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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My two loaves cooked in 8 1/2 x 4 1/2
didn’t cook all the way through even after 75 minutes. Not sure what happened. Was really excited for this too.
I’m sorry to hear you had a problem with these. Did you make any adjustments to the recipe? If not, you may want to check your oven temperature for accuracy. Here are some tips for going about it.
Hi. I was wondering if you could substitute the flour for almond flour and splenda for the sugar. Trying to accommodate a diabetic diet. Thanks!
Hi Natasha, Unfortunately, I don’t think those substitutions will work. Sorry!
If I want to make mini-loaves (8.75×3” pans), how many should I make from one recipe?
Hi Alice, I’m a little confused as the dimensions you’ve provided are just a tiny bit smaller than that those called for in the recipe. When I think of mini loaf pans, I think of ones that are about 5 – 6 inches long and 3 inches wide.
This the BEST pumpkin bread recipe I’ve tried! Super moist, light and balanced with spices! In the fall I’ve given loaves and mini loaves to family and friends who love it. A winner!
Made this Pumpkin Bread and it was so moist and delicious. I doubled the recipe and gave away the extra loaves. They all wanted the recipe. Thanks Jen!
Dangerously delicious, thanks for sharing!
hi we are moving and i packed up my bread pans can i make it in one 9 x 12? any idea how long it would bake and if that is the right size pan? thank you! love your recipes!
Unfortunately, I don’t think it will work in that size pan. If your muffin tins are still accessible, you could make these muffins.
So delicious and spicy! I did not have the pan sizes listed so I risked it and used one 9×5. I also substituted half of the sugar with brown sugar. Baked it for about an hour and half and it turned out perfect! Will definitely bake this again!
thank you!! will try them now…
Jenn, if only I would have had the pleasure of meeting your grandmother, I could not thank her enough for clipping this recipe! It’s THE best pumpkin bread that I have eaten; it will cause nay sayers to think twice.
Thanks for sharing.
Yolonda
💗
I’m so glad I stumbled on this recipe!! I made it to the exact except I veganized it by swapping a couple ingredients. I’ve had both regular and vegan pumpkin bread, but I can honestly say that this is the BEST one I’ve ever tried! It came out so fluffy and moist I’m excited to make it again.
We love this pumpkin bread! The only problem I have is that here in Ontario Canada we can only get pumpkin in 796ml cans. That’s about 27oz so I have lots left over. Good thing your pumpkin pancakes are just as tasty as the bread!
Sharon, I am from Ontario too. I use the 365 brand pumpkin puree. Happy Baking.