Pumpkin Bread

Tested & Perfected Recipes

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!

Slices of Pumpkin Bread on a plate.

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.

Picture of a pumpkin bread recipe.

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

Bread ingredients including baking soda, eggs, and butter.

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.

Dry ingredients in a glass bowl.

Whisk well and set aside.

Whisk in a bowl of dry ingredients.

Combine the butter and sugar in a large bowl or in the bowl of an electric mixer.

Butter and sugar in a bowl.

Beat until just combined. It will look a little crumbly.

Bowl of beaten butter and sugar.

Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition.

Egg added to a butter and sugar mixture.

Continue beating for a few minutes until light and fluffy.

Beaten egg, sugar, and butter in a bowl.

Add the pumpkin.

Pumpkin in a bowl with a butter mixture.

Beat until combined. It will look a little grainy — that’s okay.

Electric mixer with a light orange-colored mixture.

Add the dry ingredients to the pumpkin mixture.

Dry ingredients in a bowl with an orange-colored mixture.

And beat on low speed until just combined.

Bowl of pumpkin bread dough.

Transfer the batter to loaf pans.

Two bread pans of pumpkin bread dough.

Bake for 65-75 minutes, or until a cake tester comes out clean.

Two loaves of pumpkin bread in pan.s

Let the loaves cool in the pan for about 10 minutes, then turn out onto a rack to cool completely.

Two loaves of pumpkin bread on a wire rack.

That’s all there is to it. Enjoy!

Slices of Pumpkin Bread on a plate.

YOu may also like

Video Tutorial

Pumpkin Bread

Kids love it, grown-ups love it…this pumpkin bread is hard to beat!

Servings: Makes 2 loaves
Prep Time: 20 Minutes
Cook Time: 65 Minutes
Total Time: 1 Hour 30 Minutes

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

  1. 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).
  2. In a medium bowl, combine the flour, salt, baking soda, baking powder, cloves, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Whisk until well combined; set aside.
  3. 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.
  4. Add the flour mixture and mix on low speed until combined.
  5. 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.
  6. 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.
  7. 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 Edamam

  • 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

  • I make this recipe all the time. It is an extended family favorite. I live in El salvador and it is hard to get canned pumpkin . I use a local squash that I toast and puree myself. I have always decreased the sugar and used pumpkin pie spice. I love how soft the bread is and the crust that it has when it is fresh from the oven!
    This recipe is also great substituting banana instead of the pumpkin and halving the sugar.
    Thanks!!

    • — Ariana on October 4, 2024
    • Reply
  • Excellent recipe, made already 4 times, the whole family loves this absolutely delicious pumpkin bread. My autumn staple now.

    • — Oleksandra on October 4, 2024
    • Reply
  • So good! Perfectly moist and just sweet enough. I replaced butter with coconut oil because I wanted it to be dairy free for my daughter, but otherwise stuck to the recipe. Also, had some leftover streusel mix so I sprinkled some on top. I halfed the recipe and it was perfectly done after about 50 minutes, then I turned the oven off and kept it there for another 10. Definitely a keeper!

    • — Daria on October 3, 2024
    • Reply

Add a Comment

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.