Pumpkin Bread
This post may contain affiliate links. Read my full disclosure policy.
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!
You May Also Like
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
Powered by 
- 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.
See more recipes:
Add a Comment
This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.
Lorddddd, this was so good! I added in about 3/4-1 cup of both raisins and walnuts & it was drool worthy!
In the original recipe, it calls for 9×5 pans. your recipe calls for 8×4. I have 9×5’s but was hoping for a nice tall loaf. would you suggest proceed as directed or do you have tips to adjust the recipe according to the larger loaf pan?
Hi Lea, I wouldn’t recommend making this in one 9 x 5-inch loaf pan. If you only have 9 x 5-inch pans, I’d increase the batter by 1.5 and bake in two of them. Bake time may be a touch longer. Hope that helps!
Hi! Just wondering if you used the 9×5 and how it turned out?
This was really good! It made two loaves, and the family ate one before it was totally cooled.
How do you recommend storing this bread after it’s been made? On the counter?
Something that would last for a couple days until it’s been eaten.
Yep, the countertop is fine loosely covered with foil. Enjoy!
Just made this today. Turned out good & delicious. It crumbled a lot when I sliced it. Was moist on inside so it was not dry. Let it cool on a rack for quite a while. Any tips on how to get firmer slices?
Hi Diane, Glad to hear it tasted good but sorry you found it crumbly. Did you make any adjustments to the recipe?
Ok. First off I have followed the recipe EXACTLY … but halved it because I only have one loaf pan. And I love it! I also have done a couple of variations. I used a whole stick of butter (that would be 2 sticks in a full recipe) by accident once. It was extra rich & moist. I have also made it with homemade sweet potatoes. Ok. Not my favorite. And also baby food pumpkin (because people seem to be hoarding canned pumpkin right now). Turned out perfect! It was a great baking activity to do with little ones. We made muffins. They thought they were yummy. I have also cooled and frozen the slices to take on future hikes. Has worked well. YUM!
Can you let me know what adjustments are needed for altitude (6000 feet)?
Hi Amy, I don’t have experience baking at high altitudes so, unfortunately, I don’t have any wisdom to share – I’m sorry! You may find these tips helpful though. 🙂
High altitude is generally considered 3,500 or more feet above sea level. If this is you, then you need to make some adjustments to your recipes to ensure that your baked goods rise evenly.
Oven Temperature Increase by 15-25℉
Since at higher altitudes evaporation happens faster, you’ll need to help your baked goods set up a bit faster in the oven by raising the temperature.
Baking Time Decrease by 20-30%
This is to compensate for the increased oven temperature you’ll need at higher altitudes. A higher temp means a faster cook, so be careful not to overdo it.
Flour Increase by 1 tbsp at 3,500 ft, and by 1 tbsp per 1,500 ft
Adding flour helps to steady the rise of your baked goods and add structure to them as they grow in the oven.
Sugar Decrease by 1 tbsp per cup
Since liquids evaporate faster at higher elevations, the concentration of sugar goes up. Be sure to reduce to keep your cakes, brownies, and cookies from collapsing.
Liquids Increase by 1 to 2 tbsp per 1,000 ft, and 1 ½ tsp per additional 1,000 ft
It’s all about compensating for faster evaporation here — keep things from drying out and crisping up before they rise by adding a bit more liquid, whether it’s water, milk, oil, or eggs.
Baking Powder/Soda Decrease by 20% above 3,500 ft, by 50% above 5,000 ft, and by 75% above 6,500 ft
Reducing the amount of your leavening agents will help your baked goods to rise more gradually at higher elevations.
Yeast Decrease by 25% above 3,500 ft and account for a shorter rising time
Yeast breads will rise faster at higher elevations, but will collapse in on themselves if you don’t reduce the amount of yeast called for in the recipe.
Thank you for such a detailed explanation and useful information!
It was pretty good. Easy to make. For me personally, I will go 1/2 teaspoon for the cloves and 1 1/2 to 2 tablespoons for cinnamon next time. But overall tastes good
This was delicious!!
Fantastic recipe. I added 1 tsp. ginger, 1 cup of pecans and 1/4 c of diced candied ginger. Perfectly delicious!
The loaves turned out perfectly ! I live at high altitude, which may be why they were done at 62 minutes ! Moist and delicious. I used Trader Joe’s 100% pure organic pumpkin and didn’t change any of the spices !! Yum yum YUM !!