Fall for flavor with our classic pumpkin bread recipe that’s simply unbe-leaf-able! And for those craving an extra layer of decadence, our mouthwatering streusel topping option will have you thinking you’ve just won the pumpkin spice lottery.
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This recipe is…
If there’s one thing I love, it’s the flavors of fall …specifically pumpkin spice! It’s just so warming, so delicious – my very favorite. This recipe was developed and created by Brittany Angell, our go-to baking queen. Recipes like this are in her wheelhouse, and we are so excited to be working with her! This recipe is top-notch (whether or not you top it with the streusel). Get creative and make it your own with mix-ins or keep it as is – either way is absolutely delicious.
Looking for more pumpkin favorites? Look no further! Our pumpkin pancakes, pumpkin dump cake, and pumpkin muffins are all really delicious.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- It’s easy – whether or not you decide to go all in on the streusel topping, this recipe is super easy and not fussy.
- It’s delicious – if you’re a pumpkin girl like I am, don’t skip this recipe. The flavors are on point!
Recipe Ingredients
You’ll need a handful of ingredients for the pumpkin bread itself, and, if you choose, several ingredients for the optional streusel. Find ingredient notes (including substitutions and swaps) below.
- Pumpkin Puree – be sure that the pumpkin puree you buy is pure pumpkin, and not pumpkin pie “filling.”
- Oil, Butter, or Ghee – this part of the recipe is flexible! For the bread loaf itself, you’ll need either melted butter, melted ghee, melted coconut oil (all of which have completely cooled to room temperature so they don’t cook the eggs in the mixing bowl), or avocado oil.
- Milk, Water, or Orange Juice – again, flexible. To add some moisture to the batter, you’ll need 1 tablespoon of milk, water, or orange juice.
- Flour – you can use regular all-purpose flour here or a gluten-free all-purpose blend (we use King Arthur’s GF flour).
A full ingredient list with exact amounts can be found in the recipe card below.
Ingredient Variations and Modifications
- Add mix-ins – the bread is delicious as is, but if you’d like to kick things up a notch, feel free to use up to 2 cups of mix-ins. Chocolate chips, chopped pecans, chopped walnuts, minced candied ginger, dried cranberries, and pumpkin seeds would all be great.
- Make it dairy-free – to make this recipe dairy-free, use dairy-free butter for the streusel, dairy-free butter or coconut oil for the bread, and choose water or orange juice to add moisture to the bread batter.
- Add more ginger – if you’d like a little bit more of a kick, use 1 teaspoon of ginger rather than a ½ teaspoon.
How to Make Pumpkin Bread
You’ve got your ingredients, and now it’s time to get to baking! Here’s how you’ll bring this classic pumpkin loaf together:
Step 1: Preheat the oven to 350°F and line a loaf pan with parchment paper. If you’re making the streusel topping, mix together the flour, sugar, salt and pumpkin spice in a small bowl. Then, pour in the butter, and stir with a fork until clumps form. Set aside.
Step 2: Combine the eggs, pumpkin puree, vanilla extract, melted butter or oil, and liquid of choice (milk, water, or orange juice) in a bowl and mix.
Step 3: Once the wet ingredients are mixed, add the sugars, baking powder, spices, salt and all purpose flour to the bowl, and mix just until the batter is smooth. If adding any flavor mix-ins, stir them in.
Step 4: Pour the batter into the prepared loaf pan and top with the streusel (if using).
Step 5: Cover the loaf pan with tinfoil for the first 15 minutes of baking, and then bake an additional hour uncovered, for a total of 1 hour and 15 minutes or until the toothpick comes out clean.
Step 6: Let cool, then slice and enjoy!
Recipe Tips
To make sure that your bread turns out perfectly, follow these tips and tricks straight from the baking queen (Brittany) herself:
- Use the right pan – for best results, use an 8.5×4.5 loaf pan OR a 9×5 loaf pan. THIS is the pan we use most often.
- Use exact measurements – to ensure that all measurements are as exact as possible, use the gram (weight) measurements rather than the cup (volume) measurements.
- Use the right sugar – for the best results, use organic cane sugar in the pumpkin bread.
- Use the right amount of salt – if you’re using table salt rather than Himalayan Pink Salt, decrease the amount to a ½ teaspoon.
- Use any cup for cup flour blend – any gluten-free cup for cup flour blend should work as long as the gram measurements are used.
How to Serve
Enjoy a slice of pumpkin bread next to a glass of hot tea or coffee for a really warm and cozy experience. I also love enjoying a slice of pumpkin bread next to my normal savory breakfast (cheesy egg muffins). Crumbling a piece over a bowl of yogurt is also an excellent idea!
How to Store
Store any leftover pumpkin bread in an airtight container on the counter for 5 days.
To freeze, slice the already-baked pumpkin bread, layer the pieces in parchment paper (so they don’t stick to each other), and freeze. When you’re ready for more pumpkin bread, thaw one piece at a time, if desired. You’ll want to enjoy your frozen pumpkin bread within about 3 months of freezing.
Frequently Asked Questions
The process is actually pretty quick! The actual hands-on time shouldn’t be any longer than about 15 minutes (the amount of time it takes you to measure and mix). The bread will bake in the oven for 50 minutes max.
We asked Brittany, the baking expert, and her answer was so helpful. She notes that if you followed the recipe exactly but your pumpkin bread still didn’t rise, it could be that your batter sat out for too long before being popped into the oven. Baking powder begins to activate as soon as it comes into contact with liquid, so if your batter was fully mixed and sat out for a little while, the baking powder may have done its thing in the mixing bowl rather than the oven.
The most likely cause of your pumpkin bread being too dry is if you used too much flour — this is why Brittany recommends using gram measurements when baking. Using gram measurements (vs. cup measurements) ensures that you have the EXACT right amount of flour.
This could be for a similar reason as the pumpkin bread not rising issue. Essentially, the leavening agent (baking powder, in this case) wasn’t able to do its job (cause the bread to rise). This could be because your baking powder has expired or, again, your fully mixed batter sat for too long before baking.
This is actually really normal (and to be expected with most quick breads), so don’t be alarmed if/when your recipe cracks on top! The reasoning here is because the loaf partially bakes and sets before the interior is done, and as the loaf rises, it breaks the top. If it really bothers you, though, top your bread with the streusel so that the cracked top is hidden!
Your pumpkin bread will be ready to come out of the oven when a toothpick stuck into the bread comes out cleanly!
More Favorite Pumpkin Recipes
If you tried this Classic Pumpkin Bread Recipe or any other recipe on my website, please leave a 🌟 star rating and let me know how it went in the 📝 comments below!
Classic Pumpkin Bread Recipe
Ingredients
For the pumpkin bread:
- 2 large eggs
- 1 ¼ cup pumpkin puree 264 g
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2/3 cup mild-flavored oil (melted butter, melted ghee, melted coconut oil, or avocado oil)
- 1 tablespoon milk water, or orange juice
- 1 cup brown sugar 139g
- ½ cup organic cane sugar 112 g
- 1 teaspoon double acting baking powder
- 1 tablespoon pumpkin pie spice
- ½ teaspoon ginger powder
- 1 teaspoon pink Himalayan salt
- 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour or King Arthur GF Measure for Measure 220 g
- 2 cups max of optional mix-ins (chocolate chips, chopped pecans, chopped walnuts, minced candied ginger, dried cranberries, pumpkin seeds, etc.)
For the streusel (optional):
- ¾ cup all-purpose flour or King Arthur GF Measure for Measure flour 102g
- ¼ cup white sugar 45 g
- ¼ cup brown sugar 33g
- 1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
- Pinch of salt
- ¼ cup melted salted butter or dairy-free butter
Instructions
- If making the streusel make this first and set aside. In a small bowl mix together the flour, sugar, salt, and pumpkin spice. Pour in the butter and stir with a fork until clumps form. Set aside.
- Combine all wet ingredients in a large bowl & mix. Add to the bowl the sugars, baking powder, spices, salt, and all-purpose flour. Mix just until the batter is smooth. If adding any flavor mix-ins, stir them in.
- Pour into the prepared loaf pan. Top with streusel. Cover with tinfoil for the first 15 minutes. Bake for an additional 1 hour uncovered, for 1 hour 15 minutes total or until a toothpick comes out clean.
Recipe Notes
- Use an 8.5×4.5 loaf pan OR a 9×5 loaf pan. THIS is the pan we use most often.
- Use gram measurements for perfect results
- 1 teaspoon of ginger can be used for a little bit of kick
- For best results use organic cane sugar
- If using table salt, decrease the amount to a ½ teaspoon
- Other gluten-free cup for cup blends should work as long as the gram measurements are used
- To make this recipe dairy-free, use the DF butter option for the streusel
Nutrition
Yum! Just made this to take to some friends. I doubled the recipe and made 2 loaves, and had to make the dairy free subs. It tasted great! It also took 1.5 hours to bake, lol. I had to leave and let my husband finish baking them. Would make again for sure, just give yourself more time!
Thank you for taking the time to share your feedback with us! We will keep the time in mind as we re-test this recipe. Glad that you enjoyed! -Team FF
This tastes great! As others have mentioned in the comments though, it does take longer than directed. I baked mine for at least an hour and 20 minutes and finally had to pull it out because I had to leave, but it still looks a bit wet. Maybe because there is so much pumpkin?
I am so glad that you enjoyed the taste, but sorry to hear it took longer than expected! Thank you for the feedback regarding the bake time. We are looking into troubleshooting this! ~Melissa
By FAR the BEST pumpkin bread I’ve ever made!! Thank you!!
Wahoo! I’m so glad, Tara!!!
Tasted great although it took over an hour to bake unfortunately
So glad it tasted great, Estrella! I’m sorry it took longer than expected to bake!
This recipe is sinful it’s so good. At first I was a bit surprised there wasn’t a cinnamon addition, but upon first bite I realized it didn’t need it at all. I added dried cranberries and pecans.
The only issue I had was mine took much longer than 45-50 mins, closer to 1:15. This could have been due to a variety of factors, though.
So stinkin’ good!!! Bravo!
I’m so glad you enjoyed it, Chelsey!! Thanks so much for sharing this with us!
What adaptations would need to be made go make this a muffin recipe?
I’d just follow the cooking time/oven temp HERE!
Could you use coconut sugar instead?
Sure!