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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The most amazing pumpkin bread recipe I’ve ever tried. Simply delicious!!!
My loaf did not rise, any suggestions?
Hi Kim, This bread is actually more like cake than bread, so it doesn’t rise much. That said, did you make any adjustments to the recipe?
Funny it’s a hot August day and my kids asked me to make pumpkin bread I looked at this 5 star recipe and said why not? ABSOLUTELY FABULOUS!! Thank you for sharing
this is one of my favorite things to make, My family absolutely loves pumpkin bread. I would recommend this to anyone.
This is by far my favorite pumpkin loaf recipe!!! To me, it tastes just like the Starbucks version, minus the toasted pumpkin seeds on top. I’ve made this probably 5-6 times and every time it comes out just perfect. I’ve yet to try to put pumpkin seeds on top but that may be a good addition. Thank you for sharing this recipe! It is definitely one of my favorites!!
I made this for the first time today. It was wonderful! Instead of using loaf pans, I put the entire batch in a bundt pan and it came out great!
I forgot to add that when I greased the side of the pan, I swirled sugar so that it sticks to the sides of the pan. Gave the bread a sweet crunchy crust on the sides!
Can I ask what temp and how long did u bake the bundt cake? I think I will try it and add choc chips! So did u grease ur pan and then swirl the sugar around?
How long and what temperature did you cook your bread in the bundt pan?? Thank you so much!
This is the best pumpkin bread I have ever made. No reason to purchase a store bought pumpkin bread or mix. This was so easy and delicious.
I 1st had your pumpkin bread when my niece brought it to a holiday party. I don’t really care for pumpkin bread, but I had some so that I wouldn’t hurt her feelings. Loved it, so moist, great taste. She told me about your website, that she’d gotten lots of recipes, and everything was delicious. When I got home, I visited your site, favorited this recipe. I made mini loaves for neighbors for Christmas. I took a loaf in for my coworkers and everyone loved it. Someone even asked me for the recipe, I passed it on. Thanks!
how long did you bake the mini loaves
60minutes
If you’re looking for a delicious fall (or anytime) quick bread, stop here! You’ve found it. 5 stars.
My house smells amazing!! Love this pumpkin bread. Great recipe and so easy to make. Instead of one teaspoon cloves I added half teaspoon clove with half teaspoon ginger. Delight. Thanks for a great recipe