This Pumpkin Bread recipe is an easy quick bread that’s moist, flavorful, and THE fall favorite treat. It features pumpkin puree, warm spices, and a few baking essentials you likely already have on hand. Perfect for pairing with your morning coffee or enjoying as a midday pick-me-up!
It’s easy to fall in love with pumpkin recipes like Pumpkin Pancakes and Pumpkin Scones.
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No need to light a candle. We’re baking bread! If there’s one sure sign of autumn’s arrival in the kitchen, it’s the aroma of the pumpkin treats baking in the oven. That aroma fills the house faster than anything and can instantly transform your mood. There is something about the scent of pumpkin and apples spiced with cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice, cloves, and ginger…
Everything about pumpkin bread makes me feel so warm and cozy. The flavor is sweet and spiced, just like all good fall recipes should be! Plus, it’s super moist from the pumpkin puree. But the very best part of all? This quick bread recipe is easy to prep in just about 5 minutes with a handful of inexpensive baking essentials.
While I like making a loaf of pumpkin bread just for myself, it’s also a lot of fun to gift it to friends and neighbors! You can tell them that yes, it’s even better than the pumpkin loaf at Starbucks. I often make the bread or Pumpkin Doughnut Holes as a fall treat to give to family and friend.
Ingredient Notes
Pumpkin Puree – Store-bought puree works totally fine! However, I find that Homemade Pumpkin Puree gives the best results (and is so easy to make).
Eggs – The eggs need to sit on the countertop for at least 30 minutes to adjust to room temperature.
Flour – When measuring flour, it’s best to spoon it into the measuring cup rather than dunking it into the bag. When you dunk the cup directly into the bag of flour, it get packed. Packed flour is too much flour!
Spices – For that signature fall flavor, we’re using a combination of nutmeg, ginger, cinnamon and allspice.
Baking Soda and Baking Powder – Both are required for the very best consistency! Measure with care, and be sure to check to make sure neither are expired.
See the recipe card below for the full list of ingredients and instructions.
Why Pumpkin Bread is a Fall Must-Make
Super easy. All you need to do is combine the ingredients, whisk them together, pour into a baking dish, and bake.
Simple ingredients. If you do any baking at all, the odds are good that you have absolutely everything you need to make this moist pumpkin bread recipe. Okay, you may need pumpkin puree. Actually, when pie pumpkins are in season, I like to make homemade pumpkin puree. It’s very easy to do!
It’s incredibly moist. If you have problems making moist pumpkin bread, this recipe will make you a believer. Even better, it’s moist but still holds together well enough to avoid a lap full of crumbs.
Quick baking time. There’s a reason it’s called “quick bread.” When you make bread recipes with yeast, there is a lot of waiting for the yeast to rise. A quick bread uses baking soda and baking powder to create fluffiness.
How to Make Pumpkin Bread
Make the batter. Sift in dry ingredients in a mixing bowl and mix well. In another mixing bowl, whisk together eggs, brown sugar, milk, pumpkin puree, and oil until smooth. Combine the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and whisk until just combined and smooth (1).
Transfer into the baking pan. Pour batter into the prepared pan (2) and sprinkle some cinnamon on top.
PRO TIP: For quick breads and muffins, the ingredients are combined using a process known as the muffin method. It means you whisk the dry ingredients in one bowl, the wet ones in another, and then combine it all. As a result, less gluten is produced, creating a tender and moist pumpkin bread.
Bake it. Bake for 55–60 minutes at 350°F, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. If needed, bake additional 5-7 minutes. (You can use an instant read digital meat thermometer to check if the bread reached internal temperature of 200°F in the center. )
PRO TIP: Bake your pumpkin bread immediately after mixing the batter. The most common baking powder is double acting, which means it’s activated when mixed with other ingredients and then again when introduced to heat. Since baking powder is chemically activated by the other ingredients while mixing, it only remains active for a short time. After that, it loses the ability to help the pumpkin bread rise.
How To Tell If The Quick Bread Is Done
Using an instant read digital meat thermometer is the most certain way to see if the bread is fully cooked. Measure at the center of the bread to see if it reached 200F° internal temperature.
Another quick and easy way to check if your bread is done baking is to gently press the middle of the bread with your fingertips to see how firm it is.
You can also use a toothpick to see if the bread is fully cooked. Simply insert the toothpick into the center of the bread. If the toothpick comes out clean, your bread is fully cooked and ready to come out of the oven.
PRO TIP: in most cases you can put quick breads right back into the oven to cook more. Make sure the oven is still at the right temperature and bread is hot. Don’t try to bake cooled bread. Place the bread back into the oven for another 7-15 minutes as needed. Judge additional time based on how close the bread is to the target internal temperature.
Recipe FAQs
It could be one of these three reasons:
Expired (old) baking soda or baking powder.
Adding too much batter to the pan. Be sure that your batter fills the pan no more than 3/4 full. If there is too much batter, the bread will sink as it reaches above the top of the pan. So it is better to use 9×5 bread baking pan.
Waiting too long to bake it after mixing the batter.
Any type of butter is delicious on a warm slice of bread. Cinnamon butter is especially delicious, and for extra special treat, try some peanut butter, apple butter, or pumpkin butter on it!
My kids also love to top a hot slice of pumpkin bread with ice cream and eat it like cake.
If you have a cup of pumpkin puree left over, consider stirring it into a bowl of warm oatmeal, make Pumpkin French Toast, or Pumpkin Pancakes. Make a batch of Frosted Pumpkin Brownies too, they are amazing!
Transfer the leftover pumpkin puree into a small food storage container with a lid and keep it refrigerated for a few days.
Storing Instructions
Baked pumpkin bread can be kept at room temperature, in the refrigerator, or frozen. It can even be sliced or stored whole!
You can easily store it at room temperature for 2-3 days. Just make sure to cover it air-tight so it doesn’t dry out from exposure to air. In the fridge, it’ll stay tasty for 5-7 days when kept in an airtight container.
Freezing Instructions
Make sure to cool baked pumpkin bread to room temperature before freezing.
You can also freeze pumpkin bread as a whole loaf of sliced into individual slices. Quick sweet breads are generally more moist, so it’s best to place a slice of parchment paper in between each slice to keep them from sticking together in the freezer.
Place the bread in a large zip-lock freezer bags and gently squeeze all of the air out of the bag. Label and place the bag in a freezer.
You can also wrap bread in plastic or wax paper wrap first before placing it in a bag. This helps ensure that no air gets to the bread.
Thaw the bread at room temperature. Slices of bread will take only about 30 minutes to thaw.
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Pumpkin Bread Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 eggs room temperature
- 1 cup brown sugar
- ½ cup whole milk
- 1 cup pumpkin puree
- ½ cup vegetable oil
- 1½ cups all purpose flour
- ¼ tsp salt
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1/2 tsp baking powder
- ¼ tsp ground nutmeg
- 1 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
- ½ tsp ground allspice
- 1/2 tsp ground ginger
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and grease a standard loaf pan. (9×5 inch pan will work best , or one similar in size.)
- Sift in dry ingredients in a mixing bowl and mix well.
- In another mixing bowl, whisk together eggs, brown sugar, milk, pumpkin puree, and oil until smooth.
- Pour in wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and whisk until just combined and smooth.
- Pour batter into the prepared pan and sprinkle some cinnamon on top.
- Bake for 55–60 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. (If needed, bake additional 5-7 minutes.) Note that an instant read digital meat thermometer is the most certain way to see if the bread is fully cooked. Measure at the center of the bread to see if it reached 200F° internal temperature.
Optional toppings:
- Pecans or walnutsStreusel/crumble topping
Optional mix-ins:
- Dried cranberriesChocolate chipsPecans or walnuts
Storing pumpkin bread:
- At room temperature, the bread will last up to 2 days. Take it out of the baking dish, let it cool and make sure to wrap it tightly with plastic wrap.In the refrigerator, it will last up to a week. You can store it in the same baking dish or a food storage container, just make sure to wrap it air-tight.In the freezer, pumpkin bread will last up to 3 months. Cool bread completely before freezing and you can freeze the whole loaf or in slices. Wrap each slice or the whole loaf with plastic wrap and then place it into a freezer zip-top bag.
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