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.
I just made this recipe into mini muffins and my husband said, “This is the best thing you’ve ever made and I’m including the kids!”
Haha!
I’m a home baker and really love simple delicious recipes. This was my first time making pumpkin loaf and it turned out absolutely fantastic!!! My second loaf is currently in the oven.
Thanks for the recipe! My first pumpkin bake for the fall season. In case anyone is wondering if you have to put it in a loaf pan, I put it all in a 9×13 pan (lined with parchment) and baked at 350°. It came out great! I added walnuts because I love adding nuts to baked breads. Admittedly, it’s like a back cake. Thanks again for the recipe!
Do you have a cream cheese recipe that could be added to the recipe and how would you add cream cheese icing into the muffins?
Hi Louisa, I don’t have a recipe for that but based on what you’re describing, you may want to give my pumpkin cake a try. Hope you enjoy if you make it!
I made this recipe last night and it was so good. I’ve never made pumpkin bread and I was quite proud of myself, but the recipe got me there. Best pumpkin bread recipe ever. I followed all the recipe, I only removed half a cup of sugar, but it was still so good 😊
Judy, I haven’t made this yet because of the amount of sugar and nobody has addressed it but you. I was going to cut it in half. What do you think?
Pumpkin is very bitter. I would hesitate to cut the sugar too drastically.
I used half the sugar and thought it turned out just fine. I don’t have a sweet tooth but I didn’t find it bitter at all.
Came out very good Best Recipe I have found for making Pumpkin bread. I just don’t use the cloves when I make it.
I was literally thinking the same thing and was gonna cut the sugar in half. 2 cups is a lot.
This bread is EXTREMELY clove-y. I would cut the amount of cloves in half, if not quarter. Otherwise very good.
This is the recipe I usually go to for pumpkin bread. Always turns out great. I like to add frozen sour cherries to the finished batter to complement the sweetness of the recipe. Fresh cranberries work well, too,
This pumpkin bread was amazing! My extremely picky eater (like so picky he eats 5 things) loved this bread. Thank you for sharing it!
First time making and it’s delicious, it is an amazing recipe.
I used fresh grated nutmeg, I think it’s a game changer.
I also did 4 mini loaf pans, lowered the temp to 300° and baked for 75 minutes. Could have possibly gone 5 to 10 minutes more but my tester came out clean.
I am strongly considering adding candy pecans to it next time and next time won’t be very far away.
This will definitely be my go-to recipe.
Jen,
Can you give be the bake time for one 9×5 loaf pan? Also what cream cheese frosting recipe do you suggest for this?
Hi Stephanie, I wouldn’t recommend making this in one 9 x 5-inch loaf pan. If you only have 9 x 5-inch pans, I’d increase the batter by 1.5 and bake in two of them. Bake time may be a touch longer. Hope that helps!
We had success using the recipe as written for 1 9×5″ loaf pan, and it took about 90 minutes to bake. We used a maple cream cheese frosting–the first one that popped up in our search. Yum! Indulgent.
No. It didn’t rise as much as the photo. Who cares? It is delicious and even the most finicky eater in my family LOVES it. It is so simple to make, and I have yet to have the loaves last more than a day or two.
Perfect! I make this year round!