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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Tastes great but this would be better labeled as a cake!!!
I didn’t question the recipe nor ingredients and just followed…. It’s very sweet!
I added a bit of ginger for the kick
Not sure why this recipe calls for 65 minutes?? The loaves were burnt within 30 minutes.
Hi Megan, I’m sorry you had a problem with this! Did you use two 8 x 4-inch loaf pans?
Do u Recommend using brown sugar or white sugar?
Hi Marisol, I’d stick with the white sugar. Enjoy!
This is the best PB recipe ever. I’ve made it many times. Sometimes it comes out kind of squat. What am I doing wrong? Over mixing the sugar and butter perhaps?
Hi Cindy, so glad you like it! It’s interesting that you’ve had some variation with the height. Mine are always low in profile as this is more of a cake than a bread (so it may be that you’re not doing anything wrong). Please let me know if I can help in any other way!
Hi .. I didn’t have the 8×4 pans I had a 9×5 and a small one but I didn’t think it would amount to much after I put some in the 9×5. Do I put the entire batter into the 9×5 at 325°. Now I’m waiting to see if it comes out ok. What do you think? Lol Now that it will probably be done and over with by the time you see this. Lol
Hi Cyndie, Yes, I’m weighing in too late to help! How did the bread come out? I suspect the texture was a lot more dense. If you want to use this recipe again and don’t have the correct sized pans, I’d recommend these muffins. (You can omit the topping if you want; just add 1/4 cup more sugar to the batter if you do).
As some have suggested, I cut the sugar to 1 1/2 cups and it was still sweet enough. This is more like a cake than a bread, but very tasty.
When I ate it warm fresh out of the oven, I thought the clove was too overpowering and that I should have added less. But after it cools down, the spices settle and the taste becomes much better! I did one loaf with chocolate chips, and it was very good too!
Overall, I do recommend this recipe for those looking for a pumpkin CAKE with a strong spice flavor 🎃
I also followed this recipe to a “T” and it was amazing in both flavor and texture. The texture was to die for!! You have to look at other variables if your attempt failed. For those who love sweets it should get 10 stars!
Really great! I used 9×5 glass bread pans and baked for 58 minutes and it was perfect.
So glad you made the note about it looking grainy after you add the pumpkin! I was worried for a second that I did something wrong 🙂
I’m going to make again in mini loaf pans and gift them. I will watch closely for time but should I change the temp?
Glad you enjoyed them! For the minis, I’d keep the oven temp the same. 🙂
How much pumpkin puree would this be in cups?
Hi Jennie, you’ll need about 2 cups of fresh pureed pumpkin. (After you’ve cooked and cooled the pumpkin, use a towel to squeeze out all of the extra liquid you can so the bread isn’t too moist).
I love the recipe. My step kids always ask for during thanksgiving and Christmas.
A friend of mine “wowed” me with this bread at a pot luck and I’m super excited to try it! I am wondering if the same temp but longer time would work for a bundt pan instead of two loaf pans?
I’m not much of a baker, so I don’t have loaf pans handy.
Hi Marie, Glad you liked it! If you’d like to make a bundt version of this, I’d recommend this version (from my first cookbook). Hope you enjoy!
It was absolutely delicious. Ty for sharing the recipe.