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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Hi Jenn,
I made this and it turned out well. I only had half of pumpkin purée, i reduce the sugar into 1.5 cups, and use 3 eggs instead.
Thank you so much for the recipe😘
Just tried the pumpkin bread recipe today. My mom and I give it two thumbs up! Love the light crunchy crust on it!
I just made this tonight. It was delicious. Tender and moist snd easy to make. The first two pieces I cut kind of fell apart on me but I think maybe I should have let them cool off more. It had cooled for about 15 minutes. Definitely will make this again. Thanks!
Love this and so do my friends. I cut the sugar to 1 3/4 Cups and I like it better. Also have used 1/2 almond flour and 1/2 regular flour. All seems to work just fine. They freeze beautifully too.
Loved! Just had enough pumpkin to make 1 loaf. Baked for 60mins and bread was moist and delicious. Perfect amount of spices too. Bread was gone within a few hrs, its that good!
Is it possible to bake this in a bread maker? I’m sharing the recipe with my sister-in-law Fiona, I’ve made this bread a few dozen times to rave reviews. Thank you so much.
Sandra
Hi Sandra, 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!
I just made this pumpkin bread recipe. It is really yummy! Thanks for the recipe!
I have only one loaf pan so halved the recipe. The bread smells great and I cooked it for 70 minutes but it hardly rose at all! It’s moist but just looks like it’s still a bit undercooked. My oven is only 6 months old so I hope it’s accurate. I would love to write a glowing review like everyone else and I’m not exactly a novice at baking. 😁 Any ideas? Thank you.
Hi Shelley, Happy to help troubleshoot. How big is your pan?
It’s 9x4x3 Pyrex glass. I’m wondering if had not halved the baking powder and baking soda if the bread would have risen. Also have double-checked my oven and it’s ok.
You know, I’m going to try this again and make two loaves or a pan of muffins and a loaf. I’m sure it will turn out since I seem to be the Only one who’s failed at this! 😂
Thank you for your blog – I love how you’ve structured it.
Hi Shelley, The size of your pan explains it. Although 1 inch doesn’t seem like a big difference, you will definitely get a taller loaf using an 8 x 4“ loaf pan. Hope you have better luck next time around!
Make sure your baking soda and powder haven’t expired.
Hi Jenn
I am a fan of your cheesecake recipe! Thank you.
I am about to make this pumpkin bread as we have a lot of whole pumpkins at home. Will it work to just use fresh pumpkin peeled and chopped, and blend it in the food processor (seedless of course)?
Also, can I use oil instead of butter and if so, what amount should I use?
Many thanks!
Andrijana
Glad you like the cheesecake! A lot of readers have commented that they’ve used fresh pumpkin here successfully. If you want to use it, you’ll need to cook it first. Here’s some guidance. Just make sure to drain it of excess water so that the consistency is similar to that of canned pumpkin. Hope you enjoy!
I don’t have butter. what is an alternative?
You can use an equal amount of coconut oil. Hope that helps!
Hi, Jenn –
This is the best pumpkin bread! We love it!!! I also love that it makes two loaves. If I wanted to add chocolate or mini chocolate chips, what would be the amount you would recommend?
Hi Terri, So glad you like it! I’d go with 1 cup.