📋 Dairy free Pumpkin Bread Recipe

A slice of Dairy-free Pumpkin Bread on a black plate with more in the background.

5 from 8 votes

📋 Dairy free Pumpkin Bread Recipe

This quick and easy Dairy Free Pumpkin Bread is a quick bread made with walnuts, canned pumpkin puree and uses vegetable shortening instead of butter. The walnuts balance the texture perfectly, making it a scrumptious dairy-free breakfast, snack or dessert and is perfect for packing in the lunch bag!

Course Breakfast, Dessert, Snack

Cuisine American, Canadian

Keyword bread, dairy-free, loaf, pumpkin, walnut

Special Diet Dairy-free, Vegetarian

Prep Time 10

Cook Time 50

Total Time 1

Servings servings

Calories 273kcal

Author Terri Gilson

Equipment

Ingredients

1 cup white granulated sugar
⅓ cup vegetable shortening * I use Crisco
2 eggs
1 cup pumpkin purée (fresh or canned) *Do NOT use pumpkin pie filling
1 ⅔ cup all-purpose flour
¼ teaspoon baking powder
⅛ teaspoon ground cloves
1 teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon cinnamon
⅛ teaspoon salt
⅓ cup water
½ cup chopped walnuts

US Customary - Metric

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Instructions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F/175 degrees C then spray a 9X5 loaf pan with non-stick cooking spray. Beat sugar and shortening until fluffy.
1 cup white granulated sugar, ⅓ cup vegetable shortening
Beat in eggs, one at a time.
2 eggs
Stir in pumpkin.
1 cup pumpkin purée (fresh or canned)
In a separate bowl, sift together flour, baking powder, cloves, baking soda, cinnamon and salt.
1 ⅔ cup all-purpose flour, ¼ teaspoon baking powder, ⅛ teaspoon ground cloves, 1 teaspoon baking soda, ½ teaspoon cinnamon, ⅛ teaspoon salt
Add dry ingredients alternately with the water to the batter.
⅓ cup water
Stir in walnuts.
½ cup chopped walnuts
Pour batter into greased loaf pan and bake for 50-60 minutes or until cake tester or toothpick comes out clean.
Cool loaf for 5 minutes, then remove from pan and cool on cooling rack. Sprinkle on nuts as garnish, if desired.

Notes

Expert Recipe Tips:

Don't slice the loaf until you are ready the eat the pieces. Cut the pumpkin loaf as you need it, as slicing it dries it out more quickly. Be sure to cover the sliced end with plastic wrap when you are storing it in the fridge in a sealed container or large Ziploc bag.
Cream the shortening and sugar thoroughly. Beat them together until the mixture looks pale and airy before adding the eggs—this step helps create a light, fluffy texture.
Use room-temperature eggs. Cold eggs can cause the batter to curdle slightly and affect the texture of the loaf, so let them sit at room temperature for about 30 minutes before mixing.
Use pure pumpkin puree—not pumpkin pie filling. Pumpkin pie filling already contains sugar and spices, which will alter the flavor and sweetness of your loaf. Always check the label to ensure it’s 100% pumpkin.
Toast the walnuts for extra flavor. Lightly toasting the chopped walnuts in a dry skillet or the oven for a few minutes brings out their nutty flavor and adds a delicious crunch to the bread.
Alternate adding dry ingredients and water. Mixing the dry ingredients and water in alternating additions prevents overmixing and helps achieve a tender, evenly textured crumb.
Don’t overmix the batter. Once the dry ingredients are incorporated, stop mixing. Overmixing develops gluten, which can make your quick bread dense or tough.
Know your oven. Oven temperatures can vary, so start checking for doneness around the 50-minute mark. If the center is still wet, tent the loaf lightly with foil to prevent overbrowning while it finishes baking.
Cool completely before slicing. Allowing the loaf to cool helps it set and keeps it from crumbling when sliced. If you cut it too soon, it can become gummy inside.
Freeze in slices for convenience. If you plan to freeze the bread, slice it first. Wrap individual pieces in plastic wrap and store in a freezer-safe bag so you can thaw and enjoy a single serving anytime.
Bring to room temperature before serving. For the best texture and flavor, let refrigerated or frozen slices come to room temperature—or warm them briefly in the microwave or toaster oven before eating.

Storage:

Fridge: The dairy free pumpkin loaf can be stored in an airtight container or freezer Ziplock bag for up to 3 days in the fridge.
Freezer: This recipe freezes well for up to 3 months. You can leave it in the loaf pan to freeze, if you prefer (I do this sometimes). Simply cover the loaf with Glad Press n' Seal (affiliate link) and slide the entire loaf into an extra-large Ziplock freezer bag. Or you can use a loaf pan that comes with a lid (see equipment above). I would still put that into a Ziplock bag, just to ensure it stays as fresh as possible.

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