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’d like to add chopped walnuts, how much should I add? Also, this is THE BEST pumpkin bread out there. I make it several times a year and even get requests for it. Thanks so much! ~Jana
So glad you like it, Jana! I’d recommend about 1 cup of chopped walnuts. 🙂
I made this in two 9×5 pans, so it was a bit shorter and wider than the original, but otherwise followed the recipe. I thought a whole teaspoon of cloves might be a bit much, but in the end, the spices were well balanced. The loaves came out quite nicely. Next time, I’ll use a bit more salt.
Best pumpkin bread I’ve ever made! My family absolutely adores this recipe, I normally half the recipe and once o forgot to half the pumpkin and it turned out even better! I also recommend it with chocolate chips!
This pumpkin bread recipe is The Best! Moist and delicious, it’s a real keeper.
Thank you, Jenn!
I made a few changes:
(1) I used 1 cup dark brown sugar and 1 cup white sugar;
(2) Instead of cloves, I added 1 tsp. pumpkin pie spice; and
(3) I added a cup of raisins
Jenn, Will this work in a 9″ x 5″ baking pan? I assume it would take less time. Should I adjust the temperature, too?
Love your recipes and cookbook!
Hi Joanne, I wouldn’t recommend it in a 9×5 pan – I’ve tried it and it comes out flat and dense. Two 8×4 loaf pans will give you the best results. Sorry!
Hi Jenn,
I could only find one of my many loaf pans so I used my Bundt pan and it came out so beautifully I was sorry I wasn’t entertaining. But next time I do I know what I’ll be making! Delicious, moist, perfect.
Thanks for this recipe,
Becky
Can you tell me how many cups are in the 15oz can? I bought the larger can, and used some of it for another purpose. I have some pumpkin left. Thanks for your time.
I found my answer, thought I would share it. A 15-ounce can of canned pumpkin holds nearly 2 cups. It’s actually 2 1/2 tablespoons short of 2 cups, about 29 1/2 tablespoons total. If you buy the 29-ounce can of pumpkin, you’ll get about 3 1/2 cups cups in that can.
Hi Kathleen, One 15 ounce can is about 1-3/4 cups. Enjoy!
This was excellent. I loved the spice. It wasn’t overpowering. This will be my second time making it. The first time I baked two loaves then ended up baking a second batch in a Bundt pan because my kids loved it. My 13 year old claimed on loaf for himself. Lol. So I guess this is my third time making it.
I just made your recipe for the pumpkin bread. It is the last day of winter and I will miss the best time of the year, fall/ winter, so I made this recipe in anticipation of the next season. IT IS THE BEST PUMPKIN BREAD I HAVE EVER TASTED!! Thank you for sharing your most prized recipe with us all!
I lost my go to pumpkin bread recipe that was a family recipe so i decided to get online and look for one. I was hoping since this recipe had good reviews that it would be good but I was wrong. Hands down the worst crumbly mess pumpkin bread i’ve ever had.
Then you don’t know what your doing. This is a great recipe.
The only time I had that problem I had cut it too soon. Otherwise once cooled was not crumbly at all.
This recipe makes AMAAAAZING bread. I received so many compliments.
I did however, substitute 1 1/4 cup of brown sugar for the 2 cups of granulated sugar that the recipe asks for. I also added baking pieces walnuts on the top of the loaves, which added crunchiness. The pumpkin bread was a huge hit.