If you love pumpkin, you HAVE to try this easy pumpkin bread recipe! Moist, warmly spiced, and filled with pumpkin flavor, it's the perfect fall treat.
Once I tried this pumpkin bread recipe, I finally understood what all the fall pumpkin hype was about. To be honest, I didn’t get it for a long time. Why go crazy for pumpkin when apples, sweet potatoes, and hundreds of amazing types of squash (spaghetti, delicata, acorn, and butternut, to name a few) are in peak season too? Enter: this pumpkin bread recipe. Super moist, warmly spiced, and filled with delicious pumpkin flavor, it totally won me over to team pumpkin.
I typically crave pumpkin bread at two times of day: in the morning for breakfast or in the afternoon with a coffee or tea. Because I wanted this recipe to be one I could feel good about enjoying first thing in the morning, I made it on the healthy side. Honestly, it’s the best pumpkin bread I’ve had! It’s lightly sweet, so the bold, spiced flavors really shine through. And though it’s wonderfully moist, it’s not too rich, so I have no problem polishing off a generous slice (or two). If pumpkin season means having this recipe on repeat for a while, I’m 100% on board.
Healthy Pumpkin Bread Recipe Ingredients
Here’s what you’ll need to make this healthy pumpkin bread recipe:
- Pumpkin, of course! My loaf uses a full cup of pumpkin puree, which gives it the perfect moist texture and adds delicious pumpkin flavor.
- All-purpose flour and whole wheat flour – Spoon and level them to avoid packing too much into your measuring cup.
- Vegetable oil – For moisture and richness. Another neutral oil, such as avocado or canola oil, would work here too!
- Almond milk – Or whatever type of milk you keep on hand. Regular milk and my homemade oat milk are both great choices.
- Baking powder, baking soda, and eggs – They help the loaf puff up as it bakes.
- Cane sugar – For sweetness.
- Cinnamon, nutmeg, and allspice – For warm, cozy fall flavor.
- Vanilla extract – It enhances the spices’ warm flavor.
- And sea salt – To make all the flavors pop!
Find the complete recipe with measurements below.
How to Make Pumpkin Bread
This pumpkin bread recipe is so easy to make! Here’s how it goes:
First, make the batter. Whisk together the wet ingredients in one bowl and the dry ingredients in another.
Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and mix until just combined. Don’t overmix, or the pumpkin bread will be dense.
Then, bake. Pour the batter into a greased loaf pan and bake at 350°F until the top springs back to the touch and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, about 45 minutes.
Allow the loaf to cool completely before slicing and serving.
Finally, enjoy! Devour a slice plain, or slather it with butter, honey butter, or almond butter. Leftover pumpkin bread will keep in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days.
For longer storage, wrap slices in aluminum foil or plastic wrap, and freeze for up to 3 months. Allow the slices to thaw at room temperature, or unwrap and defrost them in the microwave for about 30 seconds.
Pumpkin Bread Recipe Variations
Do you like nuts, fruit, or chocolate in your pumpkin bread? Feel free to adapt this recipe to suit your tastes. Here are a few fun ways to change it up:
- Add some crunch. Stir in 1/2 cup of your favorite chopped nuts, and sprinkle some on top. Chopped pecans or walnuts would be especially good!
- Make it fruity. Fold 1/2 cup dried cranberries, dried tart cherries, raisins, or chopped dates into the batter.
- Go the chocolate route. Fold 1/2 cup dark chocolate chips into the batter. Scatter more on top for good measure!
- Swap the spices. I love the cinnamon, nutmeg, and allspice in this pumpkin bread recipe, but other warming spices would be wonderful here too. Substitute ground cloves for the allspice, add a dash of ground ginger, or replace the individual spices with a tablespoon of pumpkin pie spice!
- Frost it. Craving a more decadent treat? Slather this loaf with my tangy cream cheese frosting!
- Make it vegan. Substitute 4 tablespoons ground flaxseed and 6 tablespoons warm water for the eggs. This version isn’t quite as puffy, but it’s still delicious.
Let me know what variations you try!
And if you have pumpkin puree leftover, use it to make pumpkin pancakes, pumpkin waffles, or a pumpkin spice latte!
More Favorite Easy Baking Recipes
If you love this homemade pumpkin bread, try one of these easy baking recipes next:
- Pumpkin Muffins
- Banana Bread
- Zucchini Bread
- Chocolate Zucchini Bread
- Easy Apple Cake
- Apple Muffins
- Cinnamon Rolls
- Or any of these 25 Super Fun Baking Recipes!
Pumpkin Bread
Ingredients
- ¾ cup all-purpose flour, spooned and leveled*
- ¾ cup whole wheat flour, spooned and leveled*
- 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- ½ teaspoon ground allspice
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon sea salt
- 1 cup canned pumpkin puree
- ½ cup almond milk, or any milk
- ½ cup cane sugar
- ¼ cup vegetable oil, or other neutral oil
- 2 large eggs**
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F and grease an 8x4-inch loaf pan.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the all-purpose and whole wheat flours, the cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the pumpkin puree, almond milk, sugar, oil, eggs, and vanilla until smooth.
- Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and stir until just combined. Do not overmix. Spoon the batter into the prepared pan and bake for 45 to 50 minutes, or until the top springs back to the touch and a toothpick inserted comes out clean.
Notes
Not sure why, but this recipe didn’t work for me. I tried it twice and both ended with the bread looking like a fallen soufflé. The first try the inside was definitely not cooked through. The second try I cooked it longer and is edible, but not anything like the pictures. I made it vegan so maybe that is the issue?
Hi Cara, the flax version is more flat than the photos – we still liked it even though it wasn’t as puffy.
So good! I subbed the equal weight of AP flour (159g for the recipe) and it turned out perfect! Most quick breads have way too much sugar for my taste, so this will be a keeper!
This was a delicious warm sweet surprise on a very sunny cool morning to devour!!!!
I sent the recipe to my daughter in law Emily G.,to enjoy with Tyler!
🎃💗🎃
Would you have the nutritional content of this recipe?
I’m sorry, I don’t calculate nutritional info but you could plug the ingredients into a site like My Fitness Pal.
I am also grain-free. Do you have a recommendation to replace the wheat flour?
Thank you.
Hi Paige, I don’t – I’d search for a pumpkin bread recipe that’s specifically made to be grain free.
We’re already 3/4 of the way through our first loaf of pumpkin bread, so no, it’s not early at all!!
Is there a gluten free pumpkin cake recipe please?
Can I substitute some other sweetener for the sugar? I don’t like Stevia or Truvia sweeteners. Was thinking maple syrup? If so how to adjust the recipe. Thank you!
Hi Kristen, you can substitute only with another dry sugar like coconut sugar (but not Stevia or Truvia unless you use Truvia’s 1:1 baking blend). Maple syrup will throw off the liquid ratios in the recipe.
Thanks so much for getting back to me! I appreciate it.
Hi Kristen – did you even up making this with maple syrup or honey? Looking for a similar type of recipe. Thanks!
I have not -forgot all about this! I read up on it and I believe you would use 6 Tablespoons maple syrup in place of the 1/2 c. Sugar and remove 1 Tablespoon plus
1 and 1/2 tsp. of the liquid in this recipe.
I am interested in trying it soon. Also thinking of trying it by using coconut sugar instead of the white sugar. When I make it I will let you know!
King Arthur has a substitute sugar that is getting great reviews. I haven’t used it yet (oven was broken 😡). Read the reviews they’re great about questions too. Hope this helps.
Thanks. Will check it out!
Delicious! I think it could have made two; it was a little raw inside, and I baked it for almost an hour, but otherwise, five stars! So good!
This was so so good! I used everything exactly as written and it came out amazing. Thank you for the wonderful recipe, even my super picky toddlers downed it!
Yay, I’m so glad everyone loved it!
Can all-purpose flour be used in lieu of the whole wheat pastry flour? I’m asking because I only have all-purpose flour.
Hi Jeanie,
Absolutely love your blog and made many foods from your blog for Christmas lunch.
Interested in doing this one, however I only have buckwheat flour. Would that work as a 1:1 ratio?
Hi Georgia, I’m so glad you’ve been enjoying the recipes! I don’t think it would work with buckwheat flour on it’s own – I think it would be pretty dense.
Okay, thank you for the reply. Will look for spelt flour. Happy New Year!
So I am in the middle of making this, and doubling the mount. However, in my attempt I accidentally put in a full cup of oil. Is there any way I can correct this? So far I’ve only mixed the pumpkin, milk, sugar, and eggs but none of the other dry ingredients.
Hi, I’d suggest just adding additional ingredients to 4x the recipe.
I have starting grinding my own wheat. Would ground soft white wheat work? I also have spelt I could grind. Could I use half spelt and half soft white wheat?
Hi Kris, I think any of those options would work!
Love and Lemons has become my most favorite go-to recipe site. It seems I’m a little late to the game since many of these comments are from 2015, but I’m finding exactly the kinds of recipes and vegan substitutes I’ve been searching for .
Love, Love, Love that you include the vegan substitute for eggs. I use flaxmeal for almost everything baked and it’s a joy to know I can here and it will be a success. Looking forward to making several loaves for friends. Thank You!
I love finding healthy options! Can I use honey instead of cane sugar for this pumpkin bread?
Hi Alex, not for this one – if you want a less refined sugar, you could use coconut sugar.
I’m not able to use coconut sugar. Although, I saw in the comments that it was a popular alternative. Why wouldn’t honey work??
Changing the sugar from dry to wet will change the consistency of the bread. So a dry sugar can be swapped with another dry sugar. Going from dry to wet will affect how the bread rises and it might fall flat.
I just wanted to share an update. I tested the recipe with raw honey instead of sugar at a 1:1 ratio and it didn’t mess with the consistency of the bread at all! I even made it into mini loaves so I could also try out different variations on each. One regular, one with chopped nuts, one with chocolate chips, and one with a cinnamon sugar swirl. They turned out great 🙂
Thanks for reporting back Alex! Going to try it with honey very soon.
Hi! For the vegan version, you only use 6 TBSP of water. for 4 TBSP flax. Is this just specific to this recipe? Aren’t flax eggs normally 1 TBSP flax + 3 TBSP water? Can’t wait to try!
Yep, it’s specific to this recipe!
Ugh what happened to the Vegan Pumpkin Bread with Chocolate Chips recipe? Such a bummer you removed that original one from your site. This recipe is just not as good!
The vegan version is actually the same recipe, the only difference is spelt flour vs. whole wheat and the chocolate chips.
This isn’t specifically about the recipe but where did you get that mixing bowl? It’s awesome!!
Sheldon Ceramics 🙂