Best Moist Pumpkin Bread

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Packed with pumpkin, olive oil, and seasonal fall spices this old-fashioned recipe is the Best Moist Pumpkin Bread you’ll find. This no-knead, dense, and soft quick bread has been tested by 6 generations and is a rustic fall treat perfect with melted butter or covered in icing.

Slice of pumpkin bread topped with whipped cream on a wooden plate.

Why this Recipe Works

The recipe itself is simple and calls for standard pantry ingredients, with the exception of the fall favorite pumpkin puree, which makes it not only the best but easy. It’s so simple to prepare, even kids can help with the baking.

With the approval of 6 generations, this recipe has not only been in my family for over 100 years it’s been perfected at this point. This recipe may be old-fashioned but it’s a decadent classic for a reason.

Extremely dense, and super moist this quick bread is packed with seasonal fall flavor of nutmeg, cinnamon, and ginger. It makes the perfect fall treat or after-school snack, in fact, I even serve it at Thanksgiving.

There’s no mixer needed! This recipe is simple. Simply stir the dry ingredients together in one bowl, the wet in another, and then combine the two. Pour that into a prepared pan and bake.

Ingredients Needed

Pumpkin bread ingredients in various bowls.

Pumpkin: for this recipe you will need pumpkin puree, not pumpkin pie mix, which is already sweetened.
Olive Oil: any oil will work for this recipe, I prefer to use olive oil since the baking temp is only 350º and I love how well it mixes in with the other ingredients, which helps it to achieve that dense texture.
Spices: I use a blend of cinnamon, ginger, and nutmeg for the traditional pumpkin spice blend, however, you can also use 1 ½ tablespoons of pumpkin pie spice.

I prefer to keep this recipe easy, which is why I like to use canned pumpkin puree, but you can also make your own homemade pumpkin puree as well. Try and drain or use a paper towel to soak up any excess water though, when you use this method. This isn’t necessary to do if you use canned pumpkin puree.

Step-by-Step Instructions

Whisk the dry ingredients. In a large bowl whisk the flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, and sugar together.
Mix the wet ingredients. Combine the eggs, water, pumpkin puree, and olive oil together in a separate small bowl, but don’t overmix.

Combine. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry and stir until just fully mixed, again, don’t overmix just combine.
Bake. Grease a 9×5 loaf pan with butter, oil, or shortening and dust with flour and shake out any excess. Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake at 350º for 60 minutes.

Recipe Variations

Quick bread recipes such as this Cinnamon Apple Bread and this Chocolate Banana Bread are some of my favorites to prepare during the fall months. This is a very simple recipe, but you can change it up by adding some ingredients such as nuts or chocolate chips or make it healthier by swapping ingredients like flour.

Spread on a topping: some options to try are a vanilla glaze, chocolate ganache, or just make some homemade whipped cream.
Add nuts or dried fruit: Mixing in nuts is always a debate in my family, but if you like a little crunch I suggest trying some crushed pecans. Alternatively, you can mix in dried fruit such as raisins or dried cranberries.
Mix in some chocolate chips: This might be my favorite variation. Stirring some chocolate chips into the batter makes this infinitely more decadent.
Egg Free Pumpkin Bread: to make this recipe egg-free swap the eggs for 2 flax eggs, by mixing 2 tablespoons of ground flaxseed with 6 tablespoons of warm water. Set the mixture aside and let it thicken for about 10 minutes before adding it to the batter.
Whole Wheat Pumpkin Bread: swap the all-purpose flour for whole wheat flour to make more rustic flavored pumpkin bread.
Gluten-Free Pumpkin Bread: you can also swap the flour for a gluten-free measure-for-measure flour if you’d prefer to remove the gluten.

Pumpkin bread loaf sliced on a wooden cutting board.

Expert Tips:

To test the bread for doneness stick a toothpick in the very center of the bread. If it comes out clean the bread is ready, if it has batter on it return the pan to the oven and cook for an additional 10 minutes.
Make sure to both grease your loaf pan with butter or shortening and then dust the sides with flour. This will help release the cooked bread from the pan.
Measure the flour correctly! Use a spoon to scoop up the flour into your measuring cups and then use the backside of a knife to level off the excess on top.
To fix undercooked pumpkin bread, place it back in the loaf pan if you’ve removed it and then put it back in the oven at 350ºF. Cook it for an additional 10 minutes, check the center with a toothpick, and then add an additional 5 to 10 minutes until it the toothpick comes out clean.

FAQs

Can you freeze pumpkin bread?

Absolutely! You can freeze an entire loaf or you can slice it and wrap the individual slices and freeze those as well. To thaw place the entire loaf into the refrigerator to thaw overnight or to thaw a single slice place it in the microwave for 20 seconds. This bread will last for 6 months in the freezer.

Can I use butter instead of oil?

Yes, you can. To use butter instead of oil you will need to beat a ½ cup of butter at room temperature before mixing it in with the wet ingredients.

Should you refrigerate pumpkin bread?

It’s not necessary to refrigerate pumpkin bread, but you if you’d like. I choose to store mine in an air-tight container and leave it in the pantry or on a countertop. I like to heat it for 15 seconds in the microwave before I enjoy a piece.