Vegan Pumpkin Bread with Walnuts & Chocolate

The best healthy vegan pumpkin bread made with spelt flour, pumpkin puree and naturally sweetened with maple syrup! Loaded with warming spices, perfectly moist and studded with walnuts and chocolate for the ultimate fall breakfast.

Say hello to fall… and the pumpkin bread of your dreams!! Super soft, moist and studded with the perfect amount of toasty walnuts and dark chocolate.

The inspiration for this recipe came from my craving for a thick slice of bread with chocolate in it, a can of half opened pumpkin and spelt flour that needed some attention. While I love experimenting with gluten free vegan baking, time to time I just love a good simple classic recipe using just one kind flour and my go-to is always spelt.

I’ve made this pumpkin bread about 3 times since perfecting the recipe and I swear, each time I fall in love with it more. Paired with coffee for breakfast, a scoop of ice cream for dessert or as is for a snack, it’s perfection for any time of the day.

How to Make Vegan Pumpkin Bread

This recipe for pumpkin bread is made with just 10 wholesome ingredients!

The Ingredients

• Pumpkin: Canned pumpkin is best for this recipe since its the most consistent vs. homemade pumpkin puree. I used E.D. Smith Brand which is slightly more wet than Libbys. If using libbys, you may need to increase the amount of soy milk by 1-2 tablespoons.
• Maple syrup: My favourite sweetener to use with healthier fall baked goods cause 1. maple + fall flavours = the best combo & 2. no refined sugars which I prefer for breakfast-y recipes.
• Spelt flour: When I’m not baking up gluten-free things, this is my go-to flour. It has a mild sweet flavour that is so complimentary to baked goods.
• Almond butter: Adds a bit of healthy fat to keep this bread nice and moist. Use sunflower butter to keep this recipe nut free.
• Soy milk: I started this recipe with lite coconut milk because it is higher in fat vs. other non-dairy milks, which is great to keep things moist but wasn’t a fan of the slight coconut-y taste with the pumpkin so opted for my other go-to milk when baking because its higher in fat and protein content.
• Pumpkin pie spice: I recommend my pumpkin pie spice blend because it has so much flavour and spices vs. store bought ones! I’ve found that store bought ones just doesn’t cut it for that cozy, warming spice flavour because it’s typically over 50% cinnamon. The addition of the cardamom and black pepper really just brings it to the next level.
• Add-ins: I went for walnuts and chocolate chips cause I love that combo with the pumpkin but you can swap it for other nuts and seeds or keep it simple and skip it all together.

In addition, you’ll also need baking basics like vanilla, baking powder, baking soda and apple cider vinegar.

The Directions

1. Whisk together all the wet ingredients until smooth and well combined/
2. Add in the dry ingredients and whisk until just combined. Unlike gluten free baking, be careful not to over work it! The batter is slightly thick, it should be scoop-able but not dry (see photo of reference).
3. Transfer the batter to a 8.5×4.5 inch loaf pan, top with more chocolate and walnuts and bake for 50-60 minutes or until toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean (few cooked crumbs are okay). Allow the loaf to cool for 3 minutes in the pan and then carefully remove and let it cool completely on a wire rack before slicing.

Tips & How to Store

• Make it gluten free: While I haven’t tested this for myself, I would use a blend of oat flour, almond flour and potato starch based on my other quick bread recipes. Start with 1 1/4 cup oat flour, 1/2 cup almond flour and 1/4 cup of potato starch. Alternatively, you can try and use a gluten free flour blend with a 1:1 ratio.
• Make them into muffins: Divide the batter between 10 greased or lined muffin cups and bake at 425 F for 5 minutes and then at 350 F for 17-20 minutes.
• Store at room temperature: Wrap the whole loaf or slices and it will last on the kitchen counter for 3-4 days.
• Freeze: Once cooled, slice and securely wrap. Place in freezer safe bag or container and freeze for up to 2 months. Thaw at room temperature or wrap with a damp paper towel and microwave for 20 seconds or until warm.

I hope you try and love this delicious tummy warming pumpkin bread as much as I do! It’s so moist, fluffy and just textural perfection. I highly recommend this with some coffee in the morning or a scoop of vanilla ice cream for dessert.

More quick bread recipes to love!

• Favourite healthy banana bread
• Apple cinnamon bread with crumble topping
• 1-bowl Zucchini bread
• Vegan gluten free banana bread

SAVE IT FOR LATER! ↓

If you recreate this Vegan Pumpkin Bread recipe let me know how you liked it by leaving a comment and rating below or by tagging me on Instagram @Okonomikitchen, I love seeing all of your tasty recreations!
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Vegan Pumpkin Bread Recipe

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5 Stars 4 Stars 3 Stars 2 Stars 1 Star

5 from 2 reviews

• Author: Lisa Kitahara
• Total Time: 1 hour
• Yield: 8 servings 1x

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Description

Vegan pumpkin bread made with wholesome ingredients & naturally sweetened with maple syrup. Moist, fluffy and studded with chocolate chips and walnuts for the coziest fall breakfast!

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Ingredients

Units USM Scale 1x2x3x

• 1 cup pumpkin puree (250g)
• 1/2 cup maple syrup (160g)
• 1/3 cup + 1 tbsp soy milk (95ml)
• 2 tbsp drippy almond butter (32g)
• 2 tsp vanilla extract (10g)
• 1 tbsp apple cider vinegar (15g)
• 1 3/4 cup spelt flour (224g)
• 1 tbsp pumpkin pie spice (13g)
• 2 tsp baking powder (10g)
• 1 tsp baking soda (5g)
• 1/2 cup walnuts, roughly chopped (65g)
• 1/2 cup chocolate, roughly chopped (80g)

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Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350 F (180 C). Line a 8.5×4.5 inch loaf pan with parchment paper. 
2. Into a large bowl, add in the pumpkin puree, maple syrup, soy milk, almond butter, vanilla extract and apple cider vinegar. Whisk until combined and smooth. Add the spelt flour, pumpkin pies pice, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Whisk until the batter starts to get thick. Then use a spatula and mix using folding motions, until almost combined. Fold in the walnuts and chocolate, this should finish off mixing without over working the batter. 
3. Transfer the batter into the prepared pan. Smooth out the top with a spoon or spatula and make sure that the corners are filled for even baking. Optional but recommended: top with chocolate chips and walnuts and press them in.  
4. Bake for 50-60 minutes or until smooth pick comes out clean when inserted in the middle. A few cooked crumbs are okay. If you find your loaf is burning faster at the top (some ovens tend to do this when baking times are long), cover with foil and continue to bake. 
5. Allow the loaf to cool in the pan for 3 minutes and then carefully remove and transfer to a wire rack to cool completely (about 1 hour). Slice, serve and enjoy!
    

Notes

• Helpful Equipment: 8.5×4.5 inch loaf pan, spatula, mixing bowls, whisk
• Nutritional Information Disclaimer: Nutrition information is a rough estimate calculated on an online tool (Cronometer). 

• Prep Time: 10 minutes
• Cook Time: 50 minutes
• Category: breakfast
• Method: baking
• Cuisine: vegan, gluten free, north american

Nutrition

• Serving Size: 1 slice
• Calories: 312
• Sugar: 16.6g
• Sodium: 202mg
• Fat: 14.4g
• Saturated Fat: 4.6g
• Unsaturated Fat: 6.8g
• Trans Fat: 0
• Carbohydrates: 41.8g
• Fiber: 6.2g
• Protein: 7.1g
• Cholesterol: 0

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