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 don’t eat a lot of sweets, so this one was shockingly sweet for me (however, my husband with a sweet tooth is a huge fan).
It’s a great base so I’ll make it again, but I’d love just a hint of sweetness. Has anyone cracked that? I was thinking maybe 1.25 cups.
I was also wondering if brown sugar would work here for more of a caramel flavor.
Hi Carmen, You can cut the sugar back by 1/2 cup, but if you reduce it more, it may begin to impact the texture of the bread. And I’d recommend sticking with the granulated sugar for the most predictable result. That said, some readers have commented that they’ve replaced some of the granulated sugar with brown sugar so you could try that. Please LMK how it turns out with any tweaks!
I used brown sugar..I takes it to another level…yes and I used coconut block.
This pumpkin bread recipe is delicious! However, I made two changes to my liking. I personally think you can easily cut back on the sugar. Two cups is alot of sugar. I put in 1 3/4 and still found I could’ve used less. Also I cut back on the spices. Clove and nutmeg are so powerful. I used 1/2 of a teaspoon and they delivered plenty of flavor. Other than that, this recipe is a keeper! I’ll try it again with 1 1/4 cup of sugar., with hopes of only using 1 cup.
I followed the instructions to a “T” and it ended up gummy and super dense.
Will never follow this recipe ever again. NEXT!
Then you definitely did something wrong because it came out perfectly for me!
Hi can you please share if baking in a convection oven what temperature you would use or would you stick to the recipe in a Normal bake mode?
Thanks!! Can’t wait to make
Hi Heather, When using the convection setting, the rule of thumb is to reduce the temp by 25°F. Hope you enjoy the pumpkin bread!
Oh😢 that’s why mine was burnt..
The convection option shouldn’t be used with cakes according to the booklet that came with my stove. Everything else it’s fine to use with convection but it’s ESSENTIAL to cook at 25 degrees lower than the regular temperature posted and for the least amount time suggested!
Hope this helps all bakers 🙂
You may have used to much pumpkin, I say that cause that’s exactly what happened to me and it came out exactly how you’re describing it but once I used the right amount of pumpkin it came out perfect
I agree with the other reply that you obviously did something wrong. This was a delicious pumpkin bread recipe that had the perfect texture. I bake all the time and I have looked for a good recipe because all the other ones really are too dense. This one turned out great.
This recipe is a keeper.👍
Overall, I was pleased with the pumpkin bread. I reduced the sugar by 1/2 cup and cloves by 1/4 tsp. I noticed a couple of reviewers reduced the sugar too but I would add more sugar next time. I used 9×5 pans because that was all I had but even though they were a bit flatter, they are still good. Very moist and lots of flavour.
This pumpkin bread recipe is so moist and delicious! Now my “go to” recipe.
This recipe is a family favorite! From my toddler to my grandma, everyone loves it! I cut the sugar in half without it affecting the taste and also reduce the cloves, as it proved too spicy for the kids.
I look forward to baking this bread every fall and come back to it year after year.
Thank you for this and other amazing recipes.
The best pumpkin bread recipe ever! I’ve been making this pumpkin bread for 8 years (since my daughter was a baby). I am baking another batch now because both of my kids eat it like crazy. Make it. You won’t be disappointed.
Had a great flavor. Texture was a little off. Fell apart easily. Still delicious.
Hi Lori, Did you wait until it was completely cool before slicing it? That can help.
My children love this recipe. When they talk about fall….they always mention the pumpkin bread. It’s something they look forward to year after year! They like it when I add chocolate chips to the recipe.
The best pumpkin bread recipe I have ever tried