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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I rarely leave reviews on recipes I try, but I made 4 loaves of this today, so I think I had to! This is the perfect recipe and so easy!! I had everyone from a 37 year old to a 5 month old with 2 teeth enjoying it!! Thank you!
This bread is absolutely delicious! My house smelled so good while it baked. I just had 1 1/2 cups of sugar, and it worked great. My only question is: I used to regular loaf pans, and putting the batter in the pans, it didn’t look like much. They rose somewhat but were a little on the flat side (not like the past pins). Is that normal? Would all the batter fit in one loaf pan so it rose more?
Hi Denise, What size are your pans? They should be 8×4.
Hi,
I haven’t tried your recipe yet.
Can the recipe be cut in half?
Sure, Sally – that’ll work.
Hi,
I made this using a bigger loaf pan instead of cutting the recipe in half and it worked out great. My husband loves the bread with maple butter.
Thanks
Hi Jen … can you make muffins with this recipe, just reducing the cook time?
Definitely, Janice. Cook time will be about 30 minutes at 350°F (for 18 muffins).
Delicious! Everyone loves it and is asking for more. I followed an earlier cook’s recommendation and decreased butter by 1/2 stick and substituted 4 tablespoons of applesauce; also cut out 1/2 cup of sugar. Still plenty sweet. I added raisins and pecans to one loaf – yum!
To respond to the previous post – I added whole roasted pecans and raisins. The bread did not fall apart at all.
OMG this has to be the best recipe. I normally add raisins but didn’t have any so…. it was great without them. Definitely a keeper recipe. Thanks for sharing
I haven’t tried this recipe yet, but I have lots of pumpkin puree and wanting to make pumpkin bread. One of the reviewer said they add nuts and it feel apart. Any particular reason. I’m hoping to find a recipe that can include nuts and raisins, as I like some texture in my breads.
Hi Anna, This bread is quite cake-like so nuts make it a little crumbly when sliced. I think if you chop the nuts finely, it should be okay – and I’d use currants instead of raisins, if possible.
Should be called Perfect Pumpkin Bread. Everyone who tried it loved it! Making 2 more loaves tonight. Thanks!
This is a fantastic recipe. Incredibly flavorful and moist. The note re: the mixture looking grainy was helpful. It does look grainy and you think you’ve messed up!
Best pumpkin bread!