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Pumpkin Bread Recipe

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This Pumpkin Bread recipe is the perfect fall dessert! Moist, sweet, and dense, it’s made with pumpkin puree, a delicious blend of spices, and topped with pumpkin seeds.

If you love pumpkin desserts, try this amazing pumpkin cheesecake and these pumpkin spice cupcakes.

Vertical image of Pumpkin Bread, sliced and near butter and pumpkin puree
Table Of Contents

Pumpkin Bread Recipe Details

I love pumpkin in the fall, and this Pumpkin Bread recipe is just what I crave. It’s a scrumptious loaf that makes a yummy dessert and goes great with coffee or tea.

  • TASTE: Sugar and spice, this Pumpkin Bread tastes as delicious as your favorite pumpkin pie. Cinnamon, cloves, ginger, and nutmeg, with brown sugar, create the perfect flavor.
  • TEXTURE: This Pumpkin Bread is super moist because of the pumpkin puree and butter. It’s also dense and satisfying, with a light crunch from the pumpkin seeds.
  • TIME: After just 20 minutes of prep time, this recipe is in the oven to bake. It’s ready to serve in an hour and 40 minutes.
  • EASE: This simple Pumpkin Bread recipe is so easy and you can even prepare it ahead of time and freeze it for convenience.

What You’ll Need

Ingredients for Pumpkin Bread recipe, including flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, butter, sugar, brown sugar, pumpkin puree, eggs, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, cloves, and pumpkin seeds.

How to Make Pumpkin Bread

  • Sift the dry ingredients. Sift together the all purpose flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, and ground ginger in a bowl with a fine mesh sieve. Then set it aside for later.
Steps to make Pumpkin Bread, including sifting the dry ingredients and spices.
  • Whisk the butter and sugars. In a separate bowl, add the golden brown sugar, granulated sugar, and melted butter, whisking until combined, about 1 minute.
  • Add the eggs and pumpkin. Now add the room temperature eggs along with the pumpkin puree. Then mix it together with a whisk until just combined.
Steps to make Pumpkin Bread, including mixing the wet ingredients together.
  • Combine the wet and dry mixtures. Add the dry ingredients to the wet, gently mixing with a spatula. Don’t overmix, doing it just until you don’t see any more patches of dry flour.
  • Bake. Now coat a 9×5-inch loaf pan with nonstick spray and line the bottom with parchment paper. Pour the pumpkin bread batter into the pan and sprinkle the top with raw unsalted pumpkin seeds. Bake at 325°F for about 80 minutes. Then let it rest for 10 minutes before transferring it to a cooling rack.

Pro Tip: Mix just enough to combine the wet and dry ingredients. Don’t overmix or your Pumpkin Bread will turn out gummy.

Steps to make Pumpkin Bread, including combining the wet and dry ingredients, then baking the loaf in a pan with pumpkin seeds on top.

Recipe Tips

  • Sift the dry ingredients- For a moist bread with no patches of dryness, sift the ingredients so they will fully incorporate in the batter.
  • Use room temperature eggs- This creates an emulsion that traps air, which is released during baking. This air is what makes your bread fluffy.
  • Line the loaf pan with an oversized sheet of parchemnt paper– doing this will allow you to remove the baked pumpkin bread by pulling on the flaps of parchment paper.
  • Check doneness with a toothpick- This is a thick loaf, so check that the pumpkin bread is done by sticking a toothpick in the center. If it comes out clean, your loaf is fully cooked.

Add-ins and Substitutions

  • Add chocolate chips- For extra sweetness, add chocolate chips to the batter. They will melt and create a deliciously gooey chocolate pumpkin bread loaf.
  • Substitute gluten-free flour- You can make this recipe for anyone not eating gluten by substituting the all-purpose flour for a gluten-free baking flour.
  • Add icing on top- Whip up a mixture of powdered sugar, milk, and vanilla to smear on top. Let it set before serving. Or make some cream cheese frosting instead!
  • Substitute plant-based butter- Using plant-based butter or oil in place of the butter will make this bread dairy-free.
Horizontal image of Pumpkin Bread, sliced and near butter and pumpkin puree

FAQs

Why does my pumpkin bread crack on top?

This isn’t a bad thing because it is a sign of doneness. The top sets before the center, creating a crack along the top of the loaf.

Why is my pumpkin bread so dense?

The loaf might be dense because the amount of wet ingredients overpowers the dry. Make sure to measure precisely to avoid this. Also, make sure you use room temperature eggs to add air and fluffiness to the loaf.

Serving Suggestions

This Pumpkin Bread is a fall favorite and perfect for serving with other dishes this season.

Horizontal image of a Pumpkin Bread slice being spread with butter

Make This Pumpkin Bread in Advance

Make ahead: You can prepare the pumpkin spice mix in advance and keep it stored in your pantry for easy use. This Pumpkin Bread can also be made and cooled, then stored in the freezer for the future.

Storing: Store this pumpkin loaf once it has cooled in an airtight container or wrapped in plastic wrap. It can stay at room temperature or in the fridge for 5-7 days.

Freeze: Once the bread has cooled, place it in an airtight container or ziplock bag, and freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight before serving.

More Yummy Pumpkin Recipes!

Watch Video Recipe Here

Full Recipe Instructions

Pumpkin Bread Recipe

This quick and easy pumpkin bread is made with real pumpkin puree and is full of toasted pumpkin seeds.
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Course: bread, Dessert
Cuisine: American
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 1 hour 20 minutes
Total Time: 1 hour 40 minutes
Servings: 10 Slices in 1 loaf
Calories: 441kcal
Author: Dina

Ingredients

US Customary – Metric

Instructions

  • Start off by sifting the dry ingredients. In a bowl sift 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, 1 tsp baking powder, 1/2 tsp baking soda, 1 1/2 tsp salt, 2 1/4 tsp cinnamon, 3/4 tsp nutmeg, 1/8 tsp cloves, 1/4 tsp ground ginger. Sift using a fine-mesh sieve. Then set aside for later.
  • In a separate bowl, add 1 cup golden brown sugar, 1/2 cup granulated sugar, and 1 cup unsalted melted butter. Use a large whisk to mix the butter and sugar together for about 1 minute.
  • Now add 2 large room temperature eggs along with 1 (15 oz) can of pumpkin puree. Then mix it together with the whisk just until combined.
  • Then add in the dry ingredients and gently mix with a spatula. You want to be careful not to over-mix. Mix just until you don’t see any more patches of dry flour.
  • Now coat a 9×5 inch loaf pan with nonstick spray and line the bottom with parchment paper. Pour the pumpkin bread batter into the loaf pan and sprinkle the top with 2 tablespoons of raw unsalted pumpkin seeds. Bake at 325°F for about 80 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean after being inserted into the center of the pumpkin bread. Once it’s baked, give it about 10 minutes before transferring it to a cooling rack.

Notes

FAQs answered in the post above:
  • Add-ins and substitutions 
  • How to make this ahead of time
  • Why did my pumpkin bread crack on top?
 

Nutrition

Calories: 441kcal | Carbohydrates: 60g | Protein: 6g | Fat: 21g | Saturated Fat: 12g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 5g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 82mg | Sodium: 428mg | Potassium: 234mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 33g | Vitamin A: 7676IU | Vitamin C: 2mg | Calcium: 69mg | Iron: 3mg
Did you make this recipe? Snap a photo of it and tag me on Instagram @simplyhomecooked or use the hashtag #simplyhomecooked so I can see it and feature it!

This recipe was originally posted on Oct 17, 2016, we’ve tweaked it a bit since then.

Dina
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  1. Peggy says

    The picture and the actual recipe are entirely different! The picture shows nuts inside the batter, but the recipe only calls for them sprinkled on top. I read the add-in notes but it did not address that.

    Reply

    • Dina says

      Hi Peggy, can you please explain where you see the seeds in inside the bread? This was an old recipe that I updated. I believe I removed the old photos and steps but maybe I missed something.

      Reply

  2. Joyce says

    Good morning
    This looks delicious!
    I would like to ask, the nutrition facts you listed is this per serving and if so what size is the serving?
    Thank you

    Reply

    • Dina says

      Hi Joyce the nutrition calculator is am automated system. In the recipe card at the bottom it says the recipe makes 1 loaf with 10 slices. So one slice is 1 serving. I hope that helps 🙂

      Reply

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