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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Question: I would like to ship what’s best way to keep it fresh?
Hi Caren, I’d wrap it tightly in plastic wrap. You could also put layer of foil over that for extra protection.
Made this with 1/2 the sugar and double the baking powder. Used one glass loaf pan 8 1/2 x 4 1/2 (as mentioned in another comment here). It is delicious! Moist, flavorful, not too sweet – love it!!!!!
I have made this pumpkin bread twice now once with less butter cause I ran out and it still came out perfect. Me and my daughter are obsessed with it. Shes 2 LOL. Thank you for the recipe I had to let you know it’s great
Absolutely delicious! Made several over the holidays and gave out to friends and family. They also requested the recipe.
I’ve made this twice. Both times it turned out delicious, but the first time, it was slightly too dense and fell apart easily. I live at high altitude, so this time, I doubled the baking powder and lessened the sugar by ½ cup because I’m a little sensitive to sweet. It’s definitely lighter and fluffier this time, but it’s still very fragile and falls apart (I can’t even get a whole slice on a plate without it coming apart). I love the flavor, but how do I get it to hold together better? A 3rd egg?
Hi, glad you like this but sorry to hear it’s crumbly for you. Are you letting it cool completely before you slice it?
The batch I made last night I cut into after it had cooled a bit, but it was still warm. The first batch was crumbly every time I cut into it, even after being in the refrigerator.
If you let one of them cool completely and still had a problem, I suspect it’s the changes you made to the recipe. If you try this again, try slicing it using a serrated knife.
My favorite pumpkin bread recipe.
FYI, at high altitude (I am a mile high) you very slightly decrease baking powder, not increase. Also, reduce sugar (as you did) and slightly increase liquid. Also increase baking temperature- though I rarely increase the temperature the entire 25 degrees as recommended for my altitude. You might also add a pinch more flour. Precise instructions can be found on various websites. Best of luck!
This is a good recipe, but when you add the flour mixture, mix it by hand, until just combined. If you use the mixer at low speed, it will not rise. Using the mixer ruins it.
Thanks for the tip
So tender and moist! I read the pan size, rising and sweetness comments. Used only one 9×5 loaf and cooked for 75min. Doubled the baking powder, decreased the white sugar to 1 cup and added 1/2 cup of dark brown sugar. Love spice, so used 1 1/2 tsp cinnamon and nutmeg plus added 1/2tsp ground ginger. This will be my go to pumpkin bread. Thank you!
It was flavorful but fell apart. I have never had issues like this.
Hi Bobbie, I’m sorry this fell apart for you! Did you let it cool completely before slicing it?
It could have been a little more moist, but it turned out good very tasty. 🙂
Made this tonight – who says pumpkin is only for fall?! Quick
easy, and delicious with just that perfect bit of spice.
We love this recipe! Thank you so much for sharing.
I have made this a ridiculous amount of times now! I love that it makes 2 loaves— one just wouldn’t be enough! It’s so moist and flavourful. I doubled the baking powder – I was having trouble with it rising enough. That solved it.
Thx for the suggestion on the baking powder! I just made this & it barely raised up. I love the flavor, so I’ll try it again with added powder.