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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This stuff is dangerous!! We already ate one of the loaves. Loved it!
I absolutely love this pumpkin bread recipe!!! Already planning to use it again for the holidays ( have made it randomly also). The only thing I do differently is to put the whole recipe in a bundt pan. Thank you so much.
Can you please tell me what temp and time you used for the bundt pan? Thanks!
This is my go-to pumpkin bread recipe! I love that it uses an entire can of pumpkin and makes two loaves. Tonight I made a batch and, quite by accident, used half the amount of sugar. It turned out great!
Great recipe! Love the moist yet light texture of the bread, thanks to the fluffy butter and sugar step. I added ginger and chocolate chips, but would be great as written too.
I will be sharing this one with all my pumpkin-loving bakers!
I absolutely love this recipe for pumpkin bread! Could this be used for baked donuts made in a donut tin? Thanks!
Hi Heather, so glad you like it! I’ve never made this into donuts so I can’t say for sure, but did notice that one reader commented that she did successfully. I’d love to hear how they turn out if you try it!
After 3 recipe attempts, I finally came across this most excellent recipe! I believe the cloves and use of just white sugar (brown sugar seemed to weigh down prior recipes) are the keys to success. This recipe will be my annual go-to for years to come (as it has been for the author of this site). Many thank-yous!
Can this be altered into mini muffins? How would I adjust the cook time.
This is one of my favorite recipes and I want to make it for a baby shower but as more a bite sized muffin, since there will be lots of other foods to choose from.
Hi Danielle, So glad you like this! I’d start checking mini muffins 10 to 13 minutes (although they may take a few minutes longer). Hope everyone enjoys!
I thought the sugar seemed high so I put 1.5 cups instead of 2 cups. Added more spices too (more of everything + added a bit of ginger, allspice, and cardamom). Used a square pan because that’s all I had. Ended up perfect! Moist, not too sweet, holding back eating half the pan.
Made it and LOVED it. This is a near perfect recipe. Changes: 1) I put it all in one tall pullman loaf pan so it comes out looking exactly like Starbucks. 2) I added 1/4 tsp powdered ginger, 1/4 tsp ground cardamom, an additional scant 1/4 cup sugar, and a tablespoon of olive oil. 3) Lastly, when I pulled it out of the oven, I brushed the top lightly with water and generously sprinkled on some turbinado sugar. I then let it completely cool before removing it from the pan and cutting it. If you wrap it in foil and wait a day, it’s even better. You do all that and every person who tastes it will involuntarily say, “Wow!” Thanks Jenn!
Love this recipe, but bake in four mini pans. I never know for long. Please help. Thank you!
Hi Charlotte, glad you like it! I’d start checking the mini loaves at 35 minutes.
Perfect pumpkin bread recipe!! Everyone loved it! It was flavorful, moist and easy to make. I will be making this again and again….