We Found Your Perfect Pumpkin Bread Recipe (2024)

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This quick bread tastes so quintessentially of the fall, with cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice, and molasses. Plus an optional orange glaze!

By

Elise Bauer

We Found Your Perfect Pumpkin Bread Recipe (1)

Elise Bauer

Elise founded Simply Recipes in 2003 and led the site until 2019. She has an MA in Food Research from Stanford University.

Learn about Simply Recipes'Editorial Process

Updated October 24, 2023

35 Ratings

We Found Your Perfect Pumpkin Bread Recipe (2)

Jazz Up Your Fall with These 15 Pumpkin DessertsFEATURED IN:

Oh, pumpkin season! There's a chill in the air, kids and adults alike are planning their Halloween costumes, and pumpkins are pouring out of the local markets. Now's the time for pumpkin bread, don't you think?

The Best Pumpkin for Pumpkin Bread

Most people use canned puréed pumpkin for baking recipes like this because of the consistent results. Although if you want, you can easily roast a sugar pumpkin, butternut squash, or kabocha pumpkin for its purée. You'll get more roasted and caramelized flavor that way. Steaming or boiling also works, though you'll miss the extra flavor from the roasting.

We Found Your Perfect Pumpkin Bread Recipe (3)

Can I Cook With a Halloween Pumpkin?

Not all pumpkins are equal when it comes to cooking! Those large carving pumpkins? Probably best left to carving, and maybe salvaging the seeds to roast.

Jack-o-lantern pumpkins are raised more for their durability than for their taste.

How to Make Your Own Pumpkin Purée

Want to make your own pumpkin purée? It's easy! All you have to do is cut a small sugar pumpkin (or kabocha or butternut squash) in half horizontally and scrape out the seeds and stringy insides. Place the pumpkin halves cut side down on a lined baking sheet, and bake at 350°F until soft, about 45 minutes to an hour.

Once the pumpkin has cooled, scoop out the flesh and use it in any recipe that calls for pumpkin purée. Freeze whatever is left over for future use.

If you are working with pumpkin pieces instead of a whole pumpkin, roast or boil them until tender, then remove and discard the skin.

Ways to Adapt This Pumpkin Bread Recipe

This pumpkin bread recipe is quite adaptable to different types of pumpkin purée and spice mixes. We took an old recipe from Fannie Farmer as a base and have made several changes to it over the years.

We have also made a lovely optional glaze for the pumpkin bread —with orange juice, orange zest, vanilla, and powdered sugar.

Here are some ways you can adapt this recipe:

  • Mix-ins: The recipe calls for optional pecans or walnuts. You can also add a half cup of chocolate chips or dried, sweetened cranberries. Add a tablespoon of grated fresh ginger if you want more of a gingerbread flavor.
  • Sweeteners: We are using white sugar with added molasses. You can sub those out with 1 1/4 cup of packed dark brown sugar, or sub the molasses with dark honey.
  • Butter or oil: The original Fanny Farmer recipe used 1/2 cup of oil. We love the flavor that melted butter brings to this bread, but you can easily use olive oil, or a combination. You can also use melted coconut oil.
  • Flax eggs: Looking for an option to the eggs? You can use flax eggs instead—flaxseeds whisked together in water. (Here's how.)

We Found Your Perfect Pumpkin Bread Recipe (4)

Make-Ahead and Freeze

Life most loaf cakes, this one freezes quite well unglazed. Wrap it first in plastic wrap, then in foil. Freeze for up to three months.

More Great Pumpkin Recipes:

  • Chocolate Chip Pumpkin Bread
  • Pumpkin Pie
  • Pumpkin Waffles
  • Pressure Cooker Pumpkin Cheesecake
  • Pumpkin Biscotti

We Found Your Perfect Pumpkin Bread Recipe (5)

Pumpkin Bread

Prep Time15 mins

Cook Time45 mins

Total Time60 mins

Servings8to 10 servings

Yield1 loaf

You can easily double this recipe. If using the glaze, there is enough glaze for two pumpkin bread loafs.

Don't have molasses? You can sub the 1 cup of sugar and 2 teaspoon of molasses with 1 1/4 cup of dark brown sugar, packed.

Ingredients

For the pumpkin bread:

  • 1 1/2 cups (200g) all-purpose flour

  • 1/2 teaspoon salt

  • 1 teaspoon baking soda

  • 1 teaspoon ground ginger

  • 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

  • 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg

  • 1/2 teaspoon allspice

  • 1 cup (240 ml) pumpkin puree, store-bought or homemade

  • 1 cup (200g) sugar

  • 1/2 cup (112g) unsalted butter, melted

  • 2 large eggs, beaten

  • 1/4 cup water

  • 2 teaspoons molasses

  • 1 teaspoon orange zest, optional

  • 1/2 cup (65g) chopped pecans or walnuts, optional

For the orange glaze (optional):

  • 1 cup powdered sugar

  • 2 tablespoons orange juice

  • 1 teaspoon orange zest

Method

  1. Make the homemade pumpkin puree (optional):

    To make your own pumpkin purée, cut a small sugar pumpkin in half horizontally. Use a large metal spoon to scrape out the seeds and stringy stuff.

    Place the pumpkin halves cut side down on a foil-lined baking sheet. Bake at 350°F until soft, about 45 minutes to an hour. Cool, scoop out the flesh. Measure out 1 cup of puree for this recipes and freeze whatever you don't use for future use. Or, if you are working with pumpkin pieces, roast, boil, or steam them until tender, then remove and discard the skin.

  2. Preheat oven and prepare loaf pan:

    Preheat your oven to 350°F (180°C). Put in the middle rack of the oven. Butter the insides of a 4x8-inch loaf pan.

  3. Whisk the dry ingredients:

    Whisk together the flour, salt, baking soda, ground ginger, cinnamon, nutmeg, and allspice in a large bowl.

    How to Accurately Measure Ingredients for BakingREAD MORE:

    We Found Your Perfect Pumpkin Bread Recipe (6)

  4. Combine the wet ingredients:

    Mix together pumpkin purée, sugar, the melted butter, beaten eggs, 1/4 cup of water, molasses, and orange zest (if using) in a separate bowl.

    We Found Your Perfect Pumpkin Bread Recipe (7)

  5. Make the batter:

    Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and stir until just combined and there is no more dry flour in the batter.

    Do not overmix! If adding chopped pecans or walnuts, stir them in.

    We Found Your Perfect Pumpkin Bread Recipe (8)

  6. Bake:

    Pour the batter into the loaf pan and smooth the top. Bake at 350°F (180°C) for 45 to 60 minutes (depending on your oven and the color of your loaf pan—dark pans cook the contents more quickly than light pans), or until a tester poked in the center of the loaf comes out clean.

    We Found Your Perfect Pumpkin Bread Recipe (9)

  7. Remove from pan and cool completely:

    Remove from oven and let cool in the pan for 5 minutes.

    Then run a blunt dinner knife around the edges of the pumpkin bread to gently separate it from the pan. Invert it to loosen it from the pan and put the loaf on a rack to cool completely.

    We Found Your Perfect Pumpkin Bread Recipe (10)

  8. Glaze:

    If using the glaze, whisk together in a medium bowl the powdered sugar, orange juice, zest, and vanilla until smooth. If too thick, add a little more juice. If too thin, add a little more powdered sugar.

    Wait until the pumpkin bread has cooled completely before drizzling with glaze or slicing. Tip: use a serrated knife to slice. Fewer crumbs that way!

    Did you love the recipe? Give us some stars and leave a comment below!

  • Brunch
  • Pumpkin Desserts
  • Fall
  • Quick Bread
  • Canned Pumpkin
Nutrition Facts (per serving)
259Calories
10g Fat
39g Carbs
4g Protein

×

Nutrition Facts
Servings: 8to 10
Amount per serving
Calories259
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 10g13%
Saturated Fat 6g30%
Cholesterol 61mg20%
Sodium 250mg11%
Total Carbohydrate 39g14%
Dietary Fiber 1g5%
Total Sugars 22g
Protein 4g
Vitamin C 1mg5%
Calcium 23mg2%
Iron 2mg9%
Potassium 114mg2%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.

Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate. In cases where multiple ingredient alternatives are given, the first listed is calculated for nutrition. Garnishes and optional ingredients are not included.

We Found Your Perfect Pumpkin Bread Recipe (2024)

FAQs

What happens if you put too much pumpkin in pumpkin bread? ›

You might think you could overcome the lack of flavor by adding more pumpkin purée to your recipe, but you'd be mistaken: By the time you've added enough purée to taste it, your baked good would have a soggy texture on account of all that moisture.

How do you tell when pumpkin bread is done? ›

So, to know when pumpkin bread is done, look for the crack on the top of the bread, which is a tell-tale sign it's either done or close to being done. Then stick a skewer or toothpick into the center of the bread. If it comes out clean, it's ready to come out of the oven.

Why is my pumpkin bread not moist? ›

Try cutting the amount of flour, or adding more milk. It's also possible your oven was too hot, or you baked the pumpkin bread for too long. Try reducing the oven temperature and cutting the baking time.

How long will homemade pumpkin bread last? ›

HOW DO I STORE PUMPKIN BREAD AND FOR HOW LONG? Place in an airtight container or resealable plastic bag for up to 4 days. To freeze, wrap in heavy-duty foil or plastic wrap and then place in a tightly sealed container or heavy-duty resealable freezer bag. Freeze for up to 2 months.

What happens if you use too much baking soda in pumpkin bread? ›

Here's what could happen if you use too much baking soda: Bitter Taste: Excessive baking soda can leave a bitter taste in the bread. Baking soda is alkaline, and an excessive amount of it can result in an unpleasant flavor. Unpleasant Texture: Too much baking soda can lead to a coarse and crumbly texture in the bread.

Why is my pumpkin bread so heavy? ›

Pumpkin bread can become dense if there is not enough hydration or wet ingredients in the recipe. Another cause is overcooking the bread which can cause it to dry out. Remember, it's always easy to keep cooking if it isn't done but impossible to take cooking time back.

Why did my pumpkin bread come out gummy? ›

If your pumpkin spice bread is gummy or undercooked in the center, it's typically because it either 1) needed more time to bake in the oven or 2) the batter was too wet, which led the bread to collapse in on itself a bit (this happens if you measure ingredients by volume, rather than by weight: it's easy to ...

Why is my pumpkin bread still gooey in the middle? ›

Your pumpkin bread is underdone when you find the middle is still uncooked. The exterior may look fully baked, but unless you check the middle by using a toothpick or cake tester, there's no way to know if the interior is done.

Can you leave pumpkin bread out overnight to cool? ›

Yes, in fact you should leave it out to cool at least 6 hours. Once it is cooled you can keep it fresh best by putting it in a paper bag.

What can I add to bread to make it moist? ›

For example, fats like butter or oil can help keep moisture in, while sugars will help to caramelize on the outside and create a golden crust. These ingredients can also play an essential role in keeping your bread moist when added in smaller quantities.

How many cups is 15 oz of pumpkin? ›

Fifteen ounces of canned pumpkin is just shy of 2 cups (16 ounces would be 2 cups). By comparison, a 3-pound pie pumpkin will likely give you enough puree for a recipe that calls for a can of pumpkin.

Why does pumpkin bread sink? ›

Baking temperature

Some ovens run hotter than its settings, some cooler. If the oven is too hot the loaf will be brown and crispy on the outside but doughy in the middle and may collapse as it cools. When bread is baked at too low a temperature it will not rise enough in the oven resulting in a dense and sunken loaf.

Can you refreeze pumpkin bread? ›

You can safely refreeze breads, cookies and similar bakery items.

How do you wrap pumpkin bread? ›

How to Wrap Your Pumpkin Bread: Parchment Paper: To give your pumpkin bread that homemade charm, use a sheet of parchment paper. Place your cooled pumpkin bread on the parchment paper, and gently wrap it, folding the edges neatly. Tie It Up: To secure the parchment paper, use a piece of twine or ribbon.

Can you reheat pumpkin bread? ›

To reheat, you can put it in the microwave for about 15 seconds or in the toaster oven for about 2 to 3 minutes. You can also wrap the loaves well in plastic wrap and freeze them for about 3 months.

What are the side effects of too much pumpkin? ›

When taken by mouth: Pumpkin is likely safe when eaten in foods. It is possibly safe to take pumpkin seed or pumpkin seed oil in medicinal amounts. Side effects from pumpkin products are rare, but might include stomach discomfort, diarrhea, and nausea.

How does pumpkin affect baking? ›

Not only does pumpkin purée act as a sweetener, a creamy moisturizer, and a fat substitute in everything from muffins to soup — but it also tastes delicious in everything! But because canned pumpkin is unlike any other baking ingredient, it tends to be mistreated in recipes.

Is there such thing as too much pumpkin? ›

Pumpkin is very healthy and considered safe for most. However, some people may experience allergies after eating pumpkin (32). It's also considered mildly diuretic, which means eating a lot of pumpkin may induce a “water pill”-like reaction, increasing the amount of water and salt your body expels through urine (33).

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