Easy Vegan Pumpkin Brownies

Photo of author
by Alena Schowalter
Pinterest Hidden Image

You’ll love these beautiful vegan pumpkin brownies with their simple fall leaves swirl! They are moist, fudgy, completely grain-free and made with everyday ingredients. A crowd-pleasing and healthy seasonal treat!

Are you in the mood for all things fall yet? These secretly healthy vegan pumpkin brownies with a pretty swirl have been our latest obsession — especially during cozy, rainy afternoons.

They are everything we want a good treat to be! Made with easy-to-find and wholesome ingredients, super chocolatey and paring well with coffee or tea.

vegan freebie galore 🤩

Grab all of our 9 vegan & healthy eating PDFs at once! Including food lists, meal plan, easy recipes, and shopping & nutrition tips!

Member Area Nutriciously

After sharing our blackout brownies (made with protein-packed black beans), we knew we wanted to add another variety of these delicious baked goods! This recipe calls for pumpkin puree and doesn’t require any flour, which makes them so fudgy.

If you like healthier chocolate treats, definitely try this silken tofu chocolate mousse and find more vegan dessert ideas below.

Definitely don’t miss out on this simple pumpkin Thai stir fry this fall or try more of our favorite vegan pumpkin recipes!

four fudgy pumpkin brownies on top of each other on a plate

Recipe overview

  • Made with nutritious ingredients
  • Deep in flavor & fudgy texture
  • Kid-friendly and easy to make
  • Gluten-free, oil-free & sweetened with dates
  • Perfect balance of chocolate & pumpkin
  • Family-friendly fall treat

You can just bake a batch of these tasty vegan pumpkin brownies during the weekend and enjoy them with your family over the following days!

table with dark chocolate, pumpkin puree, dates, almond flour, flaxseeds and more baking ingredients

Ingredients needed

  • Pumpkin puree — the main star of the show, obviously.
  • Medjool dates — our favorite whole food sweetener in baked goods!
  • Almond flour — made by blending almonds; this offers more fudginess.
  • Cocoa powder & dark chocolate — just enough as to not overpower the pumpkin part!
  • Almond milk — any dairy-free milk will do.
  • Cashew butter — our favorite nut butter for this recipe but you can swap it for almond butter.
  • Spices — from cinnamon, nutmeg and vanilla extract to pumpkin pie spice!
  • Maple syrup — to round up and adjust your desired level of sweetness.

These are the main ingredients needed to make our vegan pumpkin brownies! You can find suggested swaps and tips around the recipe below.

food processor with ingredients for vegan pumpkin brownies

How to make vegan pumpkin brownies

Before you start

Preheat your oven to 350° F (180° C) and line an 8×8″ baking dish with parchment paper. Next, make the easy egg replacement by combining ground flaxseed and water in a small bowl.

Let it sit for 10 minutes so that a gel forms that we can use in the batter later!

Make the brownie batter

Add the pitted dates to a food processor and process them to form a puree. Then, add the rest of the ingredients for the batter, including the soaked flaxseeds, and process until smooth.

You might need to stop and scrape down the sides or add some more liquid to create a homogenous mixture.

Pour the brownie batter into your prepared baking dish. Spread it into an even layer with the back of a spoon and gently shake the dish to release the trapped air.

vegan brownie batter in dish being topped with pumpkin puree
hand using a toothpick to create pumpkin swirls in brownie batter

Make the pumpkin swirls

Combine pumpkin puree, coconut cream, maple syrup and pumpkin pie spice with a spoon in a small bowl. Adjust to taste preference, then drizzle it on top of your chocolate brownie base.

You can also add the orange mixture in small dollops or add one even layer without creating swirls at all!

To make swirls, use a knife or toothpick and move around in large circular motions or create little fall leaves as we did for the photos!

Bake & enjoy

Finally, place the baking dish with the vegan pumpkin brownies in the preheated oven for 35 minutes. Once this time has elapsed, remove the dish from the oven.

Let the brownies cool at room temperature before slicing and enjoying them!

hands holding baking dish with homemade chocolate pumpkin brownies

Storage & serving suggestions

The baked vegan pumpkin brownies can be stored at room temperature in an airtight container for 3-5 days and even longer in the fridge.

You can also freeze them (wrap the individual brownies in parchment paper so you can take out single servings) for 3 months or longer.

Enjoy your fudgy fall treat on its own, with an almond milk latte, cup of tea or dairy-free milk, vegan ice cream or a piece of fruit.

table with several vegan brownies, chocolate and a glass of tea

Tips & FAQs

Making date paste

The first step to creating the brownie batter is making the date paste. If you don’t have a high-quality blender or food processor, we recommend that you soak your dates in hot water for 30 minutes first.

Once you are ready to make the brownies, drain the soaking water and add the dates to your food processor!

If you don’t have any dates on hand, you can use more pumpkin puree, cashew butter and maple syrup instead and play around with the quantities to achieve the right texture and sweetness.

How to make almond flour

Don’t worry, this isn’t a fancy and expensive ingredient you need to find at the supermarket! Simply get any type of almond (whole, slivered, sliced) and place them in small increments in your blender.

Blend until they are pulverized (we personally don’t mind some crunchy bits of almond in our brownies) and repeat with the rest of the almonds until you have created the desired amount.

Plus, you can use any nut or seed of your choice to do this! If using grain-based flour, the texture of these vegan pumpkin brownies won’t be the same but the taste will still be great.

homemade almond flour in glass jar on a table next to whole almonds

Can’t find pumpkin puree?

Make these flourless brownies an appropriate treat year-round by swapping out pumpkin puree for sweet potato puree!

To make your own pumpkin puree, roast pumpkin slices in the oven until they are soft, then blend them until smooth.

You can also skip the orange swirl and just add pumpkin puree to the brownie batter to “hide” this ingredient since it won’t show any orange color this way!

Tips for the pumpkin swirl

We highly recommend that you use coconut cream from a can of full-fat coconut milk to achieve the best results!

To make it lower in calories and fat, you can swap this ingredient for soy yogurt but the taste will be different.

If you don’t have pumpkin pie spice, just use cinnamon, nutmeg and other fall-appropriate spices from your pantry.

For best results

Measure the ingredients using a kitchen scale if possible and don’t overmix the pumpkin batter.

Even if it requires lots of mental strength, let your brownie batter cool down completely before slicing it into pieces if you want straight, precise cuts.

Also, be sure to use 100% pure pumpkin puree, not pumpkin pie filling for this recipe!

close up of a plate with a half eaten vegan pumpkin brownie

More vegan treats

If these vegan pumpkin brownies call your name, we’re positive you’ll also enjoy the following goodness!

Did you try our vegan pumpkin brownies and like them? Be sure to leave a comment and rating below, we’d love to know! Don’t forget to Pin this recipe here and share it with your friends.

Healthy Vegan Pumpkin Brownies

by Alena Schowalter
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 35 minutes
Total Time 45 minutes
You’ll love these beautiful vegan pumpkin brownies with their simple fall leaves swirl! They are moist, fudgy, completely grain-free and made with everyday ingredients. A crowd-pleasing and healthy seasonal treat!
Serves 9 brownies

Ingredients

  • 2 tablespoons flaxseeds ground
  • 1 ½ cups Medjool dates pitted (225 g)
  • 2 cups almond flour 220 g
  • ½ cup pumpkin puree 120 g
  • 3 tablespoons cocoa powder
  • 1 cup dark chocolate 100 g, melted
  • ¼ cup almond milk 60 ml
  • 2 tablespoons maple syrup
  • 2 tablespoons cashew butter
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • ½ teaspoon cinnamon
  • ½ teaspoon nutmeg
  • ¼ teaspoon salt
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder

Pumpkin Swirl

  • ½ cup pumpkin puree 120 g
  • 2 tablespoons coconut cream
  • 1 tablespoon maple syrup
  • 1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice

Instructions

  • Preheat your oven to 350° F (180° C) and line an 8x8″ baking dish with parchment paper.
  • Mix the ground flaxseeds with 5 tablespoons of water in a small bowl and let it sit for 10-15 minutes.
  • Add the pitted dates to a food processor and process them to form a puree. Then add the soaked flax seeds along with the rest of the ingredients for the batter and process until smooth.
  • Pour the mixture into your prepared baking dish and spread into an even layer. Gently shake and tap the dish to release any trapped air.
  • For the pretty swirl topping, start by adding pumpkin puree, coconut cream, maple syrup, and pumpkin pie spice to a small bowl and mix it with a spoon.
  • Drizzle the pumpkin batter on top of the chocolate brownie base. Use a toothpick, knife or the back of a teaspoon to create swirls!
  • Place the baking dish in the preheated oven and bake for 35 minutes.
  • Remove the brownies from the oven and let them cool at room temperature before slicing and serving!

Notes

  • You can get really creative with your pumpkin layer and make different shapes or just spread it in one even layer on your chocolate base.
  • If you don’t have almond flour, blend the same amount (in weight) of almonds in a blender until they are pulverized.
  • You can swap the almond milk for any other dairy-free milk, use another nut butter and a different liquid sweetener to make this recipe suit you.
  • These vegan pumpkin brownies can be stored at room temperature for 3-5 days and in the freezer for 3 months.
  • Find more tips in the article above!
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: American
Nutrition Facts
Healthy Vegan Pumpkin Brownies
Serving Size
 
1 brownie
Amount per Serving
Calories
247
% Daily Value*
Fat
 
19
g
29
%
Saturated Fat
 
4
g
25
%
Polyunsaturated Fat
 
14
g
Sodium
 
131
mg
6
%
Carbohydrates
 
32
g
11
%
Fiber
 
7
g
29
%
Protein
 
7
g
14
%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.
Nutrition information is a rough estimate calculated automatically, their accuracy is not guaranteed.
Rate and share if you likeMention @nutriciously_ on Instagram or share this on Pinterest!
Fall Winter Meal Plan
Vegan Fall Meal Plan

Enjoy 7 days of healthy, colorful, and cozy meals and snacks! Everything is planned out with a full grocery list and meal prep session in our 60-page eBook.

Browse these categories

Portrait photo of Alena

Hi, I'm Alena Schowalter — a Certified Vegan Nutritionist who has been a vegetarian since childhood and vegan since 2012. Together with my husband, I founded nutriciously in 2015 and have been guiding thousands of people through different transition stages toward a healthy plant-based diet. I enjoy discussions around vegan ethics, walks through nature, and creating new recipes. Read more about us here.

8 Comments

    • Hi Cassidy,
      it’s just blended cashews, similar to almond butter or natural peanut butter. You could make it at home using a good food processor (plenty of cashew butter recipes on the internet) but you can just swap it for almond butter and won’t taste the difference! Any nut or seed butter works.
      Hope this helps :)

      Reply
  1. Looks like a great recipe! For someone concerned about getting too much oxalate from almonds and casherw (take note kidney stone sufferers!), you can make the following substitutes:

    – sunflower seed butter for cashew butter
    – chickpea flour for almond flour
    – macadamia nut or coconut milk for almond milk

    I think the result will be just as good, if not better!

    Reply
  2. My batter is super super thick! Did I do something wrong? Tripled checked all my ingredients and measurements! Just curious! Thank you :)

    Reply
    • it shouldn’t be too thick; just thin it out with more plant-based milk! I’ll test them again soon to see whether there’s a type somewhere…

      Reply
    • My batter was also very thick. Brownies were still raw after 35 minutes. But, didn’t figure that out until I let them cool, due to the fact that there were no instructions on how to tell if they were cooked or not. Only the very corners were cooked and they didn’t taste good. What a waste of ingredients!

      Reply
4.50 from 12 votes (12 ratings without comment)

Leave a comment

Recipe Rating