Pumpkin Bread
on Nov 01, 2021, Updated Sep 11, 2023
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Pumpkin bread (or cake) is the perfect way to celebrate the start of fall and National Pumpkin Day. 🎃 This recipe is a one-bowl wonder: toss all the ingredients into one bowl, stir it up, pour the batter into a loaf pan, and bake. It could not be easier! And as an added bonus, this bread will fill your kitchen with the most irresistible aroma of pumpkin pie spices.
I refer to this recipe as both a bread and a cake. It has a similar consistency and sweetness level as banana bread. Technically, it’s baked in a loaf pan and sliced, which qualifies it as a bread, but it also tastes indulgent and moist, like a cake. Below I offer a few tips and tricks for making this fall staple with different ingredients and techniques.
Variations and Substitutions:
There are many ways to modify this recipe, based on what you have in your kitchen:
- 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.
- 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, that can be used too.
Best served with:
- For an over-the-top pumpkin treat, serve with my Pumpkin Spice Latte recipe.
- This is delicious served warm from the oven with butter. You could even serve tiny slices alongside a Holiday Butter Board.
- Pumpkin bread is perfectly sweet on its own, but you could also drizzle the loaf with a simple powdered sugar glaze.
- A dusting of powdered sugar on top makes for a beautiful presentation.
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.
This is a spice blend that you can buy at the grocery store or make at home. It typically contains cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, allspice, and cloves. You can also replace it with pure ground cinnamon.
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 and line a loaf pan with parchment paper.
- Add the eggs, sugars, and pure vanilla extract to a large 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 and 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 out clean. Let cool, and enjoy.
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!