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This classic pumpkin bread recipe is loaded with warm spices and full of delicious pumpkin flavor. This recipe makes two loaves and freezes beautifully, so you can enjoy one loaf now and freeze the second for later or share it with a friend.
Okay, let’s chat about this pumpkin bread. There is nothing that signifies fall for me more than this recipe. I’ve been making it for years — long before my blog, and it shows up countless times in my kitchen throughout the season.
It’s sweet, spicy and incredibly moist. I know, I know, moist is not my favorite word either, but there is really no way to adequately describe this Pumpkin Bread recipe without mentioning that word.
I have fed this bread to so many people and every one of them has declared that this recipe is the best Pumpkin Bread they have ever tasted.
This particular recipe gets better with time, so whip it up a day or so in advance before you plan on eating it or giving it away. The batter can be assembled in 20 minutes and makes 2 loaves, perfect for freezing for later or sharing with a loved one.
What readers are saying
“This is my favorite pumpkin bread recipe. I make a crumb topping for it and it’s out of this world!…The only “change” I make is I use dark brown sugar and granulated sugar and I add some extra cinnamon. Awesome!” -Paula
“I am obsessed with this recipe…I love how it tastes, how easy it is to put together, how it doesn’t take all the butter in my house to make, and also just how much everyone I share it with loves it.” -Molly
“This is my go to recipe for pumpkin bread. My family requests this every holiday, and all through the winter months. It’s so moist and taste delicious! I highly recommend.” –Laura
Jamie’s testing notes & tips
- This pumpkin bread does take about an hour to bake, but you can easily whip the batter up while your oven is preheating. You can use an electric mixer, but I often skip it and just use a whisk and spatula instead.
- This recipe is the perfect base for your family’s favorite mix-ins. We make it as written multiple times each year, but also love adding everything from chocolate chips to a streusel topping. Scroll down to “recipe variations” for some of our favorites.
- Enjoy this bread plain or toasted, add a spread of butter or cream cheese, or get a little adventurous and fry it up in a pan and make Pumpkin Bread French Toast! You can even use it to make pumpkin trifle for Thanksgiving.
A note from Jamie
2026 update: I’ve been making this pumpkin bread recipe since before I even started blogging, but I first shared the recipe here in 2011. It has been a seasonal favorite every year since. I have updated the post and photos over time to include more helpful tips and tricks, but the recipe itself remains the same. I know you’re gonna love it!
Ingredient notes
⬇️ For the full recipe, including ingredient amounts, scroll down to the recipe card below!
- Pure pumpkin puree: Make sure to buy pumpkin puree, not pumpkin pie filling. Canned pumpkin pie filling is not the same thing; it has a bunch of added ingredients that we don’t need in our Pumpkin Bread.
- Large eggs: These help bind the bread, add moisture, and provide a lot of leavening power to help the loaves rise.
- Vegetable oil: Just like when we make carrot cake, oil is key to keeping the bread moist. This is because it is liquid at room temperature. If you don’t like vegetable oil, you can use any neutral-flavored oil you prefer.
- Water: Adds extra moisture to the batter without throwing off the flavor.
- Vanilla: Extract or vanilla bean paste.
- Granulated sugar: For just the right amount of sweetness in the bread.
- All-purpose flour: Make sure you know how to correctly measure flour before you start baking so your pumpkin bread turns out perfect every time.
- Baking soda: For leavening.
- Kosher salt: To round out the flavors. I have also used fine sea salt with success.
- Pumpkin pie spice: This mix contains all of the warm spices that complement the pumpkin. I like to make my homemade pumpkin pie spice, but a store-bought mix will work just fine.
While you’re at the store, grab a few extra cans because I can guarantee you’ll want to use them in Pumpkin Cheesecake, Pumpkin Bundt Cake, Pumpkin Crunch Cake, and more.
Storage and freezing
Wrap the cooled loaves of pumpkin bread tightly in foil and store at room temperature for up to 3 days or in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
If you’d like to freeze the bread, you can either freeze it whole or as individual slices.
To freeze the whole loaves, wrap the bread well in plastic wrap and then wrap them tightly in heavy-duty foil. To freeze slices, cut nice, thick slices and wrap them each in plastic wrap. Pop them in a zip-top freezer bag.
Freeze the bread for up to 3 months. When you’re ready to enjoy, take the whole loaves out of the freezer and let them thaw on the counter overnight, or grab as many slices as you like and microwave them for 30-60 seconds to thaw and warm them through.
Pumpkin Bread
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 (15-ounce) can pure pumpkin puree
- 4 large eggs
- 1 cup vegetable oil
- ⅔ cup water
- 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- 2 ½ cups granulated sugar
- 3 ½ cups all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons baking soda
- 1 ½ teaspoons kosher salt
- 2 tablespoons pumpkin pie spice
Video
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease and flour (2) 8.5 x 4 x 2.5 inch loaf pans.
- In a large bowl with an electric hand mixer, combine pumpkin, eggs, oil, water, vanilla and sugar until well blended. This can also be done by hand with a whisk if you do not have or do not wish to use an electric mixer.1 (15-ounce) can pure pumpkin puree, 4 large eggs, 1 cup vegetable oil, 2/3 cup water, 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract, 2 1/2 cups granulated sugar
- In a separate large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, salt, and pumpkin pie spice until combined.3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, 2 teaspoons baking soda, 1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt, 2 tablespoons pumpkin pie spice
- Stir the dry ingredients into the pumpkin mixture until just blended. Divide the batter between the prepared pans.
- Bake in preheated oven for 60-70 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Allow to cool in the pans for about 20 minutes before turning out onto a wire rack to cool completely.
Notes
Ingredients
- If you choose to use homemade pumpkin puree, keep in mind that the bread will not be as orange, since homemade puree is typically lighter in color than canned pumpkin.
- If you do not have pumpkin pie spice, you can use ground cinnamon instead.
Variations
- This bread is a fantastic base for all sorts of additions. Get creative by adding in chopped nuts, chocolate chips, dried cranberries, or whatever else sounds good to you.
Yield
- Makes (2) 8.5×4-inch loaves
Storage
- Store well wrapped at room temperature for up to 3 days or in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. Bread can also be frozen for up to 3 months.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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Recipe variations
This bread is perfect as it is, but it is also a great base for adding extra flavors! Some of my favorite variations that I’ve made over the years include:
- Add chocolate chips to make Chocolate Chip Pumpkin Bread. If you’re not into chocolate, chopped nuts or dried cranberries also make great add-ins.
- Make a cream cheese filling to create Pumpkin Cream Cheese Bread.
- Streusel-Topped Pumpkin Bread with Maple Glaze adds a sweet streusel and a seasonal glaze to this already great recipe.
- Swap the oil for brown butter to make Brown Butter Pumpkin Bread.
- Divide the batter into muffin tins and add some pumpkin seeds on top for delicious Pumpkin Muffins!
Could I use pumpkin butter instead of pumpkin puree
Hi, Yvonne! Pumpkin Puree is unsweetened pumpkin, whereas pumpkin butter has sugar and other flavors. I would think the pumpkin butter wouldn’t hold up like the pumpkin puree. Let me know if I can do anything else for you!
So good!! I didn’t have two loaf pans so I split the batter to make one loaf and 18 muffins instead. The muffins baked for 25 minutes and came out perfect. I also sprinkled some of the muffins with chocolate chips or pecans. After reading through some of the comments, I swapped the water for milk and used 1/2 c melted butter and 1/2 c oil in place of the 1 c of oil. The loaf does take awhile to bake. It’s actually still jiggly in the middle so I threw a piece of foil on top. I’ll just keep eating the muffins until the loaf is ready. Thank you so much for sharing!
Dear Jamie,
I follow your recipe and the result comes out so nicely, my pumpkin bread is soft, moist and of course so delicious and beautiful too.
I am in Vietnam and we have lots of great pumpkin and I shall keep baking more and more pumpkin bread for my family.
Thank you and happy baking!
I am so happy to hear you enjoyed the recipe. Thanks so much for stopping by and reporting back.
-Jamie
It’s so easy. Thank you :)
Quick question: I want to make this YUMMY Pumpkin Bread to give as gifts for Christmas but I want to incorporate bourbon in the recipe. What would be the best way? Incorporate it in the batter? Or pour on top with a simple syrup after it’s been cooked?
Marietta-
Personally, I would add it to the batter. I hope you enjoy the recipe!
Jamie
It turned out FANTASTIC! I replaced 1/3 cup bourbon whiskey in the water measurements and used 1/2 cup applesauce with 1/2 cup oil!!
Marietta,
I’m glad you the recipe was a success for you. Thanks for stopping by!
-Jamie
When baking one loaf at a time how long should I bake?
Jennifer-
If you are using the stated pan size the baking time will be the same. If you are using a larger pan to bake the entire batch the baking time may vary depending on the size. I hope this helps.
-Jamie
This recipe is awesome…way better than Starbucks! Thanks for sharing it.
So happy to hear you enjoyed it, Frances! :)
This is a fantastic recipe! I’ve made it twice now and I also noticed that the baking time varied. The first time it took almost 80 minutes and the second time 60 minutes was enough. I think it has to do with humidity in the air .
I’m going to try it again, reducing the oil to half a cup and replacing it with either mashed bananas or applesauce. I always add extra pumpkin spice and cinnamon because I love the smell. I may even add a touch of cayenne just to spike it up.
I’m glad you enjoyed the recipe. Thanks for stopping by.
-Jamie
I was searching the web for some pumpkin bread recipes. I found 4 before I checked out your recipe and printed out the directions which took one sheet of paper. I printed out your recipe and ended up with 28 pages of crap that I care nothing about. What a waste of good paper. Your web site sucks.
Dale-
I am uncertain as to how you printed the recipe, but both myself and web developer both just tested the print function of this and several others here on My Baking Addiction. We have a handy recipe print feature in the recipe box where you simply click “print recipe” under the thumbnail image and it is functioning perfectly. I hope your day gets a little better and I am so sorry you find my website to “suck.”
-Jamie
PRINT PREVIEW is always a very useful thing to use before printing something off of the internet!!! But good job blaming others for your own mistakes.
Great recipe! I have made several times as is, even more with substitutions. Just tried it with prune purée instead of oil as muffins, my preschoolers loved it. Might have been a bad idea to give it to them right before bed but oh well ;)
I’m so glad you liked the recipe. Thanks for stopping by.
-Jamie
Hi Jamie. Thanks for sharing. This is a great recipe. My four year old is actually allergic to eggs so we have to get creative with our baking so she doesn’t get left out. I replaced the eggs with ground flaxseed and water (1 TBS ground flax seed with 3 TBS water replaces one egg). I know it sounds a bit strange but it works great in a lot of bread and muffin type recipes. It turned out fantastic with your bread! It was moist and delicious. I thought i would share in case anyone out there bakes for someone with an egg allergy. Thanks!
Christina-
Thanks so much for the substitution tips. Thanks for stopping by.
-Jamie
I just made this recipe and while it’s very moist, it also turned out very dark – but I think that was my fault as I have a convection oven and i left it in there for 70 mins, instead of checking it at 60 mins. It’s not burnt but overall the loaf (inside and out) is quite dark.
I followed the instructions and also added a tsp of cinnamon, but that shouldn’t alter the colour that much (should it?)
I brought a loaf to work to see how my co-works like it (if they do)
Zoe-
It could definitely have been the convection oven – I doubt it was the cinnamon. I have made this recipe too many times to count, but I have never used the convection option on my oven. I hope it still tastes good!
Jamie