Pumpkin Bread

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Kids love it, grown-ups love it…this pumpkin bread is hard to beat!

Slices of Pumpkin Bread on a plate.

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.

Picture of a pumpkin bread recipe.

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.

What You’ll Need To Make Pumpkin Bread

Bread ingredients including baking soda, eggs, and butter.

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.

Dry ingredients in a glass bowl.

Whisk well and set aside.

Whisk in a bowl of dry ingredients.

Combine the butter and sugar in a large bowl or in the bowl of an electric mixer.

Butter and sugar in a bowl.

Beat until just combined. It will look a little crumbly.

Bowl of beaten butter and sugar.

Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition.

Egg added to a butter and sugar mixture.

Continue beating for a few minutes until light and fluffy.

Beaten egg, sugar, and butter in a bowl.

Add the pumpkin.

Pumpkin in a bowl with a butter mixture.

Beat until combined. It will look a little curdled or grainy — that’s okay.

Electric mixer with a light orange-colored mixture.

Add the dry ingredients to the pumpkin mixture.

Dry ingredients in a bowl with an orange-colored mixture.

And beat on low speed until just combined.

Bowl of pumpkin bread dough.

Transfer the batter to loaf pans.

Two bread pans of pumpkin bread dough.

Bake for 65 to 75 minutes, or until a cake tester comes out clean.

Two loaves of pumpkin bread in pan.s

Let the loaves cool in the pan for about 10 minutes, then turn out onto a rack to cool completely.

Two loaves of pumpkin bread on a wire rack.

That’s all there is to it. Enjoy!

Slices of Pumpkin Bread on a plate.

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Video Tutorial

Pumpkin Bread

Kids love it, grown-ups love it…this pumpkin bread is hard to beat!

Servings: Makes 2 loaves
Prep Time: 20 Minutes
Cook Time: 65 Minutes
Total Time: 1 Hour 30 Minutes

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

  1. 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).
  2. In a medium bowl, combine the flour, salt, baking soda, baking powder, cloves, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Whisk until well combined; set aside.
  3. 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.
  4. Add the flour mixture and mix on low speed until combined.
  5. 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.
  6. 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.
  7. 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 Edamam

  • 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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Comments

  • I haven’t made pumpkin bread since I was 8 and made this recently- and it turned out so amazing!!!! <3

  • Very easy recipe to follow and always excellent results. Tried it with honey to replace the sugar. Used 1 1/3 cups of honey instead of 2 cups of sugar and reduced the pumpkin 12oz to balance the moisture of the honey. baked at 325. Turned out wonderful and only lasted the day. Thanks for the great recipe.

  • This is an excellent recipe and I found the ratio of spices perfect. I baked small loaves measuring about 7″ x 2″ x 2 1/2″ (one-use, baking paper lined forms) and included them in takeaway gift bags following Thanksgiving dinner. One recipe made three loaves. Definitely recommend.

    • — Judy in Berlin
    • Reply
  • This pumpkin bread was amazing. It was flavorful and very moist. I made it for my family and they loved it. My sister enjoyed it the most because she asked me to make it again for her.

  • This was the best Pumpkin bread I’ve made. Everyone loved it including my grands! I have two more cans of pumpkin, I’m probably going to make this again and try the pumpkin scones but the pumpkin muffins sound delicious as well! Thank you Jenn for this recipe.

  • Thank you soo much for sharing your grandma’s recipe! It’s the best pumpkin bread recipe!
    I added 1/4 cup less sugar, it still turned out great and got approved by my son.
    I also sifted the flour, which I always do while baking.
    The pumpkin bread is so light and fluffy, I got compliments from many friends I shared it with.

  • This was my 1st time making this recipe and wow was it amazing. I think it has the perfect balance of spices,sweetness, and pumpkin taste.

  • I have literally made this recipe twice in a few days. This is so freaking good! My family goes through a loaf in a few minutes flat. I just used pumpkin pie spice instead of buying every spice. This will be my go to now every fall season!

  • This is the perfect pumpkin bread recipe! The spice level is exactly what I was looking for! Flavorful and moist- a delight! Everyone loved it. This is definitely a keeper.

  • I tried this recipe and the bread is tasty but it’s a little too spicy. I think the taste of the cloves is a little bit overpowering. Otherwise delicious bread.

    • I thought the same thing. I added some cool whip to help tone it down. Will have to make again with a few adjustments.

    • Agreed, overall terrific but I taste the cloves a bit too much for personal taste. Have you remade it with less clove? Just reduce it or sub with another spice?

      • — Gabrielle Smith
      • Reply
    • The only spice I taste is cloves, I will halve or 1/4 it next time. Overall, I love texture, taste and the fact that it uses butter instead of oil. Beautiful loaves. I also added semi-sweet chocolate chips and it is great.

    • After slightly reducing the cloves, just a hair, every other detail of this recipe is on point, especially the sifting, the brown sugar, it is a perfect pumpkin bread.

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