Best Pumpkin Bread Recipe
This Pumpkin Bread recipe is a classic dessert that I start making as soon as summer starts to come to an end. It is made with pumpkin puree and the delightful flavor of pumpkin pie spice which makes it one of those treats that people crave the most during the fall.
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After making pumpkin bread countless times for over 20 years, I have tweaked and changed some of the ingredients in the original recipe, which I posted over 10 years ago (Wow! Time does fly!) Those changes have made this recipe so much better and the moisture is truly unbelievable, which is the reason I decided to update it. I have added those changes to the notes at the bottom of the recipe.
Ingredients For Making The Best Pumpkin Bread
Scroll down to the recipe card to see the complete list of ingredients.
- All-purpose flour. Use your favorite all-purpose flour. Even the generic brands will work fine for this easy recipe.
- Baking powder and baking soda. They will make the bread soft and fluffy.
- Salt. As with most sweet recipes, it balances the sweetness of the pumpkin bread.
- Pumpkin pie spice. It’s what gives this pumpkin bread that delicious fall flavor. You can also use a combination of cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, and ginger, instead.
- Pumpkin puree. You can use one can of store-bought pumpkin puree or this Homemade Pumpkin Puree recipe if you want to make it from scratch. It’s actually pretty easy to make!
- Eggs. They add moisture and help the bread rise in the oven.
- Oil and butter. They both add moisture to the bread but the butter also adds a rich buttery taste.
- Water. This is another ingredient that will make this bread super moist. It also helps dissolve the sugar that we’re using in this recipe.
- Sugar. I love using a combination of white and brown sugar for this recipe. The white sugar adds a significant amount of sweetness, without being overpowering. While the brown sugar also adds moisture.
One of the great things about this recipe is that you don’t need any fancy equipment to make it. I only use a whisk and a spatula to mix all the ingredients and it comes out perfect every single time.
How To Make The Best Pumpkin Bread
Scroll down to the recipe card to see detailed step-by-step instructions.
- Mix the all-purpose flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and pumpkin pie spice in a large bowl
- In a separate large bowl, mix the pumpkin puree, eggs, oil, butter, water, and sugar.
- Add the flour mixture to the pumpkin puree mixture and mix until well combined.
- Pour the batter into two prepared loaf pans and bake.
Watch The Reel
Pumpkin Bread Variations
Add any of these ingredients to add a special personal touch to your pumpkin bread.
- Dry fruit. Add your favorite dry fruit like raisins, cranberries, dry cherries, or even dates.
- Chocolate chips. If you love adding that wonderful chocolate flavor, just add semisweet or milk chocolate chips. I love making my Chocolate Chip Banana Bread recipe because the chocolate chips give it a really special flavor.
- Spices. I have a super easy recipe for making Pumpkin Pie Spice from scratch, but if you don’t want to make it or don’t have it on hand, replace it with other spices like cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, and ginger.
- Nuts. To add a delicious crunch, add your favorite nuts like pecans, walnuts, hazelnuts, or pepitas (Just like Starbucks!).
- Frosting. Serve it with your favorite frosting like a delicious cream cheese frosting (The one I use in my Carrot Cake recipe is amazing), a simple vanilla or maple glaze will also add a fantastic sweet flavor.
Tools Needed To Make Pumpkin Bread
- Mixing bowls – Use mixing bowls to mix the dry and wet ingredients.
- Whisk – I use it to fluff up the dry ingredients and also to beat the eggs with the wet ingredients.
- Silicone spatula – It makes it easier to scrape off the batter from the mixing bowl.
- Non-stick Bread Loaf Pan – Nonstick loaf pans make it easier to remove the pumpkin bread from the pan.
More Delicious Fall Recipes
- Pumpkin Cream Cheese Muffins
- Pumpkin Pie
- Pumpkin Soup
- Pumpkin Puree
- Pumpkin Pie Spice
- Apple Pie
- Classic Apple Turnovers
- Chocolate Banana Bread
Best Pumpkin Bread Recipe
This Pumpkin Bread recipe is a classic dessert that I start making as soon as summer starts to dwindle down. It is made with pumpkin puree and the delightful flavor of pumpkin pie spice which makes it one of those treats that people crave the most during the fall.
Ingredients
- 3½ cups (420 g) All-purpose flour
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tbsp pumpkin pie spice
- 1 15 oz can pumpkin puree (425 g)
- 4 large eggs (At room temperature)
- ½ cup (118 ml) vegetable oil (Or any neutral flavor oil)
- ½ cup (113 g) unsalted butter (Melted)
- ⅔ cup (157 ml) water
- 1¾ cups (394 g) white granulated sugar
- ¾ cup (150 g) brown sugar
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (180 degrees C) and grease two 9×5 inch (23×13 cm) loaf pans.
- In a large bowl mix the all purpose flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and pumpkin pie spice.
- In a separate large bowl whisk the pumpkin puree with the eggs, oil, melted butter, white sugar, and brown sugar.
- Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and mix until just combined. Try not to over mix or the pumpkin bread will come out dense and dry.
- Pour the batter into the prepared loaf pans and bake for 50-55 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.
- Let them cool for a few minutes before serving.
Video
Notes
- You can swap the pumpkin pie spice with 1 tsp ground cinnamon, 1 tsp ground nutmeg, ¼ tsp ground cloves, and ¼ ground ginger. You can also make it from scratch with my Pumpkin Pie Spice recipe.
- Start checking the loaves at about 50 minutes of baking since baking times may vary depending on your oven and the loaf pans that you’re using.
- If you only want to make one pumpkin bread, you can divide the ingredients in half.
- Freeze it. You can tightly wrap the loaves with plastic wrap and store them in the freezer inside an airtight bag or container for up to 2 months.
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!
