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.
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!
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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 is so delicious that I’ve made it regularly since October! I was surfing the web to find a pumpkin bread recipe and saw this one was easy to make, had simple ingredients, and 5-star reviews. My husband, family, and friends love it! Very moist and just the right amount of everything ensures it’s melt-in-your-mouth pumpkin goodness. I love that the recipe is for two loaves so I can keep one and gift one. I make it plain and every time there have been no leftovers. So good!
Im am allergic to gluten and surger so i found gluten free flour and xylatol added rasins and nuts and extra cinnamon
Instead of butter I used grapeseed oil and olive oil.
Really good! Easy to make. Added 1 cup walnuts.
Great recipe! I added ~1/3 cup of vanilla Greek yogurt to the butter/sugar part. My sister said it’s the best thing I’ve ever made! 2nd time I also added 1 tsp powdered ginger & 1 tsp ground allspice. Yum!!
Absolutely perfect. Moist and spicy, I highly recommend it. My pans were 4 1/2 × 8 1/2 and I baked for 65 minutes.
Going to give this recipe a try today as I have 1 leftover can of pumpkin after all my baking. I am going to add a cup or so of raisins/craisins to my loaves. Hoping it turns out as good as your pictures look!
This was the first pumpkin bread I have ever made. It turned out great and my kids really liked it also. I was concerned it would turn out dry using all butter, but it was moist and delicious. I decided to try adding 1/2 teaspoon of Pumpkin Pie Spice in addition to the spices in the recipe, just to try it, and it had a lot of flavor. But it probably would have been the same without it. I was also concerned because I had larger darker (non-stick) loaf pans that were 9 1/4 X 5 1/4. So I started checking doneness around 35-40 minutes (right when I saw the middle was no longer wet). It took between 45 and 50 minutes to bake. I will definitely use the recipe again.
My husband loves these pumpkin loaves! They remind him of the ones him mom baked every year. Thank you for sharing this recipe!
My mother used to make pumpkin bread in a coffee can. I was wondering if I could just use the pumpkin can? I thought it would be a cute gift. How long would I cook it and what temperature?
Hi Rayma, That does sound like a cute gift. Unfortunately, I’ve never tried it so I don’t have any wisdom to share. If you give it a try, I’d love to now how it turns out.
Thanks for this perfect recipe! We’ve chowed down on four loves of this stuff in about as many weeks. 🙂
This is a great recipe… highly recommend. Amazing flavour and texture. Also filled the kitchen with a delicious, festive scent while it was baking… and I really like the fact that it’s an old family recipe. I made it more as a cake, and baked the entire recipe in a 13 by 9 inch pan (I reduced the baking time, but can’t remember by how much). I cut it into squares, and topped each piece with a bit of whipped cream and sprinkled it with finely chopped caramelised nuts… really delicious. My family loved it. I gave a few pieces to friends and they raved about it and asked for the recipe. I’ll be making this again and again.
Delicious! I added a cup of walnuts and a cup of dried cranberries. The best… no greasy taste as it uses butter instead of vegetable oil.
Loved this recipe! The loaves came out perfectly and were delicious! I had been looking for a way to use my Halloween pumpkins. I learned a great way to make pumpkin puree. Now I have a great recipe for bread. Thank you for sharing this.
Made the recipe as stated. Very good moist and tasty . Made mine with some ground up pecans. One problem I had was it stated it made 2 loaves. I found the loaves to be very small? Seems I need to double recipe for 2 loaves.
Hi Lee, Glad you enjoyed! The lobes are small, they are more like a cake than a bread and don’t rise very much.
First time making it and it came out perfect. Very moist. Love it!
Do not bake this. It has expensive items of butter, pumpkin, eggs etc. It did not raise because not enough flour. Did not cook at 70 minutes. I left it 20 minutes more, but still raw. I have a very reliable oven. I will never use your recipes again. Get some decent cooks.
I’ve been making this pumpkin bread for a couple of years now. This is my go to recipe for pumpkin bread, and it never fails to get rave reviews. As matter of fact, many of Jen’s recipes are my “go to.” Always well written and delicious.
I’m wondering if you could have expressed your displeasure in a kinder manner?
I’ve found this recipe a couple years ago and it always comes out perfectly whether I make it as loaves or muffins. I just made a double batch today and it is delicious as always. If yours didn’t turn out then you probably did something wrong.
I’m a bit confused by your review. I don’t know of many recipes that don’t include ingredients like butter and eggs, and neither are particularly expensive in my experience. Flour doesn’t cause raising, the baking powder/baking soda combo do, and this is a quick bread recipe, not a yeast bread recipe. It’s not meant to raise a ton. Perhaps your expectations were the problem?
This was very good, I liked the spice level. I did add walnuts based on personal preference and I might swap out 1/4 cup flour for rolled oats next time for texture. It didn’t rise very much… I used a new canister of baking powder, maybe the baking soda wasn’t fresh enough?
Glad you enjoyed, Lillith. Did you use the right size pan?
I lost my old pumpkin bread recipe so I decided to search for one that was similar. This bread came out perfect! It was domed in the center with a slight crack, lightly crispy on the top and perfectly moist throughout the middle. Exactly like the picture! This will be my new pumpkin bread recipe. I didn’t change much. I just don’t like a lot of cloves so I reduced the amount of cloves to 1/4 tsp and replaced the remainder 3/4 tsp with pumpkin pie spice. It is delicious! Thanks for sharing!
This pumpkin bread is AMAZING! I love that it makes two loaves — I kept one for my roommate and I, and brought the other to work. As my coworkers have a pretty big sweet tooth, I added homemade pumpkin spiced icing (the recipe I stole from the Iced Pumpkin Scone Recipe). I got so many compliments on these loaves and have bookmarked this page for future baking as well!
The pumpkin bread turned out perfect. I think in the future I would use less clove, maybe more cinnamon. The pumpkin flavor is very mild. I would prefer more pumpkin taste.
Awesome recipe! Making as Christmas gifts, the trial run was perfect! Super easy & moist. Anyone know about how long these stay good for? I want to make sure to put “Best By” dates on packages!
This is a great and easy recipe!! Just finished making 10 loaves using the whole recipe in one larger pan. I also used a teaspoon of each: cloves, cinnamon, allspice and nutmeg. Wonderful!!
This recipe was absolutely perfect!! I added some chocolate chips to a batch and it turned out amazing!! Will definitely be using this recipe again.
I had to make this recipe 4 times in one week to keep my bosses happy. Everyone loved it!
LOL — you’re a good employee! 🙂
i loved the resipe sorry i have trubole spelling sometimes i just realy enjoy that i can make 2 loves and not use another can of pumpkin
Jenn, can you substitute whole wheat/white whole wheat in place of all purpose? Wanted to confirm before I make it.
Hi Jennifer, White whole wheat will work nicely here. Please LMK how it turns out!
Delicious, but I will use less clove next time.
I would like to make 4 small loaves and 1 regular size, what is the temperature of the oven and cooking time for small loaves ?
Hi Connie, the oven temp should remain the same but I’d start checking the mini loaves at about 35 minutes.
This is such a good pumpkin bread. I can’t believe that I waited so long to make it. It’s nice that it makes two at one time and tomorrow I will be bringing one to my grandson for him to try! Thanks for the nice recipe.
Amazing recipe! Loved that I could make two loaves with one can of pumpkin.
I had to use allspice instead of cloves and I ended up cooking them for about 50 minutes and it came out perfect. Super moist and the flavors were subtle.
You know its good when everyone who tastes it asks for the recipe. Thanks!
I think this may be the best pumpkin bread recipe I’ve tried. But, it vanishes: I made it two days back and gee, it’s all gone! Yummy as-is, with butter, or with cream cheese spread on it.
It’s delicious, has a great texture(despite my changes*), and the level of moistness is perfect.
*Changes: Leaving a sweet bread recipe alone is, of course, just this side of impossible, but this recipe tolerated my adaptations very well. Because it’s our taste, I used 1 cup white sugar and 1 cup light brown sugar, doubled the cinnamon, halved the cloves, and halved the nutmeg. A tsp of nutmeg is a lot and I use a nutmeg grater so thought it might be too strong. I’ve found that 1950s recipes seem almost always to be based on pre-ground spices. I also stirred 1/2 cup of currants into the dry half of the mix (so they wouldn’t sink in the loaf). I can see lots of different inclusions working well: orange peel, raisins, nuts, dried cranberries, etc. The hard part is not making it again tomorrow because calories, y’know . . .
Thanks for a great recipe! This is a keeper.
I am a super novice baker and made this with no electric mixer, just completely by hand! It came out SO good. Perfect recipe. Perfect for new bakers.
Amazing, it had a nice crispy crust and perfectly moist interior. I used my own fresh pumpkin puree and it was A+.
Hi Jenn, this recipe sounds like a winner. Just wondering if can you add raisins and nuts to the batter?
Sure – hope you enjoy!
I love this recipe, but I made a couple of minor adjustments to suit my taste. First, I cut the salt and used salted butter. I added a teaspoon of allspice in place of the ground cloves called for in the recipe. Lastly, since I prefer a less sweet bread, I used 1-1/2 cups of sugar. I cooked this recipe in a bundt pan for 1 hour and 15 minutes and it was delicious!
I tried this recipe twice and both times it sunk in the middle, either I overbeat the eggs, or 1/2 cup less butter might do the trick.
Hi Myrna, Sorry to hear you had problems with this sinking. Did you use two 8 x 4-inch loaf pans? If so, it sounds like it probably just needs a few more minutes in the oven.
DELICIOUS! Easy to make and even easier to eat 2 pieces at once.
I put the entire batter in one pan. It is huge, but that’s how we like it. Wonderful recipe!
Is it possible to replace cloves, cinnamon, clove and nutmeg with pumpkin pie spice? If so, what would the measurement be? THANK YOU!
Yes – you’ll need 1 tablespoon. Hope you enjoy!
Finally, I’ve found a go-to pumpkin bread recipe! We reduced sugar to 1.5 cups and made them into 27 small muffins. Filled paper liners halfway and baked for 25 minutes. They were gone in less than a day! Will definitely make again.
Question to Jenn: In the pumpkin bread recipe which I intend to use as Christmas gifts, can I substitute 1 1/2 sticks of butter with 1 stick of butter and 1/4 cup canola oil? Thank you!
Hi, I’d stick with all butter for this. Hope your recipients enjoy it! 🙂
Absolutely fantastic recipe! Only thing I changed was to add 1tsp ground ginger(I love a little more spice). Otherwise, followed recipe and instructions as written. Easy to follow. Great results. Glowing guest reviews. What else do you need in a recipe? Bravo!!!
Batter and final product taste just like pumpkin pie. Delicious! I used only one cup of unpacked brown sugar, not two cups of regular sugar. I also didn’t have cloves, so I used allspice. And I doubled cinnamon because I love it. I mixed all the items as the recipe described, erring on the side of over mixing. It looked a little gross before adding the dry ingredients but turned out so good. The warm out of the oven bread was awesome. The next day bread (wrapped in plastic, put in fridge), still awesome. Without butter, just by itself. I got more ingredients just to make another batch. Was fast and so yummy. A great way to make use of extra pumpkin.
Can you make this with self rising flour?
Hi Gena, For the best results, I’d stick with all-purpose flour.
My 11 year old son and his friends love this pumpkin bread. It taste best right out of the oven. So easy to make!
Hi Jenn,
Thanks to you and your grandmother for a recipe to keep! I don’t ever comment until or unless I actually make the recipe. And this is a fairly easy one and I will make it again and again.
I made your recipe last week; now, I am making it again!!! It is delicious! I doubled the recipe, made 10 small loaves in small aluminum mini loaf pans and two extra large muffin pans and cut the sugar by 1/2 cup for the double recipe. (I don’t like things too sweet.) I had to use my mortar and pestle for the cloves, since I had whole cloves and didn’t want to spend another $10 on a new bottle. I prefer the spices instead of pumpkin pie spice (it has preservatives and I can tell the difference). Crushing the cloves was the most tedious part of the recipe but using a mortar and pestle is a stress-reducing activity!
I made the recipe last week and then delivered most of the loaves with a poinsettia and a Christmas card to several clients. I’m a Realtor, and given the current situation, I wanted to make something people could heat up in the microwave, put in the toaster, or in the oven (to kill germs they might worry about). I have had 5 of those people so far, including my sister, ask for the recipe, saying it is a great pumpkin bread recipe and they would like to make it themselves. Not too sweet, not too rich, but sweet enough.
I am making it again tonight to take to more clients this week. I have had a slice every morning or night for almost a week (my husband won’t eat anything sweet). I used Land O’ Lakes Unsalted Butter and King Arthur Flour because my daughter and I bake often and have found that those ingredients make a difference in how many recipes turn out. I love to use a small pat of unsalted butter to spread on a slice. I also left it on my counter for 4 days and it is still fine. If I have it longer than that, I would put it in the fridge.
Thanks again for such an easy and great recipe to share with others!
Mary K
My husband said it was the best pumpkin bread he has ever had. He ate it so fast I made again but used small loaf pans to slow him down. Thanks for sharing this recipe!
Excellent pumpkin bread recipe! Easy to prepare, light, moist and delicious!
Loved this recipe. As someone who has to adapt recipes to gluten free, I substituted 1 cup Bob’s Red Mill 1:1 gluten free flour and 1 cup Bob’s Red Mill Paleo flour. I also added in 1/2 cup crystalized ginger chips. So good that I shared this recipe with my mother in law!
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.