Pumpkin Bread

Continuing along our overindulgence in the upcoming pumpkin season, I’m sharing a classic recipe today: my moist pumpkin bread recipe!

This fresh pumpkin bread recipe was developed as a combination of my banana bread recipe, and a different recipe for pumpkin spice bread - my Gluten-free Pumpkin Bread.

That one’s long been my absolute favorite pumpkin bread recipe, but it doesn’t really translate 1:1 to convert to a full gluten quick bread recipe.

It’s a great recipe though - plenty of delicious pumpkin flavor, warm spices, etc.

But hey, people don’t tend to keep a stash of various gluten free flours on hand, so it was time to develop the best pumpkin bread recipe for those who aren’t GF!

This pumpkin recipe is sure to become a favorite all recipe - it works up in less time than it takes to go buy a slice of pumpkin bread from Starbucks ... or any other local coffee shop, for that matter!

Let’s get to it...

Ingredients

This recipe uses super simple ingredients that you should be able to find in any grocery store.

A few notes:

Pumpkin Puree

I use plain canned pumpkin puree, NOT pumpkin pie filling.

Pure pumpkin puree is just pumpkin (well, some kind of winter squash, anyway!), whereas pumpkin pie filling includes other fillers, thickeners, and flavoring.

You will not use a whole can of pumpkin puree in this recipe, so see further on in this post for a LOT of recipe suggestions to use up the rest of the can!

Also: you can use homemade pumpkin puree if you happen to have some.

Maple Syrup

I mean actual maple syrup - the boiled-down sap of maple trees - NOT pancake syrup. They are not interchangeable!

If you need to swap out the maple syrup, you can use the same amount of honey or white sugar - but white sugar is definitely the least tasty option, here!

Spices

I use individually measured spices to season this easy pumpkin bread recipe:

Ground Cinnamon
Ground Ginger
Nutmeg
Ground Cloves

... but you can use Pumpkin Pie Spice if you prefer - about 2 ½ tsp.

Everything Else

Rounding out this recipe, you’ll need:

All purpose flour
Brown sugar
Chopped Walnuts
Unsalted butter
Vanilla extract (Try my Homemade Vanilla Extract!)
Large egg
Baking soda
Baking powder
Salt

... I just don’t have anything else to say about these ingredients!

Variations

Toppings

I like a plain top crust myself, but feel free to toss some extra nuts - or pumpkin seeds - on top of the batter, just before baking.

Not into Walnuts?

Feel free to swap them out for a similar amount of Chopped Pecans.

Want a nut free pumpkin bread?

You can use an equal amount of Chocolate Chips - dark chocolate or milk chocolate - for a pumpkin chocolate chip bread.

... or just leave the nuts out, and leave it at that.

Dairy Free

For a dairy free pumpkin bread, swp the butter out for ¼ cup of oil. You can use vegetable oil, coconut oil, canola oil, or even MCT oil.

I just don’t recommend the use of olive oil in this recipe, as the flavour can be a bit too strong.

How to Make Pumpkin Bread

The full recipe can be found in the recipe card at the end of this post, here is a pictorial walk through.

Preheat oven to 325 F (160 C). Grease 1 large loaf pan with nonstick spray.

Note: I like to press a piece of parchment paper into the pan after the non-stick spray. It makes it easy to remove the whole loaf, once baked!

In separate medium bowl, whisk together pumpkin puree, maple syrup, melted butter, egg, and vanilla extract.

Add wet ingredients mixture to the bowl of dry ingredients, mix until well combined, but don’t OVER mix it.

Pour batter into prepared loaf pan.

Bake for about 70-75 minutes, or until crust is a rich golden brown, and knife or toothpick inserted into middle of loaf comes out clean.

If there’s any wet batter on your knife or toothpick, put the loaf back in the oven for a few more minutes.

For best results, don’t over bake it - take it out as soon as it passes the toothpick test!

If you’d like, you can place the entire loaf on a wire rack, to help the bread cool.

Serve thick slices warm or cool, with a bit of butter or cream cheese.

Leftovers

Once cooled to room temperature, leftover pumpkin loaf can be transferred to an airtight container and stored in the fridge for a week or so.

Best warmed up to at least room temperature before serving.

If you let individual slices of the pumpkin bread get a little dried out, you can make really fabulous French toast out of them!

Additionally, pumpkin bread freezes really well. Wrap the loaf in plastic wrap, then place in a plastic bag or other air-tight container and freeze for up to 3 months.

More Amazing Pumpkin Recipes

When fall arrives, is there anything better than indulging your pumpkin cravings? We’re down for all things pumpkin, whether for Halloween, Thanksgiving, or a random Tuesday!

Here are our favourite ways to use the gourd!

Baked Pumpkin Custard
Copycat Pumpkin Spice Latte
Easy Maple Pumpkin Spiced Muffins
Easy Pumpkin Martini
Fluffy Pumpkin Pancakes
How to Carve a Pumpkin Like a Pro
How to Make Pumpkin Mead
Maple Pumpkin Spice Bagels
Maple Walnut Spiced Pumpkin Buns
Pumpkin Spice Nanaimo Bars
Traditional Pumpkin Mousse

... and from my other blogs:

Gluten Free Maple Pumpkin Pie
Gluten-free Pumpkin Bread
Gluten Free Pumpkin Spice Mini Doughnuts
Gluten-Free Sopaipillas Pasadas
Keto Pumpkin Fat Bombs
Keto Pumpkin Bars
Homemade Pumpkin Chai Latte
Pumpkin Chia Pudding

Share the Love!

Before you chow down, be sure to take some pics of your handiwork! If you post it to Bluesky, be sure to tag us - @CelebrationGen. We're also on Pinterest, so you can save all your favourite recipes to a board!

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Finally, if you love this recipe, please consider leaving a star rating and/or a comment below!