This Vegan Gluten-free Pumpkin Bread is so delicious, quick and easy to make and made with oat flour and sorghum flour. Topped with a crispy, sweet coating and caramel spice glaze that makes it addictive. It is full of flavor from pumpkin and rich spices that is further brought out by sorghum flour. It is dairy-free, oil-free and super fluffy!
VEGAN GLUTEN FREE PUMPKIN BREAD
This vegan gluten-free pumpkin bread is amazing, fluffy and healthy! The rich pumpkin spice caramel takes this bread up a serious notch. Makes it stand out from all the rest of the vegan pumpkin bread recipes out there. Guaranteed. If you don’t want to make gluten-free, then you must make my Best Vegan Pumpkin Bread! It’s to DIE FOR and an absolute reader favorite.
Another bonus is this recipe requires no oil or butter. That’s right, totally oil-free vegan pumpkin bread! I make all oil-free recipes and you can learn all about my tips at How to Cook and Bake Without Oil!
If you are a big fan of pumpkin as much as I am, then you definitely need to try these vegan pumpkin recipes. Vegan Gluten-free Pumpkin Waffles or Gluten-free Pumpkin Pancakes for breakfast. Don’t miss the best ever Vegan Pumpkin Cake, Best Vegan Pumpkin Pie or these Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies and we can’t forget these Pumpkin Chocolate Cake Brownies.
INGREDIENTS NEEDED
(Only 8 main ingredients needed. Full details and measurements on the recipe card below.)
- White sorghum flour: This is crucial to the overall texture and flavor of this vegan pumpkin bread. Sorghum yields a tender crumb and has a natural spice-like flavor to it, so it really enhances the overall pumpkin spice flavor beautifully.
- Superfine oat flour: I use Bob’s Red Mill. Fine flour is important so that the bread turns out fluffy and not dense.
- Baking powder
- Pumpkin pie spice: I always use my homemade blend for my recipes. It tastes the best, but store-bought is fine. The flavor may just be a bit less pronounced.
- Pumpkin puree: Make sure you are buying just canned pumpkin and not pumpkin pie puree.
- Maple syrup: Maple syrup tastes so amazing with all those pumpkin spices and keeps these vegan waffles refined sugar-free.
- Roasted almond butter: This replaces the oil, gives a wonderful depth of flavor and is a healthy option instead of oil. You can make it homemade or use store-bought. Just make sure to use a roasted runny/drippy kind and not a stiff, dry or chunky almond butter. Otherwise, your loaf may be dry. Trader Joe’s has a great roasted almond butter.
- Aquafaba: This replaces the eggs and makes the bread fluffy. It cannot be subbed or omitted. Flax makes the bread too gummy.
HOW TO MAKE VEGAN GLUTEN FREE PUMPKIN BREAD
Step 1: Combine your dry ingredients in a large bowl and whisk well.
Step 2: Add the wet ingredients to a separate large bowl and whisk until smooth.
Step 3: Add the dry to the wet and whisk until combined.
Step 4: Spread the batter into a ceramic/stone loaf pan that has been sprayed with nonstick spray.
Step 5: Bake at 350°F (177°C) for 45-55 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.
Step 6: Make your 2 minute caramel spice glaze and then swirl just a bit on top. Bake. The caramel glaze will spread some and bake a crispy, sweet topping.
GLUTEN-FREE FLOURS FOR PUMPKIN BREAD
The magical flours in this loaf are oat flour and sorghum flour. I use sorghum also in my Gluten-free Pumpkin Spice Muffins as one of the optional versions. Here is the thing, sorghum flour is a grain and has an, almost spice-like flavor. It works amazing in conjunction with other gluten-free flours. It works AMAZING when combined with pumpkin pie spices, as they are further enhanced with it. In fact, sorghum makes it taste even better, as it makes the spices richer. Kind of like magic.
Sorghum is also really affordable, too, and I have seen it at every grocery store I’ve been too. Just look in the specialty flour section if you don’t already have it in your pantry. The sorghum is combined with oat flour and aquafaba to create a wonderfully, light and fluffy textured loaf.
Baked to golden perfection and the aromas will smell up your house beautifully! Check out that magical texture.
ALLERGY FRIENDLY
I know there are a lot of allergies out there, so I created this version to fit most allergies out there. This vegan pumpkin bread is not only vegan, but also gluten-free. Not to mention, including the glaze, is just 8 ingredients. It is also oil-free, coconut-free and has a nut-free option.
This recipe does not use almond flour or coconut or any starch. That’s right, no coconut or starch in it! Those are usually my go-to ingredients in gluten-free vegan baking, so this one really is different. I didn’t know if it was possible to make it so delicious, as almond flour is my typical go-to flour. Thankfully, this version is not only lower fat, but still just as delicious. The natural fat from the oat flour and almond butter help to give it that moist, rich taste.
NUT-FREE SUBSTITUTION
If you are allergic to almonds though, I would suggest subbing with sunbutter. It gives a very slight sunbutter flavor, but if you are used to using sunbutter, you probably won’t even notice, as it’s not a large amount.
MUFFIN VERSION
You can make this gluten-free vegan pumpkin bread also into muffins, too! They are fluffy, soft and so divine. To make, divide the batter into 12 muffin liners and bake at 350°F (177°C) for 20-25 minutes until a toothpick is clean.
MORE VEGAN PUMPKIN RECIPES
- Vegan Pumpkin Cream Cheese
- Pumpkin Spice Latte Ice Cream
- Vegan Pumpkin Cherry Muffins
- Vegan Pumpkin Spice Sauce
This post contains affiliate links. See my full disclosure policy here.
If you make this recipe, be sure to leave feedback below and share your pic on Instagram or Facebook and tag me @thevegan8 #thevegan8!
Vegan Pumpkin Bread (Gluten-free and Oil-free!)
Ingredients
- 1 cup + 2 tablespoons (144g) white sorghum flour
- 3/4 cup (96g) fine oat flour
- 1 tablespoon (15g) baking powder
- 1 1/2 tablespoons pumpkin pie spice (I use my homemade blend)
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup (240g) pumpkin puree
- 3/4 cup + 2 tablespoons (280g) pure maple syrup
- 1/4 cup (64g) creamy roasted almond butter (not stiff or too thick, see Notes for nut-free)
- 1/4 cup (60g) aquafaba (liquid from a can of chickpeas)
- 1/4 cup (60g) water
PUMPKIN SPICE CARAMEL (You'll probably want to double this, it's so good!)
- 2 tablespoons (32g) creamy roasted almond butter
- 2 tablespoons (40g) maple syrup
- 2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
- pinch sea salt
- water if needed to thin
NOTE
- To make different versions of this loaf, add in any of your favorite ingredients. I also baked one with chocolate chips and it was to die for. Raisins or cranberries or even nuts would be nice too.
NOTE
- Always use a scale for accuracy when baking, following MY gram weights listed. You never need cups, just the scale and bowl.
- I use this scale.
Instructions
- Preheat an oven to 350°F (177°C) and spray a 9x5 ceramic or glass loaf pan with nonstick flour spray, or grease and flour. OR, this will make 12 fabulous fluffy tall muffins.
- Add the sorghum flour, oat flour, baking powder, pumpkin pie spice and salt to a medium bowl and whisk together until well mixed.
- In a separate large bowl, combine the pumpkin, syrup, almond butter and 1/4 cup aquafaba and 1/4 cup water. Whisk well. You don't want any chunks of almond butter in the batter.
- Slowly add in the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients and whisk until completely smooth and no lumps remain. The batter should be smooth and fairly thick.
- Pour the batter into the prepared pan (or 12 muffin liners) and smooth out the top with the back of a spoon. Take your pan and rock it back and forth a few times, so the batter settles.
- Mix together the caramel ingredients with a fork until smooth. Using only about a heaping tablespoon, drop little dollops over the top of the batter. The more you add, the crispier it will be. Drag with the tip of a knife to create swirls. When it bakes, it will spread some and form a nice, sugary crust on top. Save the remaining glaze to drizzle over the baked loaf later.
- Bake for 45-55 minutes (see next step for muffins) until a toothpick comes out clean. It's ok if there are a few dry crumbs, but it shouldn't be wet batter. The top should be firm and shiny and slightly springy.
- Cool in the pan for at least 30 minutes before removing, as it will be firming up a lot and still cooking as it cools. Flip the loaf over on a cooling rack to cool completely.
- To make as muffins (SO good!), divide the batter between 12 muffin liners. The batter will be filled high. Smooth out the tops with the back of a spoon. Drop a dollop of the glaze on each one and just slightly swirl it around the top with a toothpick. Bake for 20-25 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Mine were done at about 23 minutes. The tops will not spring back because of the caramel crust but it should be fairly firm. Cool 20-30 minutes before eating.
- Drizzle remaining glaze over the top of individual slices when you are ready to eat. If you want the glaze thinner, add a tiny amount of water. Store the loaf/muffins at room temperature. I like to rewarm leftovers just slightly and then drizzle some glaze on.
Notes
- NUT-FREE SUBSTITUTION: If you are allergic to almonds though, I would suggest subbing with sunbutter. It gives a very slight sunbutter flavor, but if you are used to using sunbutter, you probably won't even notice, as it's not a large amount.
- MUFFINS: The nutrition for the muffins (based per muffin for a dozen): 198.7 calories, 4.6 g fat, 35 carbs, 4.7 g protein, 17.7 g sugar
MORE VEGAN PUMPKIN RECIPES
Nutrition
Drooling at my desk. Drooooling. Oh my goodness, this looks amazing. I want to eat the whole loaf right now!
I made this last week and my husband and I LOVED it!! Ooey gooey and decadent. Not to mention the glaze essentially tastes like the inside of a cinnamon roll. Oh yeah. I added chocolate chips and chopped walnuts which put it over the edge. Between the two of us we ate the entire thing over the course of the evening Thanks so much for another home run recipe!
Brandi, you done it again – this recipe looks amazing!!! Caramel crust?! I’m sorry, lady, but you’re going to have to fight with me over the caramel crust 😉 I haven’t had the coffee shop pumpkin loaf in a loooong time because homemade is so much better. This probably knocks the socks off of any pumpkin loaf I’ve never made. Love love love!
Haha! Thank you so much Nancy, you are always just the sweetest! xo
AMAZING!!!! My mom made this for Thanksgiving and everyone loved it…especially Willow 🙂 We’ll definitely be making this again!
Thank you so much Mandy!! SO glad everybody loved it!!!
Thank you for the amazing recipe!! I just made it exactly as the recipe says and it was perfection. I had a question though…do you think if I subbed 1 cup mashed banana for the pumpkin and took out the pumpkin pie spice it would make a good banana bread?! I think I read somewhere you don’t like bananas so you can answer this hypothetically lol!! I have yet to find a good gf/vegan/oil free banana bread that isn’t super gummy and raw when baked. This loaf was perfectly crumbly and soft but still felt baked!! Thanks again!
You are so kind Lara! Thank you so much for the wonderful feedback! So glad to hear it was perfection to you! It’s one of our favs too! I really appreciate the feedback!
Oh and yes, you could try with banana, but I don’t think I would use the same amounts of banana (1 cup) since banana is so dense, it would probably make the loaf on the mushy side. I would maybe just try 1 large banana and then maybe add a little plant milk (almond or coconut milk) if needed to reach that same batter consistency. Or, another option is to make this recipe (the 3rd version) and make it in a loaf pan instead, of course probably doubling the cook time. I haven’t tried it as a loaf, but the cake it absolutely divine and the perfect texture and not overpowering in banana flavor. Let me know what you try!
https://thevegan8.com/2013/06/03/banana-molasses-cake-with-molasses-cream-frosting/
Thanks so much for the amazing advice! I will keep you posted! Love your stuff
This looks amazing!! Can you use regular sorghum flour instead of sweet white sorghum?
Thank you Hannah! I’ve actually only ever seen sweet white sorghum flour by Bob’s Red Mill at the stores, so I think it is the regular kind. I just write out the full name in the ingredient list. I think there is a darker sorghum flour out there, but I’ve never seen any but the white. Do you have the darker colored one? If so, you can try it, I just have no idea how the taste/texture varies in the two, as I’ve only tried it with the white. Let me know if you try it!
Brandi, your recipes always look so delicious! This loaf sounds absolutely amazing. Caramel + pumpkin? Who could resist! Hope you have a wonderful holiday!
Aww thanks so much Ashley! It is definitely the best pumpkin loaf I’ve ever had! Hope you had a wonderful Thanksgiving!!
Girl. Friend. This looks fabulous! I love pumpkin, comfort food, bread, caramel and glazes on top of things. Holy yum!
Thank you so much friend! It is a yummy loaf, if I do say so myself, haha! The glaze just sends it over the top, in a really good way!
pumpkin bread is my literal weakness
Thanks! I love it too!
I stumbled upon your site.
I was drooling when I saw the picture.
Oh my, I counted down the 30 minutes of cool down time.
Be still my heart.
Thank you a million times over for sharing such a lovely recipe.
I feel bathed in the grace of pure goodness.
smiling, swinging my feet like a fourth grader.
crumbs on my face.
Simply, Thank you,
Miss Daleen
Haha!! So awesome Daleen! I’m so glad you loved it so much, face crumbs and all! Thank you for leaving feedback, I really appreciate it!
Yumm!!! I cannot wait to try your pumpkin loaf!! You can never have too many pumpkin loaf recipes and I love the ingredients you used in here 🙂 I’ve never baked with sorghum flour before and need to pick some up to make this 🙂 In the meantime, I have buckwheat flour on hand – do you think it would make a good sub? Pinned 🙂
Hey Ceara! Thank you so much! Hmmm, not sure about buckwheat flour. I’m sure it may technically “work”, but as far as flavor and texture, I don’t know what the result would be. I personally don’t care for buckwheat flour used in large amounts, the flavor I find to be too strong and leave a sandy texture, so for that reason I wouldn’t suggest it. However, if you love buckwheat..maybe it would work! Let me know when you try it! xo
I made this last night. Late. I am not necessarily a pumkin girl but after the salted caramel cookies I had to give this a try. It may have been the glaze that sold me either way it was delicious.
I added some chocolate chips. Not many. But always need chocolate chips. Made the drizzle. And at 1030pm we all had a piece. Like I said it was delicious and I didn’t even notice the almond butter. (I am not a huge fan) . Can’t wait for the next recipe.
One last thing….of all the diverse ingredients I have in my home, pumkin spice was not one of them. I improvised by using cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg, and allspice. Also a bit of ginger. yum.
Wonderful Lisa!! I’m so glad you loved it! Yes, that is exactly why I love using almond butter because it doesn’t leave any specific taste to baked goods, it just makes them moist and flavorful, whereas other nut butters can leave a taste…like sunbutter. So glad it worked out and was a hit, thanks so much for the feedback!
THIS GLAZE WILL NOT MARRY YOU because it’s marrying me! SORRY… I do NOT share 😉
Beautiful loaf and sweet caramel glaze Brandi, Wow. I just have to say how amazing you are. That loaf looks wonderful.
You are so kind Suzanne. Thank you so much!! xo
Oh me o my o
Sorry, I’m having issues when I write comments on my phone. Most of it isn’t here?
Oh well. I did say that this bread is just precious and that the glaze would make a great fudge somehow I bet.
I just love spice breads like this, chocolate chips or not is fine with me Girl.
Love it 😉
Thank you so much Angela! I’ve had weird issues lately posting from my phone too…it will post before I’m done typing..weird!
Anyways, yes, spicy fudge sounds amazing…I just may have to try that, yum!!
Brandi, you have done it once again!! This is the first pumpkin bread I’ve had in over 3 years. That’s when I became gluten free. My taste buds were dancing a little, when I took the first bite!! It’s SOO good!! My husband liked it too, which is always a plus. I added about 1/3 cup of vegan chocolate chips to the recipe…..yummy!!! I have to tell you, since discovering your blog, it’s the first place I go to when I’m searching for a recipe. I have never been disappointed, that’s for sure!! Thank you for all your hard work and time that you put into this. My husband and I both truly appreciate it. It’s great to know that the food I make for him won’t cause his gout to flare up. You are a true gem <3
Wow Melissa!! Thank you for making it so fast and tagging me on a Instagram as well! I’m so happy you and your hubby loved it and it was such a hit. Thank you so much for your kind words and for making so many of my recipes. It means the world to me!
What flour could I substitute for sorghum?
Hi Janet! Can you not have sorghum? Reason I ask is because it is a large amount of the recipe, so subbing it will definitely change the taste and texture. Hard to say since I’ve only tested it using sorghum and what works so well in the recipe.
Does it have to be gluten-free or can you try spelt possibly?
I don’t have any allergies or sensitivities; I was just hoping I could make this without buying another type of flour.
Ok, my best guesses would be to sub the sorghum with spelt flour since it has the least gluten than regular wheat or all purpose. The other option would be to use all oat flour, but just be aware that all oat flour or sub will make the bread much more dense. I’m not a fan of all oat flour for that reason, but some like it 🙂
I would choose spelt as a sub for the sorghum over oat flour. Let me know if you try it, I’d love to hear, thank you!
I’ve never actually eaten the Starbucks pumpkin loaf, BUT I do smell it every morning when I put them into the pastry case and they are so tender and light. Knowing that this is BETTER than that is so magical, and I want to eat the entire loaf!! I am not AT ALL sick of pumpkin yet, in fact I ate an entire can this morning….
What?!! You haven’t eaten one and you work there??? What are you thinking, lol!! Well, we may all have different opinions, but both my hubby and I agreed, we loved it more, haha! An entire can….wow!
Definitely making this! Can never have too much pumpkin!
Yay coconut free! I like coconut a lot but my family and I for some reason don’t tend to prefer it in baked goods. I’ve noticed coconut butter is one of your staples. I appreciated the quick rundown on sorghum! I’m with Rebecca, I tend to be wary of a recipe with ingredients I don’t recognize. Might have to pick up a bag. The caramel crust is genius, Brandi!
Thank you so much Robin!! It definitely makes it extra delicious and the glaze, whoa! The best part about sorghum is it is super cheap and it gives a wonderful, soft texture. Just enough to enhance the loaf! Let me know if you make it, thank you!
This is a very exciting recipe. I’m anxious to go find Sorghum. Thank you for giving a brief description of it so I didn’t close the tab. Usually if I see an ingredient I don’t know, I close the page right away. But the picture of your loaf was too pretty. I had to keep reading!
Aww thank you so much Rebecca! Yeah, I know I typically always use almond flour and it is more common, but there are always so many readers who can’t make those recipes because of nut allergies, so I wanted to create one that everybody could use. Turns out, most gluten-free flours are gritty in baked goods….sorghum leaves no gritty texture whatsoever, and is enhanced by the pumpkin and the spices and makes it soft. I hope you try it and I’ll be using it more for nut-free recipes, since I had success with this one.
Thanks for reading and not closing, haha! Let me know if you make it! 🙂