Pumpkin Bread
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My family’s treasured pumpkin bread recipe is incredibly moist, perfectly spiced, and easy to make with canned pumpkin. It’s been a reader favorite for years—and for good reason.
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). The batter can also often be used to make muffins—my pumpkin muffins are nearly identical to this bread, but with the addition of a pecan streusel topping.
“This will be my family’s only pumpkin bread recipe from here on out. Thank you!”
What You’ll Need To Make Pumpkin Bread
- All-purpose flour: Be sure to spoon the flour into your measuring cup and level it off with a knife. Scooping directly from the bag can pack in too much flour, resulting in dry, dense bread.
- Baking soda, baking powder, and salt: The baking soda and baking powder work together to give the bread a nice rise, while the salt balances the sweetness.
- Ground cinnamon, cloves, and nutmeg: This classic blend gives the bread its signature cozy pumpkin spice flavor. If your spices have been sitting in the pantry for a few years, it’s worth replacing them—fresh spices make a noticeable difference.
- Unsalted butter: Softened butter creams more easily with the sugar, creating a light, tender crumb. It should give slightly when pressed but still hold its shape.
- Sugar: Besides sweetening the bread, sugar helps keep it moist and contributes to its beautifully golden crust.
- Large Eggs: Bind the batter together and add richness and structure to the finished loaf.
- 100% pure pumpkin purée: Be sure to use pure pumpkin purée, not pumpkin pie filling, which contains added sugar and spices. I always use Libby’s because it has a consistent texture and rich pumpkin flavor.
- Jump to the printable recipe for precise measurements
How To Make Pumpkin Bread
Step 1: Mix the dry ingredients. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, salt, baking soda, baking powder, cloves, cinnamon, and nutmeg until well combined. Whisking the dry ingredients first distributes everything evenly and helps prevent overmixing later, so every slice bakes up light, tender, and perfectly spiced.
Step 2: Cream the butter and sugar. In the bowl of an electric mixer, beat the butter and sugar until just combined. Don’t worry if the mixture looks a little sandy or crumbly at this stage—that’s completely normal.
Step 3: Add the eggs. Beat in the eggs one at a time, then continue mixing until the mixture is light, pale, and fluffy. This extra mixing incorporates air into the batter, giving the finished bread a tender, delicate crumb.
Step 4: Add the pumpkin. Mix in the pumpkin purée until combined. The batter may look slightly curdled at this point, but don’t worry—it will come together once the dry ingredients are added.
Step 5: Add the dry ingredients. Mix on low speed just until the flour disappears into the batter. Be careful not to overmix, or the bread can become tough instead of soft and tender.
Step 6: Fill the loaf pans. Divide the batter evenly between the prepared loaf pans and smooth the tops with a rubber spatula, offset spatula, or even the back of a spoon. This helps the loaves rise evenly as they bake.
Step 7: Bake. Bake until the loaves are beautifully domed and a cake tester inserted into the center comes out clean or with just a few moist crumbs attached. Your kitchen will smell amazing long before they’re done!
Step 8: Cool and serve. Let the loaves cool in the pans for about 10 minutes before turning them out onto a wire rack to cool completely. They continue to set up as they cool, making them easier to slice without crumbling. If you’re lucky enough to have leftovers, simply cover with aluminum foil or store in a cake keeper at room temperature for up to 3 days. You can also freeze them for longer storage.
Looking for more pumpkin recipes? If you’re in the mood for more fall baking, be sure to try my pumpkin pie, pumpkin cake, and pumpkin scones. They’re all reader favorites and perfect for pumpkin season.
More Pumpkin Recipes You’ll Love
Video Tutorial
Pumpkin Bread
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
- ¾ cup (1½ sticks) 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 (165°C )and set an oven rack in the middle position. Generously grease two 8 x 4-in (20 x 10-cm) 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 to 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. Once completely cooled, cover the loaf with aluminum foil or store it in a cake keeper and keep it at room temperature for up to 3 days.
Notes
- 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.
- Freezing 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
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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Seriously the best pumpkin bread recipe! So easy too and best of all it is delicious!
Yummy recipe! Easy to make. My family loved it! Thanks for sharing such a wonderful recipe. It’s truly a gift to be cherished!
This pumpkin bread recipe is great. Quick, easy, good flavor and moist. I did do something I saw on another recipe… instead of using flour to “flour” the loaf pans I used some butter, parchment paper, butter and “floured” with sugar and cinnamon, this comes out with a very light crust on the bread and nice to get the bread crumb bits after you cut a slice. This is now my “go to” when making pumpkin bread. Thank you so much for the recipes you offer I have never been disappointed.
Perfect! I was searching for an old-fashioned recipe (without any healthy substitutes lol) and came across this. Exactly what I was looking for! Thank you.
Awesome recipe and very easy to make. Very similar to my mom’s recipe!
As I made it, I would say this is a 5/5 pumpkin bread. No idea what it would be like if following the recipe 100%; I just came here for the basic flour/powder/soda/egg/fat ratios. I’ve made this a few times, and will definitely continue to make it. Thank you for sharing your recipe!
I used margarine instead of butter due to personal preference of flavor, texture, and cost. I slightly increased the salt (3/4 tsp), reduced the sugar down to 3/4 c instead of 1 c, my cinnamon teaspoon was slightly heaping, cloves and nutmeg were reduced to 1/2 tsp, and I added in 1/2 tsp of ginger to round the flavor out a little.
Mistyped that, meant to say 1 1/2 c of sugar, not 3/4 c sugar. Eating another slice right now! =)
Loved it! Used fresh squash, half butter flavored Crisco, I had less butter than had thought. Added pecans, turned out delicious! Thnx!
This is a 5 star recipe as far as I’m concerned! I’ve made pumpkin bread before and it’s always been a dismal gummy mess. I grew pumpkins in my garden this year and decided it would be a shame to not give bread another try. I chose your recipe hoping the photos would help (they did!) and because I loved how you actually answer questions people post. I baked my bread in 8 mini pans and it turned out great! The spices are just yummy. Thank you, thank you!
Hi Jen. I’m an experienced baker and cook. I read your recipe and reviews. Against my better judgment, I baked it. I must sadly say that I didn’t care for the recipe. I’ve made and sold both banana and pumpkin breads with great results. I found that using butter in quick breads yields a gummy, heavy loaf. I personally use oil with fantastic results. The other things I noticed is the amount of sugar in this recipe. Way too much. Too Sweet!!!! Also I noticed that there is not enough salt. Cloves I just don’t use in a quick bread. There is no need if you have cinnamon and nutmeg. I would have put a dash of ginger for a nice warm undertone. I’m sorry to say it went in the garbage. A sad, heavy, over gummy, oversweet, tasteless mass. But the house smells awesome! Sorry.
Hi Peg. Wow. I am truly flabbergasted by your comments on this recipe.
Please give me a moment to gather my thoughts so that I can express them with the appropriate filters in place.
Was there any part of you that was trying to be helpful? I’m looking for that, but I don’t see it.
Condescending. Passive aggressive. Overall just a tasteless mass of words.
We all see recipes that don’t fit our style, but there is no need to put down the people who take the time to post these recipes for us. Instead of such a hateful comment you could just post your own recipe for pumpkin bread. I am sure there are people who share your preferences.
Personally, I always omit the salt and tend cut sugar by about a third. But I have no need to put down anyone who does not. And I would never be so rude as to tell someone that their recipe “went in the garbage.”
Come on, be a little kinder. It will make the world a more beautiful place for you and everyone around you.
If you had such reservations, why make it? It seems having made and sold pumpkin bread (as you pointed out), you made this one to criticize.
Who cares if you made/sold pumpkin bread? Who cares if you are an experienced baker? If you do not like the recipe just say so, not make yourself appear to be the expert and you are picking apart every aspect of this recipe.
wow so unnecessarily rude! maybe start your own ‘expert baker’ blog peg. i just made this last week and loved it! just hand wrote it to add to my permant recipe box. on a separate note, do u have any experience making this recipe as muffins? was curious on the yield, temp amd bake time if so?
Glad you enjoyed, Blaine. 🙂 Here’s the muffin version.
I feel as if you are giving her experience on baking. If you saw ingredients that you prefer not to use in the recipe, then you probably should have found another recipe.
You are a rude A$$. your attitude and condescending personality sucks… If didn’t like it fine…but to attack the writer was totally uncalled for, I’m sure not everyone likes your bread so think before you open your rude ass mouth. plus anything you cook with that nasty attitude I won’t put in my mouth.. food should be cooked with love … maybe that’s why your bread didn’t come out right… who in the H care if you are a baker or not … stay off here … if you were so good why did you even have to look up a recipe ms …. chef
I just made this bread and the taste is fantastic! It didn’t raise enough so I’m going to buy new baking powder, even though it’s not expired, and see if it helps. I don’t think I over mixed it but it just didn’t rise much. I’m going to eat it anyway because the taste is great. Maybe a different pan would help. Thanks for sharing.
Can I use fresh pumpkin puree in the pumpkin bread recipe?
Hi Carole, Yes, you can use fresh pumpkin here. Just make sure to drain it of excess water so that the consistency is similar to that of canned pumpkin. Hope you enjoy!