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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This pumpkin bread was tasty & moist. I tossed a cup of raisins into the dry ingredients before adding it to the pumpkin mixture. It was a big hit with my family who like this for breakfast as a weekend treat. The loaves also freeze very well in a layer of cling wrap & then placed in a freezer bag.
This is our go-to breakfast treat for bringing with us on a weekend with friends or having on hand for school day grab and go breakfasts!
Everyone who’s ever tried at raves about this Fantastic fall treat.
This pumpkin bread is delicious … and I don’t like pumpkin. I follow the recipe exactly as stated as I like the taste of the spices. I make several at a time, slice them when cooled, then freeze each slice individually (ziplock bags) and take them out as I need them. My family likes to eat them warmed up/toasted for breakfast or a snack. Enjoy !
This was great! I was craving something sweet with some spice. I used 1 1/2 cups gluten free flour with a 1/2 cup of gluten free oat flour, added some chopped walnuts and put them in two muffin trays. Baked at 325 for 30 minutes and they came out great! Will use this recipe again. Thank you for sharing this recipe! 🙂
This pumpkin bread tastes like fall and is a perfect thanksgiving gift for friends and family. I made one plain loaf and one with wine soaked raisins and chopped cashews..both were yummy. I think this will be a new fall favorite! Thanks Jenn
The best pumpkin bread ever. Tasty, moist, and easy to make.
Stellar recipe for pumpkin bread! Using butter instead of the typical oil made for a beautiful, light fantabulous loaf. Thank you for sharing your gifts with all of us, you are much appreciated!
I made this pumpkin bread for Thanksgiving following the recipe exactly as written. The only change I made was adding semi-sweet chocolate chips to half the batter for one of the loaves, and the other loaf I topped with a cream cheese buttercream frosting. Both were delicious! I baked for 65 minutes, but next time I will take them out of the oven at 60 minutes — I thought they were just a little bit overdone — probably just my oven. All in all, a terrific recipe that I will definitely use again!
This is one of the best pumpkin breads I’ve had. I gave as gifts and everyone thought it was fantastic. Its wonderfully spiced though I always add a bit more cinnamon. A winner for sure.
This is one of my favorite recipes and I make it every year for the holidays. I love that it is handed down from your grandmother – those are the best. I have gotten many compliments from friends. The secret ingredient cloves, makes it stand out from other similar recipes.