Hands down, this our favorite pumpkin bread recipe ever.
It’s a staple at our house year round.
Because, you know, we love pumpkin everything.
(Check out our other pumpkin recipes here!)
As Halloween approaches, I always start baking up a storm.
Call it a coping mechanism for the craziness that is the month of October when you live in Salem, Massachusetts (a.k.a. Witch City).
See Halloween action from previous years here.
Pumpkin spice is always nice
This quick bread is moist, fragrant with cinnamon and ginger, and makes the perfect, portable, pumpkin-y snack.
Use my spice blend in the recipe below, or substitute in pumpkin pie spice (omit all the other spices)—or your own favorite mixture.
Sometimes, I throw in like 1/4 teaspoon of cardamon, too. (Cardamon is a very specific flavor, though, so make sure you like it before you add it in…It’s not everyone’s cup of tea.)
And the best part? It’s so easy you can practically make it with your eyes closed.
Like most epic quick breads, you whip it up using a single mixing bowl.
So simple.
The short version of the recipe goes like this
Mix all the ingredients together.
Pour the batter into your pan.
Slide that little baby into the oven and bake ’til done.
Then wait until it’s cool enough to slice without burning your paws off.
That’s it.
You’ll find step-by-step photos and a printable recipe card below.
Check out my new loaf pan
I made my pumpkin bread in my awesome new pumpkin loaf pan.
I’m a little bit in love with it. (You can get one here on Amazon.)
It’s super seasonal and doesn’t really require any additional decoration before serving.
(That’s my kind of pan. If you know me, you know that decorating cakes and cookies is one of my least favorite things to do.)
If you don’t have a fancy loaf pan, any regular bread pan will do.
High-quality spices + vanilla make a huge difference
This pumpkin bread gets a heady whiff of vanilla from really good vanilla extract.
Get my super simple recipe for making your own neverending vanilla extract with whole vanilla beans at home.
I keep mine in an old glass milk bottle.
Pro-tip: It makes AMAZING holiday gifts…but takes a while to steep, so get started now!
If you’re not down for making your own, I also like this one a lot.
Ingredient tip
Make sure you use straight pumpkin puree for this—NOT pumpkin pie filling, which is pre-loaded with spices and other stuff.
It’s easy to confuse the two at the grocery store. Lately, I mostly use this one here.
Alright, enough yapping. To the ovens!
Best Ever Pumpkin Bread
1 cup pumpkin puree (NOT pumpkin pie filling)
2 large eggs
1/2 cup olive oil
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract (learn how to make your own here!)
1 cup white sugar
1 cup flour
3/4 teaspoon baking powder
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
Pinch of salt
Makes 1 loaf pumpkin bread
Do a little prep
Grease a loaf pan with a little spray oil or soft butter. Set aside.
Pre-heat your oven to 375-degrees F.
Make the pumpkin bread batter
Put the pumpkin puree, eggs, olive oil, vanilla extract, and sugar in a large mixing bowl.
(Sidebar. Can we pause for a minute to admire one of my new Halloween spatulas? I found some really cool, spooky kitchen gear this year.)
Mix until uniform. (I started with the spatula, then switched to a whisk.)
You want a nice, uniform mixture with no big lumps or globs of sugar.
Toss in all the flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, ginger, cloves, nutmeg, and salt.
Mix until uniform. (Spatula again!)
Don’t go crazy mixing. You want the batter to just come together with no lumps.
Pour the batter into your prepared pan.
Bake your pumpkin bread
Pop your pan into your pre-heated, 375-degree F oven.
Bake for 30-35 minutes, or until the top is firm and golden brown and a toothpick comes out clean.
(Here’s my post on how to do a toothpick test. So easy and one of the best ways to tell if a cake is done.)
Everyone’s oven is a little different, so keep an eye on it as the time is almost up.
Cool and unmold
When your pumpkin bread is done, yank it out of the oven and set it on a rack to cool in the pan for about 10 minutes.
After about 10 minutes, flip the pan over to unmold your glorious pumpkin bread.
And that’s it! Easy, right?
Let it cool completely before slicing.
Serve and enjoy!
I like to serve fat slices of this pumpkin bread with scoops of good vanilla ice cream and a steaming hot pot of tea.
Enjoy!
Calories
Fat
Carbs
Protein
The Hungry Mouse
Yields 1 loaf
Hands down, this is our favorite pumpkin bread recipe. It's moist and fragrant with cinnamon and fall spices. The best part? You can whip it up in a single bowl!
Save RecipeIngredients
Instructions
- Grease a loaf pan with a little spray oil or soft butter. Set aside.
- Pre-heat your oven to 375-degrees F.
- Put the pumpkin puree, eggs, olive oil, vanilla extract, and sugar in a large mixing bowl. Mix until uniform.
- Toss in all the flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, ginger, cloves, nutmeg, and salt. Mix until uniform.
- Pour the batter into your prepared pan.
- Pop your pan into your pre-heated, 375-degree F oven. Bake for 30-35 minutes, or until the top is firm and golden brown and a toothpick comes out clean. Everyone's oven is a little different, so keep an eye on it as the time is almost up.
- When your pumpkin bread is done, yank it out of the oven and set it on a rack to cool in the pan for about 10 minutes. Then, flip the pan over to unmold your glorious pumpkin bread.
- Let it cool completely before slicing. Serve fat slices with scoops of good vanilla ice cream and a steaming hot pot of tea.Â
