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Homemade pumpkin bread is a favorite fall recipe, packed with cinnamon spice and rich pumpkin flavor. Extra moist and easy to make, this recipe has been a fan favorite since 2014. You don’t even need a mixer! Say goodbye to bland pumpkin bread forever.
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As soon as September arrives, I get the urge to make every quick bread recipe under the sun. Some of my favorites are banana bread, apple cinnamon bread, and this standout: the BEST pumpkin bread I’ve ever had. This pumpkin bread recipe is beloved for its incredibly moist texture and straightforward process. No dry crumbs here! Each slice is packed with pumpkin and pumpkin spice flavors. Trust me, this is some good stuff.
Perfecting This Pumpkin Bread Recipe
It took about 6 or 7 tries to get this pumpkin bread recipe just right. After plenty of sunken, soggy, and flavorless loaves, I finally mastered the right balance of ingredients, resulting in pumpkin perfection. The recipe is similar to my pumpkin muffins.
Key Ingredients and Why They Work:
- Pumpkin: A generous amount of pumpkin adds both flavor and moisture. Canned pumpkin is my go-to, but homemade pumpkin puree works too. If using homemade puree, blot some of the moisture with a paper towel before measuring.
- Oil: Adds incredible moisture and lightens up the crumb. Vegetable oil is ideal, but melted coconut oil can be used as a substitute.
- Favorite Fall Spices: Cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, and cloves perfectly complement the pumpkin flavor. Pumpkin pie spice can also be used—see my recipe note below.
- Orange Juice: This may seem unusual, but don’t worry. The bread won’t taste like oranges. Orange juice adds a subtle flavor and prevents the bread from being too dense. Milk can be used if you don’t have orange juice, but the slight orange flavor is magical in this bread.
- Chocolate Chips: Optional, but if you love chocolate, adding chocolate chips is always a good idea.
Here’s the batter and a couple pictures of the bread without chocolate chips:
Why You’ll Love This Pumpkin Bread Recipe:
- Perfect for fall
- Smells wonderful while baking
- Easy to make—no mixer required
- Extra moist
- Rich pumpkin flavor
- Loaded with warm spices
- Adaptable—add chocolate chips, chopped pecans, or leave plain
- Like banana bread, it tastes even better on day 2 (if it lasts that long!)
This pumpkin bread recipe is so beloved that I included it in my first cookbook, Sally’s Baking Addiction. It’s always a hit, especially during pumpkin spice season! But after one taste, you might not want to limit this quick bread to just the fall season.
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Enjoy baking this ultimate pumpkin bread and savor every delicious, moist slice!
This post may contain affiliate links. Read our disclosure policy.
The above recipe draws inspiration from the renowned culinary experts, Sally and Lindsay.
Ingredients
Homemade pumpkin bread is a favorite fall recipe packed with sweet cinnamon spice, tons of pumpkin flavor, and optional chocolate chips.
😎 Total Time: 1 hour, 15 minutes
- 1 and 3/4 cups (219g) all-purpose flour (spooned & leveled)
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg*
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves*
- 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger*
- 3/4 teaspoon salt
- 2 large eggs, at room temperature
- 1/2 cup (100g) granulated sugar
- 3/4 cup (150g) packed light or dark brown sugar
- 1 and 1/2 cups (340g) pumpkin puree (canned or fresh)
- 1/2 cup (120ml) vegetable oil, canola oil, or melted coconut oil
- 1/4 cup (60ml) orange juice*
- 2/3 cup (120g) semi-sweet chocolate chips*
Instructions
- Adjust the oven rack to the lower third position and preheat the oven to 350°F (177°C). Lowering the oven rack prevents the top of your bread from browning too much, too soon. Grease a metal 9×5-inch loaf pan with non-stick spray. Set aside.
- In a large bowl, whisk the flour, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, ginger, and salt together until combined. Set aside. In a medium bowl, whisk the eggs, granulated sugar, and brown sugar together until combined. Whisk in the pumpkin, oil, and orange juice. Pour these wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and gently mix together using a rubber spatula or a wooden spoon. There will be a few lumps. Do not over-mix. Gently fold in the chocolate chips, if including.
- Pour the batter into the prepared loaf pan. Bake for 60–65 minutes, making sure to loosely cover the bread with aluminum foil halfway through to prevent the top from getting too brown. The bread is done when a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean with only a few small moist crumbs. This may be before or after 60–65 minutes depending on your oven, so begin checking every 5 minutes around the 55-minute mark.
- Allow the bread to cool completely in the pan on a wire rack before removing and slicing.
- Cover and store leftover pumpkin bread at room temperature for up to 3–4 days, or in the refrigerator for up to a week.
Notes
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- Make Ahead Tip: Baked pumpkin bread can be frozen for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator and bring to room temperature before serving.
- Special Tools (affiliate links): 9×5-inch Loaf Pan | Glass Mixing Bowls | Whisk | Cooling Rack
- Spices: You can use 1 teaspoon store-bought or homemade pumpkin pie spice instead of nutmeg, cloves, and ginger. Be sure to still add 2 teaspoons of cinnamon to the batter.
- Oil: Oil is a better choice than melted butter in this recipe. The bread is not as moist and soft if using butter.
- Orange Juice: You can substitute milk (any kind) for orange juice.
- Chocolate Chips: If desired, try using milk chocolate, white chocolate, dark chocolate, or even chopped pecans/walnuts instead of the semi-sweet chocolate chips. You can leave the pumpkin bread plain, too.
- Pumpkin Muffins: This recipe makes 15–18 pumpkin chocolate chip muffins. Bake for about 20 minutes at the same oven temperature, or try this similar pumpkin muffins recipe.
- Bundt Cake: Simply make this pumpkin Bundt cake (pretty much this exact recipe) and leave out the cream cheese filling. Add 1 and 1/2 cups chocolate chips if desired. About 1 hour bake time.
