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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This makes delicious pumpkin bread. I add about 1/4 freshly grated nutmeg (in addition to the measured teaspoon) and 1/4 cup of organic flaxseed meal to the dry ingredients.
The key to me is beating the mixture long enough; I do 65-75 seconds after each egg and then at least 4 minutes once both eggs have been incorporated. That makes the loaves light and tasty.
You’re right – everyone loves this recipe! I wonder if your grandmother got it from Sunset magazine.
When I was pregnant I craved pumpkin bread. I searched and baked a ton of recipes. Finally I stumbled across this one. It is by far the greatest I have ever had. I use it in my class at school for my students to make. I love it. It is moist, it has a tender crumb. It is amazing. Actually amazing does not do it justice. It is the best I have ever had!!! Thank you for sharing this outstanding recipe with us. I make it multiple times a year. I even roast my own pumpkin to make my own purée and it is delicious.
Best ever pumpkin bread! I have made several other recipes and have always been disappointed (too dry, too “mushy,” too sweet). This is one is just right.
This is my all time favorite pumpkin bread recipe! Tried it this past holiday season and it is so much better than even the “fancy” box mixes. Super easy to make and I would say it is tastes like it involved a lot more effort!
Delicious pumpkin bread. My daughter and her roommate devoured it. Two cups of sugar seemed like a lot and the first time I made was very sweet. I cut back on the sugar to 1 3/4 cups and just as delicious.
This recipe never fails me! I’ve tried every pumpkin bread out there. Also love that it makes two loaves- one for me and one to share!
This is the best pumpkin bread recipe ever! I bake this countless times in the fall.
Fantastic recipe that never fails (unless you’re inexperienced like me and flop a couple times cuz the baking powder was old lololol) I even cut the sugar by 3/4-1cup (depending on your taste), tripled the cinnamon. Then broke one of my bread pans ofc! Turns out this bakes in a sheet cake pan in 20-30 min (use toothpick to determine), so two loaves equals one cake! Still perfection!
The best ever! My pregnant daughter craved it!!!
I had three uncarved pumpkins leftover this last halloween and since they were all edible heirloom varieties, I researched many recipes for pumpkin bread and went a little crazy. I have to say that this recipe was our favorite. The first batch came out terrible because I was using freshly baked pumpkin and it was too wet. I learned to put the pumpkin flesh overnight in a strainer lined with cheesecloth in the fridge to remove extra moisture. Family favorite here!
I absolutely love this recipe! Pumpkin bread is my favorite quick bread and I made this one to give as a gift at Christmas. My sister raved about it and asked for the recipe! I was happy to pass along to her. Thank you for your easy to follow recipes. Everthing I have tried so far is absolutely great. I look forward to purchasiing your book.