Vegan pumpkin biscotti - these easy vegan biscotti cookies are delicious, spicy, easy to make and perfect for dunking!
Made with pumpkin puree, flavoured with pumpkin spice and filled with pecans and cranberries these crunchy biscuits are a great Autumnal treat.
Biscotti, also known as Cantuccini, are a crunchy, twice-baked Italian biscuit/cookie that are best eaten with a glass of sweet wine or a cup of coffee for dunking.
They are quite hard on their own, but dunking them softens them a bit, preventing you from breaking your teeth and creating a delicious flavour combination.
I first made a vegan version of biscotti a while ago with my vegan biscotti with almonds and cranberries, and these vegan pumpkin biscotti are adapted from that recipe.
Despite the fact that traditionally biscotti rely quite heavily on eggs, they are actually very easy to veganise. A bit of oil and pumpkin puree to replace the fat and liquid from the egg is all you need to convert them to vegan and they taste just as good as the traditional ones do.
These spiced pumpkin ones are a lovely Autumn treat, delicious with a cup of coffee as a snack at any time of day.
What Do I Need To Make Vegan Pumpkin Biscotti?:
Flour: Plain (all-purpose) flour is best. I haven't tried making them gluten-free.
Oil: Any kind of neutral oil will work, I use olive. You could even use melted vegan block butter or coconut oil.
Tinned pumpkin puree: You need to use pure pumpkin puree, NOT pumpkin pie filling. It is available from many larger supermarkets in the UK, or online. You can also use homemade pumpkin puree.
Sugar: I prefer to use light brown soft sugar for extra flavour, but caster, granulated or coconut sugar will also work.
Baking powder: Needed for the biscotti to rise. Don't use baking soda instead, they are not the same thing.
Pumpkin spice: In the UK pumpkin spice is readily available online and you can also make your own. Alternatively you can use individual spices - cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg and allspice.
Vanilla extract: Optional but I always like to add a bit for flavour.
Dried cranberries and pecans: You can swap these for other nuts, dried fruits or chocolate chips.
How To Make Vegan Pumpkin Biscotti:
(Full measurements and instructions can be found in the recipe card at the bottom of the page)
Whisk together the pumpkin puree, sugar, oil, and vanilla in a large bowl.
Whisk in the pumpkin spice, baking powder and salt then add the flour and stir to form a smooth dough.
Add the pecans and cranberries and mix through. You may find it easiest to use your hands.
Divide the dough into two even pieces and shape each one into a log about 6cm wide. Place them well spaced apart on a lined baking sheet and use your hands to slightly flatten them and square off the edges.
Bake the logs for about 40 minutes until they are firm to the touch.
Remove the logs from the oven and set them aside on a wire rack to cool for 20 minutes.
Once the logs have cooled, use a sharp serrated knife to cut them into diagonal slices about 1 ½ cm wide.
Lay the slices cut side down on the baking sheet and return them to the oven for 10 minutes.
Turn the slices over and bake for another 10 minutes. Remove from the oven and transfer to a wire rack to cool.
Top Tips:
As with all of my baking recipes I really do recommend using the metric measurements with a digital scale rather than the cup conversions. Cups are a wildly inaccurate measuring system and you will get far better, more consistent results using a scale, not to mention that it is also easier and less messy than cups!
The dough shouldn't be too sticky but also shouldn't have dry patches. You may find that you need to add a teeny bit more flour or milk to achieve the right consistency.
Don’t try slicing the logs before the 20 minutes cooling time is up otherwise they will be hard to slice and crumbly.
If you want softer biscuits you can reduce the second bake time a little; and if you want really super crunchy ones you can increase it a bit.
The pecans and cranberries can be swapped for other dried fruits and nuts, or use chocolate chips. Alternatively you can omit them completely.
The biscotti will keep for several months provided they are stored in an airtight container in a cool, dark place.
How To Slice Biscotti:
Biscotti are tricky to slice neatly, vegan or otherwise, and you will get some crumbles no matter what you do. You will get better at it with practice!
Make sure that you let the logs cool for 20 minutes before you slice them, but don't leave them to cool for too much longer than that, they need to still be warm.
You need to make sure that you use an incredibly sharp serrated knife, preferably with a narrow blade, and don’t put too much pressure on the biscotti – try and gently ‘saw’ through the crust.
If you are struggling to slice them you can try spraying the crust with a bit of water and leaving it for a minute before slicing them, this should help to soften the crust a little so it is easier to cut through.
More Vegan Pumpkin Recipes:
I've made a lot of pumpkin recipes for the blog, here is a selection of them:
- Vegan pumpkin pecan babka
- Vegan pumpkin scones
- Vegan pumpkin spice latte cake
- Vegan pumpkin pie
- Vegan pumpkin muffins
- Vegan pumpkin bread
- Vegan pumpkin ice cream
- Vegan pumpkin coffee cake
If you tried this recipe let me know how it went! Rate it, leave a comment or tag @domestic_gothess on Instagram and hashtag it #domesticgothess
All images and content on Domestic Gothess are copyright protected. If you want to share this recipe then please do so by using the share buttons provided. Do not screenshot or post the recipe or content in full.
Vegan Pumpkin Biscotti
Ingredients
- 120 g (½ cup) pumpkin puree
- 150 g (packed ¾ cup) light brown soft sugar
- 60 ml (¼ cup) oil (I use olive)
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 4 teaspoons pumpkin spice
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- pinch salt
- 300 g (2 ½ cups) plain (all-purpose) flour
- 90 g (¾ cup) dried cranberries
- 90 g (¾ cup) pecans roughly chopped
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 180°C/160°C fan/350°F/gas mark 4. Line a baking sheet with baking parchment.
- Whisk together the pumpkin puree, sugar, oil, and vanilla in a large bowl.
- Whisk in the pumpkin spice, baking powder and salt then add the flour and stir to form a smooth dough. It shouldn't be too sticky; if it is, mix in a spoonful of flour.
- Add the pecans and cranberries and mix through. You may find it easiest to use your hands.
- Divide the dough into two even pieces and shape each one into a log about 6cm wide, 18cm long. Place them well spaced apart on the lined baking sheet and use your hands to slightly flatten them and square off the edges for perfectly shaped biscotti.
- Bake the logs for 40-45 minutes until they are firm to the touch.
- Remove the logs from the oven and set them aside on a wire rack to cool for 20 minutes. Turn the oven down to 160°C/140°C fan/325°F/gas mark 3.
- Once the logs have cooled, use a sharp serrated knife to cut them into diagonal slices about 1 ½ cm wide. Don't put too much pressure on the knife, try and gently saw through.
- Lay the slices cut side down on the baking sheet and return them to the oven for 10 minutes. Turn the slices over and bake for another 10 minutes. They should look dry though they will firm up more as they cool. If you want really crunchy biscotti you can leave them in the oven for a further 5-10 minutes.
- Remove from the oven and transfer to a wire rack to cool. Once they have cooled completely, store in an airtight container.
Notes
- See post above for tips, details and step-by-step photos.
- For the best results make sure that you follow the recipe closely. As always, I highly recommend using the gram measurements (with a digital scale), rather than the cup conversions. Cup measurements are simply not accurate enough for baking and I cannot guarantee the best results if you use them.
Leave a Reply