Once upon a time, when I was a starving college student, my mom made the mistake of leaving me home alone with the tray of pumpkin bread for Christmas. Spoiler alert…she came home to 1 slice of pumpkin bread! It was her fault for making such a delicious treat, right? Pumpkin bread has always been a well-loved holiday tradition in my family and I didn’t want that to stop when Izzy developed food allergies. Traditions are important and we can (and should) adjust things so that we can include all of our loved ones! That’s why I came up with this fabulous gluten-free and vegan pumpkin bread recipe!
Pumpkin Bread Ingredients
There are a few key ingredients in my gluten-free and vegan pumpkin bread recipe. They really help to make your bread the best it can be!
- Flour: When I bake this I use my flour mix to make the pumpkin bread. This mix has a great balance of flours and starches to help offer the best texture while also having some fabulously healthy whole grains.
- Pumpkin: I’m not usually super picky about brands, but when it comes to pumpkin puree I am! I have tried a ton of different brands and get the most consistent results from Libby’s pumpkin puree. Many other brands can be wetter, so if you use those you may need to adjust the amount of flour you use.
- Mix-ins: You can add a wide variety of mix-ins to this recipe. In the past I have used things like dried cranberries or chocolate chips. Nuts would also make a fun addition if you can have them.
Substitutions:
You will never see me saying not to substitute anything in one of my recipes. Living life with food allergies means we are constantly having to adjust to make things work for us. Here are a few great substitutions that can work in this recipe if you need them.
- Dairy: While the recipe calls for vegan margarine, you can absolutely use dairy-based butter instead. Both cow’s milk and goat’s milk butter would work fine. I wouldn’t replace the margarine with coconut oil, though, as it may create a slightly greasier bread. You can also use dairy milk in place of the coconut milk.
- Eggs: I’ve intentionally made this recipe egg-free by using ‘flax eggs’. If you would like to use eggs instead, substitute two large eggs at room temperature in place of the finely ground flax seeds and lite coconut milk.
- Sugar: If you’re looking to avoid refined sugars, maple sugar is a great option! I haven’t tried this recipe with alternative sweeteners like stevia or allulose so I can’t speak to how well that would work.
Health Benefits of Pumpkin
Just in case you need some extra motivation to make yourself some pumpkin bread, pumpkin is actually a very healthy food! It’s packed full of nutrients to help keep your body going.
- Fiber: Pumpkin contains a whopping 7 grams of fiber per small serving. According to The Mayo Clinic that is nearly 1/3 of how much most women need per day! Fiber can help with everything from keeping your tummy happy to keeping your cholesterol levels healthy.
- Vitamin A: Did you know that a single serving of pumpkin has well over a day’s worth of Vitamin A! Vitamin A is important for your eyes, immune system, and skin health.
- Magnesium: Magnesium has a multitude of benefits for the body. It has been linked to improved mental health, healthier hearts, lessened muscle cramps, and decreased migraines.
Christmas-time or Any Time!
If you’re like me, pumpkin is an any time food. It’s delicious and healthy and makes the perfect treat every day of the year! Make some now for Christmas in July, whip some up over the holidays, or even bake some just because it’s a random Tuesday and you want a treat! Whatever your reason, you’re going to love this gluten-free and vegan pumpkin bread recipe!
Ingredients
- 90g (6 tbsp) Gluten-Free flour mix
- 90g (7 1/2 tbsp) brown sugar
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 42g (3 tbsp) vegan margarine, melted (such as Earth Balance)
- 1/2 tsp cinnamon
- 185g (1 1/2 cups) Gluten-Free flour mix
- 1 1/2 tsp xanthan gum (omit if your mix contains it)
- 1 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 2 tsp powdered vegan egg replacer (such as Bob's Red Mill)
- 2 tsp pumpkin pie spice
- 1/8 tsp salt
- 70g (1/3 cup) brown sugar
- 75g (1/3 cup) granulated sugar
- zest of 1 orange (optional)
- 80ml (6 tbsp) lite coconut milk, HOT
- 2 tbsp finely ground flax seeds
- 113g (1/2 cup) vegan margarine, melted
- 1 tbsp molasses
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 tsp apple cider vinegar
- 220g (3/4 cup) pumpkin puree
- 1/2 cup mix-in such as dried fruit or chocolate chips (optional)
Instructions
- Make your streusel by stirring together your flour, brown sugar, salt, and cinnamon in a bowl. Add the melted margarine and stir gently with a fork until there is no dry flour remaining and the streusel has clumped. Chill in the fridge until your pumpkin bread batter is ready.
- Preheat your oven to 350*F. Make a parchment paper sling to fit in your loaf pan and grease the uncovered ends.
- Stir the flax seeds into your HOT coconut milk and set it aside to cool and gel.
- Whisk the first 10 (dry) pumpkin bread ingredients together in a mixing bowl.
- In a separate bowl stir together the rest of the ingredients. Add the wet ingredients into your dry and whisk together. Stir-in the mix-ins if you are using them.
- Pour the batter into your prepared pan and top with the streusel. Avoid the edges of the pan with the streusel or it will stick to the top as it bakes.
- Bake for 50-60 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
- Allow the bread to cool in the pan for 15 minutes, then remove it to a wire rack to completely cool (at least 3 hours).