Homemade Pumpkin Bread (from scratch)

It’s fall here in the south and everyone is adding pumpkin to their favorite cakes, pies, and cookies. My friend stopped by today and taught me how to make her family’s favorite pumpkin bread. . .from scratch!

It’s Pumpkin Season!

It’s November, and you know what that means. . .

Pumpkin pie, pumpkin coffee, pumpkin muffins, pumpkin coffee cake. . .you name it, you’ll find pumpkin in it, especially here in the south. I’m hard pressed to attend any sort of brunch, baby shower, or bridal shower without encountering it.

Only one problem: if you’ve followed me for any length of time you know that I’m deathly allergic to pumpkin. So, when my friend told me about her plan to make pumpkin bread for her daughter’s baby shower, I wasn’t sure my house was the right place to attempt it.

She was headed to my place, regardless, because we had plans to make pumpkin-shaped cut-out-sugar cookies for the event. So I told her to bring the ingredients for the pumpkin bread on the promise that she and she alone would do the baking on that one.

Quick Breads are the Best!

Turns out, it’s a really simple recipe, (in some ways as easy as my banana bread recipe). I was kind of astounded by how quickly and easily it came together. This is one of those quick breads you’ll make again and again!

And because the baby shower (Lil Pumpkin) is all pumpkin themed, I had the perfect pan for her. I used this mini-bundt pan once before when I made some cute little Halloween pumpkins. But this time she would be loading the pan up with the real deal–homemade pumpkin bread.

She also brought along a silicone pumpkin pan that was darling!

Pumpkin. . .a Fall Favorite!

I worked on pumpkin shaped cookies while she worked on bread and by day’s end we had a plethora of goodies for the shower.

But, I’m getting ahead of myself! Let me give you the ingredients for this homemade pumpkin bread so you can make it, too!

Pumpkin Bread Ingredients

You will find a full, printable recipe card at the bottom of this post. These are super simple ingredients that you likely have in your pantry or fridge.

• all purpose flour
• sugar
• spices: cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice, ginger
• salt
• baking soda
• large eggs
• pumpkin puree (canned pumpkin pie filling)
• vegetable oil
• water
• half cup chopped nuts (optional)

Note: If you don’t happen to have all of those spices you can use pumpkin pie spice, which incorporates most of those flavors. Pumpkin spice is my go-to for many recipes, including my Cookie Butter Cupcakes. Yum!

How to Make Homemade Pumpkin Bread

Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.

This is such a simple process! You’re welcome to use an electric mixer or stand mixer with paddle attachment but it will come together just as easily by hand with a wooden spoon or silicone spatula. (The best way is whatever way works best for you!)

Start by placing all of your dry ingredients in a large bowl and whisking them together. Make sure your spices are well mixed.

It’s time to work on your wet ingredients! Add eggs, oil, and pumpkin puree to a medium bowl. Mix well.

Add puree mixture to dry ingredients. Now work in your water, mixing well.

If you’re adding nuts, this is the time to stir them in. Alternatively you can add chocolate chips or any other filling you like.

Prepare a loaf pan or a muffin pan. We opted for mini bundts, as I mentioned above. Alternatively, you could make this recipe in mini loaf pans and give the pumpkin bread away to friends and family members.

Once your pan is prepared (with Baker’s Joy non-stick spray or other method) put the batter into the pan.

Place in preheated oven on center oven rack and bake. A loaf pan will take an hour or more to cook. Muffin tins will probably take 16+ minutes. Our mini Bundts took about 14 – 15 minutes.

Bread is done with a toothpick comes out clean. Remove from oven and place on wire rack to cool.

You can serve this bread warm or room temperature, your choice! If you’re putting them together into mini bundt pumpkins (as we did) you’ll want to trim off any puffy areas and then glue them together with your favorite frosting. You can add a Hershey’s kiss to the top to decorate if you like.

Store in an airtight container or wrap in plastic wrap. Pumpkin bread should stay fresh up to five days at room temperature. You can always freeze for later use. Allow to come to room temperature naturally.

What to Expect from This Recipe

Obviously I can’t tell you first hand since I’m allergic to pumpkin, but my friend says that everyone in her family expects her to make this special treat during the holidays. (The whole family is in agreement: It’s their favorite pumpkin recipe!)

I can tell you that my kitchen was filled with those luscious warm scents you find during the holiday season. What what I witnessed from the look of delirium on my friend’s face as she nibbled on leftovers, this is surely the best pumpkin bread recipe out there!

This is one pumpkin bread you’ll be proud to serve your guests. Those warm spices will keep them coming back for more!

Ten Ways to Use this Pumpkin Bread Recipe

I’m going to give you ten suggestions for how to serve this luscious bread. You’re going to have such a great time with these!

1). Slice thick slices of pumpkin loaf while warm and serve with butter.

2). Make a cinnamon cream cheese frosting: 1 package cream cheese, 2 sticks butter, 1 teaspoon cinnamon, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract, 4 – 5 cups powdered sugar (adjusted to the texture you prefer). The cinnamon is a perfect complement! This frosting would be great if you opt to make mini loaves. We used this recipe to adhere our mini Bundts together to look like pumpkins.

3). Muffins with streusel. You can add a cinnamon, nut, and oat streusel to the top of your muffins.

4). Pancakes! Use this recipe to make traditional griddle cakes.

5). Waffles: Heat up that waffle iron and pour your batter in for some crisp, yummy waffles.

6). Pumpkin French Toast: Hear me out. Slice your pumpkin bread loaf into individual slices, batter each slice in egg, place in a lightly buttered skillet and cook until golden brown on each side. Serve with warm maple syrup, butter, and cinnamon.

7). Layer cake: You can make a couple of 8″ rounds using this recipe. Just add an additional bit of water to thin out the batter. (I’m guessing an additional quarter cup should help.) Use the cinnamon cream cheese frosting idea from above.

8). Pumpkin Bundt Cake: This would make a perfect bundt cake (and talk about easy to slice).

9). Cake pops: Mash baked pumpkin bread and stir in enough cinnamon cream cheese frosting to turn it into a paste. Roll into balls between your palms. (To add a stick, use a bit of melted chocolate. Allow to chill before attempting to dip in melted chocolate.)

10). Crumble the bread and serve it as a pumpkin topping over cinnamon ice cream. (Make the ice cream by adding a teaspoon of cinnamon to a serving of vanilla ice cream.)

One more, just for fun: Use leftover pumpkin bread as a base for a peanut butter sandwich.

Questions People are Asking about Homemade Pumpkin Bread

Do I have to use all-purpose flour?

No, you can use the flour of your choice but the texture will likely be affected.

Can I replace the water with milk?

Yes, this will up the fat content of the bread, making it more moist. If you’re dairy free you can use almond milk or even orange juice. (I always add orange juice to spice cakes or carrot cakes. Yum!)

Can I make my own pumpkin puree?

Sure! Follow the instructions found here. Homemade pumpkin puree is easy to make.

What if I’m allergic to pumpkin?

Replace the pumpkin with 2 cups mashed sweet potatoes (canned sweet potatoes or yams).

Can I use this recipe to make Banana Bread?

Just, just replace pumpkin puree with mashed bananas for a moist banana bread. Choose whichever spices make sense to you. (Hint: you can add walnuts to banana bread for more texture. You can even add chocolate chips!)

Can I use olive oil in place of vegetable oil?

Yes but it will alter the taste. Another possibility would be canola oil.

Can I use melted butter in place of oil?

Absolutely. A couple of things to note: butter as some water content so it doesn’t break down in the same way as vegetable oil. In a nutshell: butter is solid at room temperature. Oil is liquid. Oil tends to make a moister product. Butter might cause the bread to be a bit drier.

Other Holiday Favorites from Out of the Box Baking

If you loved this fall treat you’re really going to go nuts over some of my other favorites!

Fudgy Pecan Pie: I live in the south and every good southerner needs a solid classic pecan pie recipe. Whether you serve it after your Thanksgiving dinner or as a late night snack, a great pecan pie is perfect!

Cinnamon Sugar Pound Cake: If you’re in the mood for a buttery cake with luscious swirls of cinnamon and brown sugar, you’ve come to the right place! This moist, delicious pound cake is easy to whip up and the addition of the cinnamon and sugar sends it over the moon! Serve it up on a cool fall evening. Follow this link to get the recipe for my Cinnamon Sugar Pound Cake.

Luscious Brown Butter Walnut Cake: This rich yellow cake, loaded with browned butter, toasted walnuts, and vanilla extract practically screams autumn! The addition of sour cream makes it sturdy and moist and the milk adds a luscious texture. The brown butter maple glaze on top? Well, that’s just the icing on the cake! (Literally!) Follow this link to get the recipe for my Luscious Brown Butter Walnut Cake.

Easy Carrot Cake Cupcakes: Holiday spice and everything nice! That’s what these carrot cake cupcakes are made of!  Best of all, they start with a boxed mix! Follow this link to get my Easy Carrot Cake Cupcakes recipe!

Simple Pecan Pie Bars: If you love the ease of a cookie bar but the luscious richness of pecan pie you’re going to flip over this simple pecan pie bar recipe! It merges both of those worlds into one dreamy bite, loaded with flavor and crunch! Follow this link to get my Simple Pecan Pie Bars recipe.

Easy Apple Pie: If you love the warm rich flavors of apple and cinnamon and the lovely crisp crunch of a flaky crust, this is the recipe for you! Thanks to the addition of canned apple pie filling this Easy Apple Pie comes together so easily. . .but it tastes like it took hours! Follow this link to get my Easy Apple Pie recipe.

Easy Pecan Pie Cookies: In this post I’m going to show you how to make a simple pecan pie cookie, perfect for a quick treat! This recipe will be particularly exciting during the holiday season.

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That’s it for this post, friends! I hope you enjoyed this quick bread recipe. Be blessed this holiday season.

See this recipe at

• Full Plate Thursday 
• Weekend Potluck
• Busy Monday

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About the Author

Janice Thompson is an author, baker, and all-around mischief maker! She has overcome a host of baking catastrophes, including a toppled wedding cake, to learn more about the baking process. Janice has published over 150 books for the Christian market but particularly enjoys writing recipes and baking devotions. To learn more about Janice or to drop her a note, visit her About the Author page.