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 is my favorite pumpkin bread recipe. Love it! Thank you for sharing.
My husband said it’s the best pumpkin bread he’s ever had … and he’s the pickiest eater! Another successful recipe! Thank you!!!
Hi, could this be made in a bundt pan? Thanks, Kristy
Hi Kristy, If you want to use a bundt pan, I’d recommend this cake instead. It’s very similar. Hope that helps!
Does it need to be refrigerated? And how long will it last without freezing?
It doesn’t need to be refrigerated and it will keep nicely at room temperature for 3 to 4 days. Hope that helps!
This was the answer I was looking for, but I must say I LOVE this recipe. Everyone at work loves it and my fiancé loves it. I’m not very good in the kitchen and I’ve pulled it off without a hitch for the fourth time now! I also used it for banana bread subbing nutmeg for all spices, and, of course, banana instead of pumpkin. Three did the trick, two wasn’t as moist, but still good. I also used brown sugar because it’s all I had the first time, and I didn’t want to tempt fate by using white on subsequent batches. I get the disposable loaf pans from the dollar store because I was taking it to work. I’ve stuck with that at home also because if it’s not broke, I’m not skilled enough to fix it!
With my kids coming for the holidays, I’m excited to peruse more of your recipes!
I did put it in a Bundt pan as I did not have 2 loaf pans. I greased the Bundt pan with butter well and dusted with flour. It took about 1 hour 20 minutes baking time. After 10 minutes I flipped it out of the pan. It was delicious. Probably a little denser than a cake but really good. I now have 2 loaf pans and am making the recipe again!
This was delicious, and came out perfectly. I added dried cranberries. Will definitely make this again 😍
First, you’re my favorite chef to follow 🙂
I was questioning the butter and low heat but I always trust your recipes and of course, the recipe proved to be my new go to pumpkin bread recipe.
I did add chocolate chips and had to cover with Saran Wrap quickly before eatin the whole loaf ☺️
You knocked this out of the park! Thank you!
The loaves turned out perfectly and were moist and flavourful. However, like another reviewer, I found 1 tsp of cloves very strong and overpowered every other flavour. Next time I will only use 1/4 to 1/2 tsp. I also added a simple glaze to the cooled loaves. I am a big fan of your recipes and rarely make any adjustments.
Just made this tonight and it came out moist and light. I used leftover homemade pumpkin purée. Will make again! Thank you!
Hi Jenn, Just made this recipe with no modifications and it turned out great! I live at 5,000 feet and I find that the only thing I consistently do with recipes is have them bake at the longer range of time. For this recipe 75 minutes.
Fresh out of the oven and a big success. Delicious. A bit sweet, so will reduce sugar next time. I used 1 cup each of ap and whole wheat flour. Also added in dark chocolate chips. So light and fluffy! Excellent recipe with clear directions.
You are my favorite chef! Can you use almond or coconut flour?
Hi Stacy, Thank you for the kind words! 💗 I wouldn’t recommend almond or coconut flour here, but if you’re trying to avoid wheat, and all-purpose gluten-free flour would work nicely. Hope that helps!
I used kamut and it was perfect!
Just made it just like the recipe. All I could taste was cloves. Maybe because the cloves were very fresh?
Hi Clara, It could be but if you find that the taste of cloves is overpowering for you, feel free to reduce the amount if you make these again.