Pumpkin Bread
This post may contain affiliate links. Read my full disclosure policy.
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.
This is the original recipe from my grandmother’s recipe box; as you can see, it has seen its share of spills! After a bit of research, I discovered that the original recipe was published in the McCalls Cook Book (Random House, 1963). It is a typical sweet quick bread, similar to banana bread or cranberry nut bread, in that it is leavened with baking powder and/or baking soda instead of yeast. Quick bread batter can usually be made into muffins; my pumpkin muffins are almost identical to this bread but with a crunchy 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 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 65-75 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!
YOu may also like
- Pumpkin Scones with Spiced Pumpkin Glaze
- Pumpkin Cake
- Pumpkin Cornbread Muffins
- Pumpkin Pecan Crunch Muffins
- Cake Pans to Cookie Sheets: 16 Essential Baking Pans
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
Powered by 
- 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.
See more recipes:
Comments
Add a Comment
This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.
I found this recipe a few years ago and I’ve used every year since around the holidays. Everyone always loves it and it’s without a doubt my favorite pumpkin bread. Definitely plan on keeping this recipe on hand for years to come. Recommend it for sure!
Best pumpkin bread ever!
I tried other recipes but none of them were as amazing as this one! It’s chewy but soft, simply gorgeous.
Also I made this in one loaf and it was perfect!
This is the best pumpkin bread I have ever had! Is this recipe easily doubled?
Yep 🙂
I made this twice in two days. Neither time did it full my pans. It may be because I am using fresh pumpkin puree I made myself earlier this year. It was great, moist and tasty.
This is the best pumpkin bread! It’s flavorful and moist and perfect. Since I have three larger loaf pans (9×5), I doubled the recipe and got three amazing loaves. I only added a little bit more cinnamon because I like it and a pinch of allspice. My family loved this bread and I’ll be making more before Thanksgiving. Thanks for sharing! It’s a winner!
I made this for myself last week and am making it again for family and friends for Thanksgiving… It is fantastic!! I did use half the amount of sugar (I always reduce sugar in any recipe) and I added walnuts… So moist and delicious… Thank You
I want to make this but I have loaf pans that are 9×5 and then mini loaf pans 3×5, there are four each on one unit. How would you recommend i change the process?
You could go either way, but I’d probably use two 9 x 5-inch pans and multiply the recipe by 1.5 so you have enough batter. Hope you enjoy!
I had a large can of pumpkin for pumpkin pies but knew my family would not need two pies. I used half the can for this bread and am so pleased with the result! This pumpkin bread is delicious! Even my VERY picky children loved it. Thank you!
I used one 9×5 and one 8×4 (that’s what I had in hand) and it worked very well.
Hi there! Super excited to try your recipe today! (I’ve tried many, reading your reviews gives me hope this is the best one <3 )
Quick 2 questions:
If I wanted to add chocolate chips how much would you recommend? I wasn't sure if 1/2 cup would be too much.
Also, would it be possible to either add/substitute brown sugar? Or would the brown sugar make it too moist?
Appreciate your help!
Hi Lindsey, I think 1/2 of chocolate chips is fine but if you’re concerned about it being too much, feel free to use 1/3 cup. I’d recommend sticking with the granulated sugar for the most predictable result. That said, some readers have commented that they’ve replaced some of the granulated sugar with brown sugar. Please let me know how it turns out when you make it!
Thank you Jenn!!!
I have tried your recipe twice now and both batches came out amazing.
Your recipes are now my to-go-to!
So glad to hear it — thanks for the follow up!
This is honestly the BEST pumpkin bread recipe ever! I am making it for the millionth time this weekend for a family get together and was wondering if there is an icing/frosting recipe you would recommend topping it with. I don’t want to change the bread recipe, I just want to add a little extra on top.
Hi Amy, So glad you like it! You could try the frosting from this recipe. Please LMK how it turns out!
It turned out heavenly!!!! That bread never lasts a day in my house and with the icing it barely lasted hours! Thanks again!
👍
My mom found this recipe a month or so ago. It is our new favorite thing! Instead of 2 loaves, we make 8-10 mini loaves so we can share. And share we have!!!!! Our favorite “add ins” are:
my son’s fav- espresso chips
my mom’s fav-peanut butter chips
my 2 favs-raisin & walnut and espresso chips & walnut (walnuts make it over the top amazing!)
Another “add in” we have used and liked very much was white chocolate chips.
Everyone we have shared mini loaves with have raved about how incredible they are. You did your grandma proud sharing this! 10 stars if I could.
Hi Tammy,
I’m looking to make mini loaves as well! How long are you baking them for in the mini pans?
Thank you!
The Pumpkin bread says it yields 2 loaves. But what if I only have one 9×5 loaf pan how should I adjust temperature & time???
Hi Victoria, I wouldn’t recommend making this in one 9 x 5-inch loaf pan. If you only have 9 x 5-inch pans, I’d increase the batter by 1.5 and bake in two of them. Bake time may be a touch longer. Hope that helps!
Loved this recipe. Delicious, great directions and so easy to make, thanks. I would like to turn this recipe into jumbo muffins. As I measured 5 1/2 cups batter total, and using 1/2 level cup batter per muffin what temperature and how long would I cook them? Thanks in advance for your help!
Hi Eleanor, I’d start checking them at about 45 minutes, but keep a close eye on them.
Hi Jenn, sorry in advance if you’ve already answered this question: Can I use pumpkin pie spice instead of the three individual spices? How much would you recommend? I don’t even know what’s in the spice blend, but If I can save a trip out to the store, why not!
Thank you so much!
Yep, that will work. You’ll need 1 tablespoon. Hope you enjoy!
This is the best pumpkin bread I’ve ever made. The texture, the taste – even the color – perfect! Now, how can I stop eating it? Thank you for the recipe!
This is a spectacular pumpkin bread recipe! I changed only one thing. I used brown sugar instead of white sugar to give the bread a richer flavor and darker color.
Wow, after going through a slew of online recipes that didn’t work out, this was a dream. I used our Halloween pumpkins and only had cinnamon, so upped it. I really wanted to use half whole wheat flour but decided to stick with white. Has anyone used ww with good results? It was a tad too sweet for me but I’m very happy with the results. Oh, I made the streusel pecan pumpkin muffins, not the bread, just because I bought some pecans last week. It is basically the same except for the baking time and of course the decadent topping is decadently delicious. These supposedly freeze well, so I’ll be doing that.
If I wanted it a little more dense, what would I do differently?
Hi Bobbie, This recipe is lighter and cakier by nature. Although I typically recommend against this, if you wanted it to be more dense, you could put all of the batter in one 9 x 5“ loaf pan and bake it that way. Your other alternative is to look for a different recipe that will give you a more dense result. Hope that helps!
This was a fantastic recipe! So perfect and such a nice level of spice for the fall! I changed only one thing: I swapped white sugar and used light brown sugar and lankanto sugar. I will definitely be making this again and again! Thank you!
Love this recipe, so moist and tasty!
Truly the best pumpkin loaf I have ever made. Too many recipes are dense and gluely. This was is perfect. Needed the full amount of time to bake all the way through.
I’ve made this twice now and although it’s very yummy, it’s not two loaves. It’s one full one for me and I’m not even using my largest pan. What am I missing?
Hi Allison, Did you use two 8 x 4-inch loaf pans?
This is an exquisite pumpkin bread 😋 I made it & everyone at home loved it. You cannot stop eating it. Thank you for the recipe 🙏🐢 😘 Blessings to you & your Mom who left the piece of paper & you saved it. 💞 amazing!!!!
West Covina, CA
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. 🙂
It was wonderful. One of the best recipes I’ve ever tasted. Thank you for sharing it with us.
Hi! Excited to try this recipe as I love all of your recipes!! Wondering if almond flour would work in this recipe?
Thanks – Happy Thanksgiving!!
Hi Laura, So glad you like the recipes! I wouldn’t recommend almond flour for this – I suspect it will change the texture too much — sorry!
I’ve been baking for decades and always thought my Pumpkin Bread recipe was delicious, then I came across this recipe and thought I’d give it a try. WOW! This really is the most delicious bread I have ever enjoyed. It is so good I had to cut each loaf in half and freeze in fear my husband would eat the entire loaf by himself. I’m baking mini loaves today so I can send to my children across the miles. Thank you for sharing!
Delicious! I usually fiddle with recipes, even on the first go. The photo of your Grandma’s copy, though, made me trust that this one’s a keeper. It is. Thank you for sharing.
My loaves did not rise like yours did. Followed your recipe exactly. All ingredients are new. Any idea as to why?
These actually don’t rise a ton – they’re more like a cake than a bread, so it’s likely you didn’t do anything wrong.
This recipe makes very tasty pumpkin bread! You will love it! Don’t make it in a bigger pan though, use the pan size recommended in the recipe.
I recommend putting this page on “Reader View” or printing it out, or the equivalent. There are too many ads, add-ons, or whatever -the page is constantly loading on both computer and phone which makes the recipe hard to follow. My computer lost 5% battery life in the time it took me to write this review.
Yummy!!! I made half this recipe, which called for about a cup of pumpkin purée. I used a homemade sugar pumpkin purée, but since I used some for another recipe, I didn’t have enough pumpkin. Made up the difference by adding a banana! It turned out amazing, not over powered by the banana and still super moist!!
I made pumpkin bread using this recipe, with my seven year old granddaughter. It was delicious! It was eaten in two days and everyone is asking for more.
Iris
Dexter, Ga
This is such a great recipe! Thank you, Jenn!!!
I tried it twice, and they came out uncooked and raw inside.. I was wondering what I am doing wrong, I was so disappointed.. I found out I was using 29 oz can of Pumpkin Puree. OMG! 😀 I was so happy when I found out the reason of failure. I used the same can twice, half on Halloween, half today. Thank you again!!!
So glad you figured out where the problem was and now that you’ve got it right that you’ve enjoyed it! 🙂
Wonderful recipe!! I peeled and chopped one apple and folded it into the batter before baking. My son and co-workers said best pumpkin bread ever!
Hi! This recipe looks great, but I want to make mini loaves. I have multiple pans that are about 2.5″ x 5.5″ x 1.75″ deep. Any suggestions as to baking temp and time? Thanks!
Hi Lynne, I’d keep the oven temp the same but would start checking them at about 35 minutes. Hope you enjoy!
Excellent recipe! Turned out beautifully and very tasty. I made a couple of modifications to accommodate for the fact that I only have 1 bread baking pan and wanted to reduce the sugar (per another reviewer’s suggestion above):
1. I poured all the batter into one 20cm x 10cm bread baking pan, and baked at a reduced temp of 320F for 85 min. Perfectly baked and still moist!
2. I reduced the sugar by 1/3 of a cup, and ended up only using 1 and 2/3 cups of sugar. Still perfectly sweet. I might even try 1 1/2cups of sugar next time but reducing the sugar didn’t impact the flavor at all since the pumpkin purée is already sweet.
H! I’m wanting to make these into cupcake sizes. Do you know how long they should cook for or any modifications I should make to the recipe if needed?
Hi Lindsey, I’d use this recipe (and feel free to omit the topping). Hope you enjoy!
I used only 1 1/4 cups sugar and baked it only 55 min. and it was perfect. Everyone loved it.
Question: What would be the best way to preserve this bread? We are thinking about freezing it until Thanksgiving but I just wanted to get the best taste from it when thawed.
Thanks!
Hi Shannon, this freezes nicely. See the bottom of the recipe for freezer-friendly instructions. 🙂
We doubled the recipe and went all out! We also used pumpkin spice instead of the individual spices it called for due to us only having pumpkin spice 🙂
This recipe is THE BOMB!! For it being my first Pumpkin bread bake I am REALLY impressed! Thanks for sharing this recipe!
Pros: OMGOSH Moist!, Easy to follow instructions!, moist, easy…. Did I mention moist and easy to follow?
Cons: Everyone saw my post/pictures and came over to eat it all. :o|
How much pumpkin spice did you use? Thank you!
Hi Paula, If you’re making the original recipe (not doubling it), you’ll need 1 tablespoon of pumpkin pie spice. Hope that helps!
I have 9×5″ loaf pans, NOT 8×4″ pans. Can you please tell me what to adjust the cooking time to and whether or not I need to adjust the oven temperature??
Btw, I noticed that on that old newspaper recipe photo you included in your post, it notes the loaf pan sizes as 9×5 even though you have stated to use 8×4 loaf pan sizes. Did you change the pan size deliberately and, if so, why?
Anyway, please lmk if the bake time or oven temp needs to be adjusted for 9×5 loaf pans.
Thanks,
Ellen
Hi Ellen, If you want to use two 9 x 5-inch loaf pans, I’d recommend making 1.5 times the batter. The oven temp and baking time should remain the same. And I tweaked the original recipe from using the 9 x 5-inch pans because I thought they came out too dense and flat that way. Hope that helps and that you enjoy!
Thank you Jenn for your very clear response and instructions! I will make 1.5 times the batter…great solution.
Warm regards,
Ellen
Hi Jenn. I made this recipe for the first time today. It’s delicious! My husband is diabetic so I used Splenda (same amount) instead of sugar. I also used 2 9×5″ loaf pans. The 2 loaves came out about 1 1/2″ tall, not as fluffy as I thought they would be. I realize the pans might have been the problem. The loaves (1/2 eaten already) were dense but still taste great! I was wondering if the problem was using Splenda? They say to use the same amount and it’s supposed to be for baking?? Any ideas? Thanks for the recipe, I will be making this again, probably soon!
Hi Trish, I’ve never worked with a sugar substitute like Splenda but a number of readers have commented that they have successfully. And because the recipe calls for 8 x 4“ pans, I feel confident that using the 9 x 5“ loaf pans was the problem. Glad it tasted good though! 🙂
Thanks Jenn for the response. I will try again and use the correct size pans!
This recipe is perfect. My husband who doesnt even like pumpkin and earthy spices said he really likes the bread and ate it every day with his coffee. I just have one question…the bottom of the bread turned out denser and did not rise so I had some unevenness in baking. I put the entire recipe in a 23×13 cm ceramic dish (I technically should have made 3/4 of the recipe for that size) …Im wondering if this is because of the ceramic baking dish which has a fairly thick bottom or because I put too much batter in the dish. I mean it all fit, I filled it up almost to the surface.
Hi Tomi, Baking it all in one 23 x 13-cm dish will give you a dense loaf. Using two 20 x 10-cm loaf pans will give you a better result.
Perfect texture, perfect spice, everyone loved it. This will be my go-to pumpkin bread recipe from here on out!
Thank goodness I didn’t use the amount of cloves called for. I thought it must be a typo so I cut the amount in half and the taste of cloves was still way too overpowering. Also, the receipe is much to sweet, cut the sugar by a quarter, next time I’ll cut it a bit more. I substituted organic canned pumpkin. Otherwise, the loaf is very light, wonderful texture.
My son planted 5 pumpkin plants so I have been experimenting with different fresh pureed pumpkin recipes. I used 2 cups of pureed pumpkin and Krusteaz Gluten Free flour (but did not sift since GF flour needs a little more). It looks just like your pictures and should be ready soon!
This recipe is the Bomb!!