Best Pumpkin Bread

Name: Best Pumpkin Bread
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 50 min
Total time: 1 h
Yield: 1
Cuisine: American
Ingredients: 1 3/4 cups all purpose flour; 1 tablespoon pumpkin spice; 1 teaspoon baking soda; 1/2 teaspoon salt; 1 (15 oz) can pumpkin (pure pumpkin puree); 1 cup granulated sugar; 1/2 cup packed brown sugar; 2 large eggs; 1/2 cup vegetable oil; 1 tablespoon vanilla extract

4.5 (17 Reviews)

The Best Pumpkin Bread

Is it even fall without pumpkin bread? No, probably not. And, this pumpkin bread is probably the best you’ll ever have!

This easy pumpkin bread recipe starts with the most important ingredient – one who can of pumpkin. We flavor it up with the perfect blend of spices and pop it into the oven. It’s a breeze to put together and goes into then oven in just 10 minutes.

I promise you will get that perfect, super soft, moist pumpkin bread, with tons of spiced pumpkin flavor, every single time with this recipe. Serve it warm with butter, room temperature or even chilled! It’s insanely delicious all three ways!

Pumpkin loaf on a grey and white plate with forks and butter.

Starbucks Pumpkin Bread

This recipe is a copycat recipe for the famous Pumpkin Loaf from Starbucks! If you are a crazy fan of Starbucks’ pumpkin bread, you have to make this version at home. For the price of one piece at Starbucks, you have have an entire loaf of it at home!

The only flavor difference between this pumpkin bread and the one at Starbucks: Pepitas sprinkled on top! I left them off because my kids prefer this bread without, but if you like the added crunch just sprinkle them right on top before baking!

What are Pepitas?

Pepitas are pumpkin seeds that don’t require shelling – they grow inside certain pumpkins this way. Pepitas are smaller than traditional pumpkin seeds we are used to seeing inside pumpkins and they are green versus the traditional off-white color.

They are a great source of healthy fats and fatty acids and make a great snack. And if you like a little crunch on top of your bread, they are a great addition to this pumpkin bread to make it an exact copycat for Starbucks’ Pumpkin Bread!

Ingredients

You’ll need a few baking ingredients on hand to make this pumpkin bread. You probably already have most of them already, so you’ll likely only need to pick up a few things:

All purpose flour
Pumpkin spice – if you don’t have pumpkin spice blend, you can use cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, cloves, and allspice. Combine equal portions of each in a small bowl and then use what you need for the recipe.
Baking soda
Salt
Pumpkin – make sure it is pure pumpkin puree, not the pumpkin pie filling
Granulated sugar
Brown sugar
Large eggs
Vegetable oil – you could use canola oil if you prefer or have it on hand, I’d avoid olive oil though because it often has a very strong flavor that may come through in the pumpkin bread
Vanilla extract – pure is my preferred, but you can use artificial vanilla if you have that on hand

PUMPKIN PIE SPICE VS CINNAMON?

You can use pumpkin pie spice or just cinnamon in this recipe. Either way is delicious! If you do not have Pumpkin Spice on hand, but would like to make it, below is a simple recipe:

DIY Pumpkin Pie Spice

4 teaspoons ground cinnamon
2 teaspoons ground ginger
1 teaspoon ground cloves
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon ground allspice

Mix all ingredients together. This recipe will make a little over 2 tablespoons of pumpkin pie spice.
You can double or triple the recipe and save it for any other wonderful Fall recipes or even sprinkle it over your morning coffee!

White bowl with pumpkin batter inside with a whisk.

How to make pumpkin bread

Making pumpkin bread is super easy. You just need to measure the ingredients, dump, mix, and bake. Here’s how you do it:

Prep the oven and pan: Start by preheating your oven to 375 degrees. Preheating helps make sure the bread cooks evenly. While the oven preheats, grease a 9×5 baking loaf pan and line with parchment paper so that it hangs some over the sides. You can use oil, butter and flour, or non-stick spray to grease the pan. The parchment paper makes removing the bread very easy.

Mix the dry ingredients: In a medium sized bowl, whisk the flour, pumpkin spice, baking soda, and salt until they are well combined. Set the bowl aside.

Mix the wet ingredients: In a large bowl, whisk the pumpkin, sugar and brown sugar. When they are well combined, beat in the eggs, vegetable oil, and vanilla extract.

Bring it all together: Once the eggs and oil are combined, slowly whisk in the flour mixture, until there are no lumps.

Bake and serve: Pour the batter into your prepared loaf pan and smooth the top with a spatula. If you are using a 9×5 baking loaf pan, the loaf should be done around 40 to 45 minutes or when a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

If you are using a different size loaf pan, you will need to vary the time some. Shorter loaf pans will bake for longer while longer ones may need less time.

After about 30 minutes, cover the top of the bread with foil. Covering the top with foil helps to make sure the top does not brown too much.

Allow the bread to cool, slice, and serve with your favorite toppings. Store leftovers in an airtight container at room temperature. Can also serve warm with butter!

Up close image of pumpkin bread sliced on a piece of parchment paper.

Tips for making the best pumpkin bread:

Make sure you pack the brown sugar when measuring, this ensures you get the right amount.
Don’t over-mix the bread, stir it long enough to remove the lumps and then bake.
Ovens bake differently, if your oven cooks hotter or cooler, you may need to adjust your bake time slightly.
Avoid strong flavored oils like olive oil or coconut oil, vegetable or canola oil often work best.
Cover the bread with foil at 30 minutes to help stop the top from over-browning.

Serving ideas

Pumpkin bread is a lot like banana bread. It’s a sweet quick bread that is perfect for a quick breakfast or a mid-afternoon snack.

I often eat it plain or add a small amount of butter on top. You could also heat it up a little and top it with Nutella, cream cheese, apple butter, or other butters or jams.

Storing the bread

Pumpkin bread needs to be kept at room temperature or below. To store it, first let the bread cool completely on a wire rack. After it is completely cool, tightly wrap the bread in plastic wrap or place it in an airtight container. You can then store it on your counter for about 5 days.

If you like warm slices of bread, you can slice a piece off and lightly toast it in your toaster oven or a standard toaster. You can also microwave it for 10 seconds!

Two slices of pumpkin bread on a gray plate with butter on top.

I am so excited to finally be sharing this super soft, easy Pumpkin Bread recipe with all of you. We have been testing it for the past 3 years and I finally feel that I got the recipe perfect to be able to say it’s as good (if not better!) then the Starbucks’ Pumpkin Bread!

Please leave a review — you can even leave a photo now in the comments – sharing how this recipe turns out for you!

Looking for more amazing sweet Pumpkin recipes? Try this reader favorite for Pumpkin Cream Cheese Swirl Muffins, easy Maple Glazed Pumpkin Donuts and my favorite impressive — but still easy to make — Pumpkin Pie Cheesecake!

Yield: 1 loaf