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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Delicious recipe however I followed exactly and I did not end up with enough batter for 2 loaves in standard bread pans. I had enough for 1 full and a small amount leftover. Next time I will double this recipe.
I made this bread today & the loaves sunk down. What did I do wrong?
Hi Carol, These don’t rise a lot as they’re more like a cake than a bread. That said, if they sunk after you removed them from the oven, they were probably a bit underbaked. Hope that helps!
I’ve had this same problem too, multiple times. I noticed when I compared it to other quick bread recipes that the baking powder and soda about s were reversed (twice as much powder as soda, where this one has twice as much baking soda). I might try to change them next time and see if they fluff up a little more.
If I don’t have access to canned pumpkin, can I used roasted pumpkin instead? If so, should I aim for the same weight, and could I puree it with a stick/immersion blender?
Yes, you can definitely use fresh pumpkin and puree it with an immersion blender after roasting. Just squeeze out any excess liquid so the bread isn’t too moist. (And you’ll need the same amount.) Enjoy!
This is hands down the best pumpkin bread I have ever had. It is so light and tender. I tend to like my desserts not so sweet so I only used 1 and 1/3 cups of sugar and it was plenty sweet for me. Really really really good!
Thank you so much for this recipe! I’ve made it quite a few times now and it NEVER disappoints. I’ve made it in a loaf pan, a Nordic Ware fall pan, and in mini-muffins. I love how soft and moist this cake is. It’s just what I was looking for in a good pumpkin bread recipe!
I’ve made this pumpkin bread fir my wife and kids and friends for years. Never fails, always HITS! Love that I found it and thank you Jenn for sharing this heavenly loaf with us all.
Getting ready to make this but only have margarine or salted butter. Can I substitute using margarine or use salted butter and omit the salt?
Hi Kathleen, I’d probably go with the butter. While it varies by brand, most salted butter has approximately 1/4 tsp. salt per stick, so you can use the salted butter and reduce the salt in the recipe as needed. Hope that helps and that you enjoy!
This cake turned out perfect. I shared it with my co-workers and they all wanted the recipe.
I did use fresh pumpkin and added a tablespoon of orange zest. It’s wow!
I made this with the exact ingredients and it’s the best pumpkin anything, I’ve ever made. My kids will be so impressed with me. I will be sharing with my friends for sure! Thank you for such amazing comfort food.
My family absolutely LOVES this bread. I add chocolate chips to it. So moist and oh so good!!!!!!
I normally bake it in a 9 by 9 inch cake pan but my daughter wants to try it as muffins in a cupcake pan. What temperature and cooking time would you recommend?
Hi Sarah, So glad your family likes this! I’d use the guidance from this recipe for muffins (you can skip the streusel topping if you’d like).
This is now my favourite Pumpkin Bread recipe. It is always devoured and nothing left by the next day! Thank you for sharing this wonderful recipe with us!
I’m curious – have you ever made it in a Bundt pan? What would be your recommendation for baking it that way?
Glad you like it! If you want to make it in a bundt pan, I’d recommend this recipe of mine — it’s very similar. 🙂