This easy Pumpkin Cream Cheese Bread is one of my favorite Fall desserts to bake! Thick, fluffy and moist pumpkin bread stuffed with sweet cream cheese swirls… need I say more?
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Easy Pumpkin Cream Cheese Bread
Fall desserts are a serious weakness of mine – I just can’t resist them! On second thought, they must be a strength because this Pumpkin Cream Cheese Bread is to die for.
This moist pumpkin bread is thick, cake-like, filled with pumpkin flavor, and stuffed/topped with a layer of cream cheese. Pumpkin-based desserts can tend to overwhelm people with their strong flavor, but this homemade pumpkin bread has a perfect balance of rich pumpkin and sweet cream cheese.
PUMPKIN PIE SPICE VS CINNAMON?
You can use pumpkin pie spice (also sometimes shortened to use Pumpkin Spice) or you can use cinnamon in this recipe. Either way is delicious!
If you do not have Pumpkin Spice, 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!
Recipe Ingredients
Ready to try this pumpkin spice masterpiece? Here’s what you’ll need:
For the cream cheese filling/topping:
- Cream Cheese: let it come to room temperature before you use it.
- Granulated Sugar
- Egg Yolk
- Vanilla Extract
For the pumpkin loaf:
- All Purpose Flour
- Pumpkin Pie Spice: Substitute with a mix of ground cinnamon and ginger if you need to. Here is how to make homemade pumpkin spice.
- Baking Soda
- Salt
- Canned Pumpkin: It should be a pure pumpkin puree, not pumpkin pie filling.
- Granulated Sugar
- Packed Brown Sugar
- Eggs
- Vegetable Oil
- Vanilla Extract
How to Make Pumpkin Cream Cheese Bread
Prep: Preheat oven to 375°F. Grease a 9×5 baking loaf pan and line with parchment paper (where it hangs over the edges) for easy bread removal. Set aside.
Beat: In a medium bowl, beat cream cheese until smooth. Add in sugar, egg yolk and vanilla extract and beat until well combined. Set aside.
Mix: In a medium bowl, whisk flour, pumpkin spice, baking soda and salt until well combined. Set aside.
Add: In large bowl, whisk together pumpkin, sugar and brown sugar. Beat in eggs, vegetable oil and vanilla extract. Slowly whisk in the flour mixture, until there are no lumps.
Layer: Pour half of the batter into prepared loaf pan and smooth the top with a spatula. Spoon half of the cream cheese mixture over the top of this layer and spread evenly, then add the remaining pumpkin batter on top. Drag a knife in a few swirls through the batter to swirl the middle layer of cream cheese (only do a few swirls).
Swirl: Then top the pumpkin batter with the remaining cream cheese mixture. Use a butter knife or toothpick to swirl it into the batter. This will not look smooth, but it will bake up much prettier.
Bake: Loosely tent loaf pan with foil to prevent too much browning and bake fo 40 to 45 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the pumpkin part comes out clean.
Serve and Store: Allow to cool, slice and serve. Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge because of the cream cheese filling.
Tips and Add-In Ideas
Here are some tips and add-ins you might want to consider:
- Let Bread Cool Before Slicing: The slices will stay together much better after the bread has cooled.
- Don’t Over-Mix the Batter: If you beat the batter too much the bread’s texture will become tougher.
- Use a Brick of Cream Cheese: Cream cheese from a tub will have too much moisture.
- Possible Add-Ins: You might try throwing in some chocolate chips, or any chopped nuts that you like.
How to Store Homemade Pumpkin Bread
Homemade Pumpkin Bread can be stored in the fridge in an airtight container, for about a week.
Can I Freeze Pumpkin Cream Cheese Bread?
Yes! If stored in an airtight container or plastic wrap, pumpkin bread can be frozen for 2-3 months.
This pumpkin cream cheese bread is epically moist and full of flavor. It’s also very easy to whip up and is always a huge hit with a crowd. I always make a double loaf because my family of 5 can make it disappear in a day!
Looking for more pumpkin recipes? Try out some of these reader favorites:
- Pumpkin Cream Cheese Muffins – swirled just like this bread!
- Double Layer Pumpkin Pie Cheesecake
- Pumpkin Pie Crisp
- The Best Pumpkin Cake
Pumpkin Cream Cheese Bread
Ingredients
Cream Cheese Filling/Topping:
- 8 oz cream cheese
- ¼ cup granulated sugar
- 1 large egg yolk
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
Pumpkin Loaf:
- 1 ¾ cups all purpose flour
- 1 tablespoon pumpkin spice
- 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
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We’ll email this recipe to you, so you can come back to it later!
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375°F. Grease a 9×5 baking loaf pan and line with parchment paper (where it hangs over the edges) for easy bread removal. Set aside.
- In a medium bowl, beat cream cheese until smooth. Add in sugar, egg yolk and vanilla extract and beat until well combined. Set aside.
- In a medium bowl, whisk flour, pumpkin spice, baking soda and salt until well combined. Set aside.
- In large bowl, whisk together pumpkin, sugar and brown sugar. Beat in eggs, vegetable oil and vanilla extract. Slowly whisk in the flour mixture, until there are no lumps.
- Pour half of the batter into prepared loaf pan and smooth the top with a spatula. Spoon half of the cream cheese mixture over the top of this layer and spread evenly, then add the remaining pumpkin batter on top. Drag a knife in a few swirls through the batter to swirl the middle layer of cream cheese (only do a few swirls).
- Then top the pumpkin batter with the remaining cream cheese mixture. Use a butter knife or toothpick to swirl it into the batter. This will not look smooth, but it will bake up much prettier.
- Loosely tent loaf pan with foil to prevent too much browning and bake fo 40 to 45 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the pumpkin part comes out clean.
- Allow to cool, slice and serve. Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge because of the cream cheese filling.
Video
Nutrition
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I made a double batch of this (previously I’ve made the muffins which were a hit!). When I went to use my bread pans….couldn’t find them. So, I improvised with a couple of 9×9 pans. Ended up baking for about 50 minutes in a glass pan and 1hr in a ceramic. Had no issues! Great recipe – bread is not too sweet and not too dense. Just right for toasting and enjoying with coffee in the morning! 🙂
Absolutely delicious! Thank you for a wonderful recipe!
I’ve made this recipe a minimum of 5 times and have had no issues beyond cooking an additional 5-10 minutes which is normal for recipes to vary. I also use ceramic which is known to take longer than glass or metal. The loaf tastes delicious and is so moist! It rarely lasts the day in my house. I’ve tried a few out and always come back to this one. Thanks for sharing!
Flavor is great. However, I cooked this for 55 min and the center was still not done. Will need to adjust my oven somewhat. Will definitely make again and salvage the end pieces of this loaf. I agree that one pan is adequate.
I made this tonight. I did not have a deep enough pan, so I did split it into two pans. It worked perfectly and was done a few minutes early.
My house smells perfectly of fall. I’m excited to try it with my morning coffee!
This recipe should say to put use two loaf pans. I put in one pan and it took entirely too long to cook. Like the other comments it took 2 hours. I had to turn the temp down to 350, because the bottom was burning before it could cook through in the center. Sometimes I wonder if people even test recipes before they post them online.
Hi Lisa! I’m sorry you had that issue, but I do test recipes. 3 times minimum in fact! First I test the recipe personally at least 2x, then it’s off to a hired recipe tester. I then make the recipe again for photos and the video. You can tell that this recipe has been tested by seeing all the step by step photos and the video of the recipe being made. I actually baked this again this weekend while visiting my grandmother (so in a different oven, in a different state). It took 55 minutes in a 9×5 loaf pan to bake in her oven.
It took me 1 hour and 20 mins at 375 Degrees to bake this loaf. Followed the recipe exactly no deviation. Either the temp is too low or it really should say to bake for 1 hour or until toothpick comes out clean. Other than the cooking time issue the loaf is delicious.
Everyone’s oven temperature is not the same. I, for one, have purchased an oven thermometer. Is there a chance you didn’t have the rack “in the middle” of your oven; and maybe down too low? Also, I make a LOT of quick bread, and this recipe DEFINITELY would not need 2 – 9″x5″ loaf pans. You must not have used the correct size.
The bread itself is very good, but I did have some similar issues to other comments. It took way longer for mine to bake as well, nearly 2 hours. Could just be an oven issue. Secondly, my cream cheese mixture completely baked into the bread, I followed instructions exactly and there was no cream cheese topping to be seen after baking. Not sure what happened there, but the flavor is great.
Made this tonight and it was hand down AMAZING. Loved it and so did my husband and kids. Going to make another tomorrow!
This took much longer to cook for me, but once it was finally ready to come out it was mind blowing!
This recipe is messed up — after 1.5 HOURS in the oven, it was still not cooked. The “bread” turned out soft and completely unbaked. (And no, I am not having oven troubles). I don’t know if there’s too much moisture in the recipe, or not enough of a leavening agent or what. Maybe more egg would fix it? Really not sure, but this recipe does not work.
Do NOT make this at home. Find another recipe.
I just made it and had zero issues. Maybe you missed an ingredient? I made it exactly as listed, it needed 10 minutes more time to cook than the recipe said, but that sometimes happens to me. Otherwise it’s so delicious and my new favorite pumpkin bread.
Terrible recipe. Did not cook whatsoever. Don’t bother wasting all your time making this.
Is your oven working properly? That sounds like an oven issue to me…
Lol. That slice of bread looks like he’s wearing a smile . Id be smiling too! What’s not to love about pumpkin bread?
I got the same result with a hot oven. Middle would not cook no matter how long it was in the oven. Tried covered with tin foil and without for 45 minutes. The middle just doesn’t cook unfortunately.