Sometimes I think October should be dubbed “pumpkin month.” It seems everywhere I click that bright orange gourd is calling my name with yet another recipe idea. But the one that truly caught my attention was this vegan pumpkin pie bread pudding. It’s a rich and creamy dessert, created by my good friend Hannah Kaminsky.
Sure, I bet there are some other vegan pumpkin bread pudding recipes out there, but none are like Hannah’s. She doesn’t tread lightly with flavor, and she doesn’t do ordinary. Her warm and comforting recipe is made with brown sugar and pumpkin pie spices – wonderful additions, but no big surprises there. But then she spikes this dish with crystalized ginger and a splash of dark rum for amazing depth in flavor.
Special Diet Notes: Vegan Pumpkin Pie Bread Pudding
By ingredients, this recipe is dairy-free / non-dairy, egg-free, optionally gluten-free, nut-free, peanut-free, soy-free, vegan, and vegetarian.
- ½ pound crusty bread (wheat-based or gluten-free)
- 1 cup pumpkin puree
- 1 tablespoons non-GMO cornstarch
- ½ cup dark brown sugar, packed
- ¾ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- ½ teaspoon ground ginger
- Pinch salt
- 1 cup plain dairy-free milk beverage
- 1 tablespoons dark rum
- ¼ cup crystallized ginger, chopped fine
- Preheat your oven to 350 degrees and lightly grease a 9 x 13 inch baking dish.
- First, slice your bread into 1 inch cubes, and set aside.
- Whisk together the pumpkin puree, cornstarch, sugar, spices, and salt in a large bowl.
- Once smooth and thoroughly combined, slowly drizzle in the soymilk and rum, and stir until the mixture is homogeneous.
- Toss in the bread cubes and crystallized ginger, and use a wide spatula to gently coat the bread with the pumpkin. Pour the lumpy mixture into your prepared pan, and smooth the pieces down into an even layer.
- Let stand for 10 minutes at room temperature for the liquids to soak in a bit, and then bake for 45 – 50 minutes. The edges should appear set, but the interior will remain quite soft and moist. Good bread pudding should be very moist, so be careful not to over bake it!
- Let cool for about 15 minutes before serving. You can either take the time to make nice, neat slices like I did, or just grab a large spoon and scoop it out onto plates. It will taste good no matter what, so it doesn’t matter if it’s bit a ugly! Serve warm with caramel, whipped creme, or maybe even fudge sauce.