Easy Pumpkin Bread

Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 50 minutes
Total Time 1 hour
Post may contain affiliate links. Read my disclosure policy.

This easy Pumpkin Bread is perfectly moist and tender with a ton of pumpkin flavor and just the right amount of spice. Made in just one-bowl, this pumpkin loaf is ready to go into the oven in just 10 minutes!

After lots of delicious taste tests over the years, this really is the best pumpkin bread recipe I have ever tried! It uses one whole can of pumpkin to keep it super soft, moist, and packed with pumpkin flavor.

Loaded with classic pumpkin pie spices like cinnamon, nutmeg, and clove, it also has tons of cozy fall flavor. Served warm with butter, room temperature, or even chilled, you seriously can’t go wrong.

Thankfully, it’s also super easy to make with just a bowl and a whisk – with no mixer required! It also travels easily and stays delicious for days, making it a great homemade gift.

⭐️ Test Kitchen Approved ⭐️

A loaf of moist pumpkin bread sliced into pieces on a cutting board on a countertop.

“I have made many loaves of this pumpkin bread recipe for my family and it always turns out perfect! Plus, it couldn’t be any easier to make. It is super dense and moist, just like we like it. I sometimes add chopped pecans or walnuts for crunch, or even chocolate chips or dried cranberries… but it really is perfect just as it is!” Maria, abuela of six that loves from-scratch recipes.

Learn more about our Test Kitchen ➔

The ingredients for this easy pumpkin bread recipe are in order from top to bottom: baking soda, pumpkin pie spice, pumpkin, salt, all purpose flour, granulated sugar, brown sugar, eggs, oil, vanilla.

Key Ingredient Notes

Find the full printable recipe with specific measurements below.

  • Flour: I used regular all-purpose flour. Make sure to fluff the flour, then measure it by spooning it into a measuring cup. Don’t dip the cup straight into a packed bag of flour – that results in using too much flour and will create an overly dense bread.
  • Pumpkin: You will need one 15 oz can of pumpkin. Make sure it is pure pumpkin puree, not pumpkin pie filling which is already sweetened and spiced.
  • Sugar: This recipe uses both granulated sugar and brown sugar. The brown sugar adds caramel notes and moisture, but can be swapped for all granulated sugar if that is all you have on hand.
  • Vegetable Oil: You can use any neutral oil like vegetable or canola oil, or coconut oil is a great alternative. You can use melted and slightly cooled butter, if you prefer, but your pumpkin bread will not be as moist.
  • Pumpkin Spice: To make your own, combine 4 tsp cinnamon, 2 tsp ginger, 1 tsp cloves, 1/2 tsp nutmeg and 1/2 tsp allspice. If you don’t have all the ingredients on hand, you can also use just cinnamon and a pinch of nutmeg instead!
  • Baking Soda: Since there’s enough acidity in the recipe to fully activate the baking soda, there’s no need for baking powder. Using baking powder could actually lead to too much leavening and a bitter aftertaste.
A slice of butter is placed on top of a stack of pumpkin bread slices.

Want to save this recipe?

Email this recipe to yourself for easy access later!

Tips For Making This Easy Pumpkin Bread

This easy pumpkin bread recipe is so simple, just whisk the batter together and into the oven it goes! Below you will find some helpful tips, visit the printable recipe card below for full directions.

Do not to over-mix the batter. Stir just until the lumps are gone and the batter comes together. Over-mixing can lead to a dense or tough texture.

Grease your loaf pan and line it with parchment paper to prevent sticking. I like to leave a little parchment paper overhanging on the sides. This makes it super easy to lift the bread out after baking.

Since the loaf is very dense and moist, the middle takes longer to bake than the outside. To prevent the top from getting too dark, loosely cover it with foil halfway through baking.

Start checking the bread around the 55-minutes. Every oven is different, and this bread is thick, so don’t be surprised if it takes closer to 70 minutes. Use a toothpick inserted into the center of the loaf to test if the bread is done. When it comes out clean, or with just a few moist crumbs, it’s done.

While it’s tempting to slice into the warm right away, it’s best to let it cool! Cooling allows the bread to finish setting and makes slicing easier. The bread can still be warm, but I recommend letting it cool for at least 20 minutes.

A loaf of moist pumpkin bread is being sliced into pieces with a large knife on a wood cutting board.

Pumpkin Bread Recipe Variations

If you love the Starbucks pumpkin loaf, you’ll be happy to know this recipe makes a whole loaf for about the price of one slice. Just sprinkle pepitas (pumpkin seeds) on top before baking, and you’ll have the perfect copycat version at home.

If you want to mix in a little extra flavor, fold in ½ cup of chocolate chips for a pumpkin chocolate chip bread, or try chopped pecans or walnuts for crunch. Fresh cranberries are also delicious if you’re craving a pumpkin cranberry bread with a pop of tartness.

This batter also works beautifully for muffins! Simply scoop it into a muffin tin and bake at the same temperature for about 18 minutes. Add a cinnamon streusel crumb topping and you’ll have the most irresistible pumpkin streusel muffins.

And if you’re a fan of cream cheese, you can swirl a sweetened cream cheese mixture right into the batter for a gorgeous pumpkin cream cheese bread.

Three thick slices of moist pumpkin bread rest on crinkled parchment paper.
4.5 from 405 votes
Print Pin Recipe Save
Yield: 8 slices

Pumpkin Bread

This super soft, moist pumpkin bread recipe is made with a whole can of pumpkin and is incredibly easy to make with just 10 minutes of work!
Prep Time10 minutes
Cook Time50 minutes
Total Time1 hour

Ingredients

  • 1 ¾ cups all purpose flour
  • 1 tablespoon pumpkin spice, or cinnamon
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • 1 (15 oz) can pumpkin puree, not pumpkin pie filling (see below)
  • 1 cup granulated sugar
  • ½ cup packed brown sugar
  • 2 large eggs
  • ½ cup vegetable oil
  • 1 tablespoon vanilla extract

Want to save this recipe?

Email this recipe to yourself for easy access later!

Instructions 

  • Preheat oven to 375°F. Grease a 9×5 loaf pan and line with parchment paper (where it hangs over the edges) for easy removal. Set aside.
  • In a medium bowl, whisk to combine the flour, pumpkin spice, baking soda and salt. Set aside.
  • In large bowl, whisk to combine the pumpkin, granulated sugar and brown sugar. Beat in eggs, vegetable oil and vanilla extract. Slowly whisk in the flour mixture, until there are no lumps.
  • Pour batter into prepared loaf pan and smooth the top with a spatula. Bake for 50 to 55 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Around the 30 minute mark, lightly cover the top of the bread with foil, to make sure the top does not overly brown.
  • Allow to cool for 10 minutes in the baking pan, then remove the bread from the pan by lifting up the sides of the parchment paper. Slice and serve warm, or allow bread to cool completely before storing.

⭐️ Tried this recipe? Leave a comment and rating! It only takes a minute and helps support our family-run blog. ❤️

Notes

Storage: To store, first let the homemade pumpkin bread cool completely and then tightly wrap the bread in plastic wrap and then place it in an airtight container. You can then store the bread on your counter for about 4 days, or in the fridge for up to a week.
Freeze: You can freeze an entire loaf, or individual slices, for up to 3 months. Allow bread to cool completely, then wrap the entire loaf, or single slices of pumpkin bread, tightly in Saran Wrap. Place the wrapped bread in a freezer friendly ziplock bag and freeze for up to 3 months. For best results, let bread thaw in the fridge for 24 hours before serving.
Pumpkin Puree vs Pumpkin Pie Filling: Pumpkin puree is 100% pure pumpkin with no added ingredients, while pumpkin pie filling is pre-sweetened and spiced, meant for making pie without extra prep. Always use pure pumpkin puree in this recipe. If using homemade pumpkin puree, blot it gently with paper towels to remove excess moisture as too much liquid can make your bread dense or gummy.
Oil vs Butter: Oil makes this pumpkin bread extra moist because it stays liquid at room temperature, unlike butter which solidifies as it cools. This keeps the texture soft and tender even after a day or two. You can use any neutral oil like vegetable or canola oil, or coconut oil is a great alternative.
Pumpkin Muffins: Want to use this recipe to make muffins? Bake them in a standard sized muffin tin for about 18 minutes.
DIY Pumpkin Pie Spice: Combine 4 tsp cinnamon, 2 tsp ginger, 1 tsp cloves, 1/2 tsp nutmeg and 1/2 tsp allspice.

Video

Nutrition

Serving: 1slice, Calories: 412kcal, Carbohydrates: 64g, Protein: 5g, Fat: 15g, Saturated Fat: 3g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 8g, Monounsaturated Fat: 4g, Trans Fat: 0.1g, Cholesterol: 47mg, Sodium: 308mg, Potassium: 182mg, Fiber: 2g, Sugar: 40g, Vitamin A: 8343IU, Vitamin C: 2mg, Calcium: 42mg, Iron: 2mg

Categories:

More Pumpkin Recipes To Try

Post may contain affiliate links. Read my disclosure policy.

Comments

We LOVE hearing from you! Submit your question or comment here and don’t forget to leave a rating! Click the icon below to upload a pic of your creation!

Recipe Rating:




123 Comments
Newest
Oldest Most Voted
Inline Feedbacks
View all comments

5 stars
Love this recipe. Went to make my recipe but out of butter. So I found this one. My grandson gave it a thumbs up and said it needs to go on the front page of my recipe book. My son liked it. Save it for the holidays he said. Hubby really loved it. Said it’s a keeper. Would be great with nuts, raisins or cranberries. This is our top pocket find. Keep up the great work. I look forward to trying more.

5 stars
Absolutely the best pumpkin bread recipe. It is on our regular rotation. It turns out great every time.

5 stars
After trying 6 recipes, this pumpkin bread recipe beat the others hands down. It was easy to prepare, and came out of the oven exactly at times given. I used a glass loaf pan at 375. Definitely cover half way through cooking. This pumpkin bread is now a fam favorite!

1000011546

5 stars
Easy! Delicious! No matter what dish I bake it in it always needs more time but It’s my ALL TIME favorite FALL recipe.

IMG_1881

5 stars
I added a bag of the Heath toffee chips. Divine!

5 stars
I have made this several times, turns out lovely. As other have mentioned, I do have to cook it quite a bit longer than the recipe states but that’s just fine 🙂

5 stars
So far I have been cooking it an extra 24 mins and it isn’t done. I think where I’ve messed up is I forgot to foil it until the last 13 mins I added out of the 24, which fixed it

5 stars
Wonderful flavor, easy, moist and Delicious!!

5 stars
Excellent! Different from other Pumpkin Breads I make. Dense & delicious!
Made three mini loaves. Cooked uncovered 20 mins then covered 20 mins.
Came out perfect!
No troubles as others have stating uncooked.
Love this recipe!!

5 stars
I made this today it’s delicious. I doubled the recipe and added a cup of chopped walnuts and 2 tablespoons of maple syrup and o my goodness it’s great. I will be making this again my husband loved it too

5 stars
I halved this recipe in order to use seven grams of leftover pumpkin puree. I added half a mashed banana to the wet ingredients (to make up for the missing pumpkin puree), decreased the white sugar by twenty grams, and it made three mini loaves that were delicious, moist, and perfect for fall! I also sprinkled chopped almonds and dark chocolate chips on top, thinking that they would sink down into the bread, but they stayed on top and made the loaves look festive!

I’m just wondering could you make this in a bundt pan?

5 stars
Used this recipe today. I tweaked a couple of things. It turned out amazing! You must try it!!! Super easy and delish!!

This was delicious. My husban, who normally doesn’t care for pumpkin, loved this.

I made 8 mini loaves and cooked it for 30 minutes. I covered it with foil for 20 minutes. They turned out perfect and tasted delicious.

Thank you for the recipe.

Easy and best pumpkin bread. I reduced the sugar by 1/4 c and greased my loaf pan without using parchment paper and it doesn’t stick.

5 stars
Baked this for Thanksgiving. It did take longer (15 mins) in the oven to get done but it was definitely the best pumpkin bread I’ve ever tasted. Even my brother who never cared for pumpkin bread put in a request for me to always have this every Thanksgiving –that says a lot for the flavor. This is a keeper.

5 stars
Really good! I used butter instead of oil and it came out so delicious! Thank you for the recipe

5 stars
Wow! SO good! Dense and moist! Just FYI— I used olive oil instead of vegetable oil and coconut sugar instead of brown sugar. I also used organic, unbleached flour and organic cane sugar. Probably the BEST pumpkin bread I’ve ever made (and tasted)! Perfect! Thank you!

5 stars
Better than Starbucks

5 stars
Turned out great even though I screwed up! First time I made it I completely forgot to add the oil. Didn’t realize it until already in the oven. To my surprise it turned out perfect! Still very nice and moist. Got rave reviews from my husband and his friend. Second time I made it I purposely left out the oil. Rave reviews from friends. So I honestly don’t know what the purpose of the oil is, but I’ll continue to omit it. Only other changes I made was to use cinnamon and add raisins. I baked as three smaller loaves for about 45-50 mins. Best pumpkin bread recipe I’ve ever tried!

5 stars
This is the best recipe!!! My cooking time is more like 1 1/2 hours no problem just continue to check every 10 minutes. Thanks

5 stars
This was a hit! My family and friends loved it so much that I definitely need to make it at our thanksgiving dinner party celebration, it was so deliciously tasty and moist! I wouldn’t change a thing

Thank you so much for sharing!❤️

5 stars
I doubled the recipe and substituted butter for the oil…. Amazing!!!

Is it a 1/2 cup for oil or melted butter? I like that I can use butter as I don’t usually have veg oil on hand!

Thank You For Being Here!

Jessica
For the past 15 years, Jorge & Jessica have loved getting to share their families' favorite recipes with all of you. They live in Florida with their 3 kids.