Pumpkin Bread
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!
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!
You May Also Like
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
Powered by 
- 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
Add a Comment
This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.
To the dry ingredients, I add 1/4 cup of Trader Joe’s Organic Flaxseed meal and some fresh grated nutmeg (approximately 1/4 teaspoon). I also beat the batter for 4 minutes after the last egg. The bread is delicious – everyone loves it. Thanks for the recipe. It’s a keeper!
Decided to give this a try and it’s a keeper for sure. Easy to make and perfect texture and taste.
If you use your own pumpkin puree how would you measure the quantity of pumpkin for this recipe? I have some frozen pumpkin puree and would like to make this, the reviews sound so great. Also, I have never made one of your recipes that wasn’t great! Thank you.
Hi Norma, You’ll need 1-3/4 cups of pumpkin puree. Just make sure you remove any excess liquid from it before incorporating it into the recipe. Hope you enjoy!
Delicious! I’ve made this recipe twice now. I add a cup of chopped walnuts to the batter for two loaves. My only problem is mine did not rise as high as yours, but delicious nonetheless. My go-to recipe for Pumpkin Bread!
Hi Mary, Glad you like it! (And regarding the rise, these don’t rise very much (they’re more like a cake than a bread).
Do you have any recommendations for making this at altitude? I live in CO above 6,000 ft and usually need to adjust recipes.
Hi Carol-Anne, I don’t have experience baking at high altitudes so, unfortunately, I don’t have any wisdom to share – I’m sorry! You may find these tips helpful though.
Delicious!!! Everyone loved it!
Hi Jenn,
Is it okay to add pecans or walnuts in this? I love nuts. If so, how much can I add to this recipe? Will it make it too dry?
Lucy
Hi Lucy, It’s perfectly fine to add nuts to this. It won’t make it dry but sure they are chopped as it will make the bread easier to slice. And I’d recommend anywhere up to 1 cup. Enjoy!
I have made this countless times as gifts for friends and they love it. The only tweak I make is cutting the sugar by half.
But love it. Thank you
Family loves it! I have made a few times now. I substitute a few tablespoons of ground flax seed for a bit of the flour or add half whole wheat flour just to add a tiny nutritional boost and everyone still loves it! Thank you for sharing!
Im trying to make it in a bundt pan instead… how long would the time be for this?
Hi Samantha, If you want to make it in a bundt pan, I’d recommend this recipe instead (it’s very similar). Hope you enjoy!
Can you add chocolate chips? If so how much?
Definitely. I’d recommend anywhere between ½ and 1 cup. Enjoy!
I love this pumpkin bread recipe b/c of how tender the loaves turn out, probably b/c it’s butter-based instead of oil-based like most pumpkin bread recipes. And the amount of sugar and spices is perfect for me. However, on the 3rd time I baked it, I noticed some very bitter bites at the top, which I think is the result of baking soda not being neutralized. This made me question the recipe, b/c I thought baking soda requires an acid to neutralize it, and I don’t see any acid in this recipe. So my question is why add baking soda instead of just using 2t baking powder? I’d love to know b/c I want to continue using this recipe with confidence that I can gift the loaves.
Hi Betsy, glad you like the bread but sorry to hear that this time around you tasted some bitterness. The baking soda combined with the baking powder in this recipe provides leavening helping the bread to rise and also helps it develop that lovely golden-brown color. Is there a chance that perhaps the dry ingredients weren’t well blended?
You’re probably right. I’m going to chalk it up to a user error (no one else has mentioned it being an issue) and will keep making this bread because it’s so darn good. 😊 Thank you for a wonderful recipe and especially for taking the time to respond to all of our questions. I can’t wait to try more of your recipes. I’m a big fan.
Glad you’re going to give it a second try! 🙂