This Pumpkin Bread recipe makes a soft, moist loaf that’s full of flavor with lots of pumpkin and spice! It’s easy to make and made with butter, instead of oil. If you’re wondering how to make pumpkin bread, this amazing recipe is for you!
For more great pumpkin recipes, check out my Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies or my Pumpkin Cheesecake.
Homemade Pumpkin Bread
Pumpkin bread is one of the best things to enjoy in the fall and it’s even better when it’s homemade. You can have it for a snack, dessert and I’d even classify it as breakfast. It’s like an all around food in my book, meaning I get to eat delicious pumpkin-ness ALL DAY LONG. Bring on the pumpkin!
And an added bonus – it’s super easy to make! Just make the batter, pop it into two loaf pans, bake it and let it cool. Or skip the cooling. You can totally eat it warm. Point is, aside from the length of baking time, this pumpkin bread will go from your mixer to your mouth with little effort.
Why is this the BEST Pumpkin Bread Recipe?
While experimenting with this recipe, I tried pumpkin bread every which way. There are quite a few adjustments you could make and I tried most all options to make sure this was the BEST pumpkin bread. This recipe has no funky flavor or gummy texture, but has the perfect texture and superior flavor. I know you’ll love it!
Ingredients for the Perfect Loaf of Pumpkin Bread:
Butter Versus Oil – I found that I much preferred the resulting flavor and texture when using butter. Pumpkin bread is naturally dense and being able to cream the butter with the sugar and eggs to add air and rise lends a more tender crumb than a bread made with oil. I really wasn’t a fan of the oil versions.
Pumpkin Puree – There is a good bit of pumpkin in this bread and it sure has lots of flavor, but it also doesn’t go overboard. Plenty of pumpkin makes for great flavor and moisture, but too much can make a dense bread.
Spices – This recipe is full of pumpkin spice! Equal amounts of cinnamon, nutmeg and cloves give lots of flavor and is just perfect. I tried varying amounts of each of them and this was by far the best. I even tried adding some ginger and just wasn’t a fan.
White Sugar Versus Brown Sugar – I love me some brown sugar, but found it didn’t really add anything to this bread. Brown sugar uses molasses for it’s flavor and color and it just isn’t necessary here. There’s so much flavor from all the pumpkin and spices, I preferred the white sugar here.
How to Make Pumpkin Bread
To get started, you’ll combine your butter and sugar, then add the eggs one at a time. You’ll beat those all together for 2-3 minutes. You can even set a timer if you want. This process adds air to the batter that gives this pumpkin bread its superior texture.
From there, you’ll add the pumpkin puree. It may look a little separated, but that’s fine.
Then add the dry ingredients – flour, baking soda, baking powder and spices. Mix on low speed just until it comes together. You could even do it by hand to be sure not to over mix it. Over mixing can lead to a tough bread.
Finally, you’ll bake your bread! It takes about an hour in the oven, then you’ll let it cool for a bit. You can serve it warm or let it cool completely.
This pumpkin bread truly is amazing! It’s soft, moist for days and full of pumpkin and spice! A perfect holiday treat or gift!
How to Store Pumpkin Bread
You can wrap your pumpkin bread tightly in plastic wrap or store in an air tight container at room temperature. It should last well for 3-4 days. You can pop it in the fridge to extend the life of the pumpkin bread to about a week.
Can you Freeze Pumpkin Bread?
You can definitely freeze pumpkin bread! Wrap it tightly in plastic wrap, then foil, and pop it in a ziplock bag. I usually recommend thawing it in the fridge, but I’ve also frozen it in slices before and popped a frozen slice in the microwave for about 20 seconds and had nice, warm bread. Yum!
Speaking of slices, you can also freeze it in slices. If you think you’ll want to thaw a few slices at a time, group them that way. If you think you’ll only need one slice at a time, freeze it that way. I wrap each slice individually in plastic wrap (or in groups of two or three), then put them all in the same foil wrap and ziplock bag.
More Great Pumpkin Recipes for Fall
Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Bundt Cake
Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies
Cinnamon Streusel Pumpkin Coffee Cake
Pumpkin Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting
Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Layer Cake
Pumpkin Tiramisu Layer Cake
Pumpkin Cheesecake
Pumpkin Sheet Cake
Classic Pumpkin Pie
Pumpkin Dip
Read transcript Print
The Best Pumpkin Bread Recipe
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 1 hour 10 minutes
- Total Time: 1 hour 30 minutes
- Yield: 2 loaves (10-12 slices per loaf)
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Oven
- Cuisine: American
Description
This Pumpkin Bread recipe is soft, moist and full of flavor with lots of pumpkin and spice! It’s easy to make and made with butter, instead of oil. If you’re wondering how to make pumpkin bread, this amazing recipe is for you!
Ingredients
- 3 cups (390g) all purpose flour
- 1 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 3/4 tsp baking powder
- 1 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1 1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
- 1 1/2 tsp ground cloves
- 3/4 tsp salt
- 1 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
- 3 cups (621g) sugar
- 3 large eggs
- 2 3/4 cups (638g) pumpkin puree (about 1 1/2 cans)
Instructions
1.Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease two 9×5 loaf pans very well with non stick baking spray.
2. In a medium size bowl, combine the flour, baking soda, baking powder and spices. Whisk together to combine, then set aside.
3. In a large mixer bowl, combine the butter and sugar and mix just until combined.
4. Add the eggs one at a time, mixing until well combined after each addition.
5. Turn the mixer to medium speed and beat until light and fluffy, 2-3 minutes.
6 Add the pumpkin purée and beat until well combined. The mixture may like a little curled and separated.
7. Add the dry ingredients and mix on low speed just until combined. Do not over mix. If you need to stir it a bit more, use a spatula and do it gently by hand.
8. Divide the batter evenly between the two loaf pans and bake for 60 to 70 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean.
9. Remove the loaves from the oven and allow to cool for about 10 minutes and then remove to a cooling rack to cool completely.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 slice
- Calories: 242
- Sugar: 26 g
- Sodium: 163.9 mg
- Fat: 8.6 g
- Carbohydrates: 39.8 g
- Protein: 2.8 g
- Cholesterol: 43.6 mg
Keywords: pumpkin bread, pumpkin bread recipe, how to make pumpkin bread, easy pumpkin bread recipe, best pumpkin bread recipe
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I was wondering same thing about this recipe. 3 cups of sugar IS a LOT, and the recipe only makes ONE loaf??? I can make 3 loaves with my zucc bread recipe, and that only calls for 2 cups of sugar. Maybe reduce the sugar a bit and add applesauce to keep it moist (?)
I made this bread yesterday. OMG! This is amazing. It taste just like a muffin I get at a well known coffee shop. I did make my own fresh pumpkin puree and this came out so moist. I also made a confectioner sugar glaze to drizzle on top. AWESOME RECIPE!
★★★★★
Thank you SO MUCH. This is by far the best pumpkin bread i’ve made with fresh pumpkin. I gave a loaf to my neighbor as a gift and she RAVED over how good it was. i was a bit skeptical because my batter is usually a bit thinner than it was. The only problem I had was using two different types of bread pans- one stone (came out a bit burnt) and one glazed clay (my fav of the 3 i have).
Have you any experience trying this with a cast iron bread pan? I’m curious as to how that would turn out!
★★★★★
So glad you enjoyed it! I don’t have experience with a cast iron pan, I just used a regular KitchenAid baking pan.
I am working on this recipe and thought I would try mini Bundt kind of like a donut pan. I assume the baking time will need to be altered? 🤞🏻
Yes, you’d likely need to reduce the time a good bit.
My husband and kids loved this recipe! I changed a few things. I used pumpkins we grew in our garden, so they may be a little more sweet than usual ones. I steamed them to make the puree. I added 3 cups of pumpkin instead of 2 because I had a lot of pumpkin to use and then I decreased the butter to 1/2 cup and the sugar to 2 cups. I added 1 C of mini chocolate morsels to the mix at the end. We usually like a little less sweet, but the added chocolate morsels gave the extra sweetness from the missing 1 C of sugar. This recipe is a keeper! thank you!
★★★★★
So glad you enjoyed it!
Can be made with butternut squash puree insted? I would love to make it
I’ve never tried that. You could certainly give it a try.
I would like to make this with vegetable oil instead of butter due to cost and wondered how much to use.
I don’t think I tried this version specifically with vegetable oil, so I’m not sure how it would turn out. If I were going to try it, I would use an equal amount of oil. But just know that using oil instead definitely produces a different flavor.
Can you use pumpkin pie spice instead of each individual spice? if so how much?
You can, although the spices are likely a little different, therefore changing the flavor a bit. I’d try 3-4 tsp.
This baking time is set for 9×5 pans – what would you suggest for an 8 x 3.875 inch tin foil pan?
I’m not sure, but I do think this would make too much batter for that small of a pan. You might need more like three pans and I really just don’t know the bake time without testing it.
Can you cut any sugar out of this recipe?
Seems like alot! Thanks
You could try it. Sugar not only sweetens things, it also adds moisture. So just be aware that if you reduce it, the bread might not be quite as moist.