Pumpkin Bread
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Kids love it, grown-ups love it…this pumpkin bread is hard to beat!
My grandmother clipped this pumpkin bread recipe from a magazine over 50 years ago, and it is my most-cherished family recipe. One of my clearest childhood memories is baking the loaves with my mom and carting them off to every neighborhood potluck and holiday party. Now I bake pumpkin bread with my own kids, and it’s just as wonderful today as it was back then. It’s easy to make — just a bit of mixing and stirring, pop it in the oven, and, in about an hour, you’ll have a house smelling of sweet autumn spices and two scrumptious, pumpkiny loaves.
Above, you can see the original recipe from my grandmother’s recipe box—it’s definitely seen its share of spills! After a bit of research, I discovered that the recipe was first published in the McCalls Cook Book (Random House, 1963). It is a typical sweet quick bread, similar to banana bread or cranberry nut bread, leavened with baking powder and/or baking soda instead of yeast. Quick bread batter can often be used to make muffins, and my pumpkin muffins are nearly identical to this bread, but with the addition of a pecan streusel topping.
What You’ll Need To Make Pumpkin Bread
How To Make Pumpkin Bread
Begin by combining the flour, salt, baking powder, baking soda, and spices. I like to add everything in neat little piles in case I lose track of what I’ve added.
Whisk well and set aside.
Combine the butter and sugar in a large bowl or in the bowl of an electric mixer.
Beat until just combined. It will look a little crumbly.
Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition.
Continue beating for a few minutes until light and fluffy.
Add the pumpkin.
Beat until combined. It will look a little curdled or grainy — that’s okay.
Add the dry ingredients to the pumpkin mixture.
And beat on low speed until just combined.
Transfer the batter to loaf pans.
Bake for 65 to 75 minutes, or until a cake tester comes out clean.
Let the loaves cool in the pan for about 10 minutes, then turn out onto a rack to cool completely.
That’s all there is to it. Enjoy!
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Video Tutorial
Pumpkin Bread
Kids love it, grown-ups love it…this pumpkin bread is hard to beat!
Ingredients
- 2 cups all-purpose flour, spooned into measuring cup and leveled-off
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon ground cloves
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1½ sticks (¾ cup) unsalted butter, softened
- 2 cups sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 1 (15-oz) can 100% pure pumpkin (I use Libby's)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 325°F and set an oven rack in the middle position. Generously grease two 8 x 4-inch loaf pans with butter and dust with flour (alternatively, use a baking spray with flour in it, such as Pam with Flour or Baker's Joy).
- In a medium bowl, combine the flour, salt, baking soda, baking powder, cloves, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Whisk until well combined; set aside.
- In a large bowl of an electric mixer, beat the butter and sugar on medium speed until just blended. Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Continue beating until very light and fluffy, a few minutes. Beat in the pumpkin. The mixture might look grainy and curdled at this point -- that's okay.
- Add the flour mixture and mix on low speed until combined.
- Turn the batter into the prepared pans, dividing evenly, and bake for 65 – 75 minutes, or until a cake tester inserted into the center comes out clean. Let the loaves cool in the pans for about 10 minutes, then turn out onto a wire rack to cool completely.
- Fresh out of the oven, the loaves have a deliciously crisp crust. If they last beyond a day, you can toast individual slices to get the same fresh-baked effect.
- Freezer-Friendly Instructions: The bread can be frozen for up to 3 months. After it is completely cooled, wrap it securely in aluminum foil, freezer wrap or place in a freezer bag. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator before serving.
Nutrition Information
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- Per serving (24 servings)
- Serving size: 1 slice
- Calories: 166
- Fat: 6 g
- Saturated fat: 4 g
- Carbohydrates: 26 g
- Sugar: 17 g
- Fiber: 1 g
- Protein: 2 g
- Sodium: 117 mg
- Cholesterol: 31 mg
This website is written and produced for informational purposes only. I am not a certified nutritionist and the nutritional data on this site has not been evaluated or approved by a nutritionist or the Food and Drug Administration. Nutritional information is offered as a courtesy and should not be construed as a guarantee. The data is calculated through an online nutritional calculator, Edamam.com. Although I do my best to provide accurate nutritional information, these figures should be considered estimates only. Varying factors such as product types or brands purchased, natural fluctuations in fresh produce, and the way ingredients are processed change the effective nutritional information in any given recipe. Furthermore, different online calculators provide different results depending on their own nutrition fact sources and algorithms. To obtain the most accurate nutritional information in a given recipe, you should calculate the nutritional information with the actual ingredients used in your recipe, using your preferred nutrition calculator.
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Hello, would it be possible to make it vegan? I’d like to try but not sure it would work. Thank. Alex
Hi Alex, A handful of readers have commented that they’ve made this vegan and have been happy with the results. Please LMK how it turns out if you try it!
Hi Jennifer, I do not have canned pumpkin in my country. May I know if there’s any other substitute for this because i would really love to try this recipe. Thanks.
Hi Ely, A lot of readers have commented that they’ve used fresh pumpkin (that they’ve roasted) successfully. I’m not sure what they’d be referred to as in your country, but you’d need “sugar” or “pie” pumpkins. You’ll need 1¾ cups (425 grams). Just make sure to drain it of excess water before incorporating it into the batter. Hope that helps and that you enjoy!
My grandson wants to make something with the small pie pumpkins we bought. I know how to roast them, and I’m wondering if they would work in this recipe – would we just use about 15 oz of roasted pumpkin instead of canned purée? And if this recipe is not the best choice, do you have another recipe you’d suggest? He’ll be happy with anything sweet 🙂 Thank you!
Hi Ellie, Yes, they’ll work; you’ll need 1¾ cups (425 grams). Just make sure to drain it of excess water so that the consistency is similar to that of canned pumpkin. Hope you (and your grandson) enjoy!
Thank you so much, your advice about draining the pumpkin and the measurements are so helpful. I really appreciate you taking the time to answer questions. Your recipes always turn out perfect for me.
The BEST pumpkin bread I’ve EVER had!!! Thank you! I will be baking this for my future children and grandchildren someday.
This recipe is delicious! I couldn’t find cloves in my pantry so I used some “chai” mixture I’d made at some point. I figured it probably had some cloves in it. It came out really good! Thank you for the sweet addition to my autumn season!
This was the best I have ever made. so moist for days. going to find more recipes. excellent
Hi! I only have one loaf pan. Are there other options for baking vessels that would work well for this recipe?
Hi Olivia, You can use an 8-inch square pan or a 9-inch round pan. Bake time may be a bit different so keep a close eye on it. Enjoy!
Can I use this recipe for mini pumpkin loaf , will it be enough to fill 4 mini loaf pans?
Sure, Flora, you can definitely make mini loaves with this recipe. You’ll get between three and four loaves. The bake time will be shorter – I’d start checking them at around 35 minutes.