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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As Fillmore in Cars says, “Respect the classics!”
Hi! I apologize if you have already answered this question, but I only have 2 9 x 5 loaf pans. Any suggestion on how to long to bake? I assume closer to an hour?
Hi Allison, if you want to make this in two 9 x 5-inch loaf pans, I’d make 1.5 times the recipe. Bake time should be about the same if not just a little longer. Hope you enjoy!
I’d like to try this recipe but I dont think we have any cloves, we do have pumpkin pie spice. Does anyone know how much pumpkin pie spice I should use to substitute for all the spices (nutmeg, cinnamon, and cloves)?
Hi Katherine, you’ll need 3 teaspoons (1 tablespoon) of pumpkin pie spice. Hope you enjoy!
Made this today and it’s fab! Teenagers loved it. I loved it. Great recipe!
I have never seen pumpkin in a jar here in Latvia. Instead, we grow them in the garden, an during the winter I often come upon a question- what else can I do once a big pumpkin is cut and needs to be eaten quickly. So I made this bread, AND MY FAMILY LOVED IT! I didn’t have cloves, so I used only cinnamon and nutmeg. Didn’t miss anything! Really good! Thanx for the recipe!
Hi Jenn, this looks amazing and just what I am craving… was wondering if you have tried this (or any of your readers have) in a gluten free version? Was going to try subbing Bob’s Red Mill 1:1 GF flour, or maybe some almond flour – though almond might make it too dense. Any thoughts appreciated!
I haven’t tried it, Laurie, but I know some readers have had success with gluten-free flour. I like King Arthur Measure for Measure. I think you are right about almond flour — it would make it dense. Hope that helps!
This is so delicious! I sent the second loaf to work with my husband…his coworkers raved and said it was the best pumpkin bread they had ever eaten! I agree!! Thank you for sharing the recipe!
Absolutely delicious! I have not made pumpkin bread in years and was nervous about how it would turn out. I followed the recipe (no alterations).
It was awesome! Moist and flavorful. Definitely a recipe I will keep. A new family favorite.
what oven temp
Hi Nancy, it gets baked at 325°F/165°C. Hope you enjoy!
My whole family loves this!
I have been using this recipe for over a year now and will use no other! I have never needed to make any adjustments to the recipe. It is perfect and scrumptious! Thanks for this marvelous recipe!
Now can you direct me to an equally fabulous banana bread? Thanks:)
I made this as a Christmas gift to a colleague. He thanked me twice and said that there was a consensus that it was the best pumpkin bread they have ever tasted. It was moist without being sticky and the two loaves were gone quickly. It was soooooo good! Thank you for sharing this recipe.