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’ve made this recipe at least 3 times now and everyone loves it. Sometimes I adjust the spices but this time around I added ground ginger about 3/4 tsp and 1/2 tsp of pumpkin spice in addition to everything else. I think I found the perfect combo!
Wow! This was my first time making pumpkin bread and I will use this recipe over and over again. I did replace spices with just pumpkin pie spice. I feel I made the mistake of taking the bread out a little too early as it’s a bit crumbly. I’ll leave in longer next time. Wonderful!
I think this loaf tastes absolutely wonderful, and it was fairly easy to do. The only thing that happened with me – which not sure where I went wrong – but the centre of the loaf sunk in a bit and while it was in the oven it kept spilling over the sides (this could be a mix of my silicone tin – first time using it- or maybe just too much? Or the fact that I have an oven from the 70’s and doesn’t work the best haha?)
I did have leftover batter so I made some mini muffins with it, but they also deflated. Nonetheless, very yummy. I’ll have to try a second time and hope for better luck.
Hi Vanessa, Sorry you had some problems with this! Did you use two 8 x 4-inch loaf pans? And did you make any adjustments to the recipe?
I’ve tried several different pumpkin bread recipes over the years, and this is my favorite. Moist and flavorful with the perfect blend of spices. I used real pumpkin I had frozen from last year and it worked great.The recipe uses butter, which is superior to an oil based recipe. Make sure to let bake long enough. This is my new go-to pumpkin bread!
If you had to open and close the oven to take care of the overflow, the temp changes caused the bread not to cook correctly. Only fill your pan 3/4 full.
This a fantastic recipe. I made muffins out of it. And it made 23 nice-sized muffins. I was a little surprised by the clove amount but I trusted it and man. It’s so good.
Really good and simple recipe. I like the taste of the cloves, but some people don’t. Cut back if you don’t!
I have a Nordic Ware harvest pan that I’d like to use…it has a black interior. How do I adjust the recipe to accommodate that pan?
Hi Deelena, If you want to use a pan like that, I’d recommend this pumpkin cake of mine (which is very similar to this recipe), but with as ornate as the pan is, I’m a bit concerned that it would stick. Please LMK how it turns out if you try it!
Would you be able to post the picture of the full recipe? I think this is the same recipe that my grandmother had me use in Jr / Sr high to win 4H bread baking contests!
How funny! The full recipe is there. If you scroll down a bit to under the pictures, you’ll find the full recipe. Alternatively, at the very top of the page, under the recipe name, you’ll see an orange/red button that says Jump to Recipe – if you click on that, it will take you directly to the recipe. Hope that clarifies!
I followed the instructions meticulously, but it came out very dense, falling apart, and quite bland.. wasn’t terrible, but I didn’t really want to eat more than the first slice (well – it didn’t last as a slice given how much it crumbled). I’m confused as to what went wrong given all of the great ratings.
Sorry you had such a problem with this, Abigail! Did you make any adjustments to the recipe or is there any chance you may have made a measuring error?
I always have a little bit of pumpkin left over cause the cans are so big.
Can I make 1 loaf and just cut the recipe in half?
Sure!
This was my first time making a pumpkin dessert of any kind. I followed the recipe exactly and it turned out excellent! ** The cloves are a bit overpowering so I would recommend putting in 1/4 teaspoon cloves instead of 1 teaspoon.
How much pumpkin pie spice would I use in place of all the other ones?
3 teaspoons (aka 1 tablespoon). Hope you enjoy!
Love the recipe! Can I bake all the batter in one loaf pan or will it not cook correctly?
Glad you like it. I’d definitely recommend using two loaf pans.
I add a bit of cayenne pepper just to give it a little kick. A terrific recipe! Thank you for sharing!