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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Perfect fall comfort food! And, my kids love it!
YUM!!! Have made this recipe numerous times & it has become my go-to, no fail recipe for all sorts of occasions. Easy to make, easy to bake, delicious to eat!! While it’s baking, the aroma that wafts from the oven is intoxicating! Freezes well–& that’s the only way I’ve found to ensure that there’ll be any left! Thanks for a great recipe!
I agree with the aroma. 🙂
This has now become a staple at our house! My kids love it, their friends love it to the point that the other parents have contacted me for the recipe. I follow the recipe exactly as written however occasionally I have baked this as mini muffins, obviously adjusting the time. Tastes great either way!
When I saw the recipe with all the stains, I knew I had to try it. My instincts were correct. THIS recipe is ABSOLUTELY PERFECT. I am so glad you shared it. I used to go to a Mom & Pop restaurant and order a Pumpkin Roll, then wait 24 hours to get it. NEVER AGAIN. I LOVE IT. It was easy to make. DELICIOUS, MOIST AND DIDN’T LAST 2 days!
This is truly delicious and an excellent recipe. I have Celiac so I make everything gluten free. This worked wonderfully with King Arthur All Purpose Gluten Free flour. It’s moist and quite yummy!
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Great recipe! Make as gifts to friends and they ALWAYS request more! Moist and delicious! Also a very simple recipe!
What would the recipe be if I only have two 9×5 pans?? I’m also wondering about cook time. I’ve been wanting to try this but haven’t because of the pan size difference.
Hi Audrey, This pumpkin bread does get the best results in the 8 1/2 x 4 1/2-inch pans, but you can bake them in 9 x 5-inch pans. You don’t need to make any adjustments to the ingredients, but I would bake the bread for slightly less time. I’d start checking them at about 45 – 50 minutes. Hope you enjoy!
This has become my go-to pumokin bread recipe. I’ve made this recipe as-written many times, with consistently great results. I actually prefer a gingerbread flavor, so I add a teaspoon of ginger as well. Either way, this is extremely good!
This is the BEST, most flavourful, moist pumpkin bread in the world. Thank you for sharing it!!
This pumpkin bread – ugh – seriously!! I find it’s always the old, simple recipes of a past generation that are perfect. This one is no exception. I don’t even know how many loaves I have made, but it is fun to play around with them. I almost always add a cup of chopped nuts, often add raisins, and have topped the loaves with maple flakes. I always get rave reviews from those I gift the bread to, and it actually makes me LOOK FORWARD to roasting my garden pumpkins! This recipe just cannot be beat!