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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The recipe tastes really delicious, however, I wouldn’t call it pumpkin “bread” along the same lines as say, banana bread. Both of my loaves stuck and broke when taking them out so much so that I didn’t want to serve it at the event I made them for. It’s not to say that I haven’t been eating it myself, though I did throw one loaf away. I would say this is more like a cake and probably would have been perfect had it been baked in a 9 x 13 cake pan. I also glazed mine (the one I’m eating, not the one I threw away) with a brown sugar glaze which added a delicious taste to this spicy pumpkin CAKE.
Ma’am, I wish to apologize for my previous one-star review. It turns out that I was just a complete dumb@ss. I was using the big can of pumpkin thinking it was the 15oz. Nope. Third time is a charm. This recipe is heavenly and I just had some complete Dumb-Dumb moments. EMBARRASSED to say the least.
Thanks for the follow-up (and so glad you got to the bottom of it)! Enjoy the bread 😊
We’ve made this a few times and it always turns out delicious! Adding a bag of dark chocolate chips is a good addition too
Thank you for the recipe 🙂
Incredible absolutely making this again the recipe was really easy to make (I had a harder time fighting with the can opener LOL) and it baked up great
So delicious! I always make these as muffins instead of bread loaves, and add a streusel topping before baking. It’s a great fall recipe.
Can I ask how long you cook them as muffins? Same temperature? How many does this make?
I’ve made several times and add a layer of brown sugar in the middle and it’s so delicious! Wanted to try as muffins for my kids!
Hi Jessica, I suggest following this pumpkin muffin recipe – it’s almost identical.
I originally printed this recipe off 10 years ago. I have made this pumpkin bread so many times my original copy is worn out, so I came here to see it the recipe was still here. Thankfully it is! This is the best pumpkin bread recipe I have ever come across. I saw a few comments about the bread falling apart. I wonder if they are using lighter bread pans and might need to increase the temperature from 325 to 350. I use darker bread pans so 325 is perfect. I also let my bread sit for at least 10 minutes before trying to remove from the pan, then let it cool for at least another 30 minutes on the wire racks. I tried subbing gluten free flour and found as long as you use a 1 for 1 gluten free flour substitute that has Xanthan gum in it, it works great. I increased the butter from 3/4 cut to 1 cup since gluten free flour is drier and denser than regular flour and the cooked product comes out less dry. Has been a big hit for my gluten free family members.
Thank you for sharing this recipe!
This recipe tastes amazing. However both of my loaves stuck to the bottom of their pans.
I used cooking spray and flour (more than enough that got turned around and tapped out excess). So not sure if I didn’t get them out of the pans quick enough or what.
Hi Ashlie, Glad you like the bread but sorry to hear it stuck! It sounds like you did all the right things so next time, I’d suggest trying a baking spray with flour like Baker’s Joy.
Made this yesterday and again today. 😊Pure yummy! I am not a robot (since some think that’s where the good reviews are generated from) but a retired lady who enjoys cooking and baking. Excellent flavor. Easy to make. I cook and freeze our pie pumpkins in 2 cup portions for pie. I cut sugar down to 1-1/2 cups and added just 3 tsp. of extra flour for that extra 1/8 cup of pumpkin. Oh and added walnuts because we really like nuts in our breads. First time I baked them in 8×4 pans and they took 75 mins. They came out of the pan with some sticking. I let the first pan cool for 10 minutes before taking the bread out. The 2nd pan sat for 20 minutes and came out better. Today I experimented with oil in the bottom of the pan and flour, it came out ok. The other pan I buttered and added a piece of parchment in the bottom then buttered and floured the entire pan. Perfection getting this loaf out. Both pans were just slightly larger (8-1/2×4-1/2) and they were done in 65 mins. Great recipe and a new favorite of ours! Thank you for such a a tasty bread!
I’ve tried this recipe twice following everything to the exact on this recipe. Both times the loaves have all turned out terribly. They look like bread but as soon as you cut into it, the center is like pie filling consistency. I even tried baking the loaves longer than the recipe calls for. Yes, I double checked the measurements, temperature, no Im not at a high altitude, yes my baking soda and powder are good. This recipe is just awful. Don’t waste your time, money, nor ingredients!
Does not make two loaves. The taste is good, however
I made this and the flavor is exceptional! No adjustments, it was a hit among family and friends! Not too sweet, can taste the spices (I like it that way, you can opt for less clove/nutmeg if you’d like)
YUM YUM DELICIOUS