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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Simple and delicious! Very moist! Will make again ..
I have made this pumpkin bread 4 times now, don’t need to change a single thing on this recipe. It’s so moist and the flavor is perfect. It’s a hit every time. I’ve had people asking for the recipe because they love it so much. I just made another batch last night to send to my Dad in another State, but had to made us one too so my family wouldn’t come home to the house smelling like wonderful pumpkin bread, but none for us. I will save and make this recipe for many years to come. Thank you for sharing this wonderful creation.
This bread was great! And since it’s after Halloween I had made my own pumpkin puree out of the jack-o-lantern it turned out great!
With all of the great reviews, I had to give this a try. The last recipe I tried made it with oil and sugar. Butter makes the batter better though, right? So I wanted to make this a bundt “cake” instead of a loaf of “bread”. I used 1 cup granulated sugar and 1 cup brown sugar, I left out the salt, added 1 tsp vanilla and 3 eggs instead of 2. I generously greased the bundt pan with Pam Bakers and baked for exactly 1 hour at 350 degrees F. Wait about 5-10 minutes to cool before removing from the pan and it easily comes out perfectly. Once completely cooled, I dust with powdered sugar and store in a container in the refrigerator. Thank you for sharing this gem of a recipe!!! It tastes wonderful!!!
I really like your idea & am wondering if this might work using gluten free flour. We have a dtr who would appreciate it. Thx much.
I made this for a group of friends, one of whom can’t take gluten. I used gluten free flour and it worked fine. Delicious bread.
Carmen
I love Pumpkin bread and this is the Best Pumpkin bread I have ever tasted!
Gluten Free Winner!
Just made this with gluten-free flour mix…ABSOLUTELY FABULOUS! I recommend baking for the full 75 mins. So totally happy to try a recipe and not have to change a thing! Every crumb is DELICIOUS!
Big Baking Hugs!
Nicole
Have never made pumpkin bread before but my teenage son loves it when my mother in law makes it. Followed the recipe except I melted the butter in microwave as it wasn’t softened enough, and as suggested by others– I used 1/2 the amount of cloves and added a tsp of ground ginger. I used the size pans recommended and these loaves came out amazing. Five stars.
This is a really simple and amazing recipe, thank you! I followed everything except for the sugar – I had only about 1 cup left in my pantry, instead of the 2 cups recommended. The pumpkin breads came out wonderfully moist, with a perfect thin crust and a light, flavorful texture. They are some of the best I’ve ever had.
If I only have one pan, is it recommend to half this recipe?
Hi Kelly, If it’s an 8×4-in pan, definitely halve the recipe.
What if I don’t have baking powder?
Hi Sabrina, you really need baking powder for this recipe – sorry!
You can make your own baking powder by mixing 1 tsp. Baking soda with 2 tsp. Cream of tartar. Just up the amounts depending on how much baking powder you need! Enjoy!