Easy Pumpkin Bundt Cake

This moist & fluffy pumpkin bundt cake is loaded with real pumpkin and warm fall spices, drizzled with a simple spiced glaze, naturally dairy and egg-free, and perfect for impressing at all your fall celebrations!

Moist, Tender Pumpkin Bundt Cake Recipe (Vegan)

If you’re looking for a ‘go-to’ centerpiece for your dessert table this holiday season, let us introduce you to this simple pumpkin bundt cake recipe. Just like our vegan pumpkin cake, this vegan bundt cake is loaded with the earthy sweet flavor of pumpkin puree and warm fall spices – but with the extra pizzazz of the elegant bundt shape.

It’s moist, soft, and fluffy, and this recipe is so easy to prepare, too, with just ONE bowl and 10 minutes of prep. Leave it to bake and cool, then optionally finish it with a drizzle of pumpkin spice glaze (perfect for those who aren’t big on thick layers of frosting). Once assembled, every bite is like a warm, cozy fall hug.

Even better, this pumpkin spice bundt cake is so versatile! It’s naturally dairy and egg-free (and no one can tell!), with no odd or hard-to-find ingredients, and can easily be made gluten-free – perfect for catering to a large crowd.

Plus, you can enjoy it plain or with a glaze (with several to choose from), fill it with nuts, vegan chocolate chips, or cranberries, combine it with another fall favorite into an apple pumpkin bundt cake, make mini pumpkin bundt cakes… the only limit is your imagination! Then, enjoy a slice with a delicious homemade vegan pumpkin spice latte. And if you’re not feeling the pumpkin craze, make sure to check out my vegan banana cake, vegan biscoff cake, and coffee walnut cake.

The Ingredients and Substitutions

The Wet Ingredients

• Pumpkin: Use plain canned pumpkin puree (not pumpkin pie filling, which is sweetened and spiced). Homemade pumpkin puree can work, too, but it is often more watery and requires pre-straining (for 45-60 mins through a cheesecloth-lined strainer) to get it to the right consistency.
• Dairy-free butter: Use your favorite unsalted vegan butter at room temperature, like Miyoko’s or Earth Balance. Don’t add salt to the batter if you use salted butter.
• Plant-based milk: Use any unsweetened dairy-free milk, like soy milk, almond milk, oat milk, etc.

The Dry Ingredients

• Flour: We’ve had luck using 100% regular all-purpose flour as well as replacing up to 50% with regular or white whole wheat flour.

For a gluten-free pumpkin bundt cake, try an all-purpose blend like Bob’s Red Mill or King Arthur’s, though the cake may be slightly denser and/or drier.

• Leavening agents: This vegan bundt cake recipe uses both baking powder and baking soda to provide lift for an overall lighter, fluffier texture.
• Pumpkin spice: Use homemade pumpkin pie spice or store-bought pumpkin pie spice.
• Cinnamon: Extra cinnamon adds even more tasty warmth.
• Salt: Just a little salt will balance the sweetness in the spiced pumpkin bundt cake and enhance the various flavors.
• Sugar: This pumpkin spiced bundt cake combines brown sugar and regular sugar (use organic to ensure it’s vegan) for a combination of the caramel-like molasses flavor and moisture from brown sugar and the sweetness of regular sugar.

You could experiment with using unrefined sugars like raw cane sugar and coconut sugar/date sugar, though the flavor and texture may vary slightly.

• Nuts/seeds: Add some tasty crunch with the optional addition of pumpkin seeds, walnuts, or pecans. We particularly love a pecan pumpkin bundt cake.

The Best Glaze for Pumpkin Bundt Cake

We love using our homemade pumpkin spice glaze for pumpkin bundt cake. However, you could also use:

• Cinnamon glaze (just use cinnamon instead of pumpkin spice)
• Maple glaze (1 cup icing sugar + 4 tbsp maple syrup + ½ tsp vanilla + cinnamon)
• Espresso glaze (add instant espresso powder to plain glaze)
• Vegan caramel sauce
• Vegan cream cheese glaze (homemade glaze or store-bought vegan cream cheese frosting + plant-based milk + optional pumpkin spice/cinnamon to the correct consistency)

What Could I Add to Pumpkin Bundt Cake?

• Vanilla extract: Just a small amount for added warmth.
• Vegan chocolate chip pumpkin bundt cake: Add 1-2 cups of your favorite dairy-free choc chips/chunks. Use sugar-free chocolate chips if preferred.
• Pumpkin chocolate bundt cake: Replace ½-3/4 cup of flour with cocoa powder.
• Apple pumpkin bundt cake: Add 3-4 cups of finely chopped sweet or tart, crisp apples (or pear) to the batter (with or without peel).
• Pumpkin streusel bundt cake: Prepare a cinnamon streusel topping like we use for this vegan apple crumble and sprinkle it over the batter before baking.
• Other mix-ins: Add more texture, color, and/or flavor with dried fruit (like raisins, cranberries, chopped dates), shredded coconut, or even some orange zest.

How to Make Vegan Pumpkin Bundt Cake

• 1) First, preheat the oven to 350F/180C and grease the bundt cake pan with vegan butter, followed by a sprinkle of flour. Shake the pan to distribute it on all sides.

• 2) Then, in a large mixing bowl, combine all the dry ingredients (flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, sugars, cinnamon, pumpkin seeds, and – if using- nuts/seeds). Mix well and set aside.

• 3) Make a well in the center and add the vegan milk, melted vegan butter, and pumpkin puree. Then, use an electric mixer/whisk to mix it into a batter.

Be careful not to over-mix the batter, though, or it can lead to a dense, sunken bake. If you’re adding any mix-ins, carefully fold them in at the end of this step.   

• 4) Pour the batter into the prepared bundt pan, smooth the top with a spatula, then bake it in the center of the oven for an hour, or until a skewer or fork inserted into the middle comes out clean – or with a few moist crumbs.

If it’s not ready, continue to bake it in 5-minute increments until it is.

• 5) Remove the pumpkin spice cake from the oven and transfer it to a wire cooling rack for 10 minutes.

• 6) Then, use a butter knife to gently insert around the edges to help loosen the cake, along with gently shaking/tapping the pan. When you feel it’s separated from the walls of the pan, place a clean cooling rack over the top and flip the cake onto it.

• 7) Finally, leave the cake to cool completely before optionally preparing and topping the pumpkin bundt cake with glaze – like this pumpkin spice glaze.

Optionally sprinkle the glazed pumpkin bundt cake with some more crushed nuts, then enjoy!

Pro Recipe Tips

• Measure the flour correctly: To avoid using too much and ending up with dense and/or dry pumpkin spice bundt cake, first, fluff it up in its bag, spoon it into the measuring cup, then use the back of a knife to level the top.
• Don’t over-mix the batter: Otherwise, you risk overworking the gluten and baking a dense, rubbery, sunken cake.
• To use homemade pumpkin puree: Make sure it’s the correct consistency. If it’s thinner/wetter than canned pumpkin, leave it to strain through a cheesecloth-lined sieve for around 45-60 minutes or until it’s the correct ‘canned consistency.’
• Prepare the bundt pan correctly: Thoroughly grease it (every nook and cranny) and add a fine layer of flour to avoid the cake sticking.
• Leave it to cool completely: Not only is this important for adding the glaze, but it’s also important for it to have the best texture when slicing into it.
• To make mini pumpkin bundt cakes: Divide the batter between several mini bundt cake molds and bake for about 15-20 minutes.

Storage Instructions

You can prepare the batter up to 2 days in advance without the leavening agents and store it in a covered bowl in the fridge. When you’re ready to bake, remove the bowl from the fridge for 30-40 minutes, stir in the leavening agents, then bake.

Store the pumpkin bundt cake (with or without glaze) in a cake container at room temperature for 2-3 days or in the refrigerator in an airtight container for 5-7 days.

To freeze it, do so whole or sliced, with or without the glaze (we prefer the latter). Flash freeze it and wrap it in plastic wrap for up to 3 months. Then, leave it to thaw in the refrigerator overnight or at room temperature for several hours.

More Vegan Pumpkin Desserts

• Creamy vegan pumpkin pie
• Vegan pumpkin bread
• Pumpkin oatmeal cookies
• Vegan pumpkin waffles
• Pumpkin chocolate chip muffins
• Vegan pumpkin pasta

Or browse this list of 24 vegan canned pumpkin recipes for more inspiration!

Photos by Alfonso Revilla