Healthy Pumpkin Bread with Maple Pecan Crumble

Things I learned since moving to Belgium:

They do not sell canned pumpkin puree here.

Chia seeds and a lot of other superrr foods are only sold in special shops.

And everything in those special ships is wayyyy overpriced.

I mean, who can afford 8 euros for a tiny bag of chia seeds that will last me less than a couple weeks?! Or 9 euros for a tiny jar of almond butter? I quickly learned that spending over 16 euros a month on seeds and 18 euros a month on nut butters was not going to be an option in this student’s budget. So I started making nut butters at home and stocking up on jumbo sized superfoods at Costco whenever I go home. This girl cannot live without her giant bag of chia seeds, seriously. 

It’s always a good conversation starter with people in the airport when I am lugging around a second suitcase in the form of a huge Costco bag with me. I’ve been asked on several occasions, “what’s in the bag?”. People are naturally curious and love good food in bulk I guess. They are usually a bit shocked when I tell them it’s full of nuts, seeds and emergency nut butters 😉 #healthfoodieproblems

But easy, prepared, canned pumpkin puree is one thing that I could never manage to bring back with me. It is just too heavy to lug back across the ocean. So each week, during the Fall, I roast two sugar pumpkins at home and fill a jumbo Tupperware full of homemade, sweet and fresh pumpkin puree. I’m just that much of a pumpkin addict this time of year. Keep the pumpkin recipes a-coming!

And in line with my pumpkin fanaticism – I’m also a pumpkin bread fanatic. I love soft, fluffy and moist pumpkin bread that is perfectly spiced with nutmeg, ginger and cinnamon. And this Healthy Pumpkin Bread with Maple Pecan Crumble fits the bill, it is infused with maple undertones, crunchy and buttery pecans throughout and topped off with a sweet and crumbly pecan maple crumble for good measure. And like most of my breads on this blog, this Healthy Pumpkin Bread is much better for you than your traditional loaf using only 1/4 cup of coconut oil and skipping out on refined sugar altogether. I sweetened this Healthy Pumpkin Bread with Maple Pecan Crumble using brown cane sugar and good ol’ maple syrup (my sweetener of choice!). 

This Healthy Pumpkin Bread with Maple Pecan Crumble comes together similar to most traditional decadent bread/cake recipes. Start off by making the crumble in a small bowl by adding the ingredients and mashing them together with a fork until a crumbly mixture is formed. Taste test the crumble – I could eat this crumble raw by the spoonful (#letsbehonest). Mix the dry ingredients with the spices in a medium size bowl. Feel free to adjust the spices if you are super sensitive to ginger, cinnamon or nutmeg. I personally love a well spiced loaf and love when my entire apartment smells like a pumpkin spice candle  😉  Whisk the wet ingredients in a large size bowl. Slowly fold in the dry ingredients to the wet pumpkin mixture. Adding a splash or two of extra of almond milk if necessary, this will depend on how moist your pumpkin puree is. Pour your pumpkin bread batter into a loaf pan and top it off by sprinkling the Maple Pecan Crumble mixture on top. Bake at 350 for 40 – 45 mins. The amount of time this load spends in the oven depends on how well done you like your loaf (and on your oven, of course). I love when my pumpkin bread is still super moist in the middle so I take it out at 40 minutes. #nomnomnom. 

If you do try this Healthy Pumpkin Bread Vegan with Maple Pecan Crumble or any other recipes of mine, I love hearing about it! Insta or Tweet it to me (@cearaskitchen with hashtag #cearaskitchen) or Facebook it to me via the Ceara’s Kitchen Facebook Page! 🙂