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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Why not put the seeds in as well, for a crunchy wholemeal texture?
Can you use butternut squash in place of pumpkin, and stevia extract
Very sweet and delicious! Not too difficult to make and the whole family enjoyed it. We took the loaves out a little bit early (10 minutes or so), because we tested them when they started to look ready, so I recommend keeping an eye on them toward the end. I used fresh pumpkin in about the same amount and it turned out great! The texture was perfect. I will definitely try more recipes from here.
This was the best pumpkin bread ever. I gave some to friends they are loved itand and want the recipe.
It was a huge success and it the so moist and tasty. Thank you again,
Jenn,
Just watched the instructional clip and it’s beautiful! I always try to include my Betsy in our baking endeavors and this is one of our favorites. However, especially with this reciepe, it always ends with Betsy sticking her hand in the batter and me chasing her out of the kitchen. You are an inspiration!
Much love, Molly
lol. smart girl…the batter is the best part 🙂 xo
This sounds wonderful and I going to make. Do you think I can make them in the aluminum throw away bread pans?
Thank you, and thank you for such delicious recipes and the effort you put into them.
Hi Diana, I’ve never tried it but don’t see why not. Hope you enjoy it and please come back and tell me how it turns out!
I just watched your video. Your kids are adorable and it was so nice to see them helping you with this recipe. I have all my ingredients out on the counter as I type this so I can make your pumpkin bread recipe for gifting at Thanksgiving. Thank you for a great recipe and I hate to admit that I think it is replacing my old stand by! I made the same recipe in muffin format, so know how good it is going to be.
Thank you, Karen! Hope you enjoy it as muffins as the muffins 🙂
The pumpkin bread recipe: can I sub applesauce for the butter? Can I sub Splenda for the sugar? Can I sub SOME whole wheat flour for the white flour? thank you very much.
Hi Lynne, Unfortunately I’ve never tried this recipe with those substitutions. You could try but the texture might be strange and it would taste like an entirely different bread. Sorry!!
I used half whole wheat and half white flours. The taste and texture were marvelous. I also substituted raw agave for some of the honey. Only problem was the bottoms stuck to my pans even though I used Pam. Next time will try parchment paper. I’ve made a lot of pumpkin bread but this was the tastiest!
Making this for a gift this year. Made the muffin version, and they are to die for…so know the bread will be just as welcome as a gift! Thanks and happy Thanksgiving to you and your family Jenn.
Made this a couple weeks ago. Delicious. The loaves didn’t puff up as much as I thought they would. Seemed like I might get away with putting it all in one pan. But still great pumpkin bread. My go to recipe now.
Delicious!!!! Made one loaf and the rest mini- muffins for my kids and they gobbled them up. I also made a frosting with cream cheese, vanilla, pumpkin spice a little confectioners sugar then added whip cream to it.
Love your recipes