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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!
My husband and I have become addicted to this pumpkin bread. Delicious! I made it into muffins tonight and it worked great! Keep the great recipes coming!
It is totally addictive. I make it year round because we love it so much! Thanks so much for stopping by and leaving your feedback!
-Jamie
I subbed half the oil with applesauce, used buttermilk in place of the water, and cut the amount of sugar in half ….. and it was really quite delicious!!! This time I added chopped pecans and I think next time I will try chocolate chips. Oh, and I was a little concerned about the size of the loaves and the cooking time after reading other comments, but the batter easily fit in 2 loaf pans and they were very much cooked through at 60 minutes. In fact, next time I will check them at 50 minutes next time. This is definitely a keeper!
So happy to hear you enjoyed it! Thanks for noting your substitutions, I’ll have to give them a try sometime soon!
This is so delicious!! My kitchen smelled like yummy pumpkin awesomeness too. It does’t really need anything else as it is so good all on its own, but to make it more like a dessert, I cut it up into little squares with a dollop of vanilla frosting and put in paper cups…gobbled up up by kids and adults.
So happy to hear you enjoyed the recipe Diane! Thanks for stopping back to leave your feedback – your serving idea sounds amazing! Happy baking!
-Jamie
Simply delicious. Studded mine with mini chocolate chips. Amazing!
I love this idea, Vicki! Thanks so much for sharing. Happy baking.
-Jamie
I’ve been looking for this recipe for a week! I was looking for the story that went with it before you updated it. I have used this recipe for the past three years or so and it’s the best pumpkin bread I have ever had. Going to make some right now to get myself in fall mode
Rachel-
I am so happy you finally found it! It really needed an update, so we finally got around to it! Happy fall!
-Jamie
Definitely 3 loaves using the pan size indicated. But still needed the same amount of time in the oven. Thanks.
I made this and it was perfect! I baked in 3 small disposable baking pans and put golden raisins in it. It is really the best recipe for pumpkin bread I have ever tried! Thank you!
So happy to hear you enjoyed the pumpkin bread, Colleen! Thanks for stopping by an leaving your feedback!
-Jamie
I really don’t like the pumpkin but this is something looks very interesting. I really want to adopt this recipe at least once. Thanks for sharing it with us.
I hope you love it as much as we do!
It doesn’t taste pumpkin-y. It does taste pumpkin pie-y, though. And pumpkin is so good for you!
If you guys need so much different substitution make your own recipe and stop following other people’s recipe do it yourself and stop being so picky
Thank you! I always wonder the same thing. For Pete’s sake, the internet is full of other recipes. Make this one or move on.
Since I’m venting, questions such as “can I use … ” crack me up. If you can’t tell the difference between pumpkin butter and pumpkin puree, I don’t think you should be baking. At. All. LOL.
By the way, I have made at least 6 different pumpkin bread recipes, and this one is the best. Makes two GOOD sized loaves! Thank you!
Another great recipe Jamie! I used 1/2 cup less of sugar and applesauce to replace a 1/3 of a cup of the oil. And still so moist! My son ate more than half of a loaf right after dinner and the neighbors we had over for dinner also loved it. I will be making a bigger batch of your pumpkin pie spice for the season. It’s much better than what I get at the store and I didn’t even have really good cinnamon for it.
Carol-
Thanks so much for stopping by and leaving your feedback. You can definitely cut back on the oil/sugar and still get a great result. So happy this turned out so well for you!
-Jamie