Pumpkin Bread
on Nov 01, 2021, Updated Jan 05, 2026
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Nothing says fall like a warm loaf of Pumpkin Bread fresh out of the oven 🥧. Whip up this easy, one-bowl recipe in less than an hour with just a few pantry staples and zero complicated steps. The texture is just right -light enough to enjoy for breakfast, but hearty enough for an afternoon snack. Plus, it smells like a bakery the minute it comes out of the oven. Enjoy with a Pumpkin Spice Latte, a cup of tea, or on it’s own for a cozy night in. One bite and it will become your go-to fall bake 👩🍳.
Key Takeaways
- Pumpkin Bread is a moist, flavorful treat that’s easy to make in under an hour with simple ingredients.
- Key ingredients include pumpkin puree, eggs, vanilla, sugar, oil, flour, and pumpkin pie spice, for a delicious, aromatic loaf.
- Try it with variations like ground cinnamon instead of pumpkin pie spice and coconut sugar as a sweetener alternative.
- For a cozy experience, serve Pumpkin Bread warm with butter or alongside a Pumpkin Spice Latte.
- Store Pumpkin Bread in an airtight container or freeze to for up to two months.
Table of Contents
Why You’ll Love Pumpkin Bread
This Pumpkin Bread is like a warm hug straight from the oven 🥰. It’s soft, moist, and packed with cozy fall flavor in every bite. The pumpkin puree creates a silky smooth, melt-in-your-mouth crumb, while the pumpkin pie spice brings all the cinnamony magic ✨. A hint of vanilla ties it all together, and the sweet aroma alone will have everyone wandering into the kitchen to see what’s baking. Serve it warm with a swipe of butter, and its pure autumn bliss 🍂.
Ingredients
🥧 Pumpkin puree: The star of the show! This is what gives your bread that classic pumpkin flavor and extra moist crumb.
🥚 Eggs: They hold everything together and make each slice light and fluffy.
🌿 Vanilla: Adds a splash of warmth that makes the pumpkin shine.
🍬 Sugar: I use both granulated sugar and coconut sugar in this recipe to sweeten the loaf and give it that soft, bakery-style texture.
🥑 Oil: I like to use avocado oil since it keeps the pumpkin bread tender and delicious.
🌾 Flour: The base that gives the bread its perfect structure.
🫧 Baking powder+soda: The dream team that helps your loaf rise and stay airy.
🧂 Salt: Just a pinch balances the sweetness and makes the flavors pop.
🍂 Pumpkin pie spice: This cinnamon-y magic makes your kitchen smell like a cozy fall morning.
Nonna’s Tip 🎃
Let the bread cool in the pan for 10 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to finish cooling, so it holds its shape perfectly.
Variations and Substitutions for Pumpkin Bread
- If you don’t have pumpkin pie spice or don’t love all the flavors included in this spice blend, then you can use pure ground cinnamon instead.
- Coconut sugar adds a mild maple-y 🍁 flavor and has a lower glycemic index than other sugars, but it can be replaced with white, brown, or maple sugar or any sugar you prefer to use in baking.
- Avocado oil can be replaced with a mild-tasting oil, such as olive oil. If you enjoy the flavor of coconut oil 🥥, then feel free to swap.
- Instead of a large loaf pan, pour the batter into muffin tins or mini loaf pans for smaller, quick-bake versions. You’ll need to adjust the baking time accordingly.
- Fold in chocolate chips, white chocolate chunks, chopped nuts 🌰, or dried cranberries for extra texture and flavor.
- Try whole wheat flour 🌾 for a heartier texture or a gluten-free blend to make it allergy-friendly.
Best Served With
- For an over-the-top pumpkin treat, serve with my Pumpkin Spice Latte recipe ☕️.
- Serve warm from the oven with a pad of butter 🧈. Or serve tiny slices alongside this decadent Holiday Butter Board.
- Pumpkin bread is perfectly sweet on its own, but you could also drizzle the loaf with a simple powdered sugar glaze.
- Alternatively, dust with powdered sugar ❄️ for a beautiful presentation.
Similar Recipes
Common Questions
No, pumpkin purée should have only 1 ingredient: pumpkin. Pumpkin pie mix is sweetened and spiced. Opt for pure pumpkin purée in this recipe.
Absolutely. Swap the all-purpose flour for a gluten-free blend that measures like regular flour. The texture will still be soft and tender.
Wrap tightly in plastic wrap or store in an airtight container in the fridge for 2-3 days. Additionally, you can wrap and store in a freezer bag for up to 2 months.
Of course, you’ll just need to adjust the baking time for muffins to 20-25 minutes and mini loaves to 30-35 minutes.
If you insert a toothpick into the center, then it should come out clean but still be moist.
While 1 cup of flour weighs 160g in my kitchen, it might weigh anywhere from 120 to 180g in your kitchen and there’s a few reasons for that. The weight of ingredients may vary due to the brand of ingredients, the brand and style (wet vs dry) of measuring cups and spoons, and the technique for measuring into cups: scooping and leveling versus spooning the ingredients into the cup measure. For best results, go by the weight listed in the recipe.
Pumpkin Bread
Ingredients
- 3 eggs
- ½ cup white sugar , or any sugar
- ¼ cup coconut sugar , or any sugar
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1 cup canned pumpkin purée
- ½ cup avocado oil, or any mild-tasting oil
- 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice, or ground cinnamon
- pinch salt
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F (177C) and line a loaf pan with parchment paper.
- Add the eggs, sugars, and pure vanilla extract to a large mixing bowl and stir.
- Add the pumpkin purée and the oil and stir again.
- Add the flour, pumpkin pie spice, salt, baking powder, and baking soda.
- Mix really well with a spatula, so that there are no pockets of dry flour.
- Pour the batter into the lined loaf pan and bake for 45 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center of the loaf comes out clean. Let cool, and enjoy.
Nonna’s Notes
- Spice: If you don’t have pumpkin pie spice or don’t love all the flavors included in this spice blend, you can use pure ground cinnamon instead.
- Sweeteners: Coconut sugar adds a mild maple-y flavor and has a lower glycemic index than other sugars, but it can be replaced with white, brown, or maple sugar or any sugar you prefer to use in baking.
- Oil: Avocado oil can be replaced with a mild-tasting oil, such as olive oil. If you enjoy the flavor of coconut oil, that can be used too.
- Small bites: Pour the batter into muffin tins or mini loaf pans for smaller, quick-bake versions. You’ll need to adjust the baking time accordingly.
- Add-ins: Fold in chocolate chips, white chocolate chunks, chopped nuts, or dried cranberries for extra texture and flavor.
- Gluten-free: Try whole wheat flour for a heartier texture or a gluten-free blend to make it allergy-friendly.
My Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Loved this pumpkin bread. I did 1/2 cup oil 1/2 cup of apple sauce to save on the fat calories. Very moist & I frosted it with butter cream frosting. Delish.
Oh excellent, thanks for the tip Cindy! So glad it worked for you!
Soooo good I use olive oil and brown sugar and Apple purée as i didn’t have Pumpkin one!!!! It was perfect . I will try it with Pumpkin next time.
I love that you used apples — sounds delish!