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American

Pumpkin Bread

Pumpkin puree, warm spices, and brown sugar bake into a quick bread until a toothpick in the center comes out clean. It slices neatly once it has cooled.

Prep
15 min
Cook
1 hr
Total
1 hr 15 min
Servings
10
Difficulty
Easy
Jump to recipe
Sliced pumpkin bread with a deep orange crumb on a plate

Why you’ll love it

  • Canned pumpkin, not pie filling, keeps the spice blend in your hands.
  • Oil keeps the crumb moist for days.
  • A toothpick in the center is the doneness test, not the color of the top.
  • One loaf makes breakfast and dessert from the same bake.

Ingredients

Servings10

Ingredient amounts scale. Oven temperature and cook time do not. Salt, spices, and leaveners are a starting point after you scale. Taste and adjust.

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Instructions

  1. 1

    Heat the oven to 350°F. Grease a 9-by-5-inch loaf pan and line the bottom with parchment if you want an easy lift.

  2. 2

    Whisk the flour, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, and salt.

  3. 3

    In another bowl, whisk the eggs, oil, pumpkin, brown sugar, granulated sugar, and vanilla until smooth.

  4. 4

    Stir the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients until just combined. Fold in the walnuts. Do not beat the batter.

  5. 5

    Scrape the batter into the pan and smooth the top. Bake 55 to 65 minutes.

  6. 6

    The bread is done when a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean or with a few dry crumbs, and the center springs back when lightly pressed. Cool in the pan 15 minutes, then turn it out and cool before slicing.

Pro tips

  • Use 100 percent pumpkin puree. Pumpkin pie filling is already sweetened and spiced and will throw the loaf off.
  • If the top browns too fast, tent it loosely with foil for the last 15 minutes.
  • Cool before slicing. Warm pumpkin bread crumbles and looks underbaked even when it is done.

Easy substitutions

Walnuts
Pecans, or leave the nuts out.
Neutral oil
Melted butter, 1/2 cup.
Brown sugar
All granulated sugar, 1 cup total, if that is what you have. The crumb will be a little less moist.

Storage and reheating

Storage

Wrap and store at room temperature for up to 3 days, or refrigerate for up to 5 days. Freeze sliced bread for up to 2 months.

Reheating

Warm a slice in a 300°F oven for 5 minutes, or toast it lightly. It is also fine at room temperature.

Nutrition

Estimates per serving, using standard ingredient averages and rounded to the nearest gram. This is not a lab analysis, and it shifts if you change brands or add sides.

Calories
259
Protein
4 g
Carbs
36 g
Fat
11 g
Fiber
1 g

Budget friendly · Oven

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From the kitchen

Kitchen tools we love

Practical tools these recipes actually use. This is not a review roundup, and these are not paid placements. If affiliate links are added later, they will be labeled and disclosed.

  • A heavy 12-inch skillet

    Most of the chicken and steak recipes are written for one pan that holds heat. Stainless or cast iron both work.

  • An air fryer with a real basket

    The air-fryer recipes expect a single layer. A crowded basket steams instead of browning.

  • A half-sheet pan

    Drumsticks, potatoes, sausage, and carrots all use one. A dark pan browns faster than a very shiny one.

  • A sharp chef’s knife

    These recipes do not need a specialty blade. A sharp 8-inch knife is faster and safer than a dull one.

  • A large cutting board

    Big enough that the onion and the raw chicken are not sharing the same puddle.

  • Dry cups and a liquid cup

    Desserts in particular expect level dry measures and a separate cup for milk.

  • An instant-read thermometer

    Use it for poultry, pork chops, and meatloaf. Color is a weak guide.

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Ingredients