Best Pumpkin Bread
Cozy, sweet, and perfectly spiced, this Pumpkin Bread is everything I love about fall in one bite. It bakes up tender, moist, and fluffy with just the right amount of pumpkin and warm cinnamon flavor. The crunchy sugar topping takes this loaf from seriously delicious to downright irresistible!
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A Note from Kim
Warm Spices, Cozy Vibes
If I could bake just one thing all season long, it would be this pumpkin bread. I tested the recipe again and again, tweaking little things until every bite was exactly how I wanted it, soft, moist, and bursting with pumpkin flavor. The warm spices come through beautifully without being overpowering, and the crumb is tender yet sturdy enough to hold together when sliced. And that sugar topping? It bakes into the most irresistible, crackly crust that makes this loaf feel bakery-worthy. After pulling it out of the oven, I knew I had landed on the perfect pumpkin bread, one I’ll be baking (and sharing) every fall without fail.
With love (and lots of good eats), 
This pumpkin bread was amazing! My extremely picky eater (like so picky he eats 5 things) loved this bread. Thank you for sharing it!
— Jane
Try some of my other favorite quick bread recipes
Ingredients You’ll Need
Honestly, this could be one of my favorite pumpkin recipes of all time (besides my grandma’s pumpkin pie squares). It’s moist, tender, perfectly sweet, packed with cozy spices and so scrumptious that it’s bound to become a forever family favorite. Here’s what you’ll need to make it:
- Flour. Use regular all-purpose flour or whole wheat pastry flour for best results.
- Baking powder and baking soda. To help the bread rise!
- Fall spices. The perfect blend of spices to give this loaf that warm, cozy, fall flavor. We’re using a mix of cinnamon, 1 teaspoon ground nutmeg, and 1/4 tsp cloves. Feel free to add a pinch of ginger or allspice, if you’d like.
- Pumpkin puree. Use 100% pure canned pumpkin here. Be sure to get a can of pumpkin and don’t grab pumpkin pie filling by mistake, which has added spices and sugar.
- Oil. This will add incredible moisture and lightens up the crumb more so than butter. I used vegetable oil, but feel free to sub with melted coconut oil, canola oil, avocado oil or even a light olive oil.
- Sugar. A combination of brown sugar and granulated sugar are used for amazing flavor and texture.
- Salt. A must in baked goods to balance out the sweetness!
- Eggs. Three large eggs not only add fluffiness, but protein and healthy fats too! Need a vegan option? Try my vegan pumpkin bread with a luscious vanilla cream cheese frosting.
- Turbinado sugar and pepitas. Totally optional, but highly recommended for a sweet crunchy topping.
Spice It Up: Fun Variations
I LOVE this easy pumpkin bread recipe as-is, but if you’d like to change up the taste or add a bit of extra pizzaz, here are several suggestions.
- Glaze. Add a glaze for real decadence! Make a glaze by mixing 1/4 cup confectioners’ sugar with 1 to 2 teaspoons milk. Mix until smooth and drizzle over the cooled bread. Alternatively, you could add cream cheese frosting over the top.
- Nuts. If you love nuts, add about 1/2 to 1 cup finely chopped pecans or walnuts to the batter.
- Fruit. Stir about 1/2 to 1 cup dried cranberries, dried tart cherries, raisins, or chopped dates into the batter.
- Pumpkin muffins. Follow the recipe, adding instead to a muffin tin and cooking for 18-25 minutes. Or, give this pumpkin muffin recipe a try! Mini loaves would be fun too!
- Chocolate. If you’re craving chocolate, fold 1/2 cup dark chocolate chips into the batter, and sprinkle more over the top, too.
- Dessert. Make this into more of a dessert by serving it alongside vanilla bean ice cream.
Best Pumpkin Bread
Ingredients
- 1 2/3 cups (205g) all-purpose flour
- 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon nutmeg
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
- 1 cup (260g) canned pumpkin puree
- 3/4 cup (168g) vegetable oil, (extra-virgin olive oil, melted coconut oil or canola oil will work)
- 1 cup (200g) granulated sugar
- 1/3 cup (65g) dark brown sugar
- 3/4 teaspoon salt
- 3 large eggs
- 2 tablespoons turbinado sugar for topping, optional
- 2 tablespoons pepitas (pumpkin seeds), optional
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Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 325°F. Grease a 9×5-inch loaf pan. Set aside.
- In a large bowl, whisk the flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves together until combined.
- In a medium bowl, stir the pumpkin puree, oil, sugar, and salt together until combined. Add the eggs and mix well. Pour these wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and gently mix together. There will be a few lumps. Do not overmix.
- Pour the batter into the prepared loaf pan. Sprinkle the top evenly with half the sugar topping, then the optional pepitas, and then the rest of the sugar topping. Bake for 60 to 70 minutes and until a tester comes out mostly clean from the center.
- Let cool in the pan on a wire rack for about 20 minutes. Then, invert the bread onto the rack, turn right side up, and let cool completely. Cover and store leftover bread at room temperature for up to 3-4 days or in the refrigerator for up to about 1 week.
Notes
- Storing leftovers: Wrap any leftovers in plastic wrap and store on the counter for 3-4 days. Any longer than that, store it wrapped tightly in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 1 week.
- Freezing: To freeze, let the bread cool completely. Slice the loaf and then wrap individual slices tightly in plastic wrap. Place the individually wrapped slices into a large freezer-safe ziplock bag, remove any air, and store in the freezer. Or wrap the whole loaf in aluminum foil and then place in a freezer-safe bag. Bread will keep well in the freezer for up to three months.
Did you make this recipe?
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How to Make the Best Pumpkin Bread
Making this pumpkin bread recipe is super easy! It’s a simple mix of wet ingredients in one bowl and dry ingredients in another, combine the two and pour into a loaf pan. You’re all set! Here’s the simple method:
Step 1: Whisk dry ingredients and stir together wet ingredients. In a large bowl, whisk dry ingredients (flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves). In a medium bowl, mix wet ingredients (pumpkin, oil, sugar and salt). Add the eggs and stir until well combined.
Step 2: Combine wet and dry ingredients. Pour the pumpkin mixture into the flour mixture and gently mix together. There will be a few lumps. Do not over-mix.
Step 3: Add topping. Pour batter into prepared loaf pan. Sprinkle the top evenly with half the sugar topping, then the optional pepitas, and then the rest of the sugar topping.
Step 4: Bake. Place in the oven and bake for 60 to 70 minutes and until a cake tester comes out clean from the center. Let cool in the pan on a wire rack for about 20 minutes. Then, invert the bread onto the rack, turn right side up, and let it cool completely.
Kim’s Recipe Tips
- Pumpkin pie spice. Feel free to use 1 tbsp pumpkin spice instead of the individual spices.
- Separate bowls. Be sure to mix the wet and dry ingredients in separate bowls. It will make for the best texture, so don’t skip this step by mixing everything together in one bowl.
- Don’t over mix ingredients. It’s very important to avoid over-mixing the batter, which makes any quick bread gummy and dense. Read more about over-mixing and how to avoid it.
- Bake time. Be sure not to under bake the bread. Every oven can vary in temperature, so test the center of the loaf with a toothpick. If it comes out clean or with just a few moist crumbs, then it’s ready, if not place it back in the oven for an additional 5-10 minutes.
- Loaf pan. If you are using a smaller 8 1/2 x 4 1/2-inch loaf pan, your loaf will turn out thicker, and therefore the bread needs to cook a bit longer (probably 5-10 minutes more).
Frequently asked questions
With recipes like banana bread and pumpkin bread, the goal is to incorporate as much fruit purée as the batter can handle. Too much will throw off the ratio of wet to dry ingredients. This means you may not have enough flour to absorb that moisture, leading to a gummy bottom on your quick breads. Trust me, this recipe is perfect!
If your bread didn’t rise, it may be for one of the following reasons: expired baking soda or baking powder, too much batter in the pan (batter should fill the pan no more than 3/4 full), and waiting too long to bake it after mixing the batter.
From a 15-ounce can, you’ll have a cup of pumpkin puree leftover, consider stirring a tablespoon or two into a bowl of warm oatmeal, make pumpkin waffles, or pancake batter. Transfer the leftover pumpkin puree into an airtight container and keep it refrigerated for up to one week.
Yes, if you’d like to try making your own, here’s a pumpkin puree guide. Just be sure to blot your puree with a paper towel to remove some of the extra moisture (this step isn’t needed if you’re using canned pumpkin). Measure out your puree, then gently squeeze to get rid of excess liquid before adding it to your recipe.
Storage recommendations
- Storing leftovers: Wrap any leftovers in plastic wrap and store on the counter for 3-4 days or in the fridge for about 1 week. Any longer than that and you can freeze it by following the instructions below.
- To freeze: Let the bread cool completely. There are two ways to freeze the bread. Bread will keep well in the freezer for up to three months.
- You can slice the loaf and then wrap individual slices tightly in plastic wrap. Place the individually wrapped slices into a large freezer-safe ziplock bag, remove any air, and store in the freezer.
- Or you can wrap the whole loaf tightly with aluminum foil. Then, place in a freezer-safe ziplock bag and store it in the freezer.
More Pumpkin Recipes
Here’s a little inspiration to keep the cozy fall vibes going!
If you try this quick bread recipe, let me know! Leave a comment and if your family loves it as much as mine does, be sure to give it a five star ⭐️ rating! Also, tag @kimscravings on Instagram with a picture of your creation. Be sure to subscribe to our mailing list to receive more healthy delicious recipes straight to your inbox.
Just made with Walmart brand gluten free flour. I omitted the pepitas and sugar for the top and instead added 1 C each of chopped walnuts and chocolate chips. I’ve learned the best way to bake gluten free is by using the gram measurements (by weight) for the flour, etc. instead of the cups. Baked goods come out great every time. Thanks for the recipe!
I miss your cranberry pumpkin bread recipe! It seems to be gone. Is it basically this recipe + a cup of fresh cranberries?
I’m not sure about that recipe, but I think it would work to add about a cup of cranberries to this recipe. This pumpkin bread is REALLY good!
I have made the bread and it was delicious. Could I make muffins with this recipe?
Thank you!
Glad you enjoyed! That should work just fine.
Can’t find canned pumpkin puree anywhere, can I just make this with actual (roasted and pureed) pumpkin? How liquid does this need to be?
I’ve always made this with canned pumpkin, but I think homemade puréed would work. There is an image of the way the batter should look in the post… the pumpkin should not be overly wet, as long as it is similar to Libby’s brand it will be fine.
Excellent!!! I made it and it came out perfect.
This pumpkin bread was amazing! My extremely picky eater (like so picky he eats 5 things) loved this bread. Thank you for sharing it!