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.
Table of Contents
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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I made a few adjustments to this recipe and it was, for my taste, flawless. I used one cup of brown sugar and one cup of white sugar, and also added 1.5 teaspoons of vanilla extract (I just love vanilla and pumpkin together). I haven’t made this recipe exactly as it’s written, so I can’t attest to it except for with the few changes I made. Wow, it was absolutely amazing. It is heavily spiced, but nothing says Autumn to me like rich spices and tons of warm flavor. I oiled my loaf pans and lined the bottoms with parchment paper and I had no problem whatsoever with sticking! When I first took the loaves out of the oven and tried to cut a piece off, it was crumbly. I let the rest of it cool completely and cutting was easy and I had very little crumbling. Thanks for the great recipe!
Thanks so much for the parchment paper tip. Mine stuck and I was so disappointed that they weren’t as pretty as they were yummy!
Can I substitute the canned pumpkin for real pumpkin? Is so, Would I use the same amount as if it was canned pumpkin? I’m not really a baker, but I want to start and I have pumpkins that have grown in my backyard and wanted to attempt baking something and this looks so good!
Hi Jenn, I probably wouldn’t substitute fresh pumpkin in this recipe. I worry that the water content would differ from that of canned pumpkin, and that will greatly affect the consistency of the bread. Sorry!
You can use fresh pumpkin. I do it every year. Once your pumpkin is roasted use a flour sack towel and squeeze out all of the extra liquid you can and then use it as you would canned pumpkin. Just make sure you squeeze out as much liquid as you can.
Awesome! Thank you for letting me know this. I would not have done that.
Thank you!!!
This came out fantastic!! I made it with real pumpkin and also with canned pumpkin. Both ways were very good. I do have to say though the batch with real pumpkin was a little bit more moist. I will be making this again! Thanks!!
I just made this, it’s delicious!! The house smells great so it was a long hour wait 🙂 my whole family loved it! Thanks for sharing!
This was a huge hit – at home and at work. Moist, full of flavour, looked as nice as it tasted. I added a cinnamon glaze and some golden raisins, but would be just as tasty as written. No idea how it tasted the next day – it was devoured that quickly! Will definitely be making this again. Thanks for sharing such a great recipe.
This is the recipe I’ve been looking for! I was able to make a perfect batch for my family, and then I made a Gluten Free version for myself. I simply substituted my favorite blend of GF flours for the 2 cups of regular flour. The exact texture and flavor I’ve been looking for.
Can I make this as muffins, or can I make it in a glass pyrex pan, or can I make it in a bundt pan?
I don’t have loaf pans. Thanks.
Hi Brisa, I would make it as muffins or in a glass pyrex; I’m worried it will stick in a bundt pan. You’ll need to adjust the cook time, especially for muffins, so definitely keep an eye on it.
Hi, just a follow up. I made half of the recipe in a loaf pan as described and half in a regular muffin tin (11 muffins). The texture of the muffins is not good but the loaf came out perfectly. I will continue to use this recipe with a loaf pan as you have described here. By the way, I decreased the sugar to 1.5 cups and I still found the texture and taste to be excellent.
Can I use pumpkin spice instead of the spices outlined in the recipe? If so, then how much?
Unfortunately, I haven’t tried it so I can’t recommend it. Sorry!
I used pumpkin spice instead of the individual spices and it turned out great! Instead of 1 teaspoon of each spice I used 3 teaspoons of pumpkin spice.
The recipe was super delicious but next time I may try it with a little less sugar as it was fairly sweet! Definitely being added to my recipe box though!
I used 3 teaspoons Pumpkin Pie Spice and it tasted wonderful!
Turned out great. I think a little less spice would make it perfect for me. I added a cream cheese frosting and tiny gingerbread men for decoration. Perfect for afternoon tea.
Has anyone doubled this or frozen it.?
This freezes beautifully. I had it in the freezer for about 6 months and the muffins I baked up with it were perfect!
I was skeptical about trying this recipe, but I am glad I did. It is perfect! I bring this during the holidays to parties and get asked for the recipe.