Best Pumpkin Bread Recipe

Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 50 minutes
Total Time 1 hour
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This soft, moist, and tender pumpkin bread recipe is packed with a whole can of pumpkin and warm fall spices. It’s incredibly easy to make and ready to go in the oven in just 10 minutes!

Why You Will Love This Pumpkin Bread Recipe

This homemade pumpkin bread is so incredible, it’s probably the best you’ll ever have! Here’s why I know you will love it:

  • Easy: This quick bread recipe comes together in just 10 minutes, with no mixer required!
  • Pumpkin Flavor: This pumpkin bread recipe uses one whole can of pumpkin, making it packed with pumpkin flavor with no leftover pumpkin to worry about!
  • Texture: Super soft and moist pumpkin bread every single time! Serve it warm with butter, room temperature or even chilled. It’s insanely delicious all three ways.
  • Starbucks Copycat: If you add pepitas on top, this becomes a great copycat recipe for the Starbuck’s pumpkin loaf. For the price of one piece, you can bake an entire loaf at home!
  • Great For Gifting: This pumpkin bread travels easily and stays delicious for days, making it a great homemade gift.

Watch How To Make It

Watch how to make this easy pumpkin bread recipe step-by-step:

Ingredients in white bowls on a grey background.

Ingredients Needed

Most ingredients needed are pantry staples that you hopefully already have! For full ingredient amounts and directions, scroll to the printable recipe card at the bottom of this post.

  • Flour: I used regular all-purpose flour.
  • Pumpkin Spice: I shared my homemade pumpkin spice mix in the recipe card.
  • Baking Soda
  • Salt
  • Pumpkin: I use a 15 oz can of pumpkin. Make sure it is pure pumpkin puree, not pumpkin pie filling which is already sweetened.
  • Granulated Sugar
  • Brown Sugar
  • Eggs
  • Vegetable Oil: You can use canola oil or melted butter, if you prefer.
  • Vanilla Extract
Pumpkin loaf on a grey and white plate with forks and butter.

How to Make Pumpkin Bread

If you can measure ingredients and use a whisk, you’ve got this!

  • Dry ingredients: Whisk to combine the flour, pumpkin pie spice, baking soda, and salt.
  • Wet ingredients: Whisk together the pumpkin, sugar and brown sugar. Then beat in the eggs, vegetable oil, and vanilla. 
  • Combine: Slowly whisk the flour mixture into the wet mixture until there are no lumps.
  • Bake: Pour the batter into a 9×5 loaf pan. Bake for 50 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Half way through baking, lightly cover with foil.
  • Serve: Serve bread warm, or cool completely and store.
Up close image of pumpkin bread sliced on a piece of parchment paper.

Tips And Variations

Guarantee your pumpkin bread turns out just the way you want with these recipe tips and variations:

  • Don’t Over-Mix: Stir the batter just long enough to remove the lumps and then pour into loaf pan.
  • Parchment Paper: Greasing your baking pan and then lining it with parchment paper will help the bread to not stick to the pan. It also makes it very easy to lift the pumpkin bread out of the pan.
  • Cover With Foil: This is a very moist and dense pumpkin loaf, which means it will take a while to bake through. The outside will be done quicker than the center. To prevent the top from over-browning, loosely cover the pumpkin bread with aluminum foil half way through baking.
  • Add Nuts or Chocolate Chips: I love adding chocolate to create a pumpkin chocolate chip bread! You can add 1/2 cup of chocolate chips, chopped pecans or walnuts to the batter.
  • Pumpkin Muffins: Want to use this recipe to make muffins? Bake them in a standard sized muffin tin for about 18 minutes. I love to add a little cream cheese swirl to create pumpkin cream cheese muffins!
  • Cream Cheese: Want to add cream cheese to the bread? I tried it and it creates a gorgeous pumpkin cream cheese bread.
Two slices of pumpkin bread on a gray plate with butter on top.

How to Store Pumpkin Loaf

To store, tightly wrap the completely cooled pumpkin bread in plastic wrap and then place it in an airtight container. Store the bread on your counter for about 4 days, or in the fridge for up to a week.

To warm, you can lightly toast a slice in your toaster oven or a standard toaster. You can also microwave it for 10 seconds for that freshly baked taste.

Can I Freeze This?

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, allow bread to thaw in the fridge for 24 hours before serving.

More Must Make Pumpkin Recipes

Slices of pumpkin bread on parchment paper with a pumpkin.
4.5 from 391 votes
Print Pin Recipe
Yield: 8 slices

Pumpkin Bread Recipe

This super soft, moist pumpkin bread recipe is made with a whole can of pumpkin and tastes even better than the Starbucks pumpkin loaf. Bonus: it’s 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
  • 1 cup granulated sugar
  • ½ cup packed brown sugar
  • 2 large eggs
  • ½ cup vegetable oil
  • 1 tablespoon vanilla extract

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, then slice and serve warm, or allow to cool completely.

Video

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.
Parchment Paper: Greasing your baking pan and then lining it with parchment paper will help the bread to not stick to the pan. It also makes it very easy to lift the bread out of the pan.
Cover With Foil: This is a very moist and dense pumpkin loaf, which means it will take a while to cook through. The outside will be done quicker than the center. To prevent the top from over-browning, loosely tent aluminum foil over the top of the pumpkin bread about 30 minutes into the total baking time.
Add Nuts or Chocolate Chips: I love pumpkin chocolate chip bread! You can add up to 1/2 cup of chocolate chips, chopped pecans or walnuts to the batter. Love Starbucks pumpkin loaf? Add pepitas on top of the batter to create a copycat version.
Pumpkin Muffins: Want to use this recipe to make muffins? Bake them in a standard sized muffin tin for about 18 minutes. I love to add a little cream cheese swirl on top of the batter before baking to create pumpkin cream cheese muffins!
Cream Cheese: Want to add cream cheese? I tried it and it makes a perfect base to create a gorgeous pumpkin cream cheese bread.
DIY Pumpkin Pie Spice: Combine 4 tsp cinnamon, 2 tsp ginger, 1 tsp cloves, 1/2 tsp nutmeg and 1/2 tsp allspice.

Nutrition

Serving: 1slice, Calories: 410kcal, Carbohydrates: 64g, Protein: 5g, Fat: 15g, Saturated Fat: 3g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 8g, Monounsaturated Fat: 4g, Trans Fat: 0.1g, Cholesterol: 41mg, Sodium: 306mg, Potassium: 180mg, Fiber: 2g, Sugar: 40g, Vitamin A: 8334IU, Vitamin C: 2mg, Calcium: 41mg, Iron: 2mg

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Welcome!

Jessica
I'm a trial & error, self taught, sugar addict who thankfully learned how to survive in the kitchen! I am also a wife, mama of 3.