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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Hi, Jenn,
Just wondering if it is a good idea to freeze this bread, either whole or in slices.
Love your recipes – good, good.
Thank you, Gerry
Hi Gerry, glad you like the recipes! Yes, this bread freezes nicely. And I’d suggest freezing it whole, just for ease, but if you’d prefer to slice it first, that’s not a problem. Just make sure to wrap it tightly before freezing.
Best recipe ever, simple and delicious.
The Spiced Pumpkin Bread is awesome. So moist, flavorful and quick to make.
Jennifer I do have problems sometimes with my breads getting browner on the bottom and sides than I like. Used the Wilton 8 1/2 x 4 1/2 loaf pans. What would you suggest to help with the browning problem before breads are finished baking?
Thanks and love your website.
Hi Rosemary, Glad you like it! The uneven browning could be due to a couple things: Is your oven always fully preheated when you bake something? As the oven preheats, there is a big surge of heat that can easily burn/over-brown parts of the dish. Have you checked your oven temperature for accuracy? Also, if your pan is particularly old or on the thinner side, you may want to invest in a new loaf pan. Hope that helps!
This is delicious! I’ve made this recipe many times already with my preschool age daughter. It’s a great activity for us to do together. I always use coconut sugar and it turns out well. Some days I make it with 1/2 coconut oil&1/2 kerrygold butter instead of all butter. That turns out pretty good as well. Thank you!!
Dear, Jenn,
Thanks be to you for the pumpkin bread recipe. It went well. I used fresh pumpkin instead of the one from the can, and there were comments about the bread’s texture because I only baked it at 325 degrees. It made the crust crispier to heat it at 350 degrees for ten more minutes. I have family members that are cautious about food that needs to be cooked all the way. I baked six loaves, and my family enjoyed the slices. I wish you well, Jenn. 🙂
I made this yesterday as my husband has been wanting something light and not too sweet after dinner. I followed the instructions exactly and it came out perfect. Thanks so much for sharing your recipes. You’re the best!
This recipe was so easy and I had everything at home so I made it and I will be making this for many years to come! This pumpkin bread is the best I have ever had!!
To quote my son “it’s slamming good “. I have to agree, it’s so moist and tasty.
Loved it. it was amazing the best one I have ever made.
This is my favorite pumpkin bread recipe and I make it year round. I have one in my freezer right now for whenever the craving strikes!