You don’t need a mixer to make this quick and easy recipe! It creates a perfect loaf of pumpkin bread every time that’s well-spiced and always turns out super moist.
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“Delicious! A perfect recipe with easy to follow directions! Your grandma would certainly be proud!” -Nicole, FoodieCrush reader
The Only Pumpkin Bread Recipe I Make!
This recipe started with my grandma Mary Jane’s recipe card for pumpkin bread, where it is noted in her slightly backward-tilting cursive writing as coming from her friend Bonnie Harpin. That’s the best thing about family recipes, their classic taste and memories live on forever.
Grandma’s recipe was good, with the ingredients all spot on, but it was the amounts that needed tweaking to get exactly what I was looking for. Another egg plus less sugar and leavening to give it more loft; less water so it wasn’t too dense; and baking it at a higher temp than she had noted for those lightly crisped edges to give it just the right bit of crunch.
I made and re-made this pumpkin bread over and over again, in my mission to pin down the formula for the best ever pumpkin bread.
I finally tweaked things to my liking, resulting in this super simple recipe that makes just one loaf, doesn’t require an electric mixer to make, and can easily be boosted with nuts, chocolate chips. This really is the BEST pumpkin bread recipe I’ve ever made.
Heidi’s Tips for Recipe Success
- Skip the electric mixer and use a sturdy whisk. Why break out the KitchenAid stand mixer when your own muscles will do? Because we’re making this pumpkin bread recipe with oil instead of butter, the batter is thin enough to combine with a regular whisk.
- For more loft, whisk in the eggs one at a time. To add volume to the batter, whisk the eggs one at a time into the sugar mixture. This offsets the heft and moisture the oil adds to the bread.
- Don’t over mix the batter. After adding the dry ingredients to the wet, mix the batter just until the flour is incorporated. Over mixing makes the bread tough, so about 28-30 rotations round the bowl should do the trick.
- Oil, eggs, and water make this pumpkin bread super moist. To keep my recipe from becoming too heavy, part of the oil is replaced with good old water plus three eggs to add moisture to this batter.
The Key Ingredients
The full recipe, with amounts, can be found in the recipe card below.
- All-purpose flour — This is a no-frills recipe that uses regular flour.
- Baking soda + baking powder — Use both for a lighter, more tender loaf (otherwise your pumpkin bread will be too dense).
- Spices — A little salt, cinnamon, cloves, and nutmeg add warmth to the pumpkin bread without fully masking the naturally sweet pumpkin flavor.
- Granulated sugar — Some recipes use a blend of brown and granulated sugar, but I prefer the pure sweetness of granulated and let the spices do most of the talking.
- Oil — Canola or vegetable oil would be perfect.
- Eggs — Three eggs help bind everything together.
- Pumpkin puree — Check the ingredients label to make sure you’re buying 100% pure pumpkin puree and not canned pumpkin pie filling. You’ll need just 1 cup, NOT the entire can.
- Vanilla — I added a teaspoon, but you could add a splash more for a bolder vanilla flavor.
Want to Use Homemade Pumpkin Puree? Here’s How
Homemade pumpkin puree would work great in this recipe, but I recommend spreading it over a lined baking sheet and baking it at 400ºF for 10 to 15 minutes to remove any excess moisture (canned puree is much drier than homemade).
Once cool, add the roasted puree to the mixing bowl and proceed with the recipe as written.
How to Make the BEST EVER Pumpkin Bread
- Prepare one 9″ X 5″ X 3″ loaf pan. This recipe makes enough to fill one 9 X 5 X 3-inch bread or loaf pan. Spray with cooking spray, then dust with flour. Or, use a no-stick cooking spray with flour already in it like Baker’s Joy. The flour separates the cooking spray from the batter so it releases easier and doesn’t stick to the pan.
- Whisk the dry and wet ingredients separately. For a lump-free pumpkin bread with an even distribution of spices, I always recommend whisking together the dry ingredients in one bowl and the wet in another. And remember to add the dry ingredients into the wet, not the other way around!
- Bake this bread at 350°F for 50-65 minutes. You’ll know this pumpkin bread is done baking when the top begins to crack and the sides pull away from the pan. Or, use a cake tester or a long skewer to test and be sure the bread is cooked all the way through.
Heidi’s Tip: After a quick 10-minute cool in the loaf pan, you can remove the pumpkin bread and either let it finish cooling or start slicing right away. Most recipes say to let it cool completely before eating … but I can’t wait that long!
If you make this recipe, please let me know! Leave a ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ rating below, leave a comment to tell us what you think, and tag me on Instagram @foodiecrush.
The BEST Pumpkin Bread Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon ground cloves
- ½ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 ½ cups granulated sugar
- ½ cup oil (canola or vegetable)
- 3 eggs
- 1 cup canned pure pumpkin puree*
- ¼ cup water
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Spray a 9" X 5" X 3" loaf pan with baking spray with flour, or spray with cooking spray and lightly flour the pan, tapping out the excess.
- In a medium size bowl, combine the flour, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg, and salt.
- In a large bowl, whisk the sugar and oil together. Whisk the eggs, one at a time, into the sugar mixture until light and creamy. Add the pumpkin, water, and vanilla extract and whisk until smooth.
- Add the flour mixture to the bowl. Whisk the flour into the batter about 28-30 times around the bowl or just until incorporated.
- Pour into the prepared pan and bake for 55-65 minutes or until a cake tester comes out clean and the edges of the bread pulls away from the pan.
- Cool the cake in the pan for 10 minutes. Run a knife around the edges of the pan then turn the bread out and cool on a cooking rack. Serve warm or at room temperature.
Notes
Nutrition
Mix-Ins We Love
Customize this easy recipe with any of these extra ingredients, or a combination!
- Chocolate chips
- Nuts like pecans, walnuts, or pepitas
- Sweetened coconut flakes
- Raisins or dried apricots
More Pumpkin Dessert Ideas
- Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies
- My Favorite Pumpkin Roll Recipe
- Classic Pumpkin Pie
- Pumpkin Tiramisu
- Mascarpone Pumpkin Mousse Cups
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Lizzie
Every time I make this it seems like the middle never cooks correctly. It is always still gooey and raw. It doesn’t bother me, but I would be afraid to offer it to others. How can I fix this? Separate into 2 pans vs one?
Hi Lizzie, sorry you’re having issues. Yes, you can divide into two pans. But also check oven temperature and moisture in the pumpkin. You can drain the pumpkin puree for 15 minutes before adding to the mix. And insert a tester into the very center. It should come out with just a few moist crumbs. If it doesn’t, tent with foil and continue baking and checking every 10 mintues. Hope this helps!
Jennifer
This recipe is so good and have made it many times. Do you think I could sub the vegetable oil for avocado or coconut oil? Thanks!
Hi Jennifer, I’ve never tried it with either but let us know if you do and how it turns out.
Audrey Chuska
CAN YOU USE THE WHOLE CAN OF PUMPKIN
It depends on the size of the can! LOL :) But I’m assuming you’re thinking of a 15 ounce can and that is more than 1 cup, so no, don’t use the whole can.
Lena
I just made this recipe & think the bread came out nice & moist & soft but salty. Perhaps the kosher salt grains were too big? I would try making it again but with normal salt.
Peggy
Just made this bread for my grandchildren. It came out great and I had to slice off a piece to see how it tasted….very good!!!! I will make more. I only used 1 c of sugar and I also used gluten free flour.
Great to hear Peggy. Glad it worked with less sugar and the gluten free flour too.
Donna
Can stevia be used in place of the sugar?
Hi Donna, instead of Stevia I would suggest Monkfruit as a sweetener since it can be used 1:1 with sugar.
Heidi
I made muffins with this recipe, came out great!! I did shake in extra spices, maybe mine being older they were missing the little punch I wanted?
I got 16 muffins, added choco chips to the last 6 YUM.
Sounds like a great plan Heidi! Thanks for sharing and leaving a 5 star rating!
Holly I Johns
What size can of pumpkin?
15 ounce can of pumpkin. You’ll have some leftover to use for something else, or if you have a dog, pumpkin is really good for them too.
Candy
this the first time I made pumpkin bread. we all loved it. now I want to make more
thank you love it.
how do I save the recipe? not hood with computer
Hayley
We’re so glad you enjoyed it Candy! Once you’re in the search function on the site (go to the “find a recipe” search bar at the top right of my site), type in what you’re looking for. Once the result(s) appear, you can simply tap the heart in the bottom right corner of the recipe you’re interested in. You’ll be prompted to submit your email address and create a password (this process is super fast), and then that post will automatically be added to your favorites folder. Hope that helps!
Amy
This was so good and easy! Next time I’d like to add chocolate chips. How much should I add. Thanks!
Hayley
We’re so happy you enjoyed it Amy! If adding chocolate chips, we’d suggest 1/3 or 1/2 cup (totally your preference on how chocolate-y you want it though). :)
Allison
Very moist and soft, not too sweet. My kids loved it !
Nicolle
Delicious! A perfect recipe with easy to follow directions! Your grandma would certainly be proud!
Thank you for the 5-star review Nicolle! Glad you found it easy to make!!
Lauren
Heidi, Noel says “Outstanding pumpkin bread”! Not too sweet, perfect with a swipe of butter”.
Thank you for bringing the loaf over on Saturday. It made a lovely Sunday morning breakfast for our girls!
Yay! Thanks to you and Noel and glad he enjoyed it. You could make it with gluten free flour too. And thank you for the 5-star review :)
Vida
I cannot wait to make this. One question. How big is the can of pumpkin? Thank you.
Yay Vida! Excited for you to make as well! I buy a 15-ounce can of pure pumpkin, but only use one cup and save the rest for another batch, for dog food, or for adding to soup or sauces.
Vida
Thank you for your quick response! Will make this this weekend!! Yum!
MB
Bread had good flavor but it was very dry.
Hayley
We’re sorry it came out dry for you, MB! This one definitely shouldn’t be dry though. Perhaps it could have over-baked a bit?