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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I am an avid baker, especially around the holidays. I’ve made every type of pumpkin bread and muffin under the sun, and this is by the far the best I’ve ever made or had! The sweet to spice ratio is so on point, and it’s insanely moist. Thank you so much for sharing this one!
A fantastic pumpkin bread recipe. As others have noted, it is definitely clove forward. If you’d prefer more of a cinnamon/nutmeg flavor, you’ll want to back off in the 1tsp of cloves.
Mine turned out perfectly fluffy and delish with these high altitude (6,000ft) adjustments:
Decrease baking temp by 25deg
Decrease baking powder by 1/8 tsp
Decrease sugar by 1TBSP
Increase liquid 3TBSP (I used veg oil)
Be VERY careful to not overbeat the eggs. (I added them after the pumpkin and mixed by hand)
Correction…INCREASE temp 25degrees. ☺️
Again- a delightfully tasty recipe! Changes are just for high- altitude.
This is delicious!
I’ve baked this recipe for a couple of years now. It is outstanding! I’ve given it as gifts & every fall my kids ask for it when they come to visit.
It stands above the rest! Yummy!
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️Just make this! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
I made four batches at once and used various combinations–I used 1 cup of only brown sugar & turned out fine. I forgot the baking soda and baking powder and though it didn’t rise, the taste was still astounding. It’s basically fail-proof. I used 2 cups of whole wheat flour. I cut the sugar down to one cup. I used a combinaion of white and whole wheat flour. I used salted butter but didn’t add any other salt and the result of all this: IT’S ALL FINE & EXCEPTIONAL TASTE.
***********NOTE********
I baked all my four batches at once. I made each batch in seperate bowls (bless my husband, he cleaned up) and what I did notice is that in a mini loaf pan the rise was much more significant than in the large loaf pan as suggested. Also, my teens didn’t like this and one of them noted that it wasnt very sweet. I had not told them I cut the sugar in half. So, if you’re older and your taste buds are fully developped, 1 cup of sugar is plenty. If you have a sweeter tooth, go for 2 cups of sugar. It is so very good. Thank you, OUAC!
Excellent! I followed the ingredients and instructions exactly except for using a little less cloves. At the last minute I sprinkled chopped pecans and demerara sugar on top of the batter just before putting them in the oven. They rose beautifully – with all quick breads, I grease only the bottom of the pan so the batter can “grab” the sides of the pan as it rises. The texture was perfect and they taste so delicious. Wish I hadn’t given one away.
I made your pumpkin bread recipe it is the best I have ever had. Thank you for sharing it with me. I did add whipped cream cheese frosting on the slices to make it a dessert. It’s great either way. Thank you again
Heidi Hotmire
This is the best pumpkin bread I have ever had! It was so moist and flavorful! My whole family LOVED it!!! I have made it two times this week! I did use 16 ounces of pumpkin puree instead of 15 just to use up some that I had. Perfect for a family gathering the fall or winter!
It’s delicious and soft! Will make again!
This recipe looks wonderful! My son is dairy free. Is it possible to substitute vegetable oil for the butter? And if so how much? Thank you.
Hi Peggy, You need something solid to cream with the sugar, so if you’d like to use oil, I’d recommend (solidified) coconut oil. Hope you enjoy if you make it!