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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So glad I happened upon this recipe! Moist and delicious and hard to keep around for more than a couple of days! I followed the recipe exactly as written and found that once cooled, when I was slicing into it (with a serrated bread knife) the bread crumbled like crazy. I’m sure it’s user error. Wondering how I can avoid that next time?? Thanks so much!
So glad you liked it? Regarding the crumbling, did you let it cool completely before cutting it? Usually that’s the problem.
I did but I forgot to mention I added walnuts. I stuck it in the fridge overnight and it seemed to do better but I’m wondering if the walnuts messed up the consistency?
Ah, yes – the nuts will make it fall apart since the texture is more cake-like than a dense bread.
I’ve found it actually slices best with a steak knife.
So delicious!!! I used this recipe to make muffins and it was perfect! I just upped the temp and lowered the time. Thank you!!
Can you let me know how long to cook the muffins for, please?
Fantastic recipe!!!! Ingredients to your spec, used glass loaf pans @350…..because every oven varies.
My hubster loves everything pumpkin, so I made this for his birthday. The only thing different I did was to poke some holes and drizzle with a warm rum glaze.
Thank you for sharing the recipe and I think it could be used for cookies. 😘
Made the cookies yesterday and they turned out beautiful.
Good to know Elle — thanks for sharing!
DELICIOUS! I did not have an electric mixer so I mixed by hand and it came out amazing! I added some powder sugar on top after it cooled, yum! Will certainly make again. thanks for the recipe!!
I just made this pumpkin bread today and it is absolutely delicious. My husband loves anything pumpkin so this was a big hit for him. I used whole wheat flour, cut the sugar to 1 1/2 cups and added walnuts for some crunch and it was perfect! It is so moist in the inside with a slight crunch on the edges.
Thank you for such a delicious recipe! This is a keeper!
This may be my favorite recipe Jen has ever posted. I always seem to overcook the bread slightly, and when I do I let it cool 95% of the way on a cooling rack, then wrap it in plastic wrap overnight. The wrap somehow helps the top of the bread soften up and look like I never made a mistake.
Another delicious recipe that was made with my granddaughter helping me. We added about a cup of Hershey’s cinnamon chips which really added to the flavor. Thanks for such easy to follow and wonderful recipes.
Hi,
Can you use or have you tried sweet potato with this recipe as well?
Thanks,
Janet
Hi Janet, I’ve never made this with sweet potato, but I think it should work. I’d love to hear how it turns out!
It’s difficult to find a pumpkin bread recipe that calls for butter vs oil. I added the zest of one orange, and once they’re in season, I’m looking forward to adding some fresh cranberries. Thanks for posting.
Just made this recipe. Really nice that it makes 2 loaves. Only thing I did different was to add a teaspoon of ground ginger because I love ginger. These turned out amazing ! Another winner.
Thanks Jenn!!!!!