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Pumpkin cream cheese bread has a classic, perfectly spiced pumpkin bread batter, a ripple of tangy cream cheese running down the center, and a brown sugar streusel on top. It is bound to become your new favorite fall quick bread!
If there’s one recipe on this site that I make the most, it’s probably my pumpkin bread. I make it every. single. fall…usually multiple times.
So if you ever want to know if I actually make and eat the recipes that I share on here, look no further than that recipe. It’s seriously one of my family’s very favorite things.
And given how much of a sucker I am for cheesecake recipes and anything with cream cheese, I’m kind of shocked it took me this long to think to combine my favorite bread and cream cheese.
But this is the year I finally make pumpkin cream cheese bread happen and I’m so glad I did.
What is pumpkin cream cheese bread?
This pumpkin cream cheese bread is the loaf version of my pumpkin cream cheese muffins.
I took the pumpkin bread batter I love so very much and added a ripple of tangy cream cheese down the center. Before baking, I added a sweet brown sugar streusel.
The result is one of my favorite ever quick bread recipes. It’s the perfect balance of mild pumpkin, warm spices, tangy cream cheese, and sweet-and-crunchy streusel.
Since this recipe makes 2 loaves, it’s also perfect for sharing. I gave one of the loaves away to some friends and they could not stop talking about how delicious it was.
It’s great for breakfast or alongside an iced shaken espresso, chai, or pumpkin spice latte for an afternoon pick-me-up.
How to make my pumpkin cream cheese bread
This pumpkin cream cheese bread requires a couple extra steps compared to my classic pumpkin bread. But I promise that they’re easy and totally worth the little bit of extra effort.
Ingredients you’ll need
I like to start this recipe by making the cream cheese filling. For this, you will need:
- 8 ounces softened cream cheese
- 1 large egg
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 3 tablespoons light brown sugar
Make sure your cream cheese has softened before you start baking. If you forget to set it out ahead of time, check out my tips on softening cream cheese quickly.
Next up is the streusel topping. For this, you will need:
- ¾ cup lightly packed light brown sugar
- ¾ cup all-purpose flour
- ¾ teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
- Pinch of salt
- 6 tablespoons melted unsalted butter
Brown sugar is the key to this streusel. If you’re out of brown sugar, you can make a simple brown sugar substitute to use instead.
Sometimes brown sugar hardens in the pantry. If that happens to you, I have a post sharing how to soften brown sugar to save you a trip to the store.
For the bread batter, you will need:
- 1 (15-ounce) can pure pumpkin puree
- 4 large eggs
- 1 cup vegetable oil
- ⅔ cup water
- 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- 2 1/2 cups granulated sugar
- 3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons baking soda
- 1 1/2 teaspoons fine sea salt
- 2 tablespoons pumpkin pie spice
Before you get too excited about making your batter, make sure you know how to measure flour correctly. Getting this step right will help your pumpkin cream cheese bread to come out perfect every time.
Make sure you are using pure pumpkin puree, NOT pumpkin pie filling. Pumpkin pie filling has other ingredients in it that will throw off the batter and cause it not to bake up right.
Making this bread
This recipe makes two loaves. Grease and/or line two 9×5-inch loaf pans. Note that this recipe makes to much batter for 8×4-inch pans and the loaves will overflow if you try to use smaller pans.
Start by prepping the cream cheese layer. To do this, mix the cream cheese, egg, vanilla, and brown sugar with a hand mixer until well combined.
Don’t stress if there are still some small lumps of cream cheese. It’ll all work out in the oven!
Now make the streusel topping. Mix the brown sugar, flour, pumpkin pie spice, and salt in a bowl. Use a fork to stir in the melted butter until clumps form.
Pop the streusel in the refrigerator until you’re ready to use it.
For the bread batter, mix together the pumpkin, eggs, vegetable oil, water, vanilla, and sugar. You can do this with a mixer or in a bowl with a whisk.
In a separate mixing bowl, whisk the flour, baking soda, salt, and pumpkin pie spice. Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and mix until just combined.
Put 1/4 of the batter into the bottom of each of the prepared loaf pans. Divide the cream cheese mixture between the two pans, spreading it over the batter.
Top with the remaining pumpkin batter, spreading to cover the cream cheese mixture.
Divide the streusel between the two pans, evenly topping each loaf.
Bake the bread at 350°F for 60-70 minutes. The bread is done when a toothpick or tester inserted in the center comes out clean with just a few moist crumbs clinging to it.
Let the pumpkin cream cheese bread cool in the pans for 20-30 minutes before turning out onto a wire rack to finish cooling.
Storage and freezing tips
Because of the cream cheese swirl in this bread, I suggest storing pumpkin cream cheese bread in the fridge. Wrap tightly in foil and refrigerate for up to 4 days.
You can pop a slice into the microwave for 15-30 seconds or heat it in the toaster oven if you would like to enjoy it warm.
This bread also freezes beautifully. You can wrap the entire loaf in a layer of plastic wrap followed by a layer of heavy-duty foil. Freeze for up to a month.
Let the loaf thaw in the refrigerator overnight or at room temperature for a few hours before enjoying.
Or cut the bread into thick slices. Wrap each slice in plastic wrap and freeze in a zip-top freezer bag for up to a month. Unwrap slices and microwave for 30-60 seconds to thaw and warm through.
Frequently asked questions
Yes! If you have homemade pumpkin puree on hand and prefer to use that, you will need to use just shy of 2 cups in place of the 15-ounce can of pumpkin.
Keep in mind that canned pumpkin is usually a mix of squashes in the pumpkin family, so the color is often darker/more vibrant than homemade pumpkin puree. The flavor of your pumpkin cream cheese bread will be the same, but the color may just not be as orange with homemade puree.
You could also use butternut squash puree for a slightly different take on this recipe.
Using oil instead of melted butter is part of what gives this bread it’s perfect texture and moisture level.
If you don’t like using vegetable oil, feel free to swap it for your preferred neutral-flavored oil, such as avocado oil.
If you have cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, allspice, and cloves on hand, you can make your own homemade pumpkin pie spice!
Otherwise, feel free to swap out the pumpkin pie spice for ground cinnamon. The flavor of the bread will be a little different, but it’ll still be delicious.
More of my favorite pumpkin bread recipes
If you love pumpkin bread and this pumpkin cream cheese bread as much as I do, you will want to check out some of my other pumpkin bread recipes.
Brown butter pumpkin bread, chocolate chip pumpkin bread, and streusel-topped pumpkin bread are all other twists on my classic recipe.
Pumpkin banana bread combines two of my favorite quick breads into one!
2 ingredient pumpkin bread is a super quick and easy recipe for the times when you just need something simple.
And finally, if you have a loaf of pumpkin bread on hand, you can make my pumpkin trifle for a delicious, stunning dessert.
Pumpkin Cream Cheese Bread
Ingredients
For the filling:
- 8 ounces cream cheese softened to room temperature
- 1 large egg
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 3 tablespoons light brown sugar
For the streusel topping:
- ¾ cup lightly packed light brown sugar
- ¾ cup all-purpose flour
- ¾ teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
- Pinch of salt
- 6 tablespoons unsalted butter melted
For the bread:
- 1 can pure pumpkin puree 15 ounces
- 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 fine sea salt
- 2 tablespoons pumpkin pie spice
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease and flour two 9×5-inch loaf pans.
Make the filling:
- In a medium bowl with an electric hand mixer, beat the cream cheese, egg, vanilla, and brown sugar on medium speed until well combined. Do not worry if there are still some small lumps of cream cheese. Set aside.8 ounces cream cheese, 1 large egg, 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract, 3 tablespoons light brown sugar
Make the streusel topping:
- In a medium bowl, stir together the brown sugar, flour, pumpkin pie spice, and salt. Add the melted butter and mix with a fork until the mixture is well combined and forms clumps. Place the bowl in the refrigerator until ready to use.¾ cup lightly packed light brown sugar, ¾ cup all-purpose flour, ¾ teaspoon pumpkin pie spice, Pinch of salt, 6 tablespoons unsalted butter
Make the bread:
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment or in a large bowl with an electric mixer, combine pumpkin, eggs, oil, water, vanilla and sugar until well blended.1 can pure pumpkin puree, 4 large eggs, 1 cup vegetable oil, ⅔ cup water, 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract, 2 ½ cups granulated sugar
- In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, salt, and pumpkin pie spice until combined.3 ½ cups all-purpose flour, 2 teaspoons baking soda, 1 ½ teaspoons fine sea salt, 2 tablespoons pumpkin pie spice
- Stir the dry ingredients into the pumpkin mixture until just blended.
- Add ¼ of the batter into the bottom of each of the prepared pans. Divide the cream cheese filling between the two pans, spreading over the top of the batter. Spoon the remaining batter over the cream cheese filling, dividing it evenly between the two pans.
- Sprinkle the streusel topping evenly over the top of the two loaves.
- Bake in preheated oven for 60-70 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
Notes
- Store well wrapped in the refrigerator for up to 4 days or freeze for up to a month.
- Makes 2 9×5-inch loaves.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
