Home Women’s Health Healthy Vegan Persimmon Bread – Sharon Palmer, The Plant Powered Dietitian

Healthy Vegan Persimmon Bread – Sharon Palmer, The Plant Powered Dietitian

09 December 2025 14 hours ago18 Views

Vegan Persimmon Bread with Whole Wheat Flour, Spices & Sunflower Seeds

There’s nothing more comforting than a warm, fragrant loaf of persimmon bread, especially when it’s made with wholesome, plant-based ingredients. This Healthy Vegan Persimmon Bread celebrates the natural sweetness of ripe persimmons, allowing you to enjoy a moist, flavorful loaf that’s lighter in added sugars, fats, and salt. Made with whole wheat flour, warming spices, and crunchy sunflower seeds, this nourishing quick bread is perfect for fall baking, holiday brunches, or a cozy afternoon treat. Whether you’re looking for a healthier dessert, a nutritious snack, or a delicious way to use up seasonal persimmons, this easy plant-based persimmon bread recipe delivers big flavor with simple ingredients.

I was inspired to create this recipe from the bounty of my persimmon tree in our orchard here in Ojai, California, as well as memories of cooking with my mom.

She grew up on a farm in Arkansas and adored the persimmons that grew on her tree each year. She didn’t get to enjoy persimmons very often in the Pacific Northwest, but once I moved to California, I started sending her persimmons from my home state, which has a robust persimmon growing climate. It became a common love for us! So, it’s with great joy that I came into the kitchen to develop a recipe that reminded me of that comforting love surrounding a delicious, spicy, yummy, warm persimmon bread.

This classic vegan bread features a healthy lineup of whole wheat flour, warming spices, oodles of persimmons, nuts, and seeds. All you have to do is chop the persimmons, mix up the batter, transfer it to a loaf pan, and bake it up. You’ll be rewarded with a warm, fragrant, moist loaf. Share this recipe as a gift of love during the holiday season—which is when persimmons ripen.

This recipe features Fuyu persimmons, which are the type of persimmon that are good when they are firm and crunchy.

If you use Hachiya persimmons, you’ll need to wait until they ripen and become mushy; thus, you’ll need to reduce the moisture in the recipe slightly to adjust for how soft these fruits are. You can also make this recipe gluten-free by swapping out wheat flour for a gluten-free flour blend.

Persimmons fresh from my orchard!

What are Persimmons?

There are two main types: Hachiya and Fuyu. The Fuyu (pictured above), are squat and round, looking a bit like an orange tomato. These can be eaten crisp before they are fully soft and mature.

These are the types of persimmons that work best in recipes where you need firm persimmons, such as salads and snacks. Hachiya persimmons must be eaten soft and ripe (they are astringent otherwise), so they aren’t good in fresh salads, but they are great for baking, jams, and jellies, in which very soft textures work well. They are versatile in so many dishes, including savory and sweet. And here’s a fun fact— “Sharon Fruit” is a type of persimmon variety!

No wonder I love these fruits so much. Learn more about persimmons here.

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Description

Bake this healthy vegan persimmon bread made with fresh persimmons, whole wheat flour, warm spices, and crunchy sunflower seeds. Naturally sweetened, light in added sugars and fats, and perfect for fall and winter baking.

Preheat oven to 350 F.
Place persimmons, plant-based milk, vanilla, oil, chia seeds, and flax seeds in a large mixing bowl and combine with an electric mixer for about 4 minutes to soften fruit and create a thick mixture.
Add brown sugar, all purpose flour, whole wheat flour, baking soda, salt (optional), cinnamon, ginger, and nutmeg, and combine with electric mixer just until smooth and well blended (do not overmix).
Stir in sunflower seeds.
Spray a loaf pan with nonstick cooking spray. Pour batter into the loaf pan, smoothing to even with a spatula.
Place in oven and bake for about 55-60 minutes, until fork inserted in center comes out clean.
Makes a moist texture.
Remove from oven and allow to cool for about 10 minutes. Remove bread out of loaf pan. When it’s cooled, slice bread into 12 slices, and serve. Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 10 days, or freeze for up to 6 months.
Makes 12 servings (1 slice each)

Notes

This recipe features Fuyu persimmons, which are the type that are good when they are firm and crunchy.

If you use Hachiya persimmons, you’ll need to wait until they ripen and you’ll need to reduce the moisture in the recipe slightly to adjust for how soft these fruits are.

You can make this recipe gluten-free by swapping out wheat flour for a gluten-free flour blend.