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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Hi! Love this recipe but found out My son is allergic to cloves. Do you recommend adding more cinnamon and nutmeg, or just simply omit the cloves? Thanks so much!
Hi Laurie, I’d just leave out the cloves.
How does she do it again and again and again? I finally caved and bought her cookbook. It’s the least I could do for being a culinary star in borrowed robes.
Thanks for your support with the cookbook! 💗
How do I adjust for high altitude
Hi Sandy, Thanks for your note. 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. Hope you enjoy if you try it!
Great recipe! I used brown sugar and added chocolate chips.
This recipe is great! I’m not a baker – can’t even remember the last time I baked something before today! But I’ve suddenly had the urge to dip my toe into the world of baking, so tried this recipe out to start. I only had 9×5 pans at my disposal, so used two of those instead (didn’t adjust the recipe either, and baked for 65 minutes), and they turned out great! I’ll definitely use this recipe again!
This pumpkin bread was absolutely delicious. I shared it with my coworkers and everyone thought it was a hit. I even had two friends who said they aren’t pumpkin fans and tried this and really enjoyed it. Thank you for this wonderful recipe!!
yummy! i added chocolate chips and pecans. jenn, i used 2 of your recipes this weekend. always a go to site.
I’ve made this bread a couple of times already, knife come out clean, but still undercooked once I slice it. HELP and has anyone tried making muffins??
Hi Nancy, sorry you’re having a problem with this! It should be done in the middle if the tester is coming out clean, but if it’s not, I’d leave it in the oven for a few more minutes. Also, if you want to give muffins a try, check out this recipe. (It’s very similar to this one and you can omit the streusel topping if you want.)
Hello!! Today I baked this delicious bread. Simply amazing way to eat “ayote sazón “ as it is known in Costa Rica.
Thank you for sharing!
Thank you for a great recipe. Made it with 1 cup sugar and adjusted the spices a bit (not a great fan of nutmeg). Also added some semi-sweet chocolate chips. Baked in a bundt pan for 60-70 minutes, covered with tin foil at about 45 minute mark. Turned out moist and very delicious.
Once baked and cooled, do the loaves need to be refrigerated? Would like to make and send to my daughter who is in the Army. thank you
Hi Cindy, the loaves don’t need to be refrigerated. They keep nicely for 3 to 4 days so I guess it depends on how long it will take for your daughter to receive them as to whether or not it’s a good option. Hope she enjoys if you do send them to her!
This was great! as usual I followed the directions and it tastes delicious!