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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Hi everyone!
This is the BEST pumpkin bread EVER… no exaggeration. I gave a loaf to our Pastor and his wife a few years back and she raved over it. I asked her if she would like the recipe and she looked shocked, as though it was a secret family recipe. I told her I would give it to her at the next service. As I entered the sanctuary that following Wednesday night she saw me and came running to me, arms wide open and asked, “Do you have it?” She told me she had thrown her old pumpkin bread recipe in the trash. I also gave her the web-site. And just so you know… She is known for her wonderful cooking and baking by family and friends.
Thank you Jenn!
This has been my go to recipe. It’s moist and very tasty. I do have to say it’s too sweet for me. (Sugar same amount as flour?) I’ve modified by reducing sugar to 3/4 cup and added chocolate chips. I double the baking powder. My kids love it!
Annoys me to no end to have to scroll and scroll and scroll for the recipe
Hi B, at the very top of the page, to the right of the recipe name, you’ll see an orange/red button that says Jump to Recipe – if you click on that, it will take you directly to the recipe. Hope that clarifies!
I will say this bread is amazing as is! BUT I sliced a loaf a little bit after it came out of the oven put it on a wire rack and left out over night to dry out. For breakfast the next morning we made pumpkin spice French toast with it and they were AMAZING!!
THAT is the best idea Ive ever heard! Now Im making this today, slicing 1 loaf and making that for breakfast after church tomorrow!!!! THANK YOU!!!!!
this has become my Go To recipe as of late
I use fresh butternut squash puree (they don’t sell canned pumpkin in my country haha), some more spices, a bit less sugar, and replace part of the flour with whole wheat. Things I do with most recipes honestly.
A lovely recipe that I’ve linked to many of my friends! It’s wonderfully fluffy for a butter based cake.
This recipe is my family’s absolute favorite. I have made it as is, added chocolate chips (my kids favorite), as muffins (using bake temp and time as Jenn’s pumpkin muffin recipe), as mini muffins for soccer game snacks and as mini loafs as gifts. Every time the recipe gets high praise. The only problem with the recipe is that it’s so delicious, it’s almost always eaten in a day or less!
Made this yesterday- totally a keeper. It was so flavorful !
Will be sharing this recipe with my family as pumpkin bread is a favorite of all.
I have tried several other recipes but this one without a doubt is the best.
Try it – you will not be disappointed.
Recipe of 1 loaf instead of 2
Hi Clay, I’d just cut all the ingredients in half — enjoy!
I switched the amounts of baking soda and baking powder as suggested by one comment and the result was much fluffier and not as dense, perfect!
Loved this recipe! Turned out with the perfect texture, a great thin crispy crust with a soft center, saving this recipe for sure!
Great recipe – the bread came out delicious! Only critique is it’s a bit heavy on cloves and sugar for my taste. I reduced total sugar by about 1/4 cup and subbed 1/2 cup with brown sugar. Next time, I’ll reduce cloves to 1/2 tsp as they are a bit overpowering. Otherwise, great recipe, easy to make and it produced the fluffiest batter I’ve ever seen. Thank you!