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.
Great timeless recipe! Moist – I added dried cranberries & pecans!
I just made this 30 min ago. This does make 2 loaves of 8×4 pan. It came up to the top of the pan rim when it was done, not mounding, just like in this recipe’s picture. I don’t like super sweet so I followed reviewers’ advice and cut the sugar by 1/2 cup. I also only used 1/4 tsp cloves, afraid it would be too strong from reviews. I took it out after 65 min, tester came out clean already. I could have left it 5 min longer for harder top. It was super moist, cooked through, perfect sweetness for us and everyone loves it. Thank you for a great recipe! Will make again.
Run to your kitchen and make this immediately!! It’s one of the best baked goods I’ve ever made, and I’m an avid baker and cook. My family loves it and it’s devoured within 2 days. I always gift this to neighbors and friends, per their request! I have a big loaf pan, so I usually make one big loaf or 2 smaller good-sized ones. Timing varies depending on your pan size and oven temp, so make sure to insert your cake tester in the middle and for it to come out clean before removing the bread out of the oven, as stated in the instructions. You and your love ones are really going to enjoy this. I have 4 loaves baking right now to gift for my neighbors for Christmas, along with Jen’s Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies. Happy Holidays 🎄
I tried this twice and both times it didn’t cook all the way through, even after checking it with toothpicks. Trying something else, very sad to see how much food I wasted….
I just tried this recipe for the first time as well. I am known for making a mean pumpkin bread, but I lost my old recipe so I decided to use this one. Real quick before my husband’s Christmas party which I’m trying to surprise him. But it won’t cook all the way thru! Now it’s 25 minutes past when I was supposed to leave and it’s still not cooking in the center. This is extremely upsetting and this is the longest I’ve ever cooked pumpkin bread for….. I won’t be trying this recipe again. Such a disappointment.
Agree – just made this tonight. It’s cooked for 80min and still pudding in the center.
It went long for me too. I ended up liking the final product but had to bake in the two loaf pans for 1 hour and 30 minutes. In addition to cooking longer I think next time I’ll reduce the sugar. Definitely like the finished product though!
This recipe makes ONE loaf for a standard loaf pan. The pans used in the pictures are TINY or the spatula she is used is freaking huge! Double this for an actual 9 x 5 x 3 loaf pan.
I have made this recipe several times and my family loves it!
This is going to be so good! Can’t wait for it to come out of the oven.
The best pumpkin bread hands down!!! It’s so moist and yummy!
I’ve made this recipe twice and both times it turned out great and I even used fresh pumpkin. My friend became a convert of pumpkin bread. He tried it and loved it. When I talked about making it, he said he wouldn’t eat it but after trying it said it was delicious. I added some raisins because I can’t tolerate nuts. I’m thinking about putting chocolate chips in my next batch.
Wow. I never leave reviews, but this is worth it. Recipe is perfect, love that it makes two!