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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Delicious pumpkin bread and now my go to recipe! Love your recipes and cookbooks!
Betty Powell
Simply perfect ✨
I used one large pan to make this and could not keep my hands off of it. My roommate and I devoured it in 2 days. I added a little bit less sugar because I was nervous about the sweetness. It came out perfect! I also just used 3 teaspoons of pumpkin spice instead of the nutmeg, cloves, and cinnamon since it’s basically that – all in one.
This bread came out perfectly fine using two 9×5 pans and NO increase in the batter amount (as is recommended, but I only had one can of pumpkin, so I couldn’t made a larger batch of batter.) I decided to go ahead with the 9×5 pans, recognizing that the slices would end up wider and a bit flatter, and that I would have to adjust the cooking time a bit. I started checking at 50 minutes and took the pans out of the oven at 60 minutes, let them sit for 10 minutes as directed, and then turned them out onto a cooling rack. I would say they came out pretty close to perfect. As long as you don’t mind a somewhat different shape to your sliced bread, and you are aware that you need to monitor the cooking time closely, there is no reason you can’t use the same amount of batter in 9×5 pans. If I had had enough ingredients to increase the amount of batter I would have done so, but in not doing so the taste and texture of the end result is not inferior in any way. My only complaint about this recipe is that I consider it to be far too sweet, but that is purely a personal preference. I’m not sure if I could just cut out some of the sugar, or if that would affect the bread structure too much. I may experiment with cutting it back slightly, and also adding some nuts to counter the sweetness. I’ll also see how it tastes after sitting for a day, as once the flavors meld it may not seem as sweet. Overall, though, a very flavorful and moist bread.
Can you substitute the canned pumpkin with the meat of a oven baked pumpkin
Sure, Linda — just make sure you drain any liquid from the cooked pumpkin so the bread isn’t overly moist. Hope you enjoy!
I’ve used this recipe for a few years now, and it never fails me! It truly is the very best pumpkin bread EVER!!! When I give it as gifts, I always get compliments, that’s it’s the best, also! Thank you, for sharing! I’ll never use another recipe! It’s so delicious!🧡
To cut carbs……what would happen if I substituted 1 cup almond flour for one of the 2 cups of flour??
Hi Amy, I think the almond flour would make the bread dense. For the best results, I’d stick with the recipe. Sorry!
Can I use canola oil instead of butter? My dog just ate the butter off the counter that I had out to soften, wrapper and all. I have made this recipe many times and its always a hit as are all your recipes. I hope its as good with the oil!
Oh no — Sounds like something one of my dogs would do!! Unfortunately, I wouldn’t recommend canola oil in this — I’d wait until you have butter (but hide it from the dog)! 🙂
Absolutely delicious…I’m truly not a pumpkin lover but this awesome 😊
Can this be made in a Bundt pan? If so, would the bake time change?
Thanks!
If you want to make it in a bundt pan, I’d recommend this recipe from my first cookbook. It’s very similar but intended for a bundt pan. Hope you enjoy if you make it!
I baked this for the first time and loved the cake like texture. I am a southerner who loves a tender pound cake and this is as tender a cake as one could hope to bake. I am used to pumpkin bread being more dense. We had it warm from the oven with some premium vanilla ice cream. Divine!
I accidentally put all of the batter into one loaf pan instead of two. Is there any way to save the bread?
Hi Julia, I’m probably too late to help! How did the bread turn out?
How long do I bake it for, if I am only making one pan?
The baking time will be the same. Hope you enjoy!
Here in Ecuador we don’t get pumpkin so I use green squash or sweet potatoes. Double the Cinnamon, add 1/2 tsp Cardamon, 1 tsp Allspice. Tastes delicious!
Thank you for sharing.