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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This pumpkin bread is absolutely delicious. Very easy to prepare. Will definitely make it again.
This is the best pumpkin bread and just the right sweetness and great flavor! Absolutely a favorite. Crunchy on top and soft inside. Very sliceable. I cooked 10 min longer and still very moist although I added a 1/2 c more pumpkin that was left in my can ;-))
Really nice Pumpkin bread. Nice and moist! Will make it again!
Hi, could you actually leave out the sugar or cut it down to 1/4 cup? Thank you.
Hi Mary, you can reduce the sugar, but I wouldn’t reduce it by more than 1/2 cup.
Delicious! Husband even said “save that recipe so you can make that again!”
Thank you for a great recipe.
Note: Make sure you grease pan well AND cook it long enough. If not, it will fall apart when you try to remove it from pan. Follow recipe carefully and it is PERFECTION! 👍🏼👍🏼👍🏼
This makes a perfectly pleasant pumpkin loaf, but it was way too sweet for my tastes. If you’re looking for something cake-like, this your recipe: if you want something a little more subtle, look for a recipe with less than 2 cups of sugar!
I am NOT a baker but I came across your recipe and thought, “hmmm, step by step instructions and photos.. maybe I can do this”
So I did. Mine stuck to the bottom a little bit but my dad said it could be because I “smeared” the batter around in the pan rather than shaking it.
Either way, my pumpkin bread tastes delicious.
Thank you so much for taking the time to take photos during each step. It was an incredible help for someone like me.
I have half a large can of pumpkin left over after making a pie….what is the liquid measurements for 15oz of canned pumpkin?
Hi Patricia I’m not sure I understand your question. You’ll need 15 ounces of canned pumpkin measured by volume in a measuring cup. If it helps, it’s the equivalent of 425 g.
Can I make the topping used on the muffins, and add it to the bread? Would that work?
Sure!
Thank you so much for your quick response 🎃🎃🎃🎃🎃🎃
Getting ready to make this bread with the topping from the muffins. Will the topping burn, or do I just bake as bread recipe instructs? Thanks again!
It shouldn’t burn but keep an eye on it; if it starts getting more brown than you’d like on top, just loosely lay a piece of foil over the muffin tin for the remainder of the baking time. Enjoy!
I just made the pumpkin bread and it was the best that I have ever tasted. I did take it out at 55 minutes after making sure it was completed ready though.
Thank you so much!
You never gave cooking temp
350?
Hi Evelyn, it should be baked at 325°F. Enjoy!
Hey! This says it makes 2 loaves, is that correct? If im just making 1 loaf should i half everything?
Yes and yes 😊
Step 1 says to preheat oven t0 325º