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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Just found your web site while looking for a pumpkin bread recipe. Made the bread today and it came out wonderful! The family loves it- just so moist and not overly spicy as some pumpkin breads can be. I look forward to trying more recipes from your site!
I made this yesterday and it was delicious. Very moist, Could I add nuts or chocolate chips to this recipe and would that change the baking time?
Glad you liked it! It’s fine to add nuts or chocolate chips and it won’t impact the baking time.
Can I make this in bread machine. If yes, adjustments. It is super delicious
I’ve never used a bread machine so I can’t say confidently whether or not any of my recipes would be appropriate for one. Sorry I can’t be more helpful!
Oh my gosh this is the best pumpkin bread I have EVER made! Thank you so much for sharing your recipe!
I’m a big fan of pumpkin and I’ve been making this recipe for about a year now. I’ve lost count of how many loaves I’ve made. Everyone raves about it. Friends have actually thrown out their other pumpkin bread recipes for this one.
Thank you Jenn
Followed the recipe exactly as written. Made no changes or modifications.
Found the recipe was too sweet and didn’t have enough of a spice taste even though all my spices are new. Thought the bread was a bit bland.
I added 1 tsp ginger, topped with chopped walnuts. It was excellent.
Any high altitude adjustments that you would recommend? We live at 9000ft! Also, can I make these as muffins vs bread without them being too soggy in the center?
Hi Cheree, 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. And if you’d prefer to make muffins, I’d use this recipe (and you can omit the streusel topping if you’d like).
I’m at high altitude, and I baked muffins with this recipe just yesterday. I didn’t change anything with the ingredients for high altitude (I did, however, use less sugar, changed the spice amounts and added some choc chips, just due to personal preference). I baked the muffins at 325 for about 20 mins and they came out perfectly! Yield 24 muffins
I live in high altitude and this has become my favorite pumpkin bread recipe! The only changes I make (for altitude) is reduce baking soda and powder by 1/4 tsp each. Hope that helps!
This is the best recipe for pumpkin bread ever! I make it every year. Usually I use Libby’s and it turns out great. I used Trader Joe’s 100% pumpkin once and it was much more liquidy and the bread didn’t rise as much. I just made it again and only had Trader Joe’s pumpkin – I can confirm it’s much more liquidy and the color is lighter as well. The flavor is still there though 🙂
Delicious! I changed the spices to suit our taste, but this recipe was exactly what I was looking for. It is moist and great just to eat by itself. I used 2 tsp cinnamon, and 1/2 tsp each cloves, allspice, ginger, and nutmeg.
Loved Loved this recipe. Doubled the recipe and made 4 loaves. Gave a loaf to friends, kept one loaf to serve with breakfast and froze 2 loaves. So moist and flavorful. Will be making it again when we are closer to the holidays to give to family and friends!
Hi! Is there an adjusted time if you made muffins?
Hi Eliana, I actually have a muffin version of this recipe here. (And you can omit the streusel topping if you’d like.) Hope you enjoy. 🙂
I made muffins just yesterday, using the bread recipe. 20 minutes and they were perfect (I let them cool 10 mins in the tins before removing to a wire rack).