Vegan & Gluten Free Pumpkin Bread

It’s time to take back pumpkin.

Listen, I get it. There are few things more quintessentially “fall” than the sights of changing leaves, the gentle nip of an autumn breeze, and above all else, the smells and tastes of warm apple and pumpkin confectionaries. With the arrival of cool autumn air, we welcome these season flavors with open arms, and very eager stomachs.

But at some point, pumpkin got a bit too crazy. Lattes? Sure. Cookies, cakes, and pies? You bet. But pumpkin spice marshmallows? Pumpkin spice Pringles? Pumpkin spice flavored whey protein? Need I say more?

Like I said, it’s time to take back pumpkin.

This vegan, gluten-free pumpkin bread recipe can be baked as loaves or as muffins. You get all the delicious pumpkin flavor made with actual pumpkin, and in a food that, you know, should actually have pumpkin in it. Equally perfect for dessert or for a sweet breakfast fix!

Ingredients:

3 1/2 cups gluten-free flour (I like King Arthur GF all-purpose)
2 1/3 cups sugar (I like sugar in the raw)
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt (I like coarse sea salt)
1 teaspoon nutmeg
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 15-ounce can pumpkin puree, or just under 2 cups*
1 cup coconut oil (melted)
1/3 cup maple syrup
1/3 cup water (if needed!)

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 325°F
2. Grease and flour two loaf pans or two muffin tins, or line muffin tins with cupcake liners.
3. In a large bowl, combine together pumpkin puree, coconut oil, and maple syrup.
4. Combine dry ingredients in a medium-sized bowl.
5. In three batches, slowly add dry ingredients into the wet ingredients. The batter should be thicker than cake batter and should not quite pour. The batter should not be dough-like, either.
6. If necessary, add water and mix until batter reaches proper consistency.
7. Pour batter into pans or tins.
8. Bake loaves for 50-60 minutes, or muffins for 30 minutes.
9. Let rest in pan for 15-20 minutes before removing.
10. Dust the tops with a little extra cinnamon and sugar.
11. Never return to the world of pumpkin spice Poptarts again!

Make Your Own Pumpkin Puree

Of course if you are growing pumpkins in your garden, you can skip the canned pumpkin puree and make your own. You’ll need about two cups for the pumpkin bread recipe, though if you have too much puree, you could just make more muffins…

1. Preheat oven to 325°F
2. Cut pumpkin in half, stem to base. Remove seeds and pulp.
3. Cover each cut side with aluminum foil.
4. Bake in the preheated oven, foil side up, 1 hour, or until tender.
5. Scrape pumpkin meat from shell halves and puree in a blender. Strain to remove any remaining stringy pieces.

One Last Recipe

This bread is already quite sweet, but this maple cashew butter is a must-include! And really simple to make, to boot!

Not sure what to do with your end-of-season harvest? In a food rut and need some inspiration or new recipes. Come to our Using & Preserving Your Harvest Workshop, October 14^th at 6:30 PM.

Register Today!

Receive a discount for bundling two or more in our fall workshop series (including Season Extension and Chicken-Keeping 101).