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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A fantastic recipe! I was afraid this was going to be another hard pumpkin loaf but this came out perfectly moist and so flavorful! My 15 year old loves it!
I love this recipe! Especially the spices!
I made a few tweaks to test out my baking instincts:
– chose to use 1/2 cup canola oil and 1/4 cup butter
– 1/2 cup brown sugar and 1 cup granulated sugar (reduced sugar because I added chocolate chips)
– 1/2 tsp nutmeg (rather than I tsp) and 1/2 tsp ground ginger
– 1 tsp vanilla extract
– 1 TBS orange juice
My son just stopped eating refined sugar. Do you have recommendations for a substitute? Maple syrup? Honey? Coconut sugar? A combo?
Hi Jackie, I haven’t tried it with any of those alternatives. I don’t have any experience with coconut sugar and regarding honey and maple syrup. You’ll need to use something more solid to create the right texture when you cream it with the butter. You could replace a minimal amount of the sugar with honey or maple syrup and try using a sugar substitute (like Stevia) for the remainder. Please keep in mind I haven’t tried it this way.
Hi Jenn
Could this recipe be made in one
9×5 or another size pan since I don’t have the smaller size loaf pan? If so would baking instructions change?
Thanks,
Chris
I don’t recommend one 9 x 5-inch pan. If you have two, you can make 1.5 times the recipe and divide it between the two loaf pans. If not, you can use an 8-inch square pan or a 9 inch round pan. Bake time may be a bit different so keep a close eye on it. Enjoy!
A bit too sweet for me. Next time I’m going to eliminate some of the sugar n maybe switch to brown sugar
Wonderful, go-to recipe that I make for friends and family each fall as a “hello fall” gift. I have had many comments about it being the best they have ever had. I have been forced to try several modification due to gluten and/or dairy free recipients: gluten free Bob’s Red Mill 1-for-1 flour, substitute dairy free (Earth Balance soy free) or avocado oil for the butter. The avocado oil replacement does result in a slightly denser loaf but does remain moist. I typically “sugar” the loaf pans instead of flouring them and when I bake, the loaves are happiest going the full 75 minutes, sometimes a little longer. I have also replaced the canned pumpkin with roasted seminole pumpkin from my garden. I do need to reduce the butter a little in this case since the fresh pumpkin does contain higher moisture. Just love this recipe.
I did make this and it was delicious. I used gluten free flour and they didn’t rise as high but still very good. I will definitely keep this recipe. Thank you!
I make this recipe all the time. It is an extended family favorite. I live in El salvador and it is hard to get canned pumpkin . I use a local squash that I toast and puree myself. I have always decreased the sugar and used pumpkin pie spice. I love how soft the bread is and the crust that it has when it is fresh from the oven!
This recipe is also great substituting banana instead of the pumpkin and halving the sugar.
Thanks!!
May I ask how much pumpkin pie spice you would use! Thank you!
Hi Linda, you’ll need 1 tablespoon. Enjoy!
Excellent recipe, made already 4 times, the whole family loves this absolutely delicious pumpkin bread. My autumn staple now.
So good! Perfectly moist and just sweet enough. I replaced butter with coconut oil because I wanted it to be dairy free for my daughter, but otherwise stuck to the recipe. Also, had some leftover streusel mix so I sprinkled some on top. I halfed the recipe and it was perfectly done after about 50 minutes, then I turned the oven off and kept it there for another 10. Definitely a keeper!