Vegan Chocolate Chip Pumpkin Bread

I promise that once you try this Vegan Chocolate Chip Pumpkin Bread, you’ll be hooked. I’ve made this recipe no less than two dozen times in the past three months, and people keep asking me to make it again. So I’m adding this recipe to my personal book of favorites and will probably be coming out with other flavors and variations in the future.

PREHEAT THE OVEN AND PREP THE PANS

It’s pretty easy to whip up a batch of this deliciousness in about ten or fifteen minutes. Start by preheating your oven to 350 degrees. Make sure you have a good oven thermometer inside and confirm that the temperature of your oven matches the reading on the oven display. Oil and flour a couple 9 x 5-inch loaf pans. This is an important step and if you do it, the finished loaf will literally fall into your hands. Clean up is easy too! No elbow grease required.
MIX THE WET INGREDIENTS

In a medium-size bowl, mix up the wet ingredients. Fifteen ounces of canned pumpkin, a cup of unsweetened applesauce, a cup of vegetable oil and 2/3 of a cup water. Whisk it or better yet, whiz it with your high-speed electric mixer. I use a handheld KitchenAid mixer, but a regular Kitchen Aid would work also.
MIX THE DRY INGREDIENTS

In a large bowl, I poured two cups of white sugar, three and a half cups all-purpose flour, two teaspoons baking soda, 2 teaspoons baking powder and one and a half teaspoons of salt. A few more spices to finish it off include one teaspoon each of cinnamon and nutmeg, half a teaspoon of cloves, and one-quarter teaspoon of ground ginger. Whisk it up until everything is well combined.
COMBINE WET AND DRY INGREDIENTS AND ADD CHOCOLATE CHIPS

While whisking the contents of the large bowl, I poured in the contents of the medium-size bowl and thoroughly mixed everything together. Finally, I added four ounces of vegan semi-sweet chocolate chips and carefully folded them into the mix with a spatula.

:: tiny voices squeak ::

“Where do we get the vegan chocolate chips?”

It really depends on where you live. I got lucky and found these babies at my local Fred Meyers. SunSpire isn’t the only company that makes dairy-free chocolate chips. Amazon sells them too, but you may have to pay a bit more and/or buy in bulk. I recommend checking all local grocery stores first to compare prices. A lot of grocery stores have a health food section. If you can’t find anything there, look for local co-ops or health food stores. See if Azure Standard delivers bulk health food to any groups in your area. If so, I recommend looking through their online catalog to see prices and availability.

PUT MIXTURE INTO PANS AND BAKE

After folding in the chocolate chips, I divided the mixture up as evenly as I could between the two bread pans. A gentle shake from side to side evens out the surface and then I pop them on the middle rack in the oven. That’s it! All done. That’s what makes this recipe so great. Simply mix and bake.

Set the timer for an hour and fifteen minutes. If you have a finicky oven like me, check them at the 50-minute mark. To check, insert a toothpick into the center of the loaf. If the toothpick comes out clean, the loaves are done.

Vegan Chocolate Chip Pumpkin Bread

Dry Ingredients:

2 Cups Cane Sugar
3 1/2 Cups All Purpose Flour
2 Teaspoons Baking Soda

2 Teaspoons Baking Powder

1/2 Teaspoons Salt

1 Teaspoon Ground Cinnamon

1 Teaspoon Ground Nutmeg

1/2 Teaspoon Ground Cloves

1/4 Teaspoon Ground Ginger

Wet Ingredients:

2/3 Cup Water

1 Cup Vegetable Oil

1 Cup Applesauce

15 oz Canned Pumpkin Puree

Other Ingredients: 

4 oz Vegan Semi-sweet Chocolate Chips

Directions: 

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Oil two 9 x 5 inch loaf pans and dust with flour.

Combine and mix dry ingredients in one bowl.  Combine and mix wet ingredients in a second bowl.

Stir the two mixtures together and fold in the chocolate chips. 

Pour mixture into prepared pans.

Bake for approximately an hour and fifteen minutes.  If your oven bakes unevenly, check at the 50 minute mark.  If a toothpick inserted into the middle of each loaf comes out clean, the loaves are done.

Cool on cooling rack. Remove from pans.