Ahh, pumpkin bread – one of my favorite fall foods. Yes, as in: It deserves its own food group. WE’RE GOING THERE.
I’ve attempted pumpkin banana bread before but never straight up pumpkin bread. I threw some currants into this batch but honestly, I’m such a purist when it comes to breads that I think I’d even leave them out next time. Ya live ya learn.
Sorry currants, it’s nothing personal, I just discovered that dried cranberries and cherries will forever reign in my heart as favorite dried fruit. #sotangy #sogoooooood
This pumpkin bread is incredibly easy to make, requiring just 1 bowl and ingredients you likely have on hand this time of year. Customize it by subbing cranberries, baked apples, or nuts for currants. Or even chocolate! What? Who said that…?
This bread isn’t a super crumbly sugary bread, but rather a bit more dense and hearty. It’s the perfect healthier breakfast or snack, or fall party dessert. Top it with some cashew frosting or dairy free cream cheese frosting and you’re in serious business. Like, whoa.
Vegan Pumpkin Currant Bread
Ingredients
- 1 ½ Tbsp flaxseed meal (to make flax eggs)
- 4 Tbsp water (to make flax eggs)
- 1 cup pumpkin puree
- 1/3 cup maple syrup or agave (sub honey if not vegan)
- 1/4 cup brown sugar
- 3 Tbsp avocado or olive oil
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1/2 tsp pumpkin pie spice
- 1/4 tsp sea salt
- 1/2 cup unsweetened almond milk
- 1 cup whole-wheat pastry flour (or sub 1/2 all-purpose 1/2 whole wheat)
- 1/3 cup oat flour
- 1/4 cup dried currants, cranberries, or cherries (or sub chocolate chips or nuts)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (176 C). Spray a 9×5-inch loaf pan with non-stick spray (as original recipe is written // adjust number or size of pans if altering batch size.
- In a large bowl, prepare the flax egg by mixing flaxseed meal and water and let rest for 5 minutes. Then add maple syrup, pumpkin puree, brown sugar, oil and stir. Next add baking soda, baking powder, spices, salt and whisk again. Then add almond milk and whisk again.
- Add oat and whole wheat flour and stir until just combined. If it appears too thick, add a little more almond milk.
- Lastly add dried fruit or nuts and fold until just incorporated.
- Pour the batter into the loaf pan and bake until the top is browned and a knife or toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean – about 50 – 60 minutes.
- Allow to cool in the pan for 10 minutes, then transfer the bread to a wire rack to cool completely before slicing. Leftovers will keep fresh in an airtight container or bag for several days.
Jennifer says
I love this recipe. I’ve made it 3x already, and I’m making it again tonight. I use chocolate chunks and walnut pieces instead of currants.
Yum, chocolate and walnuts are always welcome! Thank you for sharing, Jennifer! xo
Bev says
Moist and delicious AND easy! So much healthier than what I used to make.
Yay! So glad you enjoyed, Bev. Thanks for the lovely review!
Yael says
Thanks, it’s so delicious.
Sorry I failed to leave a rating.
Yael 💕
Thanks, Yael! xo
Yael says
Dear Danna
This recipe is great. Thank you so much.
I made it gf, savory.
Your recipes are simply fantastic, and so are your photos.
Best
Yael
Thanks so much for your kind words and lovely review, Yael. We are so glad you enjoyed it! Next time, would you mind leaving a rating with your review? It’s super helpful for us and other readers. Thanks so much! Xo
Jessica says
I made this for a party today. 1. The recipe was easy to follow. 2. Came out moist and good texture. 3. Something was missing. More pumpkin? More pumpkin spice? I don’t know.
It tasted ok. Just a little doughyish but definitely fully cooked.
I may try again with more pumpkin and same cooking time.
Betsy says
My first ever vegan baking endeavor! A triumph! Yay! DELICIOUS! Used all purpose gluten free flour instead of wheat/white flour and almond flour instead of oat flour and added chocolate chips. Moist and perfect! Thank you!
Lisa says
It dropped down to 44 here today so I HAD to make these!! I turned them into muffins so we could easily take the rest on the trip. Baked for around 35 mins and let them sit in the pan for 10. SO GOOD!! Thanks guys!!!
OH! And I used the leftover pumpkin to make overnight oats yum!
Julia P says
Hello! I made this recipe two different ways: both times I replaced the flax eggs with 2 eggs as I am not vegan and do not have flax… The first time I made this with melted butter instead of oil and replaced the oat flour with more all purpose flour. The second time I made it I used sunflower oil and did do the oat flour by grinding up oats in my food processor. I liked the second best-it seemed to be fluffier with the oat flour. Tasty recipe! I did chocolate chunks, by the way. So good!
Julia P says
Also—I cooked this for 40 minutes and then 6 more minutes with tinfoil on top. I found 50 minutes in my oven would brown the top too much.
Smart! Thanks for sharing, Julia!
Angie says
I was really excited to try recipe sadly it didn’t work out for me. I left it in the oven for over 2 hours but it never cooked. The middle was gooey and the top and bottom were completely burnt.
Darcie Mumley says
Delicious and kid friendly. I made this with two eggs instead of flax eggs and it’s great although not vegan.
Thanks for sharing, Darcie!
Jordan says
Delicious. Can ask what topping you’ve poured on top in the photos?
carol a. smith says
Could the whole wheat pastry flour be replaced with all purpose gluten free flour?
Hi Carol! We haven’t tried it, but others have had success with it by adding 1 teaspoon xanthum gum in addition to the gluten free flour! Hope this helps!
Lindsey Otterbourg says
Hi,
I have some extra pumpkins on hand and can’t wait to make this tonight! For the ‘pumpkin pie spice’ what do you recommend I use? I have ginger, nutmeg and cloves, in addition to cinnamon. Would a mix of those do?
Hi! A mixture would work well!
Sarah says
I just made this, and it’s delicious! I made these subs: I doubled the batch so I could use the whole can of pumpkin and added 1/4 cup mashed banana to make it 2 cups. Then I used all-purpose flour instead of whole wheat since I was out, but I still used the oat flour. I used agave, and then used mini chocolate chips to complete it. Can’t wait to make again!
Alison says
Delicious! I’ve made this recipe twice in the last week. Once for a vegan bake sale and the 2nd one for me as I was having a hard time parting with the first as I had snuck a little piece off the end because all good chefs must try what they make. Moist and delicious and not too sweet. Combination of spices are perfect and I love pumpkin any time of year. I added raisins and nuts, instead of icing I have it either as is or with a thick layer of vegan butter.
Agnes says
I made this! Moist and delicious! Used 4ounces applesauce instead of oil. Used 1/2 cup cranberries instead of currants.
Laurie says
As someone else asked: has anyone made this with molasses instead of maple syrup or replaced part of the maple syrup with molasses?
I’m asking because I’m trying to increase the amount of iron in my family’s diet and molasses is loaded with iron and also goes well with pumpkin.
Secondly, has anyone made this without the brown sugar? I’m asking because I have a 14-month old toddler who isn’t allowed cane sugar.
Salmon Arm, British Columbia
Canada
You could definitely try those swaps. I’d say only replace with molasses in part (or the flavor won’t be very good). And the brown sugar can be subbed for coconut sugar. I haven’t tested it this way. But if you give it a try let me know how it goes!
Tal says
I have made this bread 4 times already and it’s wonderful. Everyone loves it. I put a glaze on it the first time I made it but on all the subsequent times I left off any frosting or glaze. I served it warm with a compound maple butter I made with Earth Balance and maple. What a treat.
Ulam says
I made this recipe exactly as listed, which I rarely do, and I didn’t like the end result. It flattened out as soon as I took it out of the oven and was very dense but not fully cooked AND it was kind of bland. Will not be making this again and do not recxomend this recipe.
Rebecca says
We used an entire can of pumpkin and switched out the oil for applesauce, baked the loaf for 1 1/2 hours and the loaf still came out very dense and not really cooked. It had a wonderful flavor nonetheless. I’m sure it’s because I added too much pumpkin puree. I’ll add a cup next time and decrease the almond milk as well.
Kristina says
Can I use coconut flour and oat flour instead of the whole wheat flour and oat flour mixed together???
Laura says
I made this recipe tonight, baked in a muffin pan, and it is so good! I used the honey option, cane sugar and splash of molasses for the brown sugar, and subbed mini chocolate chips and walnuts for the currants. I also had no form of dairy or non-dairy alternatives in the house, so I juiced some carrots and used carrot juice for the almond milk. They were so good that my 12-year-old sister and I had to greatly restrain ourselves from eating the whole batch- we wanted to save some for the morning when my husband gets off of work!
Julia says
Can I substitute maple syrup with molasses? It’s all I have.
Susan says
Excellent pumpkin recipe. It is better than any others I have made over the years with dairy products. I used Ener-G for the flax eggs and added walnuts. We will enjoy sharing this with our friends.
Crystal says
I just made this, sadly it didn’t come out as great as everyone else’s. Every time I try to use a substitute for an egg, the recipe fails on me. I guess you have to have the magic touch? Instead of using flax seed for egg, I used a banana. This is the only thing I changed. My bread as been in the oven for over an hour and it’s still not cooked inside, I don’t get it. I am very sad now.
June says
Wow, how did I miss this one when you posted it?
Going to try it tomorrow and for Thanksgiving. Looks fantastic.
So wonderful! Hope you love it, June!
Sam says
Great recipe! The batch I made tonight made the whole house smell great. I had to improvise a bit based on the ingredients I had. Instead of the oat flour I used 1/3 cup almond flour, 1/2 cup whole wheat, and 1/2 cup all purpose. I was also out of brown sugar so instead I used coconut sugar and added a little molasses.
I tossed in some chopped walnuts and the end result was great. Perfect flavor and texture!
wonderful! Thanks fro sharing, Sam!
TinaStone says
My my, I’m really in love with your easy&gorgious recipes!
I made this pumpkin bread yesterday and it came out so delicious. I used dark chocolate pieces instead of the currents and yes, that was a very good idea… I wasn’t sure if it would work though, because the raw batter was really runny, almost pancake-y! But instead of adding more flour, I decided to trust on your recipe and I’m so glad I did. The bread is just the perfect mix of light and moist.
Thanks!
wonderful! Thanks for sharing, Tina!
Genevieve says
made this to the T and it didn’t turn out–it didn’t cook at all despite me adding to the recommended bake time (still tasted pretty raw on the inside). it is one of my first all vegan recipes though so maybe i didn’t do something right. will try again! thanks for the recipe.
Lily says
Best cake ever!!! I made one last week for a playdate and everyone, including a bunch of 4 year olds devoured it. Today I woke up early and made two just so I could have some for breakfast. It goes great with tea and isn’t very sweet. It’s just perfect!!!!
Vicky says
This is yummy! Perfect for breakfast or a snack, really moist. I used nuts instead of currants.
Steve Lassoff says
This looks great! We shared it in a blog. We are building a community of vegans and would love for you to hop over and leave a recipe.
Maria says
I adore this recipe! As a matter of fact, I’ve made a loaf every week to last me through the work week for the past 6 weeks! It is simply a fantastic hearty loaf that us free of all ingredients I am most allergic to. I’ve even shared the loaf which helps so many that are struggling with food allergies.
Thank you so much for such a solid recipe!
Maria
Victoria, BC
Canada
Oh yay! So glad you enjoyed it, Maria! Thanks for sharing.
Hope says
I made this today with chocolate chips and substituted the oil for applesauce. It was amazing!!!!!!
Bread Fun Recipes says
Yummy, Yummy looking pumpkin currant bread. These pictures look so delicious and appetizing. I can just can imagine the bread itself . This bread is just “Scrumptious Looking.”
Bo says
should i use ground flax seeds?
Yes!
Melody says
So what is the measurement ofthe1.5 flax egg?
1 1/2 Tbsp flax seed meal + 4 Tbsp water
ErinAnn says
I just made this with basic gluten-free flour (plus 1 teaspoon xanthum gum) and it was great!
Angela Sparrow says
This was delicious. I made 2 small changes. I used all oat floor ( gluten free) and made it into 12 muffins. Cooked for 32 minutes ( odd amount of time, but I live in CO and sometimes the altitude messes with baking). Probably could have skipped spraying the muffin tin as the bottoms were a tad greasy. The taste was super! I will definitely make these, again. Thank you for a great vegan recipe!
Chrissy says
I’m going to try to make this for Thanksgiving. But I’m not sure where to get the oat flour. Do you think I can use All Purpose Flour for all the flour instead of combining them?
Yes!
Tamara says
I made this on Monday with chocolate chips and it came out DELICIOUS! Thank you :) One question – do you think this could be made into bars in a baking dish instead of in a bread loaf pan?
Sherry (BTLover2) says
I made this today and just had a piece. OMG! So delicious!! Moist and and not overly sweet. I used cranberries (probably 1/2 cup or so) and did not make the pumpkin cream, but enjoyed it immensely!! This is a keeper!
Abbie Emmons says
Mmm, this bread looks awesome! I would love a slice right now with a hot cuppa tea. <3 especially if it was soaked in pumpkin cashew frosting like that. gaah, it looks so awesome.
pinning!
Ash-foodfashionparty says
Sounds really good and it’s vegan, perfect. The combo sounds yummy, I might even try this with some almond flour. The pictures are so nice.
Crista says
oh, YUUUUUUUUM
Jessica (bakecetera) says
wow! i love me some pumpkin bread (well, pumpkin anything…) and this looks just perfect! it slices so well, too – a tricky feat for lots of vegan baked goods. yum!!!
Mary Hannah says
Wow! I’ve got to give this a whirl! Do you think I could sub in gluten-free flour & gluten-free oats? Thanks for sharing! xx
http://www.thecultureofdesign.com
I think you could, though I haven’t tried it! Making them into muffins might be a better route since you can control how done the middles get done a bit better. Hope that helps!
Mary Hannah says
Thanks for the tip! I definitely don’t want a gooey inside. Happy October autumn baking to you!
http://www.thecultureofdesign.com
Bec says
Sounds lovely. Just wondering though, How big is your tin of canned pumpkin? I’ve never seen it in Australia so I would have to steam and mash my own so I’m wondering how much I’ll need.
Thanks!
I believe it’s about 15 ounces or approximately 2 cups.
Bec says
Great. Thanks for that!
: )
Stefanie @ Sarcastic Cooking says
I just recently fell in love with vegan baking. The flax egg is so easy to do. I cannot wait to try this recipe!
shakti says
Sounds perfect but…..would it work well for almond flour to become gf do you know?
Yes! I think a mix of almond meal or flour and even oat flour would be delectable. Hope that helps!
Katrina @ WVS says
This bread has a fabulous looking texture…gorgeous!