more vanilla, sugar, pumpkin pie spice, or cinnamon, as desired.
- Pour the batter into the prepared loaf pan and spread evenly.
- Sprinkle the pumpkin seeds over the batter and gently press in to ensure they remain in place. Sprinkle a teaspoon of coconut sugar on top, if desired.
- Bake for 60-75 minutes or until a cake tester or toothpick poked in the center comes out clean. I bake mine for about 70 minutes.
- Remove the pumpkin bread from the oven and allow to cool on a baking rack for 10 minutes.
- The pumpkin bread should have pulled away from the sides, but if needed, carefully slide a butter knife around the edges of the loaf pan. Gently remove from the pan and place on the baking rack.
- Allow to cool completely before slicing into 10 to 12 slices, depending on desired thickness.
Notes
* If using home cooked pumpkin puree, ensure the texture and consistency is similar to commercially canned pumpkin puree. If it is too wet, strain the puree for 30-40 minutes to release some of the liquid.
** You may use a mixture of flours to achieve a lighter texture, including a 1 for 1 gluten-free baking mix. Though you may need to bake this longer if using a gluten-free flour. I like using white whole wheat flour or spelt flour in baked goods.
*** If you don’t have Pumpkin Pie Spice, you can make your own by combining ½ tsp cinnamon, and a little less than ¼ tsp each of ginger, nutmeg, and allspice, then sprinkle a dash of clove. This should provide just about 1 teaspoon, which is what you need for this recipe.
- This pumpkin bread makes incredibly delicious muffins. Grease or line and fill the muffin tin. Since these healthy plant-based pumpkin muffins do not contain oil or eggs, they do not rise as much as traditional muffins. Thus, I recommend filling the batter level with the top of the pan or liner. This will result in a more traditional bakery-style crown, but requires more time in the oven. This makes 12 standard muffins. Since muffin tins vary in size from one pan to the next, as does the amount of batter used in each, you’ll need to keep an eye on them and adjust until a cake tester or toothpick comes out clean. As a guide, fully filled mini muffins may take for 20-25 minutes, standard muffins may take 30-35 minutes (I bake mine for about 35 minutes), and jumbo muffins may take 40-45 minutes. Allow to cool 10-15 minutes before serving.