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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This pumpkin bread is hands down a favorite with my family. I initially came across this recipe a few years ago during Thanksgiving and it was a big hit from the 1st time I made it. I have always made the recipe exactly as you created it no modifications needed in my opinion. It’s a family staple I make it year round because everyone loves it and it’s so easy to make. The fact that you get two loaves is an added bonus 😍. Thank you for sharing your grandma’s recipe with us!!
This is the best pumpkin bread I ever had. Easy to make and moist. My family loves it so, I make it for the holidays. Thank you for sharing your recipes and for your wonderful cookbook.
I LOVE this pumpkin bread recipe! I have made it countless times and love that it makes two loaves. I often share the second loaf and am always asked for the recipe within a day or two and direct them to your site. I have tried many of your recipes without fail, but this is one of my top favorites!
This is the very BEST and EASIEST Pumpkin Bread! Moist and delicious!! Try it, I promise you will not be sorry! My daughter and granddaughter request it all the time. YUM!!!
This bread is the absolute best! It’s so moist and has the perfect pumpkin flavor.
The only slight changes I made were reducing the sugar to 1 1/4 cups, making the flour 1 cup white and 1 cup white whole wheat, and I sprinkled the top with unsalted pepitas before baking for an added crunch.
I made the whole 2 loaves for my family and they were gone within 2 days!
Love this pumpkin bread! I make this bread to give as Christmas presents. It is also part of breakfast or afternoon snack, with sweet butter. The only change I made to the recipe was reduce the amount of cloves to 1/2 teaspoon, which for me made the spice blend more even.
Best pumpkin bread EVER! I made this on Sunday and it was fantastic. As my father is a pre-diabetic “treataholic”, I did substitute 1 c. of Pyure stevia for the sugar called for and I also added pecans and some dates that I needed to get rid of. Possibly due to the stevia, the baking time was a bit less at 60 minutes. It was perfection! Jenn, you’re always by go-to-gal for neat recipes and menu ideas!
This is a wonderful recipe as is, but because I am lowering my fat intake, I reduced the butter from 1 1/2 sticks to one cup and substituted half a cup of apple butter. Apple butter does not have to happen but I love the spicy taste! Thanks for this excellent recipe!
This is my absolute favorite Pumpkin Bread recipe! I make this for friends fairly frequently, and it comes out perfect every time. I follow the recipe exactly, and it comes out perfectly spiced & very moist. I use canned pumpkin for convenience, but my personal opinion is that the name-brand canned pumpkin does make a difference vs. store brand. Thanks for this recipe, Jenn!
I have made this recipe twice; success both times! I did make one change: I used one cup of dark brown sugar and one cup of light brown sugar, rather than two cups of white sugar. I will be definitely be making this recipe again, and again, and again!