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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Another great recipe from once upon a chef! I am a fan now! Loved it, so light and delicious… i used homemade pumpkin puree
So yummy. I didn’t have to right size pans so I put in 1. I baked a little longer but kept an eye on it. The bread is so yummy. Glad I tried this recipe and will make it again!
Love this recipe. I made it the first time with fresh pumpkin puree opened from a can and it worked phenomenal. But I froze the rest of the pumpkin puree and measured the exact amounts before placing it in the freezer. I thawed one of the measured pumpkin puree to make pumpkin bread again and it deflated once it came out of the oven. Not sure if freezing pumpkin puree and then using it will create problems for making pumpkin bread though. Any suggestions?
Hi CL, glad you like the pumpkin bread! I think it’s fine to freeze pumpkin purée so I don’t that would make the bread deflate. Did you fully thaw the purée before incorporating it into the recipe? And was there any additional moisture when you thawed it? Deflating often has to do with something being under-baked so perhaps it just needed a few more minutes in the oven. Hope that helps!
THANK YOU GRANDMA! I have made this recipe 3x in 2 months and my neighbors want to buy loaves from me,. My son loves this recipe. It freezes well…half a loaf was frozen for 2 whole days 😊Best pumpkin bread recipe EVER! And I use vegan butter due to allergies. It is the yummiest!
I used fresh pumpkin purée that I had cooked in my Instant Pot. The only thing I would change is the amount of sugar. It was a little sweet for my taste. Otherwise it delicious.
This pumpkin bread is delish, my boys love it! Since its fall I wanted to use up my pumpkin spice so I just did 3tsp of pumpkin spice in place of the other spices listed – worked perfectly! Had no problem with sticking, I just used regular spray canola oil and lightly dusted it with flour instead of using butter & flour – easier in my opinion! Thanks Jenn!
Absolutely delicious recipe!! Made it into muffins rather than a loaf and they turned out amazingly moist. They were gone within a few days of making them!! Will definitely make this recipe again!
I’m a Montessori teacher and I have been using this recipe to bake with my students for the past five years- it’s delicious! I bake this at home for my family and my husband brings it to work as well. It’s light, fluffy, full of wonderful pumpkin flavor, and just the right amount of spice. The house/classroom smells amazing and festive when its baking. This is the only pumpkin bread recipe you need :).
Another great recipe! Thank you! First time making Pumpkin Bread and I couldn’t of chosen a better recipe. Thank you Jenn!
I have been in search of a pumpkin bread recipe, and I am proud to say this is the one! I also enjoy the two-pan suggestion so I can share it with family! Thanks a million.