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 – Could I use fresh pumpkin puree for this recipe? And if so, any idea how much would be required? I have a bunch in my freezer but it is much more liquid than canned pumpkin.
Yes, Andrea, you can use fresh pumpkin puree here. You’d need 15 ounces. Just make sure to squeeze out any extra liquid after defrosting the puree. If not the bread will be too moist. Enjoy!
I have made this a few times but was wondering if there is a way to cut down on the sugar to make this a bit more healthy?
Everyone loves this !!
Hi Maria, Glad you like this! You can cut the sugar back by 1/2 cup without impacting the bread much.
I THOUGHT I never cared for pumpkin, BUT this pumpkin bread has converted me to pumpkin lover. So moist, delicious and super simple to make. Your website is always my go to, I can always count on finding something on here to make knowing it will be delicious. So now, since I have been converted, I am going to have to try your other pumpkin recipes.
My house smells like heaven from this amazing pumpkin bread recipe!! This recipe has become my go to pumpkin bread recipe since discovering your site. Thanks for always making me look like a rock star with my friends and family. Keep those great recipes coming. Thanks so much.
I’m eager to try this recipe…but first, need to harvest pumpkins my granddaughters and I have grown! Would there be a difference between fresh pumpkin and the canned pumpkin? The recipe looks great to do with kids!
Secondly, I have a new loaf pan to try…”Copper Chef” ..or maybe it’s red copper. The pan is non-stick and has an insert where you just lift the loaf easily out of the pan…nothing stuck in the corners,,etc,
Hi Nancy, how nice that you’re growing your own pumpkins! You can use fresh pumpkin here; Just make sure to squeeze out any liquid after roasting the pumpkin so the bread is not too moist. Hope you enjoy!
As always your recipe sounds great! Can I replace the flour with Whole Wheat Pastry Flour? and if so, the same quantity?
Hi Sandy, I’d recommend sticking to all-purpose flour for the most predictable results, but if you’d like to use whole wheat pastry flour, I’d suggest starting out by replacing half a cup of the all-purpose flour with an equivalent amount of whole wheat. If you like the texture of that, next time you can up the ratio of whole wheat a bit. I’d love to hear how it turns out!
Awesome recipe. Great flavor and texture and I love that it comes from a vintage recipe. Grandma’s recipes are always best. These loaves just look, smell, and taste like fall.
I make this every Fall. It defines the season for me including Halloween and Thanksgiving but It tastes wonderful anytime. It is easy, always comes out well with no changes and its wonderful to know that there is another loaf in the freezer. It doesn’t last very long because I bring it to my book club and my family always wants some. I am retired with no children at home but I have shared the recipe with one daughter who lives in Tokyo and my grandson loves it. My daughter makes it for cake sales to support her son’s school and it goes very quickly. Thanks you for this and all the other recipes I have used. This is my favorite blog and my go to when I can’t figure out what to cook for dinner after almost 50 years of marriage!!
The best! So flavourful and moist. A new favourite hands down!
Very easy recipe that turns out great, I love that it makes two loaves at a time. I have tried several pumpkin bread recipes and this is the best. I am looking forward to trying the pumpkin cake recipe I saw in today’s posting as a variation of this.