Perfectly Moist Pumpkin Bread
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This is my mother’s recipe for pumpkin bread (or pumpkin loaf). Using canned pumpkin, it comes together in one bowl in minutes and is nicely spiced and full of fall flavors.
Everyone and their mother has a recipe for pumpkin bread. This happens to be my mother’s recipe — not sure where it originates beyond her — and it is incredibly delicious. Made with oil as opposed to butter, the batter comes together in minutes, and the texture of the finished bread is especially moist. If you don’t have a pumpkin quick bread recipe up your sleeve, this one is a winner.
What’s more? It’s a one-bowl job. No need to pull out the stand mixer for this one either. Grab a bowl and whisk, and you’re off!
Make it Ahead
I like to mix my batter at night, pour it into greased pans in the morning, then send the pans off to the oven. There is nothing like the smell of cinnamon-spiced pumpkin bread baking away on a fall (or winter!) morning.
Give it Away
If you have mini loaf pans, this quick bread makes an excellent gift. Mini loaf pans can be purchased here. Mini disposable loaf pans can be purchased here, too. These are great to use for quick breads year-round, but they are especially great to have on hand around the winter holidays.
PS: The Best Banana Bread
PPS: The Best Zucchini Bread (Award Winning 🎉🎉🎉)
What Spices are Good in Pumpkin Bread?
For simplicity, I use cinnamon and nutmeg in the recipe below. These are the classic “pumpkin pie” spices:
- cinnamon
- nutmeg
- cloves
- allspice
- ginger
Any of the above “warm” spices would complement the pumpkin flavor in the recipe below.
How to Make One-Bowl Pumpkin Bread
Here’s the play-by-play:
Gather your ingredients:
Add them to a mixing bowl as directed in the recipe below. A one-bowl job!
Transfer batter to two standard loaf pans or …
… five mini loaf pans:
Bake for about an hour for standard loaf pans:
Bake for 35-45 minutes for mini loaf pans:
This pumpkin bread makes a great gift!
PrintPerfectly Moist Pumpkin Bread
- Total Time: 60 minutes
- Yield: 2 standard loaf pans
Description
This is my mother’s recipe for pumpkin bread (or pumpkin loaf). Using canned pumpkin, it comes together in one bowl in minutes and is nicely spiced and full of fall flavors.
Loaf Pans: I love this Chicago Metallic 8.5 x 4.5 – inch loaf pan for this recipe. You need two pans for this recipe.
Mini loaf pans can be purchased here. Disposable loaf pans can be purchased here, too.
Canned Pumpkin: Some cans are 15 ounces; others are 16 ounces. It doesn’t matter – use the full can of whichever you purchase.
Ingredients
- 2 cups (424 g) sugar
- 1 cup (215 g) grapeseed oil or organic canola oil or other neutral oil
- 4 eggs
- 15 to 16 ounces (454 g) canned pumpkin (not pie filling), see notes above
- 3/4 cup (177 g) water
- 3 cups (384 g) flour
- 2 teaspoons baking soda
- 1 to 1.5 teaspoon (5 to 7 grams) fine sea salt or kosher salt … I use 1.5 teaspoons salt now
- 2 teaspoons cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg (or less)
- 1/2 teaspoon cloves (optional… I never use)
- 1/2 teaspoon allspice (optional… I never use)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350ºF. Grease 2 standard (8.5 x 4.5-inch) loaf pans (or 4 to 5 mini loaf pans depending on what size you are using — don’t fill pans higher than 2/3 full) with butter or non-stick spray.
- Using a stand mixer or hand mixer or simply a whisk (my preference!) beat sugar and oil together until blended. Add eggs one at a time mixing after each addition. Add pumpkin purée and water and mix until blended.
- Add the flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves (if using), and allspice (if using). Whisk only until just incorporated. Pour batter into prepared pans.
- Bake for about an hour (if using standard loaf pans) but start checking for doneness after 45 minutes — the loaves are done when the center springs back when touched. Note: When using the small pans, the loaves should be done in under 45 minutes. Start checking after 30 minutes.
- Let cool 15-20 minutes in pan; then transfer to a cooling rack to continue cooling before cutting and serving.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 45 minutes
- Category: Quick Bread
- Method: Oven
- Cuisine: American
This post may contain affiliate links. Please read my disclosure policy.
496 Comments on “Perfectly Moist Pumpkin Bread”
Great moist very tasty and the best pumpkin bread and first ever made.
Great to hear, Frances 🙂 🙂 🙂 Thanks so much for writing 🙂 🙂 🙂
Thank you for this recipe – crowd-pleaser as loaf and made a few muffins at same time. And a fun way to use our last home-grown pie pumpkins…
Question for you about loaf pans. I see the one you suggest is coated. Is the uncoated version also one you recommend?
Gratitude(s), Bern
Great to hear, Bern! I love the USA Loaf Pan I use in this one-bowl orange-ricotta pound cake. I believe that is uncoated, but definitely double check because it is advertised as nonstick.
I’ve been making this recipe once a week through the fall. I can’t tell you how nice it is to find a recipe that uses one exact can of pumpkin and makes two loaves. My family eats it so fast that I’m glad to have the second or I give it away. I will be keeping canned pumpkin on hand to make this on repeat. Thanks for another wonderful recipe!
So nice to hear this, Nancy 🙂 🙂 🙂 Thanks so much for writing. My kiddos and nieces and nephews love this one so much, too.
Sinking my teeth into a slice of this was sooo satisfying! What made it even better than great is, my 7yr old baked the loaves independently. He did so good, thanks to the fool proof recipe!!! We added chocolate chips to one loaf and pumpkin seeds to the other.
This recipe is a keeper! Slices were moist and tender but still held up really well. We LOVED it! Thank you so much for this one ❤ your recipes delight my family!
So nice to read all of this, Shil! And wow, bravo to your 7-yr old 🎉🎉🎉🎉 Thank you for writing and thank you for your kind words 💕💕💕
Another great recipe. Easy to make, comes together fast and kids love it too! Thank you for another fantastic breakfast/snack addition for our family.
Great to hear, Sharon! Thanks so much for writing 🙂
Very good and moist. I use the cloves because it helps the pumpkin flavor.
This is truly the best pumpkin bread recipe. I make it for friends all the time. It freezes so well too! Thanks again for another wonderful recipe.
Great to hear, Sophia! Thanks for writing 🙂
The best pumpkin bread ever!!
Great to hear, Jennifer!
This pumpkin bread looks amazing.
Is it possible to use less sugar by 1/3, and could i use a different oil?
I get reaction from veg oil and too much sugar.
Thank you,
Christine
Yes! Should be fine: I actually just updated the recipe bc I never use vegetable oil. I always use grapeseed oil.
First time making pumpkin bread this year and decided to try a new recipe — this one is a winner for sure!! 10 stars. My family loved this one. Thank you for making me look like a star 🙂
So nice to hear this, Jenny 🙂 🙂 🙂 Thanks so much for writing and sharing this.
As with so many of your *speechless* videos, Ali, I love that you don’t edit out the sounds of life — your kids practicing the piano & asking questions. And your recipes are amazing! Trying this one for the first time tonight. The oven’s preheating. Can’t wait!
PS — I’m going with muffins instead of loaves & just learned how to make parchment muffin liners. I have 12 liners ready to go! 😀
Fun! I love making parchment muffin liners, too. I hope the muffins turned out well! Thank you for your kind words. I hope all is well 🙂
The muffins turned out great! I added cream cheese filling which I’d never tried. Next time I’ll leave out the sugar in the cream cheese. The muffin is nicely sweet & I love the extra tartness.
Fun aside: I have a lot of extra organic bread flour left over as I’ve cut way back on my sourdough baking the past few months. So I used bread flour for the muffins which I *think* added some additional body to the crumb without being heavy.
Great to hear, Anthea! And I love that you added a cream cheese filling — I’ve never done that. How fun?! And isn’t it the best feeling to use up random bags of flour? I do this with waffles and pancakes, too… no one seems to mind!
Fabulous. My grandson and I made this together–nice to have two loaves. It doesn’t even need cream cheese because it is so moist.
I give it Five Forks, the highest rating.
Yay! Great to hear Linda 🙂 🙂 🙂 So nice to read this.
Thank you for your support of World Central Kitchen. I made this pumpkin bread today and it was delicious. Moist and not too sweet. Adding it to my favorite recipes.
Great to hear, Kapua! Thanks for writing 🙂
Loved this recipe thank you !
Do you think that I can add orange zest to it ?
My grandkids love making it 🥰
Definitely!
This is the most amazing pumpkin bread. I made it exactly as listed and it turned out fantastic. I gifted a loaf to my neighbor who had just broken her foot. She is still raving about it.
Thank you for so many great recipes and for the videos. I love the videos as sometimes I need that visual.
Great to hear, Melaney 🙂 🙂 🙂 Thanks so much for writing.
I love all you’re recipes! Also I love the side commentary from your kids. Side tip from when your pouring honey from a measuring cup – spray cup first with evoo and the honey slides right out!
Such a great tip! Thank you, Alli 🙂 🙂 🙂
This was delicious and easy to make!
Great to hear, Doris!
Cora and I very much enjoyed a slice or two of this after swim lessons today! Great bread as always, Ali — but it’s the piano practice that kills me! Is that Ella on the keys?
xoxo
Awww so nice to read this, Lindsay 🙂 🙂 🙂 I’m actually not sure who that was now… sadly they’ve all quit piano, which breaks my heart, but it was becoming too much of a chore (for all of us!). Hope all is well xoxo
Hi! I’d like to add some dates (have some from Rancho Meladuco that need to be used up) to this batter. Any idea how much and if other adjustments should be made to your recipe to make it work? Thanks.
Hi Leslie! My only thought would be to maybe reduce the sugar slightly? Since the dates will provide some sweetness? I don’t think you need to make any other adjustments to the recipe.
I like to try this recipe with fresh pumpkin purée, do I need to add any else to recipe?
Nope! Just sub the same amount of fresh pumpkin purée for the canned.
Oh my goodness, this is the best pumpkin bread I have ever made in my entire life. I used the “optional” spices in it, and this is divine!!! Highly recommend!!
Finally, I’ve found a pumpkin bread recipe that’s a winner!! It’s so moist and full of flavor. I added chopped pecans to the batter and topped the loaves with a maple-pecan glaze. Delicious!
Yay and yum! It all sounds delicious 🙂
This was so good! I ended up using almost equal amounts of carrot and cauliflower since I had to use them up, and went a little lighter on the Thai red curry so it didn’t get too spicy. Sweet, savory, a little exotic with a touch of heat. So simple and fast and a GREAT way to eat a lot of veggies in a different way. Thanks for posting this!
Oh shoot! Wrong recipe! I have 2 open at the same time…your bread is currently in my oven and it smells great! Will post after I’ve eaten some. Sorry!
Great to read all of this! Thanks for writing. Hope both the pumpkin bread turned out well. Great to hear about the curry!
Followed recipe to the”T”. Didn’t rise and looks doughy inside.
Hi! I think perhaps you didn’t bake it long enough? Did you use a scale to measure?
I did not weigh my flour but measured per instructions. My pan was 1/4 ” wider and 1″ longer. Could that throw it off
It could, but if anything, that would have made the baking time shorter. I think it’s likely that the bread just needed more time — all ovens are a little different. It’s a very forgiving recipe bc it’s very moist, so I would err on the side of over baking.
Thank you
Oh, this was delicious! I did modify a tiny bit for (very) high altitude; used only 1.5 tsp of baking soda and baked at 375 for about 50 minutes. This is just making it functionally the same, since the soda/ air release faster, so less is needed for the same result. (And sometimes if you use the standard amount, the air comes out way too fast, and the baking falls.) Flavor change in mine was to swap 1/4 cup of the sugar for brown and add some vanilla! This recipe will go into my Making That Again printed recipe folder. Which I started after the Food Network took down one of Alton Brown’s mac and cheese recipes because he’s updated it. I liked the old one better! Never losing something this good or that good again.
Smart! I wonder why Alton changed the recipes… love his stuff, which is usually so reliable. Anyway: thanks so much for sharing your high-altitude baking notes — so helpful for others!
Hi Ali …
I’ve made this wonderful recipe a few times with great success using small sugar pumpkins I buy for Halloween then roast for baking. I don’t carve the pumpkins 🙂
I’m considering subbing out 1 cup of the flour for 1 cup of almond flour, and adding some round flax seed (2-3 tablespoons).
Thoughts?
Grateful as always for your wonderful recipes & videos …
Anthea
PS — Today I read your granola post about your daughter’s first day of kindergarten back in 2015. So sweet! That pout then the smile!! I’ll bet she’s quite grown up now, as are my 2 kids (33 & 37 years old now!). Time flies. And I do miss their small-hands kitchen help & the wonderful meals they prepare for me now when we all get together. I’m so glad that they both love good food and cooking!
Awww, so nice to read all of this, Anthea 🙂 🙂 🙂
I think subbing 1 cup of almond flour for the wheat flour will work just fine. The loaf will likely be a little denser, but that’s not a bad thing, and the almond and ground flax will add nice flavor. I say go for it! Will love to hear how it turns out if you give it a go.
Hi Ali …
I made your Perfectly Moist Pumpkin Bread again, right after I wrote last time. I forgot to post the results. I subbed in some almond flour & a few other things, & added several more in an attempt to achieve a super healthy & textured snack bread. Honestly, I didn’t have much hope it would rise adequately but I was surprised. It turned out great & was so tasty!
HERE’S YOUR RECIPE IN ORDER WITH MY CHANGES MARKED BY ASTERISKS:
2 cups (424 g) sugar
** I reduced the sugar by 100 grams (324 grams). The loaf was plenty sweet so I’ll reduce the sugar more next time.
1 cup (215 g) grapeseed oil or organic canola oil or other neutral oil
** I reduced the oil to 175 grams adjusting for the tahini.
** I used 3 oils (olive 100 grams, sesame 45 grams, peanut 30 grams) due to being out of Canola.
4 eggs (no change)
15 to 16 ounces (454 g) canned pumpkin (not pie filling), see notes above
** I was short on my home-roasted pumpkin. I had 358 grams & made up the difference with 50 grams of tahini & 50 grams of fresh apple pulsed in the food processor to combine with the pumpkin.
3/4 cup (177 g) water (no change)
3 cups (384 g) flour
** I used 250 grams of organic bread flour (do to having purchased a lot & not making sourdough bread weekly anymore) & 134 grams of almond flour. I might go 50/50 next time, since the finished loaf texture was lovely — better than I expected!
2 teaspoons baking soda
** I added 1/2 teaspoon of baking powder due to the extra heavy ingredients.
1 to 1.5 teaspoon (5 to 7 grams) fine sea salt or kosher salt … I use 1.5 teaspoons salt now (no change)
ADD (no change & I used all the spices!)
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg (or less)
1/2 teaspoon cloves (optional… I never use)
1/2 teaspoon allspice (optional… I never use)
** I ADDED **
2 Tablespoons of millet
2 Tablesoons of flaxmeal
2 Tablespoons of chia seeds
2 Tablespoons of sesame seeds
2 Tablespoons of freshly ground ginger
** these are my heavy ingredients that I felt unsure of **
I baked 2 loaves using your temp & time in parchment-lined pans, & froze one loaf to share when my daughter visited a few weeks back.
I feel like your pumpkin loaf recipe is wonderful just as it is (I’ve baked it before & loved it!). And it’s also a great canvas to experiment with.
Time to bake another!
So fun to read all of this, Anthea! I have been loving seedy, spiced things recently (like in my almond butter!) so this all sounds wonderful. Thank you for taking the time to share all of these notes. So helpful for others looking for a healthier loaf.