The chill has finally settled in, the leaves have all turned, and daylight savings is about to end. It has taken me awhile but I’ve finally said goodbye to summer and am finally settling into fall. I’ve put away the summer clothes and have switched back to hot coffee. This also means I’m starting to cook and bake more hearty and warming recipes including pumpkin everything!
If you are looking for a fluffy, buttery pumpkin bread then I’m sorry to say this is NOT your bread. Instead this bread is SWEET, FLAVORFUL and HEALTHY. Its also a bit denser than your “white flour/egg/butter” pumpkin bread recipe. It is made with unrefined sugars, whole wheat pastry flour and is egg-free/dairy-free. I promise that no one will even suspect its vegan (my family certainly did not!)
Key Ingredients
Whole wheat pastry flour – Whole wheat pastry flour is more finely ground than whole wheat flour and produces a lighter, softer bread. It also has less gluten than whole wheat flour.
Pumpkin spice blend – The key here is to make your own spice blend! I love the pre-made pumpkin pie spice blends when you are in a pinch but they don’t yield the same flavor. I didn’t have powdered ginger so used real ginger that I grated with a microplane and WOW! The bread turns out so much more flavorful when you use the actual spices.
Flax egg – Flax eggs work well in this bread with the whole wheat pastry flour but as a result, the bread is a little denser.
Arrowroot powder – The arrowroot powder further softens the gluten proteins in the flour and makes a more tender bread. You can use cornstarch as a substitute.
Okay now let’s talk about the streusel topping. The topping is totally optional but it add a little more sweetness. I’ve made it both ways (with and without) and I encourage you to make the struesel!
I used coconut sugar instead of brown sugar but you can totally use brown sugar if you don’t mind refined sugars. I also used coconut oil here which DID NOT add an overt coconut taste to the bread. The topping also calls for pumpkin pie spice. Here I used the jarred spice mix for a shortcut since it is just the topping. I did not feel like it negatively affected the taste. If you don’t have a jarred pumpkin pie spice mix, you can also just use cinnamon.
Healthy Vegan Pumpkin Bread with Cinnamon Streusel
This healthy vegan pumpkin bread is dairy-free, egg-free, naturally sweetened and made with whole wheat pastry flour. Your friends and family will never know its vegan!
Ingredients
Pumpkin Bread
- 1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil
- 1/2 cup maple syrup
- 2 flax eggs (2 tablespoon ground flaxseed + 6 tablespoons water)
- 1/4 cup unsweetened milk (almond, oat or soy will work here)
- 1 cup pumpkin purée
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 1/2 tablespoons arrowroot powder (OMIT if you use 2 real eggs)
- 1 3/4 cups whole wheat PASTRY flour
- Pumpkin spice blend:
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon fresh ginger (or 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger)
- 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1/4 teaspoon allspice
Cinnamon Streusel
- 1/4 cup whole wheat pastry flour
- 3 tablespoons coconut sugar (or brown sugar)
- 2 tablespoons melted coconut oil
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon or pumpkin pie spice
Instructions
- Prepare the flax eggs. Combine the 2 tablespoons flaxseed and 6 tablespoons of warm water. Stir and let sit for 10-15 minutes. It should be a GEL-LIKE consistency.
- Preheat over to 325 degrees Fahrenheit
- Grease with coconut oil a 9X5 inch loaf pan
- PREPARE THE STREUSEL TOPPING.
- In a small bowl, mix together the flour, sugar and spices. Add the melted oil and use your fingers to create crumbs. Set aside.
- PREPARE THE BREAD:
- In a large bowl, whisk together the olive oil and maple syrup. Fold in the flax eggs and blend well.
- Add the pumpkin, milk, pumpkin spice mix, vanilla and salt and whisk to blend.
- In a separate bowl, sift together the baking soda, arrowroot powder and whole wheat pastry flour. Add dry mixture to wet mixture. DO not overmix! A few lumps are okay.
- Pour the batter into the greased loaf pan.
- Top the batter with the streusel mix.
- Cover with foil and bake for 30 minutes. After 30 minutes, remove the foil and continue to bake for 25-30 more minutes (55 to 60 minutes total). Check after 55 minutes and test with a toothpick – the toothpick should come clean.
- Allow bread to cook for 15 minutes in the pan. Gently remove from loaf pan and let cool on a cooling rack for 15 more minutes.