This is the Best Pumpkin Bread that is moist, delicious, and so easy to make. Made with fresh pumpkin, this moist pumpkin bread is full of seasonal spices like cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, and cloves to get you in a cozy fall mood.
If you're in the mood for more quick bread recipes, be sure to try our Apple Fritter Bread, Cranberry Orange Bread and Lemon Blueberry Bread too.
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The Best Pumpkin Bread
This is the best Pumpkin Bread recipe made entirely from scratch. It's the perfect grab-and-go fall breakfast or snack to prepare you for the season. You can go all out and use fresh pumpkin puree or simply use canned pumpkin.
No matter what, the results are tender, moist, full of pumpkin flavor, and delicious every single time. Basically, if you love pumpkin, you will love this recipe.
Follow along for ingredient info, answers to how to make the best Pumpkin Bread, and other frequently asked questions. And, if you are short on time, or just prefer an even quicker shortcut, we’ve even got a recipe for making pumpkin muffins using cake mix. Huzzah!
Key Ingredients
- Pumpkin Puree - the easiest route to go is to buy unsweetened canned pumpkin puree. Make sure you don’t accidentally buy pumpkin pie filling because it has additional spices and sweeteners in it. You can also make your own Homemade Pumpkin Puree using small pie pumpkins or sugar pumpkins.
- Sugars - this recipe uses a combination of both granulated sugar and brown sugar because they both add different flavor and texture once the loaves are baked.
- Butter - unsalted butter works great. You’ll want to melt it but make sure it’s not hot. You could also substitute vegetable oil if you want to make this dairy-free.
- Eggs - any kind of large eggs will work great. It’s helpful if they are at room temperature when you go to mix them. If you forget to pull them out ahead of time, you can also run the eggs under warm water for a minute or so.
- Baking Powder and Baking Soda - these ingredients help the Pumpkin Bread rise in the oven as well as keep the crumb nice and soft.
- Spices - this recipe calls for cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger and cloves. You could also substitute an equal amount of pumpkin pie spice.
How to Make The Best Pumpkin Bread
- Mix the batter. Mix the pumpkin puree, brown sugar, sugar, eggs, and melted butter in a large mixing bowl. Combine the dry ingredients with the wet ingredients and stir together with a rubber spatula, mixing just until combined.
- Bake. Divide the batter evenly between 2 greased 8” x 4.5” loaf pans. Bake in a preheated 350 degree oven for 60-65 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean and the internal temperature reaches 200 degrees F.
- Cool. Remove from the oven and cool on a wire rack for 20 minutes, then gently run a knife around the edges of the bread and tease the bread out of the pan.
- Serve. Allow to cool completely before slicing and serving. Enjoy!
Recipe Tips and Substitutions
- Add semi-sweet chocolate chips to your pumpkin bread batter to turn this into even more of a dessert!
- Whip cream cheese with a little powdered sugar and vanilla and swirl this mixture into the pumpkin bread batter just before baking.
- Mix chopped nuts, such as walnuts or pecans, into the batter.
- Try adding dried fruit like dried cranberries or cherries.
- For the most moist pumpkin loaf ever, combine shredded zucchini with the pumpkin puree.
Frequently Asked Questions
The best way to check if your bread is done baking is to either insert a toothpick into the center to make sure it comes out clean, or use a digital thermometer to check that it has reached 200 degrees F. If a toothpick doesn’t come out clean, or the temperature is below 200 degrees, put the loaves back in and continue to bake.
Moist quick breads like this or banana bread will last for up to 5 days in the fridge, or up to 2 months in the freezer. You can also store in an airtight container for up to 3 days at room temperature.
Absolutely - you can use this same recipe to fill about 24 muffin tins. They should be filled about ⅔ full and the bake time will be closer to 22-24 minutes.
While this Pumpkin Bread tastes perfectly delicious all on its own, my family also loves to eat it with cream cheese, Nutella or honey butter.
Of course! Just substitute an equal amount of Homemade Pumpkin Puree for the canned puree.
Storing and Freezing Instructions
- Refrigerator: store leftover Pumpkin Bread in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days. We recommend bringing it to room temperature before eating.
- Freezer: this bread freezes great for up to 2 months. Store wrapped in plastic wrap or freezer bags and thaw out in the fridge overnight or on the counter top for a few hours.
- Make-ahead: you can make the batter up to 1 day in advance and store covered in the fridge.
Best Pumpkin Bread Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 15-oz can Pumpkin Puree
- 1 cup Brown Sugar
- 2 cups Sugar
- 1 cup Butter melted
- 4 large Eggs
- 3 ½ cups All-Purpose Flour
- 2 teaspoons Baking Soda
- ½ teaspoon Baking Powder
- 1 ½ teaspoons Salt
- 1 teaspoon Cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon Ground Nutmeg
- 2 teaspoons Ground Ginger
- ¼ teaspoon Ground Cloves
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
- Grease two 8" x 4" pans and set aside.
- In a large mixing bowl, combine the pumpkin puree, brown sugar, sugar, eggs, and melted butter. Mix well using a rubber spatula.
- In a separate mixing bowl, combine the flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, and cloves and whisk together.
- Combine the flour mixture with the wet ingredients and stir together with a rubber spatula, mixing just until combined. Divide the batter evenly between your prepared loaf pans.
- Bake in a preheated 350 degree oven for 60-65 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean and the internal temperature reaches 200 degrees F.
- Remove from the oven and cool on a wire rack for 20 minutes, then gently run a knife around the edges of the bread and tease the bread out of the pan.
- Allow to cool completely before slicing and serving. Enjoy!
Notes
Nutrition
More of Our Favorite Pumpkin Recipes to Try
- Pumpkin Spice Syrup
- Pumpkin Pie Bars
- Easy Pumpkin Pie
- Pumpkin Rice Pudding
- Pumpkin French Toast
- Einkorn Pumpkin Muffins
- Pumpkin Cheesecake
- Pumpkin Cinnamon Rolls
- More Fall Recipes
- More Quick Breads
This Pumpkin Bread is tender, delicious and full of pumpkin flavor. It's made entirely from scratch using simple fall spices, real pumpkin puree and other basic ingredients.
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