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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Great recipe! I reduced the sugar and added dark chocolate chips, walnuts and roasted pepitas. Was amazing with my morning coffee. Thanks for creating this recipe and thanks for your helpful responses to reviews 🙂
Good recipe for making multiple loaves. I tend to use less sugar and bake for slightly less time so that the bread is quite moist. Adding walnuts and raisins is great. I think this recipe is clearly superior to others that use vegetable oil in lieu of butter. I”m making 10 loaves as I type this for my neighborhood cheer up- It’s Thanksgiving in our driveways!”
Dear Peggy:
What a meaningful and delightful way to celebrate Thanksgiving….. in your driveways! I love it. Hope everyone was blessed by this great idea.
First time I made this and my kids said it was too sweet, other than that, very delicious. So, next time I used half the amount of sugar and it is absolutely perfect.
can I substitute coconut oil for butter?
Yes, while I haven’t tried it, a number of readers have commented that they’ve successfully used coconut oil for this. Hope you enjoy!
This bread is excellent!! Just wondering if you have ever baked this as 350 instead of 325? Thanks
No, I can’t say that I have. Glad you like it!
If you don’t have ground cloves and are trying to avoid going to the grocery store in the next 36 hours… what would you recommend as a substitute, if any?
Hi Kailyn, I’d use half as much ground allspice.
This recipe is awesome! So easy, and it comes out absolutely perfect. Crisp on the outside, so soft and light on the inside. I too added a quarter tsp. of vanilla. It makes it taste just a bit richer.
A really lovely recipe from start to finish! Clearly and succinctly written and laid out on the page. Step-by-step pictures give you a realistic, bird’s-eye view, you can’t go wrong. I elected to put 1/2 cup less sugar and it worked out very nicely. Delicious! I enjoy Jenn’s writing style and I particularly enjoyed her auto-biography. I know I’m getting education and experience in every recipe. Looking forward to many more recipes😁
Followed this to a T. However, when I went to turn the loaves out onto a cooling rack, the bottom of both loaves stayed in the pan. They came out easily with a spatula but came out crumbly. The bread seemed to be done, so not sure what happened. Any ideas? It tastes fine, however.
Sorry these stuck a bit for you! Did you generously grease the pans with butter and dust with flour (or use a baking spray with flour in it, such as Pam with Flour or Baker’s Joy)? Also, did you let the loaves cool in the pans for about 10 minutes before turning them out?
When I went to put in 2 pans it was only about a 1/4 way up so I put in 1 pan. I was afraid it would be to thin. Hopefully it turns out.
Made today…delicious!!!
Great recipe..I didn’t add, take away or change a thing
I just made this pumpkin loaf recipe and followed it exactly. The loaves did not bake properly – I wonder if your oven temperature should be increased to 350-375 degrees. Also, I had mine in the oven at the recommended temp for 1 1/2 hours. Sadly, an expensive failure so I would pass on trying this recipe again.
What is your elevation? Personally I’m in Denver so I have to increase the oven temp.
How can I turn this into a cupcake recipe? Thanks in advance!
Hi Alex, I’d use this recipe, omit the topping and add the frosting you’d like. Hope that helps!