Best Pumpkin Bread Recipe

Soft and moist pumpkin bread filled with delicious fall flavors. A classic fall recipe that will become one of your favorites!

I love pumpkin recipes this time of year including this warm-spiced pumpkin loaf, these pumpkin muffins with a cake mix and this pumpkin roll!

Favorite Fall Quick Bread

The best pumpkin bread is moist, tender, and bursting with the warm flavors of cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves. It’s a classic seasonal recipe and has the perfect balance of sweetness with a tender crumb!

What I love about baking with pumpkin puree is how moist and soft it makes the texture of your baked goods. Plus, it will fill your kitchen with the most delightful aroma as it bakes.

We love to enjoy a slice of warm pumpkin bread with a slab of butter. Sometimes we even add chocolate chips to it or crushed pepitas on top and it’s better than Starbucks pumpkin bread!

With fall approaching, you better believe I’ll be making all of my favorite quick breads. This recipe is a must, as well as apple pull-apart bread, caramel apple monkey bread and my sweet cornbread.

Pumpkin Bread Ingredients

Find the full printable recipe with specific measurements below.

• Pumpkin: You can either use canned pumpkin or make your own homemade pumpkin puree. If using canned, make sure to buy 100% pure pumpkin puree and not the pumpkin pie filling. The filling has extra sugar and spices that will alter the flavor of the bread.
• Oil: Using vegetable oil instead of butter creates a more moist and tender texture.
• Pumpkin spice: Gives the bread the perfect fall flavor. Buy it premade, or make your own homemade pumpkin pie spice by mixing a blend of cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger and cloves.
• Baking staples: As with most quick bread recipes, you’ll need standard ingredients such as all-purpose flour, eggs, sugar, vanilla, baking powder, baking soda and salt.

How to Make Pumpkin Bread

1. Mix dry ingredients. Whisk together flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt and pumpkin spice in a medium-sized bowl.
2. Mix wet ingredients. In a large bowl, mix together pumpkin, eggs, sugar, vanilla, oil and water. Slowly add dry mixture to the wet mixture and stir just until combined.
3. Bake. Pour the batter in a greased 9×5″ loaf pan and bake at 350°F for 60-65 minutes, or until a tooth pick comes out clean.
4. Let cool. Allow to cool in the pan for 5-10 minutes and then remove onto a wire rack to cool completely. Enjoy!

Expert Tips

• Use the spoon and level technique to accurately measure the flour without a scale. Adding too much or too little flour can cause the bread to become dry or dense.
• Line the loaf pan with parchment paper and leave about 2-3 inches of overhang on the sides (similar to photo above) for easy removal.
• Make sure not to over mix the batter, or else your bread can dry out and won’t be as soft.
• Use a toothpick to test if the bread is done. Stick the toothpick in the center of the loaf. If it comes out clean, it’s ready. If there is batter on the toothpick, continue baking for a few more minutes and retest.

Make-Ahead

This recipe is perfect for freezing! Because it’s so moist and delicious, it doesn’t dry out in the freezer. When I’m planning on freezing mine, I usually double the recipe and freeze one of the loaves for later.

• To freeze: Make sure it has cooled completely, then wrap in plastic wrap or foil. Place the wrapped loaf in a freezer bag and store in the freezer for up to 3 months. I like to add a freezer label on top with the name and date made, so that I know when to use the bread by.
• To thaw: Let thaw in the fridge overnight before enjoying. You can also let it sit at room temperature for a few hours to thaw as well. Just be sure to keep it wrapped when thawing so that it stays moist!

Top Pumpkin Recipes to Try

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