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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As some have mentioned, the loaves are thin not tall. If I filled one loaf pan with most of the batter, would the cooking time change? It’s going to be a gift. I don’t want them to think I ran out of baking powder!😆
The taste is fantastic!!
Hi Sandi, I wouldn’t put most of the batter in one pan — it will turn out very dense — sorry!
I tried this and it was delicious! Fluffy ans not dense at all. I did cut the sugar in half for my toddler and also didn’t miss it. Fantastic recipe (have probably made it 10 times now)!
This recipe is a keeper! My family flipped over it! I followed the recipe to a “T”. It’s moist and the flavor is music to my tastebuds!
This recipe came out great!! Older recipes never fail to amaze me! They’re for sure underrated. I sprinkled a bit of cinnamon sugar on top for a finishing touch. Would putting water on a baking sheet along with the bread pans help cook the bread more evenly or prevent uncooked batter in the middle?
So glad you liked it. A water bath wouldn’t help it to bake more evenly. Did you find that it baked unevenly? If so, what material are your loaf pans?
Hi! The recipe seems easy and it looks delicious! I have a question: can you use a normal whisk? I don’t have access to an electric one. Thanks in advence 😊!
Hi JT, A mixer will really give you the most predictable results. That said, I think it would work (with some elbow grease) but not sure how it will impact the finished product. Please LMK how It turns out if you try it. 🙂
I’ve been making this recipe for three years now since I found it. I always use a fork to mix everything because I hate doing dishes. It has always turned out perfect! And I get an arm workout done at the same time. 🙂
Oh my! I have made so many recipes in my search for the best pumpkin bread and this is it! It is moist, buttery, the spices bring life to this loaf!!!! You serious can’t just eat one slice! Don’t be afraid to add those spices! I seriously thought this would not be as moist as it was. I followed the recipe exactly, I did not level off the spices when measuring, used all room temperature ingredients and it came out amazing! Very delicious and it will be my go to recipe for here in out!
I was eyeing the sugar/butter ratio thinking that is way too much sugar – yielded bread that didn’t rise much and spread out to have the texture of a too melty cookie.
I agree. I’m at higher altitude (6000 ft), so I dropped the sugar to 1 3/4 C and it was still too much leaving a bit of a sugar crust on top of the loaves. I used fresh pumpkin puree, though. So, the water content of my pumpkin is probably higher than with canned pumpkin. I also think the clove overwhelms; it’s very forward. I’d cut that back if using this recipe again.
Great recipe.
What changes would I have to make if I substitute half of the pumpkin quantity with banana mash?
Thanks
Hi Elka, I don’t think you’d need to make any modifications. I’d love to hear how it turns out — you may have given me an idea for a new recipe! 🙂
This recipe works great with lots of different fruits. I’ve made banana bread and persimmon bread using this recipe and kept the same quantity as needed for the pumpkin. Turned out great!
👍
One comment said that the ratios of baking soda and baking powder were backwards. Thoughts? Has anyone tried it that way?
can you substitute sugar with maple syrup? Is coconut oil recommended instead of butter?
I wouldn’t recommend maple syrup in place of the sugar, but you can use coconut oil (in its solid form) in place of the butter. Hope that helps!
My loaves were not very tall as one reader has stated. The taste was magnificent!
Hi Sandi, This bread is more like a cake than a bread and doesn’t rise very much. Glad you liked it!
The flavour is excellent, however my loaves didn’t end up very tall. I’m sure I measured the baking soda and baking powder properly. (Baked in 55 minutes). Next time I would make 1.5 x the recipe to make 2 loaves.
Hi Jen, This bread is more like a cake than a bread and doesn’t rise very much. Hope that clarifies!