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!
YOu may also like
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- Pumpkin Cake
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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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Forget any other pumpkin bread recipe….I’ve searched high and low for decades, and THIS is by far my favorite. I’ve baked this and distributed it to my neighbors, and every single neighbor immediately asks for the recipe. It’s flavorful, delicious, easy to make.
This is a flavorful and moist bread with just the right spice profile. I made it in 4 mini loaf sizes as those are great gifts to have in the freezer. I also used my home-grown pumpkin I had pressure processed in chunks. One quart equaled 1 can of commercial. (After you puree it let it sit in the strainer to drain off the excess liquid. Using “pie pumpkins” really helps as they have less liquid.) Cooking time for the mini loaves was just slightly less than the recipe.
Family favorite. It is so easy to make. The whole house smells wonderful as soon as the load is in the oven. I need to hide them since my kids would finish both of the loafs if I let them. I sometimes give it to them for breakfast but works as a great dessert as well.
I hope I haven’t reviewed this before….this is my go to recipe for pumpkin bread. I have used salted butter and unsalted and added either walnuts or pecans. Have added raisins, too. Delicious either way. I like the texture and the more compact size. The loaves make great gifts. Thank you for all of your hard work developing recipes. Your cookbook is a wonderful addition to any cook’s library.
This is a fabulous recipe. I originally made it for Thanksgiving but it’s so good that I make it regularly now. Scrumptious with chocolate chips thrown in.
Agree with all of the raves. This is the last stop on my search for a perfect pumpkin bread recipe. Love that it uses the whole can of pumpkin to produce a bonus second loaf for the freezer. Also appreciate the extra flavor in a butter based batter.
I make this recipe every November and December for my son it is perfect! My son’s job loves this bread for the holiday’s Thanksgiving and Christmas. They all look so forward to this treat. This year they did not get it for the holidays because my son contracted the Covid-19 from his job so he was unable to carry it in. There is no need to change anything about this recipe because I make four of these each time and all crumbs are snatched up! I will be increasing the amount this year. My son is an officer in Washington, DC. This is a great recipe for any holiday table and although I make it for those holidays it is great, there are times I add walnuts in just to give it a crunch but it is not really necessary. Thank You so much for all of your recipes. I would say this bread has been the show stopper at their pot luck table for at least three years, so that along shows you that they request this each and every year!
Simple and perfect pumpkin bread
I made this for gifts. Lots of compliments because it’s not too sweet and mild flavored
This is by far the best pumpkin bread I have had. I make batches of mini breads to keep in the freezer for when my cravings hit, which is pretty often.
This is by far the best pumpkin bread recipe I’ve tried. I took it to a party last year where two other people had also made pumpkin bread. Everyone wanted the recipe for this one. I highly recommend!
I made this with my kids – simple and easy to make and delicious to eat! We typically freeze one loaf just to make sure we don’t eat it all at once!
I have made this recipe numerous times.. is my go to for pumpkin bread
This one has become a fall tradition. Moist and full of fall flavor!
I’ve made this recipe for friends and coworkers and have only recieved raving reviews from them!! I even used a Pumpkin icing recipe from your Pumpkin Scones recipe and that really topping it off nicely. I’ve saved this recipe and have used it many times so far, it’s a hit every time.
Extremely delicious!!! I was able to make this in my bread maker perfectly.
Favorite pumpkin bread recipe ever! I’ve made this several time, often in a gluten-free version by replacing the flour with an equal dose of gluten-free cake mix.
In my country canned pumpking puree does not exist, so I always make a homemade version by cooking the pumpkin in pieces in the oven at 180 ° C for about 40-50 min, then reducing the pulp into puree using a fork. It is important that the purée is not too watery, if needed I dry the cooked pulp with paper towel to remove excess moisture.
My favorite pumpkin to make any dish, sweet or savory, is the Delica pumpkin, which is also the most common here in northern Italy. I don’t know how common it is outside Europe, but if you happen to find it, I recommend it!
I could go on about this bread for DAYS. It’s incredible. Every fall my whole family begs me to make it for them!
This is the best pumpkin bread! I have tried many recipes trying to get a good pumpkin bread, but none of them have ever measured up. That is, until now! Very moist, delicious, and everybody loves it! I’ve made as written as well as adding about 3/4 cups of mini chocolate chips – I haven’t tried adding nuts yet, but that’s my next try. I also like that the recipe makes two loaves, and it freezes very well.
The best pumpkin bread I’ve ever made. Very moist and flavorful. I like to give it to friends at Christmas time and of course keep one for ourselves.
Have made this several times. I have added walnuts and raisins. Everybody’s favorite.
This is my go to recipe for pumpkin bread. It has just the right amount of spices and it is so nice that one batch makes two loaves. I either freeze the second or share with a friend. My kids also love it when I add mini chocolate chips to the batter. Great recipe, thanks for sharing!
I make this recipe year round. My kids LOVE it. I love that it makes 2 loaves. So moist and flavorful. Simple and straightforward…..the best!
Hands down best pumpkin bread I’ve ever made! Always wins rave reviews. Not honestly sure what makes it better than all the others since it’s really very simple to make…but just grateful! Glad it makes two loaves as I always want to keep one for us when I’m making the other for a hostess gift for to serve my guests. Thank you!
I can’t express how amazing this recipe is! It is so easy to make and incredibly delicious. It has become our happy treat! It is both moist and flavorful and highly recommend. I have shared the recipe now countless times. Enjoy it!
I love this recipe! I’ve made this numerous times. Since I only have one loaf pan, I bake the remainder in a muffin pan and it works great!
I have been baking this pumpkin bread since my kids were toddlers. It was the recipe that made me a Once Upon a Chef follower. My children ask for the bread during the Spring and Summer and I tell them that we can only eat it in the Fall and Winter so we don’t burn out. As a surprise, sometimes I’ll bake it in June. My son followed the recipe this past thanksgiving and it turned out beautifully! Thank you Chef!
This is my go-to pumpkin bread recipe! It’s moist and perfect every single time! When you find a recipe that never fails you and you get rave reviews you know you have a gem. Easy to put together, perfectly spiced and delicious. Thank you Once upon a chef!!
My husband devoured this pumpkin bread that I made it twice over the fall season. Right amount of spice and sweetness – not overpowering. Super moist! Will definitely be apart of a yearly fall tradition moving forward! Thank you!
This pumpkin bread is easy to make and comes out delicious. It’s so moist and now my go-to recipe for pumpkin bread.
This is the perfect amount and blend of spices. Perfect texture. Added 1/2 cup of pecans.
I’ve been searching for this recipe!!
I printed it so I don’t lose it again!! 5 stars all the way
Hard to Beat? Hard to EAT!
Truly disgusting soft, mushy and too sweet.
Super easy, tasty and moist. Pleasing crisp top and soft inside. The crisp top softened the next day, but was still good. And THANK YOU for having a recipe that uses a whole can of pumpkin instead of a random one cup. I never know what to do with the extra especially if it doesn’t double nicely. I didn’t have two 8 x 4 loaf pans, I had one glass 9 x 5 loaf pan and a 9.5″ glass pie pan. I kind of split the batter as best I could and cooked the pie one for 35 min. and the loaf for 50 min. I think the loaf needed to go in longer as the inside was a little mushy. I might make muffins next time, but it was nice not to have to divvy up the batter twelve times. If you make muffins, does it make twelve??
Glad you liked this! And I actually do have a muffin recipe that’s almost the same. You can check it out here (feel free to omit the topping if you’d like).
I made this recipe around the holidays and thought the loaves were really too small. Turns out I should’ve measured my pans! I followed the recipe and it was delicious. but this time, I thought I’d outsmarted the baking universe and I made it all in one loaf. Well, as I sit here, I’ve added an additional 20 minutes but there’s no way it’s going to bake through. Learned my lesson. Not your recipe-just user error.
I’ve made it in one 9×5 dark loaf pan before and it turned out perfectly! Total bake time was approximately 75 minutes. Type of pan makes a difference. This was a heavy dark loaf pan.
Definitely our favorite pumpkin bread recipe!! The amount and combination of spices is what sets this apart from other pumpkin bread recipes. We follow the recipe exactly except for the addition of one cup chopped walnuts. Measure flour carefully. Jenn your recipes are top notch….thank you!
I loved this! It’s so moist and delicious, but simple! Although, I personally wanted to add just a bit more sweetness and make sure it didn’t taste too egg-y, so I added 2(or you could do 1) teaspoons of vanilla and just a tiny splash of milk (I got this idea because this is what I do with my banana bread). Thank you!
Wow, this is really delicious! I love it so much. Thanks for the great recipe!
This recipe is a total winner! I didn’t have 2 loaf tins so I split the batter in half and did muffins and a loaf. When my son ate one of the muffins he said ‘This tastes like Christmas!’ It’s super easy to prepare and the result is moist, sweet and so flavorsome. Definitely going on my repeat list!
This is such a favorite! For an extra treat, I sometimes add 2 cups of chocolate chips just before baking–1 cup per loaf. Wondeful!
This is the absolute best pumpkin I have ever had. I made a regular one and a gluten-free one. I added one extra egg in the gf one.YUUUMMMM.
I only have a 9 x 4.5 pan, can I still make this recipe? If so, how should I adjust the baking time and temperature?
Hi Cyrus, You can make this in that pan — the bread will just be more dense. I’d actually recommend these muffins instead (you can omit the topping if you want).
I only have one bread tin, should I put the remaining batter in the fridge while the first one bakes? Thank you!
You could get away with that as long as you use the batter as soon as you’ve removed the baked bread from the loaf pan (you don’t want the batter sitting too long). If you have a muffin tin, you could also make muffins with the remaining batter. Hope that helps!
So easy to make, moist and delicious Thank you. I can’t wait to check out your other recipes.
I will never buy boxed pumpkin bread mix again! Thank you, this is super easy and delicious!
Turned out nicely..in my opinion though it was a bit too heavy on the cloves. I will use about 1/2 tsp next time.
My go-to pumpkin bread recipe! So easy and comes out perfect every time. Love that it uses exactly 1 can of pumpkin.
This Pumpkin Bread is Delicious, Flavorful and Moist! Love it! Thank You!
Made this today. I like it! I’m surprised because I thought 1 tsp each of the spices might be too strong but it is fine. I used 1/2 the sugar i.e. 1 cup, it is more than sweet enough for me. Instead of the butter I used 1/3 cup of peanut oil, it seems fine. Cooked right at 65 minutes. I want to mention that I never “generously” grease / flour pans. I put the least possible amount that will coat the pan and this works very very well. This is a good recipe, thanks very much for posting it.
Super easy to make, not complicated at all and its literally the best pumpkin bread I’ve had. This is my go to recipe now!
Smells and tastes wonderful. I did have it in the oven for almost >100 minutes before the centre of the loaves were no longer coming out wet. I wonder if it’s because I added a bit of yogurt?
Hi Christine, the added yogurt likely made the difference in the baking time as it added more moisture to the mixture. Hope that helps (and glad you liked it)!