Remember a few months back when everyone was in lockdown and baking banana bread every week. Ha! Good times, good times (not really). So now that we're approaching fall, maybe it's time to switch to pumpkin bread? I think it's a very good idea personally. So I created this delicious vegan gluten free pumpkin bread. And not only is it low in ingredients, it's moist (sorry for using the "m" word) and made in just one bowl! I'm all about less clean up, so if there's a way to make something in one bowl, you better believe I'll do it.
This pumpkin bread is almost too good. I found myself eating it for breakfast, as a snack and as dessert. Because the spiced vegan buttercream icing isn't too sweet, it can work nearly any time of the day, depending on your taste preferences of course. Either way, I can almost guarantee, this vegan gluten free pumpkin bread won't last long in your kitchen!
If you love pumpkin, be sure to check out my other pumpkin recipes!
This "buttercream" isn't a traditional one at all, but it works so well. And I love that you don't need to have any fancy ingredients like vegan butter or cream cheese. All you need are some soaked cashews. Once you blend them with the other ingredients, it's transformed into a silky, smooth, creamy frosting. You'll have leftover buttercream icing (not a bad thing!) so feel free to freeze leftovers or bake up something else that you can use it with. Muffins would also be a great idea!
For this vegan gluten free pumpkin bread, you need the following ingredients:
You can't have a pumpkin bread without the pumpkin, right?! Be sure to use pumpkin purée and not pumpkin pie mix in a can. You can probably substitute fresh pumpkin purée if you have that on hand too. I always use canned because I'm lazy.
This is the canned pumpkin I use.
Any type of dairy free milk will work, but I'd recommend sticking to either oat, almond, cashew or coconut (from the carton). I've personally been loving oat milk lately so that's what I have on hand.
To add some sweetness to the pumpkin bread, maple syrup is essential! I love the flavour that maple syrup adds to this recipe.
Try and use real maple syrup, like this one.
Any type of nut butter will do, but peanut butter will be too strong. I'd stick to almond or cashew. If you need it to be nut-free, perhaps tahini will work too.
This adds some moisture to the pumpkin bread. You'll want to ensure you use melted coconut oil.
One of my favourite egg replacers is using a flax egg. To make a flax egg, you'll need to just combine ground flax seeds with water. For this recipe because I'm serious about just using one bowl, you don't even need to mix it aside separately. Just add some along with some raw apple cider vinegar and you're all set.
I buy these flax seeds and then grind them into a powder. This is a better option than buying pre-ground flax seeds which can turn rancid quicker.
For the flour, you're going to use rolled oats and grind that into a flour with your blender. This is the way I make oat flour at home. You can also buy oat flour as well. You'll need a mix of rolled oats (whole) and flour.
This is the the brand I always buy, which are gluten free!
Gotta have that pumpkin spice! I use a blend in this vegan pumpkin bread, but you can of course use a mix of pumpkin pie spices too.
I love this brand for spices, including pumpkin pie spice.
I just can't resist adding chocolate chips to baked goods! Be sure to use vegan chocolate chips to keep this pumpkin bread vegan, like this brand. If you don't want chocolate chips, you can omit. Or use some walnuts or pecans instead for crunch.
The main ingredient to making this spiced vegan buttercream are raw cashews. Remember to soak them ahead of time. Or if you're like me and always forget, soak them in just boiled water for about 45 minutes to 1 hour and then blend. I use a high powered blender to get it very smooth, I love my Vitamix!
You need a little bit of acidity, so lemon juice it is.
To make this buttercream spiced, you'll need a little bit of warming Fall spices. Just a pinch of each will do the trick.
To help with the creaminess, coconut oil is a great option. You only need a little, but it goes a long way!
To keep things slightly less sugary (I just don't have a big sweet tooth), I like using maple syrup. If you want this to be sweeter, you can use powdered sugar.
To help thin out this icing, a dairy free milk is essential. I use oat milk again because that's what I have on hand, but any dairy free milk will work.
Because this is all made in ONE BOWL, it's soooo easy to whip up! Here is exactly how to make it:
Grease an 8.5 x 4.5" loaf pan with coconut oil and set that aside. Don't forget to preheat your oven too!
In a large bowl, add all the wet ingredients from the pumpkin purée through to the apple cider vinegar and ground flax seeds. And then mix well.
Then add in your dry ingredients from the oat flour through to the spices. Mix until combined and then fold in your chocolate chips. Then give that a final mix.
Pour the vegan pumpkin bread mix into your prepared loaf pan and pop it into your preheated oven. Bake for 50 to 55 minutes. You can tent it with aluminum foil if it's starting to get browned on top, usually during the last 10 minutes.
Let it cool for about 45 minutes to 1 hour and then remove from the pan and place on a cooling rack.
Making this easy vegan spiced buttercream is really easy and quick (minus the whole soaking your cashews thing). Here is how you'll make it:
After your cashews have soaked for at least a few hours (or in just boiled hot water for 1 hour), strain and rinse them.
Add these, along with all other ingredients into a high powered blender and blend on high until smooth and creamy. That's it! There is your easy, vegan spiced buttercream frosting.
I'd recommend storing leftover slices in the fridge in a sealed container. It should keep in there for up to one week. You can also try freezing it for longer, but I haven't tried so I'm not sure how it would taste afterwards. I imagine it would work just fine though.
When you want to enjoy a slice from from the fridge, my favourite way to do so is by reheating it in the microwave for about 20 seconds. This softens it just a bit and it tastes delicious.
Also, you can opt to frost the whole loaf as I did, or individual slices. Just store your frosting in the fridge as well.
If you make this gluten free vegan pumpkin bread, I'd love to hear from you. Feel free to tag me on Instagram, and/or leave a comment, rating or review below.
This post contains affiliate links, which means I may receive a small commission at no extra cost to you. I only share products and services I have personally used and love. Disclosure here.
A delicious vegan and gluten free pumpkin bread that s moist, easy and made in one bowl! Top it with my spiced vegan buttercream icing.
For the Pumpkin Bread
For the Spiced Vegan Buttercream Icing
To Make the Spiced Buttercream Icing
Store leftover pumpkin bread in a sealed container in the fridge for up to one week.
You can keep fresh pumpkin bread on the counter for 2 to 3 days, and then move to the fridge.
Freeze leftover pumpkin bread slices in a plastic bag in the freezer for up to 2 months.
Freeze leftover vegan buttercream in the freezer in a sealed jar or container for up to 2 months.
And I’m so grateful you’re here! Have a look around at some of my favourite recipes and stay a while.
Comment Below
Did you love this? Let us know!