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.
This pumpkin bread recipe is super moist, warmly spiced, and filled with delicious pumpkin flavor. It’s one of my favorite fall recipes, and I make at least one loaf every year. On a crisp fall day, you can’t beat the smell of homemade pumpkin bread baking in the oven!
I first published this pumpkin bread recipe in 2019, and I’ve since updated it to include even more pumpkin and warm spices. This version has a moister texture and richer fall flavor…and it’s completely impossible for me to eat just one slice at a time. I think it’s the best pumpkin bread I’ve tried. I hope you love it too!
Pumpkin Bread Ingredients
Here’s what you’ll need to make this easy pumpkin bread recipe:
- Pumpkin, of course! I tested this recipe two ways: using a full (15-ounce) can of pumpkin and using slightly less, 1 1/2 cups. While I hate to leave you with leftover pumpkin, I found that using 1 1/2 cups gave the loaf a better texture. It’s super moist, but not dense. You’ll have a few tablespoons of pumpkin puree leftover—perfect for making a pumpkin spice latte! Be sure to use pure pumpkin puree, not pumpkin pie filling. I like Libby’s.
- All-purpose flour – Spoon and level it 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!
- Milk – Use whatever kind you keep on hand. Regular milk, almond milk, and oat milk are all great choices.
- Baking powder, baking soda, and eggs – They help the loaf puff up as it bakes.
- Cane sugar – For sweetness.
- Cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, and cloves – For warm, cozy fall flavor. A tablespoon of pumpkin pie spice works too.
- 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, 60 to 70 minutes.
- Tip: Check the loaf after 45 minutes in the oven. If the top is browned, tent it with foil for the remaining bake time so that it doesn’t get too dark before the loaf cooks through.
Let the quick bread cool completely before slicing and serving.
Finally, enjoy! Devour a slice plain, or slather it with butter or honey butter. Leftover pumpkin bread keeps well 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!
- Frost it. Craving a more decadent treat? Slather this loaf with my tangy cream cheese frosting!
Let me know what variations you try!
More Favorite Pumpkin Recipes
If you love this homemade pumpkin bread, try one of these delicious pumpkin recipes next:
Can’t get enough quick bread? You’ll love my banana bread and zucchini bread too!
Pumpkin Bread
Ingredients
- 2 cups all-purpose flour, spooned and leveled
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon ground ginger
- ½ teaspoon sea salt
- ¼ teaspoon ground cloves
- ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1½ cups canned pumpkin puree*
- 2 large eggs
- 1 cup cane sugar
- ½ cup vegetable oil, plus more for the pan
- ¼ cup milk
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F and grease an 8x4 or 9x5-inch loaf pan.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, cinnamon, baking soda, ginger, salt, cloves, and nutmeg.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the pumpkin puree, eggs, sugar, vegetable oil, milk, and vanilla until smooth.
- Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and mix until just combined, being careful not to overmix. The batter will be thick.
- Transfer the batter to the prepared pan and smooth the top. Bake for 60 to 70 minutes, or until the top springs back to the touch and a toothpick inserted comes out clean. I like to check the loaf after 45 minutes. If the top is nicely browned, I cover it with foil for the remaining bake time to prevent further browning.
- Allow to cool completely in the pan before slicing and serving.
Notes
Do we know the carb count per slice for diabetic
Hi Tammy, we don’t calculate nutrition info but you can plug the ingredients into a site like my fitness pal.
Can I make this gluten free?
Hi Georgiann I haven’t tested this gluten free but I think an all-purpose GF blend like Bob’s would work.
Can you use bread flour?
Hi Pj, I think it would make this more dense and chewy – I like to use bread flour for yeasted breads and doughs vs. quick cakey breads like this.
Outstanding recipe! Just 1/2 cup sugar!!! Thank you. I added walnuts, and that was a good call.
I’m so glad you loved it!
I just joined and plan to make a pumpkin bread and carrot cake tomorrow. Instructions look great. I am new to doing baking by checking recipes on the internet but this is great. Thank you so much.
I use walnut oil. I always have regular AND roasted walnut oil in my fridge. The roasted is what I prefer to use in recipes like this, for brownies, cookies, etc. Regular is used for when I don’t want the stronger flavor of the roasted. I love La Tourangelle Roasted walnut oil. Good price on Amazon, best is Vitacost.com.
You can also use (and I do likewise in baking/cooking) non-GMO canola oil. Bertoli has a really light olive oil (organic) that won’t make baked goods taste like olive oil. Look for olive oil that lists on the front of label that it can be used for baking, otherwise go for something else as suggested above.
Healthy and delicious!
This is a great, easy to follow recipe! The bread was delicious!
New favorite pumpkin bread recipe! Perfectly moist and healthy.
I used white whole wheat flour and Splenda baking mix, and it did not taste good (not very sweet, dense). It seems that the pastry flour is an important component!
Delicious bread that takes minutes to put together! I have baked this several times and been asked to share the recipe ( always giving “Love and Lemons” credit!). I like to add about 1/2 cup pecans or walnuts, my husband drizzles it with a glaze of powdered sugar and milk.
Hi Pam, I’m so glad you’ve loved the bread!
Can I use maple syrup or honey instead of sugar? And how about using white whole wheat flour? Thank you! I can’t wait to try to make it!
Hi Maria, no you can only swap another dry sugar (coconut sugar would be a good choice). White whole wheat flour will work just fine.
Thank you! I tried it with flax eggs and it did not rise much. I had to bake it an extra 20 min for it not to be wet. I probably did something wrong. The taste though was amazing!!!
Hi! Do you think I could use whole wheat flour instead of pastry flour?
Hi Lisa, you can use a 50/50 mix of all-purpose and regular whole wheat to replace the whole wheat pastry.
How can I make this gluten free?
Hi! I don’t represent this website but thought I would chime in. There are a lot of great GF flour blends out there that you can directly replace the wheat flour in this with. My favorite for quick breads lately has been Bobs Red Mill 1-to-1, and I bet that would work with this too.
I’m excited to try this!! I love quick breads with whole wheat flour ? just wondering if I could use melted butter in place of olive oil?
Hi Allie, I think that would be fine!
My mom has made this recipe several times in the last few weeks, and let me just say, it’s the best pumpkin bread I’ve had!
I’m so glad you’ve loved it!
What are some flours i can use in place of whole wheat pastry flour? Would GF baking flour work?
Hi Hayley, I think other’s have used Bob’s GF all purpose baking flour with success.
Can I use buttermilk?
Hi Judy, I haven’t tried it, but I think it would be fine.
Hi Jane, I’m sorry you didn’t find it flavorful enough – I think it’s probably personal preference, because we like it :). I’d suggest adding more of the spices to bring out more pumpkin flavor, and be sure you didn’t omit the salt.
This was an amazing pumpkin bread, definitely worth making! If you don’t have an whole wheat pastry flour, can substitute by using 3/4 cup cake flour, and 3/4 cup all-purpose flour instead, and it turns out just the same.
I’m so glad you loved it!
This looks yummy! Just curious… is there a reason why you’ve chosen olive oil rather than something like grapeseed oil for this? I tend to think of olive oil as more savory and use oils like grapeseed for baked goods instead.
Hi Kat, you can use any neutral oil you like. I use a light everyday-type olive oil for many things, even baking.