Homemade pumpkin bread is a favorite fall recipe packed with cinnamon spice and tons of pumpkin flavor. Extra moist and easy to make, this recipe has been a fan favorite for years. You don’t even need a mixer! The days of bland pumpkin bread are behind us.
I originally published this recipe in 2014 and have since added new photos, a video tutorial, and a few more success tips.
One reader, Laura, commented: “Wanted to say this bread is really good! And last year when I took some of my farmers markets breads to our county fair, this is one of the breads I entered for judging, got a blue ribbon, 1st place, for it! Very good! ★★★★★”
When September rolls around, I have the sudden urge to make every quick bread recipe under the sun. Some of my favorites are banana bread, apple cinnamon bread, and this orange beauty: the BEST pumpkin bread I’ve ever had. This is a favorite pumpkin bread recipe because each slice is incredibly moist and the process is very straightforward. There are no dry crumbs here! This pumpkin bread is also packed with pumpkin and pumpkin spice flavors. I’m telling you… this is some good stuff.
Perfecting This Pumpkin Bread Recipe
When I was testing this pumpkin bread recipe, it took me about 6 or 7 tries to get it just right. After plenty of sunken, soggy, and flavorless loaves, I finally mastered what ingredients and how much of each to use, and the result is pumpkin perfection. The recipe is a lot like these pumpkin muffins.
Here are the key ingredients you need & why:
- Pumpkin: There’s a lot of pumpkin in this recipe because it not only adds flavor, but moisture as well. I always bake with canned pumpkin, but homemade pumpkin puree works too. If you’re interested, here’s how to make pumpkin puree. Make sure you blot your homemade pumpkin puree to rid some of the moisture (not necessary if using canned pumpkin). Simply measure your homemade pumpkin puree, then squeeze out some of the moisture with a paper towel.
- Oil: Adds incredible moisture and lightens up the crumb. Vegetable oil is best, but you can substitute melted coconut oil instead.
- Favorite Fall Spices: Cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, cloves… the gang’s all here! These 4 spices complement the pumpkin flavor wonderfully (and are often found together in pumpkin pie and many other pumpkin recipes). You could also use pumpkin pie spice—see my recipe Note below.
- Orange Juice: I know orange juice seems strange here, but don’t be nervous. This bread will NOT taste like oranges. I use orange juice because a little liquid keeps the bread from tasting too dense. Milk works too if you don’t have orange juice, but the subtle orange flavor is like magic in this bread. It just works.
- Chocolate Chips: Optional, but if you’re a chocolate lover, pumpkin + chocolate is always a good idea. You can also add chocolate chips to other quick bread recipes like zucchini bread and peanut butter chocolate chip zucchini bread.
Here’s the batter and a couple pictures of the bread without chocolate chips:
Why You’ll Love This Pumpkin Bread Recipe:
- Delicious in the fall
- Smells wonderful while it bakes
- Easy to make—no mixer required
- Extra moist
- Tons of pumpkin flavor
- Loaded with warm spices
- Adaptable—studded with chocolate chips, or use chopped pecans, add a swipe of cinnamon butter, or leave plain
- Similar to banana bread, it tastes even better on day 2 (if it lasts that long!)
I love this pumpkin bread recipe so much that I included it in my first cookbook, Sally’s Baking Addiction. It’s always a hit, especially when pumpkin spice season picks up!
But after 1 taste, you might not want to limit this quick bread to the fall season. 🙂
Another reader, Liz, commented: “This is by far the best pumpkin bread recipe I have made… It’s moist and loaded with flavor. I love the orange juice that adds a fresh flavor to it. I add some orange zest that kicks up the orange flavor a bit. It goes well with the chocolate chips too. ★★★★★”
More Perfect Pumpkin Recipes
- Pumpkin Muffins & Mini Cinnamon Sugar Pumpkin Muffins
- Pumpkin Cinnamon Rolls
- Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies & Pumpkin Snickerdoodles
- Pumpkin Roll
- Brown Butter Pumpkin Oatmeal Cookies & Pumpkin Oatmeal Cream Pies
- Pumpkin Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting
- Pumpkin Bundt Cake
- Pumpkin Coffee Creamer
- Pumpkin Hand Pies
- Recipes to Make With Leftover Pumpkin Puree
For even more inspiration, here are my 30+ best pumpkin dessert recipes.
Print
My Best Pumpkin Bread
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 1 hour
- Total Time: 1 hour, 15 minutes
- Yield: 1 loaf
- Category: Bread
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Description
Homemade pumpkin bread is a favorite fall recipe packed with sweet cinnamon spice, tons of pumpkin flavor, and optional chocolate chips.
Ingredients
- 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
- 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.
Reader Comments and Reviews
Love this bread I add 1/2 teaspoon molasses 1/2 teaspoon honey 1/2 teaspoon maple syrup in the batter and saved a little for a drizzle on top turned out DELICIOUS Thanks big will ….
This recipe is the best. I love it and my husband is addicted to it 🙂 thank you!! .. ma scale doesn’t thank you 😉
This is an amazingrecipe. I substituted finely chopped caramel bits for the chocolate chips. It is delicious!
There is a local bakery that makes a pumpkin chocolate chip bread that my daughter loves. They only sell in the fall, so I made this recipe since we are in the off season. My daughter loved it. She thought it was better than the bakery.
Looks like after your pumpkin/ chocolate chip bread cooled you sliced in loaf pan? Do you recommend that?
Hi Rose, I placed the slices back in the loaf pan for the photo.
So good! Moist and perfectly spiced. My 4 year old and my 18 month old both loved it too.
Amazing!!! One of my favs!!! Thanks you 🙂
Great recipe. We are making 17 loaves for a fundraiser – $20/loaf!
I am an avid baker and have made many pumpkin bread recipes over the years and this recipe hands down is by far the best pumpkin bread I’ve ever made or eaten. I don’t think I’ll make any other recipe ever again. I was even able to sub out most of the AP flour for whole wheat flour with great results (did about 3 parts ww, 1 part white). Also used a blend of mini chips and normal sized chocolate chips. Extremely moist and so flavorful! You will not regret making this!
I’ve looked far and wide for a pumpkin bread/muffin recipe that I could love. This is it! This recipe is better than that bakery pumpkin bread we all crave. It’s super easy and works equally well for muffins. It’s perfect for baking with kids or an a weekday. Thank you, Sally!
I used oat milk instead of OJ, chocolate chunks instead of chips and two teaspoons of pumpkin pie spice only—I’m floored—SO GOOD.
Made this to give a slice or two to this guy I’m sweet on, I think it’ll make a very good impression:)
I plan on making this bread but have a ginger allergy. Should I just double one of the other spices? Or split the difference between the two (so add 1/8 tsp more of each nutmeg and cloves)? Love your recipes!
Hi Christina, You can simply omit the cloves with no other changes if you wish. But you can certainly add more of the other spices for extra flavor (I love adding extra cinnamon!).
Sally how do you prevent pumpkin bread from sinking in the middle after it was cooled. I measured correctly and didn’t over mix. I have 2 thermometers in my oven to make sure it is the right temperature. Should I slice the bread and put it back in the oven so middle cooks or should I just put the whole loaf back in the oven?
Thank you
Hi DD! Quick breads will sink if not cooked through all the way. Next time make sure to use the toothpick test to check for doneness!
Thank you for responding to sinking pumpkin bread. Should I put the pumpkin bread back in the oven whole or should I slice it then put back in the oven?
Thank you
If you discovered that the bread wasn’t cooked though right away, you could pop it back in the oven to continue baking. But after sitting out for a while, we wouldn’t recommend baking again for food safety.
So easy to make and SO moist and delicious! My favorite pumpkin bread….even better than the one on the Libby’s pumpkin website!
Made the bread version the first time and then the muffins. A big hit with my guests. You have the best dessert recipes!
Such an amazing recipe. Do u have nutritional facts?
Hi Lisa, We don’t usually include nutrition information as it can vary between different brands of the same ingredients. Plus, many recipes have ingredient substitutions or optional ingredients listed. However, there are many handy online calculators where you can plug in and customize your exact ingredients/brands. Readers have found this one especially helpful: https://www.verywellfit.com/recipe-nutrition-analyzer-4157076
I doubt ill get a response in the time frame i need lol like now…but i dont have milk or orange juice…i do have buttermilk and almond milk will either of these work, im leaning towards the buttermilk
Hi Jennifer, the almond milk will work in a pinch.
Delicious!! I made the recipe as is before and it was wonderful. Making it a second time, I just doubled the orange juice, added an extra 1/2 cup of pumpkin, and an extra 1/3 of chocolate chips (plus even more chocolate to sprinkle over the top).
Can this be made using almond flour or coconut flour?
We haven’t tested a gluten free version of this bread. You may have more success with a 1:1 gluten free flour blend like cup4cup. Let us know if you give it a try!
Do NOT double this recipe. If you need to make a big batch, make the batches one by one and you can let the batter sit in the loaf pans until you bake it all at once on a cookie sheet.
I follow this recipe (grams), except I replace all of the spices for 2 teaspoons of pumpkin pie spice (still use the two teaspoons of cinnamon as well). Did not add chocolate chips. Convection oven @ 325°F.
I top off the loaves with a mixture of chopped pecans, neutral oil, and maple syrup before it goes in the oven; gives it a nice shine and crunch. Sprinkled flaky sea salt when baked and cooled.
Pumpkin bread tastes way better the next day (trust the process!), so I suggest you bake it the day before you need it. If you want to take this up a notch and make it gourmet, make the Bon Appetit salted maple butter recipe to go with this bread. Thank me later, but thank Sally for the solid pumpkin bread recipe first!
i forgot to add in my post that i used splenda brown sugar for the donughts and splenda for this bread loaf recipe…can’t tell the difference..can be diabetic friendly too..!!
i’ve made this recipe so many times and the donughts..soooo good..my family doesn’t
get enough of it!..will be making it for christmas too..ty so much for sharing your recipes!!
by the way..the milk works good..had no orange juice..
This recipe was amazing and very easy to follow. I used half the amount of sugar and I ended up using the entire 15 oz can of pumpkin puree with coconut oil and it was light, and moist. Half of it was gone in less than 10 mins 🙂
Followed recipe to the “T” and it’s just ‘ok’ …. sorry to say, but it wasn’t a big hit. My husband asked ‘is this gingerbread cake’? And I used almost the whole can of pure pumpkin, which measured exactly at 1 1/2 cups. No pumpkin taste at all. I was going to bake these for Christmas gifts but now I’m going back to baking either lemon bread or zucchini breads for gifts.
Do you know what measurements would be for mini loaves?
Hi Dominique, you can use this batter for mini loaves. Bake at the same temperature. We’re unsure of the exact bake time, but keep a close eye on them and use a toothpick to test for doneness.
Looking for a way to use up excess pumpkin puree leftover from Thanksgiving, I figured Sally’s had to have a pumpkin bread recipe. It never occurred to me to put chocolate chips in pumpkin bread but this is a great touch. Gonna’ have to come up with something really unique to convince me to make pumpkin bread any other way in the future.
Hi Sally, can you double this recipe?
Hi Brenda, for best results, we recommend making the batter twice rather than doubling.
Sally, I made this with all-purpose gluten-free flour and loved it.
Son said I should make and sell. I added nuts and cran-raisins.
I used gluten free also , but exchanged 3/4 cup for almond flour!
Great texture!
Can’t imagine NOT using raisins and walnuts!
Really good! The whole family loved it.
I have made this at least 5 times in the last month! It’s so, so amazing!! The moisture is definitely there! Thank you!!!
This bread is dangerous! I could eat the entire loaf in one day! It’s seriously the best pumpkin bread I’ve ever had in my life! And the chocolate chips just put it over the top! Thank you for my new favorite pumpkin dessert!!!