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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Can I use pumpkin pie spice instead? And if so, how much?
Sure — I’d use 1 tablespoon. Enjoy!
Hey Jenn! I’ve made this bread too many times to count and it’s a family favorite! I’m making mini muffins with it this time. Any idea how long to bake?
Hi Stacia, So glad you like this! I’d start checking mini muffins 10 to 13 minutes (although they may take a few minutes longer).
Excellent! I’ve made it twice in a short period of time, and I don’t need to search any further for the perfect recipe. Love it!
It would be nice to know how much pumpkin is in a 15 oz can since some of us grow our pumpkins and use fresh rather than canned. Great recipe. I used two cups as my equivalent but maybe that was a little much. Also added ginger because what is pumpkin bread without ginger.
Hi Patti, 15 oz. is the equivalent of about 1.75 cups of pumpkin so you were close. Glad it came out nicely!
This is my go to recipe. I use whole wheat flour and half the sugar with a couple tablespoons of molasses to make it slightly healthier. Still great texture. Plenty sweet. Don’t skip the separate mixing of the butter and sugar like I did the first couple of times. Makes the bread much lighter.
Delish – baked as muffins. Made 24. Neighbor kids gobbled them “These are GOOD” they said!
*Did lessen sugar by about a 1/2 cup as added mini choco chips. Based on other comments reduced cloves bc serving to kiddos. Perfect. I might do full amount just for me but I LURVE cloves! OH ALSO – I did not mean to or intend to but I think I did accidentally did a full 1 teaspoon each of baking soda and powder but only by accident. Will make another batch and keep a top fave fall sweet muffin. Thanks for recipe!
The recipe doesn’t specify what kind of sugar to use, and the listed amount is way too much….in my opinion.
The rest of the recipe is fine. Thanks 🙂
Hi Tracy, Sorry if it was unclear! If I just use the word “sugar,” you can assume it’s granulated sugar. If it’s anything other than granulated sugar, I will specify that in the ingredients.
I use this recipe every year with fresh pumpkin purée and everyone raves over it. I make loaves and I also make muffins and mini muffins. The best recipe ever. This year I’m trying it with cream cheese buttercream for a Halloween party
I love using fresh pumpkin. How much did you use?
Hi Eliana, just in case Julia doesn’t see your question, you’ll need 1-3/4 cups pumpkin puree. Hope you enjoy!
Made this for the first time, today. Delicious! Will definitely be a regular in my baking rotation! Thank you for the share! 🎃
This is my favorite pumpkin bread recipe! No weird measurements and moist every time. I love to bake, but with three little ones it’s harder to do. Thanks for sharing a simple, delicious and reliable recipe for pumpkin bread!
This recipe is a perfect balance of pumpkin and spices. It’s moist, flavorful and not too sweet.
I cut it thick and made french toast out of it and words can’t describe how awesome it was.