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.
Can you use fresh pumpkin?
Sure, as long as it is the consistency of canned.
I am only able to bake one loaf at a time, what temp and for how long would you recommend?
Hi Erin, I would stick with the same time and temperature. Enjoy!
Hi. I only have 9×5 pans. Should I I increase the portion? I am not an experienced baker. Thanks!
Hi Mariam, If you only have 9 x 5-inch loaf pans, I’d increase the batter by 1.5 and bake in two 9 x 5’s. Bake time may be a touch longer but oven temp should remain the same. Hope that helps!
We tried this 3 times. Each time we threw everything out. This is a terrible recipe. We had to keep in the oven more and more and it would leave the center wet and the sides burned..
Delicious!!!! The only substitution I made was to use unrefined coconut oil instead of butter and brown sugar instead of white. The flavours blended very nicely. While it was baking, the whole house smelled like Christmas!!! I will definitely make this again. 😊
Adding toasted walnuts to recipe, what quantity would you suggest? Thanks
Hi Richard, I’d go with 3/4 to 1 cup.
Many thanks. I used your zucchini bread recipe as a basis for pumpkin bread before I noticed this recipe. Both great. Happy Thanksgiving!
Hi! Can you sub in almond flour?
Thanks!
Erica B.
I don’t recommend it – sorry!
I’d like to try this for Thanksgiving, but I know my family would love for it to have an icing or frosting. What would you use and do you offer a recipe for it? 🙂 Thank you in advance!
Hi Tina, I’d use the frosting recipe from this pumpkin cake. Hope everyone enjoys!
This Pumpkin Bread is great. Really moist. I add Craisins and Walnuts. I have 5×9 loaf pans so they baked in about 50 minutes. I used 3 teaspoons of Pumpkin Pie seasoning instead of individual spices. Great Fall recipe!
Can you add walnuts? it’s not in the recipe but i was thinking about a load with and without. also is it super moist or more on the dry side
Sure, Amber – walnuts would work well here, and the bread is very moist.
This was an amazing recipe that I would most definitely make again. I used home processed pumpkin (you know, the jack-o-lantern intended pumpkin that I never carved for Halloween) Unless you have no taste buds, if you follow the recipe, this cake is full of tasty, spicy, fall flavor! Next time I make this, I think I might try some cream cheese frosting or a Cinnabon knock off frosting recipe with this.
This recipe made 12 LARGE muffins. NOTE: using the muffin tins decreased the cooking time by half. I placed both tins of 6 muffins into the oven at the same time and they were done in about 30 minutes. They freeze well too. I thought this recipe was perfection!
Could I use honey for the sugar?
Hi Stefanie, for the best results, I’d stick with the sugar. If you replace any of the sugar with honey, I’d keep it at a minimum.