Moist, soft, sweet, and filled with the flavors of fall, my easy Eggless Pumpkin Bread recipe is made in one bowl using regular pantry staples. Best of all, it is naturally vegan, kid-friendly, made healthy with whole wheat flour, and takes just 10 minutes of prep to get in the oven.
About Easy Pumpkin Bread Recipe
There are no two ways about it: we simply love pumpkin-flavored everything! Call us crazy, but we’re 100% on board with this autumnal trend. This quick and easy recipe for Pumpkin Quick Bread is no exception.
If you are a big pumpkin fan like us, then check out these egg-free recipes for Pumpkin Pie and Pumpkin Pancakes.
This recipe is super forgiving and easily adaptable. In fact, it is based on my popular Banana Bread Recipe. The bread has a moist, tender, and soft crumb and is loaded to the brim with warm, cozy flavors.
The entire recipe is super easy: it’s all made in one bowl! It also just so happens to be naturally vegan. Since it is made with whole wheat flour and unrefined raw sugar, it is wholesome and healthy. It is also a favorite among kids!
Table of Contents
Fruit-based purées make excellent egg replacements. The pumpkin works in tandem with the leaveners to replace the eggs for this fall-flavored favorite.
Feel free to swap in your favorite mashed fruit like sweet potato, yam, applesauce, or banana for a different take.
Ingredients & Substitutions
- Whole Wheat Flour – I prefer to bake quick bread and cakes with whole wheat flour to keep things healthy, and I have become very good at whole wheat baking.
Note that the texture is a bit heavier due to whole wheat flour, but the flavor is nice and nutty. You can swap in all-purpose flour or use a 50/50 split of whole wheat and all-purpose flours depending on your preference. - Pumpkin Purée – When I make vegan pumpkin bread or pumpkin muffins, I always make pumpkin purée from scratch. I steam the pumpkins in a pan or Instant Pot, then purée it in a blender. Feel free to check out three ways How to make Pumpkin Puree. Feel free to swap in roasted pumpkin purée or canned pumpkin.
- Oil – Because we’re using fruit purée, you don’t need a ton of oil. This recipe calls for just ¼ cup oil. Any neutral oil will do.
- Sugar – Generally speaking, I use unrefined cane sugar instead of refined white sugar. You can substitute molasses, jaggery, dates syrup, palm sugar, coconut sugar, or maple syrup if you prefer. I would not suggest adding honey as it becomes toxic when heated.
The pumpkin bread is not overly sweet but just sweet enough. If you prefer more of a dessert flavor you can increase the amount of sugar to 1 cup. - Baking Powder & Baking Soda – You’ll need both types of leavening here.
- Ground Cinnamon, Ginger, & Nutmeg Powder – These warming spices bring all the pumpkin pie vibes. Feel free to swap in an equal amount of pumpkin pie spice instead!
- Vanilla Extract – For depth and complexity. Feel free to use vanilla powder or paste instead in this Eggless Pumpkin Bread recipe.
- Apple Cider Vinegar – This helps to activate the baking powder. Feel free to use either lemon juice or white vinegar instead.
- Water or Plant-Based Milk – I prefer the flavor of the bread with milk, but water will do in a pinch.
- Nuts and dry fruits: We always like the addition of some chopped nuts in quick breads. So here I have added some chopped walnuts, which gives a good textural contrast to the moist and soft crumb of the bread.
Cashews, almonds, raisins, pecans or any of your favorite nuts or dry fruits can be added. You can even add chocolate chips if you like or prefer them in your sweet breads.
How To Make Eggless Pumpkin Bread
Preparation
1. First grease a loaf pan (8 x 4 x 2.5 inches) or round cake pan (8 x 2 inches). Line the loaf pan with parchment paper.
2. Measure the pumpkin purée and keep aside. Keep the other ingredients also ready. You will need 1 cup pumpkin purée.
I have used my homemade Pumpkin Puree.
a) Stovetop method: To make 1 cup puree steam or simmer 1 cup chopped pumpkin with some water, till they are completely softened.
Strain and then blend the pumpkin to a smooth and thick puree adding very little water (or the stock in which pumpkin was cooked) if required.
b) Instant pot cooking: For instant pot, steam the peeled and chopped pumpkin in a steamer pan. To steam in the IP, first add 1 to 1.25 cups water in the inner pot.
Place a trivet and then place the steamer pan on the trivet or stand. Pressure cook on high mode for 5 to 6 minutes. Do the quick pressure release. Let the pumpkin cubes cool. Later strain and blend.
Make Wet Mixture
3. In a mixing bowl, add the pumpkin purée. Then add ½ cup + 3 tablespoons sugar (155 grams unrefined cane sugar).
Note that you can use brown sugar, jaggery, molasses or granulated white sugar interchangeably in this recipe.
4. Add the following spices – ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon powder, ½ teaspoon ground ginger powder, ⅛ teaspoon ground nutmeg powder (about 2 to 3 pinches) and a pinch of salt.
Note: You can add 1 teaspoon pumpkin spice mix instead of adding these individual ground spices. You can also increase the quantity of ground spices if you prefer more of a spice cake vibe.
5. Add 1 teaspoon vanilla extract or ½ teaspoon vanilla essence. If not using vanilla then increase the cinnamon powder to 1 teaspoon.
6. Pour in ¼ cup of neutral oil. I used sunflower oil. You can also use melted unsalted butter for a richer loaf. If using salted butter, skip adding salt.
7. Add 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar or lemon juice.
8. Begin to mix all the ingredients with a wired whisk.
9. Mix very well till the sugar has dissolved. Meanwhile, preheat oven at 180 degrees Celsius/350 degrees Fahrenheit for 15 minutes.
10. Now add ¼ cup water or any nut milk (cashew, almond or coconut). If using canned pumpkin purée or a thick pumpkin purée, add a total of ⅓ to ½ cup water.
11. Mix again very well.
Sift Dry Ingredients
12. Take 1.5 cups whole wheat flour (180 grams), 1 teaspoon baking powder and ½ teaspoon baking soda in a sieve.
13. Sift the dry ingredients directly on to the mixed wet ingredients, or sift separately and later add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients.
14. Add ¼ cup chopped nuts. I have used walnuts. You can add almonds, cashews, raisins, pecans or even chocolate chips.
Make The Batter
15. With a spatula, gently fold the dry ingredients in the wet ingredients. Do not over-mix or you’ll risk a tough loaf.
16. The batter should look light and have volume. If the batter looks very thick then add about ¼ cup water and gently incorporate it in the batter.
Use light pressure from your hands while folding.
17. Pour the batter into the prepared loaf pan. Shake and tap the pan on the kitchen countertop a couple of times and level the surface of the batter with a spatula.
Bake Pumpkin Bread
18. Place loaf pan in the preheated oven. Bake 180 degrees Celsius/350 degrees Fahrenheit for 60 minutes to 75 minutes.
For a small oven, keep on the second last rack and use both the heating elements. Since temperatures vary in various ovens, it may take less or more time for baking.
Check after 50 or 55 minutes with a bamboo skewer. If the skewer does not come out clean, then bake until it does.
19. After 60 minutes to 75 minutes, when the top looks golden, check with bamboo skewer and it should be clean. Place the loaf pan on a wired rack to cool.
20. Let the bread cool completely at room temperature. Then gently remove it from the loaf pan. Remove the bottom parchment paper.
21. Slice and serve. You can frost the bread if you want. Refrigerate the remaining bread by placing in an airtight box.
Serving & Storing
Serving: Serve pumpkin bread as a sweet bread with breakfast or evening tea or coffee. Slices of eggless pumpkin bread can also be served as a sweet snack.
Storing: You can store this pumpkin bread for about about a week in the fridge and for 2 to 3 weeks in the freezer. Since no dairy products are used, this sweet bread has a longer shelf life. The recipe makes for 1 loaf of eggless pumpkin bread.
Expert Tips
- I strongly suggest you let the bread cool completely at room temperature before serving. I did not allow the pumpkin bread to cool completely and it was still hot when I took the final photos, so the slices were very moist. If the bread is hot, it can break or fall apart while slicing.
- Wrap the loaf well and/or place it in an airtight box before refrigerating. Refrigerators circulate cold air, which can dry out the contents. Keep your loaf nice and moist by protecting it from the elements!
- Freeze the loaf for up to a few week. Wrap well in parchment and plastic wrap, then place in the coolest part of your freezer to keep it fresh for several weeks.
FAQs
Ooooops! It sounds like you may have over-mixed the pumpkin bread batter. Over-mixing creates too much gluten, which can result in a dry, tough loaf.
You might have also baked it for too long. The goal is to pull it out of the oven right when the loaf is set and no crumbs remain on a bamboo skewer, but before it overcooks.
No, it should last for 1 to 2 days at room temperature if it’s in a covered container. However, if you want it to last for longer for more days, I suggest refrigerating it.
To reheat the bread, add a slice to the toaster oven or pan-fry it in a dry skillet until warmed through.
I suggest using a light-colored baking tin to prevent it from getting too hot.
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Eggless Pumpkin Bread Recipe
Ingredients
Dry ingredients
- 1.5 cups whole wheat flour – 180 grams
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
For wet mixture
- 1 cup Pumpkin Puree – both homemade or canned pumpkin puree can be used
- ½ cup raw sugar + 3 tablespoons – 155 grams unrefined cane sugar. can replace with white sugar, brown sugar or jaggery
- ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon (cinnamon powder)
- ½ teaspoon ground ginger (ginger powder)
- ⅛ teaspoon ground nutmeg or 2 to 3 pinches (nutmeg powder )
- 1 pinch salt
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract or 1 teaspoon vanilla essence
- 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar or lemon juice or white vinegar
- ¼ cup oil – sunflower oil or any neutral flavored oil
- ¼ cup water or any nut milk (cashew, almond or coconut)
Optional ingredient
- ¼ cup chopped nuts – walnuts, almonds, cashews etc
Instructions
Preparation
- First grease a loaf pan (8 x 4 x 2.5 inches) or round cake pan (8 x 2 inches). Line the loaf pan with parchment paper.
- Measure and keep the ingredients ready.
Making wet mixture
- In a mixing bowl, add the pumpkin puree, sugar, ground cinnamon powder, ground ginger powder, nutmeg powder and a pinch of salt. You can even add 1 teaspoon pumpkin spice mix instead of adding these individual ground spices.
- Add 1 teaspoon vanilla extract or ½ teaspoon vanilla essence. If not using vanilla then increase the cinnamon powder to 1 teaspoon.
- Pour ¼ cup oil. Use any neutral-flavoured oil. I have used sunflower oil. Can use melted unsalted butter instead of oil. If using salted butter skip adding salt.
- Then add 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar or lemon juice.
- Begin to mix all the ingredients with a wired whisk.
- Mix very well till the sugar has dissolved. Meanwhile, preheat oven at 180 degrees Celsius or 350 degrees Fahrenheit for 15 minutes.
- Now add ¼ cup water or any nut milk (cashew, almond or coconut) to the wet mixture. If using canned pumpkin purée or a thick pumpkin purée, add a total of ⅓ to ½ cup water.
- Stir vigorously till everything looks mixed well.
Sifting dry ingredients
- Take whole wheat flour, baking powder baking soda in a sieve.
- Sift the dry ingredients directly on the mixed wet ingredients. You can even sift separately and add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients.
- Add ¼ cup chopped walnuts or any chopped nuts – almonds, cashews, pecans or even chocolate chips.
Making the batter
- With a spatula gently fold the dry ingredients in the wet ingredients. Do not overdo the folding.
- The batter should look light and have volume. If the batter looks very thick then add some water and gently incorporate it in the batter. Use light pressure from your hands while folding. If the batter looks very thick then add ¼ cup more water.
- With the spatula, place the batter in the prepared loaf pan. Shake and tap the pan so that the batter spreads evenly in it. Smoothen the surface with a spatula.
Baking
- Place loaf pan in the preheated oven. Bake t 180 degrees Celsius or 350 degrees Fahrenheit for 60 minutes to 75 minutes. For a small oven, keep on the second last rack and use both the heating elements.
- Check after 50 or 55 minutes with a bamboo skewer. If the bamboo skewer does not come out clean, then bake for some more minutes.
- After 60 minutes to 75 minutes, when the top looks golden, check with a bamboo skewer and it should be clean. Keep the loaf pan on a wired rack.
- Let the bread become cool completely at room temperature. Then gently remove it from the loaf pan. Remove the bottom parchment paper. Slice and serve. You can frost the bread if you prefer.
- Refrigerate the bread in a container or freeze it. It keeps well for a week if refrigerated and for a few weeks if frozen.
Notes
Making Homemade Pumpkin Puree
In a pan: To make 1 cup puree steam or simmer 1 cup chopped pumpkin with some water in a pot or pan, until they are completely softened. Strain and then blend the pumpkin to a smooth and thick puree adding very little water (or the stock in which pumpkin was cooked) if required. Instant Pot: Add the peeled and chopped pumpkin in a steamer pan. Pour 1 to 1.25 cups water in the inner pot of the Instant Pot. Place a trivet in the inner pot. Then place the steamer pan which has the chopped pumpkin in it, on the trivet or stand. Pressure cook on high for 5 to 6 minutes. Do the quick pressure release. Let the cooked pumpkin cubes cool and later blend them to a fine puree.Helpful Tips
- If batter looks very thick then add ¼ cup more water. If using canned pumpkin purée or a thick pumpkin purée , add a total of ⅓ to ½ cup water.
- You can increase amount of ground spices.
- Can use all-purpose flour.
- Fold gently using light pressure from hands. Do not over do. The quick bread batter should look light and have volume. If it looks very thick then add water and gently incorporate it in the batter.
- You can add nuts and dry fruits of your choice. You can even add raisins or chocolate chips.
- Use neutral flavored oil. You can use melted unsalted butter instead of oil. If using salted butter skip adding salt.
- For a more sweet taste, you can increase sugar to 1 cup.
- Since no two oven has same temperatures, it may take less or more time to bake.
- For a slightly more sweet tasting pumpkin bread, you can add 1 cup sugar.
Nutrition Info (Approximate Values)
This Eggless Pumpkin Bread recipe from the blog archives was first published on November 2019. It has been updated and republished on August 2023.
thank you for this great recipe
Welcome.
Love your recipes. Thanks so much
Thanks a lot and most welcome.
Hi and thank you for these delicious recipes! The flavour seemed off at first and then I noticed the lower amount of oil in this recipe vs the banana loaf. Is this for a particular reason? The flavor is still nice but it seems to require some butter on top for the right mouthfeel.
I found the flavor perfect for the bread. I have made this pumpkin bread many times and never felt the need to add more oil. But do feel free to add some more oil or butter if needed.
Lovely pumpkin bread. Baked with jaggery.. Too yummmm
Regards,
Anjali
Thanks Anjali for the feedback. Glad to know. Yes the bread can be baked with jaggery.