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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I am very thankful for Jenn’s recipes. Always wonderful! I made this pumpkin bread late one evening and took a few shortcuts as I was tired from a long day at work. One was substituting canola oil for the butter and I also reduced the sugar. I also hand mixed all the ingredients to save on clean up. I should know better and follow the recipe exactly! Taste was fantastic!! I would have liked a little more moistness but that was my fault for not following the recipe exactly. I like the ease of using oil versus butter when baking but I imagine the butter makes for moister loaves. Jenn, what is the difference in general of using butter versus oil in baked goods? Thank you for sharing your recipes with us! Can’t wait to make this again!!
Hi Donna, so glad you enjoyed this despite using some shortcuts! 🙂 Butter serves a couple of purposes here. It adds to the moisture and flavor of the bread and helps to make it less dense. When you cream butter and sugar together (as you do in this recipe) it helps to add air to the fat (butter) and makes the texture of the cake/quick bread a bit lighter.
I made this exactly as recipe detailed … ingredients and process … did not disappoint… excellent …. next time I’ll add some nuts or coconut but good as is too …. thanks!
This recipe was perfect!! The pumpkin bread is amazing!! I didn’t change anything and made it as written. My hubby, my mom and kids love it and so do I. My house smells amazing after baking it too!! Thank you for sharing this recipe!! It’s a keeper!!
Made this in a 5×9 loaf pan. Took about 1 hour and a half. Followed the recipe exactly. It turned out moist, delicious, and perfectly spiced! Will make again!
This bread is heavenly.i substituted 1 cup Stevia & 1 cup brown sugar for the 2 cups sugar. I baked it in (4) 3 1/2X6” loaf pans for @48 minutes. Texture & taste was perfect…spices were spot on! I did add some raisins to some of the loaves.
If you have fresh pumpkin, how much and should you add anything else to it.
Hi Lynn, You’ll need 1-3/4 cups fresh pumpkin (and don’t need to add anything to it). Just make sure to drain it of excess water so that the consistency is similar to that of canned pumpkin. Hope you enjoy!
I love this recipe! I’ve made it many times. My official favorite is tweaked a little by using a combo of butter/coconut oil (1 stick butter and quarter cup oil) and using one cup of sugar and one cup of applesauce. So delicious and moist! I’ve added in pecans, chocolate chips, and oats before to make different flavors for different people. Love it, thank you!
Man, this is good pumpkin bread! Soft and spicy and delicious. I personally think this is delicious as written, but if you’re not a huge fan of cloves, I’d reduce to 1/2 tsp. Your recipes never let me down, Jen!
LOVE THIS PUMPKIN BREAD!
Especially love all the added spices, including the clove. They made this bread so delicious! It’s also very moist.😋
Thank you so much for sharing this recipe! I have made this several times and it has become a family favorite. The bread is so moist, flavorful and delicious that it doesn’t last long before it’s gone. This pumpkin bread is definitely a winner! 😋
Has anyone tried using flax seed+water as a substitute for the eggs? Wondering if it will work, as I don’t have eggs on hand.
Would I be able to substitute applesauce for the butter?
Hi Jacqueline, I think it would work but I’d recommend starting off by just subbing half of the butter with applesauce. If you like the texture of the finished bread, you could try using all applesauce the next time. Keep in mind that this bread is already quite moist and the applesauce will make it moister. Please let me know how it turns out if you try it!
If you don’t need to make the recipe dairy-free, rather than applesauce, I’d recommend using 1/3 – 1/2 the amount of butter called for in the recipe and full fat or low fat plain greek yogurt for the remainder of the butter. If you sub applesauce for all of the fat in the recipe, it will alter both the texture and sweetness of the bread.