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 meringued the egg whites and added the egg yolks at the very end it was way lighter and fluffier. try it.
Wow! I have NEVER left a review – probably because nothing has knocked me off my feet like your pumpkin bread. There were not enough stars to rate it as it was a definite 10. Like all previous reviews, yes, this was the best pumpkin bread I have ever tasted. Gave a loaf to my daughter and grandkids and two hours later my granddaughter called and asked when I would make her some more pumpkin bread and to please not to give any to her brothers…she wanted to eat it all herself! Then my other daughter called and wanted this recipe her sister was raving about. Thank you so very much for sharing your grandmother’s wonderful bread. Can’t wait to receive future recipes and will be ordering your cookbook for Christmas gifts. Off to the kitchen to make more pumpkin bread for my granddaughter.
So glad it was a hit! 🙂
I messed up the order of mixing ingredients (put the sugar in the flour mix) and it still turned out better than any other pumpkin bread I’ve ever made before. A+ recipe
Turned out great! Nice and moist. Thanks for the recipe.
This recipe is head and shoulders above other pumpkin bread recipes I’ve tried! I especially love the amount of cloves. It’s my best friend’s favorite too, so I always end up giving her the second loaf. Put this on your must bake list!
I have 5 mini loaves in the oven right now. This is the third time making this bread. So happy to find Jenn’s sight on the internet. Made the beef stew recipe twice and your cookbook arrived last week. Really enjoy reading about you and your cooking tips are so helpful. Just recently retired and have always loved cooking but enjoy it even more since I have the time and Jenn’s recipes.
Delicious! I combine the two loaves into one 9×5 pan and it always works perfectly!
I made your Pumpkin Bread recipe along with your Cinnamon Swirl Apple Bread last week and everyone raved about it! They were both gone within a few hours. Thank you for sharing your delicious recipes! My family and friends have already asked me to make them again. Do you happen to have another Pumpkin Bread recipe that has less fat and sugar? I love your original recipe but I would like a Pumpkin Bread I could have every morning with coffee. 😀
Hi Heidi, glad the pumpkin and apple breads were a hit! I don’t have a version of this that has less fat and sugar, but you can cut the sugar back by a 1/2 cup. Regarding the butter, a few readers have commented that they’ve used just one stick instead of 1-1/2 and have still been happy with the results. Please keep in mind that I haven’t tried it with these tweaks. Please LMK how it turns out if you try it!
can you add dried cranberries
Sure – hope you enjoy!
Delicious and easy, but a little too sweet. While I usually love everything sweet, this sweetness nearly overpowered the other spices. I will definitely make it again, but I will lessen the sugar and double a spice or two.
I go as little as 1/2 cup sugar for the whole recipe. Comes out great.
This pumpkin bread is delicious! I always enjoyed getting a slice of pumpkin bread at Starbucks, but this bread beats that hands down. Is spiced perfectly and it’s oh so moist. This recipe is going to be responsible for at least 5 extra pounds for me.
Thanks for another winner, Jenn!