If you love pumpkin, you HAVE to try this easy pumpkin bread recipe! Moist, warmly spiced, and filled with pumpkin flavor, it's the perfect fall treat.
Once I tried this pumpkin bread recipe, I finally understood what all the fall pumpkin hype was about. To be honest, I didn’t get it for a long time. Why go crazy for pumpkin when apples, sweet potatoes, and hundreds of amazing types of squash (spaghetti, delicata, acorn, and butternut, to name a few) are in peak season too? Enter: this pumpkin bread recipe. Super moist, warmly spiced, and filled with delicious pumpkin flavor, it totally won me over to team pumpkin.
I typically crave pumpkin bread at two times of day: in the morning for breakfast or in the afternoon with a coffee or tea. Because I wanted this recipe to be one I could feel good about enjoying first thing in the morning, I made it on the healthy side. Honestly, it’s the best pumpkin bread I’ve had! It’s lightly sweet, so the bold, spiced flavors really shine through. And though it’s wonderfully moist, it’s not too rich, so I have no problem polishing off a generous slice (or two). If pumpkin season means having this recipe on repeat for a while, I’m 100% on board.
Healthy Pumpkin Bread Recipe Ingredients
Here’s what you’ll need to make this healthy pumpkin bread recipe:
- Pumpkin, of course! My loaf uses a full cup of pumpkin puree, which gives it the perfect moist texture and adds delicious pumpkin flavor.
- All-purpose flour and whole wheat flour – Spoon and level them to avoid packing too much into your measuring cup.
- Vegetable oil – For moisture and richness. Another neutral oil, such as avocado or canola oil, would work here too!
- Almond milk – Or whatever type of milk you keep on hand. Regular milk and my homemade oat milk are both great choices.
- Baking powder, baking soda, and eggs – They help the loaf puff up as it bakes.
- Cane sugar – For sweetness.
- Cinnamon, nutmeg, and allspice – For warm, cozy fall flavor.
- Vanilla extract – It enhances the spices’ warm flavor.
- And sea salt – To make all the flavors pop!
Find the complete recipe with measurements below.
How to Make Pumpkin Bread
This pumpkin bread recipe is so easy to make! Here’s how it goes:
First, make the batter. Whisk together the wet ingredients in one bowl and the dry ingredients in another.
Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and mix until just combined. Don’t overmix, or the pumpkin bread will be dense.
Then, bake. Pour the batter into a greased loaf pan and bake at 350°F until the top springs back to the touch and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, about 45 minutes.
Let the quick bread cool completely before slicing and serving.
Finally, enjoy! Devour a slice plain, or slather it with butter, honey butter, or almond butter. Leftover pumpkin bread will keep in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days.
For longer storage, wrap slices in aluminum foil or plastic wrap, and freeze for up to 3 months. Allow the slices to thaw at room temperature, or unwrap and defrost them in the microwave for about 30 seconds.
Pumpkin Bread Recipe Variations
Do you like nuts, fruit, or chocolate in your pumpkin bread? Feel free to adapt this recipe to suit your tastes. Here are a few fun ways to change it up:
- Add some crunch. Stir in 1/2 cup of your favorite chopped nuts, and sprinkle some on top. Chopped pecans or walnuts would be especially good!
- Make it fruity. Fold 1/2 cup dried cranberries, dried tart cherries, raisins, or chopped dates into the batter.
- Go the chocolate route. Fold 1/2 cup dark chocolate chips into the batter. Scatter more on top for good measure!
- Swap the spices. I love the cinnamon, nutmeg, and allspice in this pumpkin bread recipe, but other warming spices would be wonderful here too. Substitute ground cloves for the allspice, add a dash of ground ginger, or replace the individual spices with a tablespoon of pumpkin pie spice!
- Frost it. Craving a more decadent treat? Slather this loaf with my tangy cream cheese frosting!
- Make it vegan. Substitute 4 tablespoons ground flaxseed and 6 tablespoons warm water for the eggs. This version isn’t quite as puffy, but it’s still delicious.
Let me know what variations you try!
And if you have pumpkin puree leftover, use it to make pumpkin pancakes, pumpkin waffles, or a pumpkin spice latte!
More Favorite Easy Baking Recipes
If you love this homemade pumpkin bread, try one of these easy baking recipes next:
- Pumpkin Muffins
- Banana Bread
- Zucchini Bread
- Chocolate Zucchini Bread
- Easy Apple Cake
- Apple Muffins
- Cinnamon Rolls
- Or any of these 25 Super Fun Baking Recipes!
Pumpkin Bread
Ingredients
- ¾ cup all-purpose flour, spooned and leveled*
- ¾ cup whole wheat flour, spooned and leveled*
- 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- ½ teaspoon ground allspice
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon sea salt
- 1 cup canned pumpkin puree
- ½ cup almond milk, or any milk
- ½ cup cane sugar
- ¼ cup vegetable oil, or other neutral oil
- 2 large eggs**
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F and grease an 8x4-inch loaf pan.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the all-purpose and whole wheat flours, the cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the pumpkin puree, almond milk, sugar, oil, eggs, and vanilla until smooth.
- Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and stir until just combined. Do not overmix. Spoon the batter into the prepared pan and bake for 45 to 50 minutes, or until the top springs back to the touch and a toothpick inserted comes out clean.
Notes
Everyone loved this bread. Moist and just the right balance of pumpkin
I made this for my daughter’s arrival home from college and the only change I made was adding chocolate chips. It was delicious! It’s moist and really flavorful. I think the nutmeg is the star!
Hi Sheryl, I’m so glad you loved it!
Hi, My pumpkin bread is in the oven right now. You mentioned in the directions vanilla but I couldn’t find an amount anywhere. I hope it still turns out ok. That might be why some people are saying its not tasting great. Thanks!
Hi Francesca, the recipe calls for 1 teaspoon vanilla extract. You can find the complete recipe with measurements at the bottom of the blog post. I hope you love the bread! I think it will taste great even without the vanilla.
how large of a can of pumpkin puree? I assume the recipe calls for 15 oz, but I just want to be sure
Hi Seth it’s 1 cup of pumpkin puree – so if you get a 15 ounce can you wouldn’t use quite all of it.
This is the 1st time 1 of your recipes has disappointed. Flat, no flavor, very oily. I suggest to other bakers that you HUGELY increase the spices, definitely add ginger (I used fresh but apparently not enough).
Hi Edith, thanks for your comment! This bread should be puffy and moist, not flat. Did you change anything about the recipe?
agree with the above. I’d increase the spices. Seemed like I tasted the baking powder too much too
Just made this today for a ladies dinner and it was a hit! So moist and delicious. I used only whole wheat flour and used soy milk since it was the only milk in my fridge. It turned out wonderfully! Everyone said it was so good! Thanks for the recipe, I will definitely make it again!
Hi Sharon, I’m so glad you loved it!
Excellent pumpkin bread with common pantry ingredients. I subbed apple sauce for the oil & was thrilled with the results. Everyone asked for more!
Hi Michelle, I’m so glad it was a hit!
Would this work with almond or oat flour? Thank you
Hi Jess, I probably wouldn’t sub 100% almond flour or oat flour, but it might work to replace some of the AP or whole wheat flour with almond. I would start with a ratio of 1 cup AP flour to 1/2 cup almond. If you need the recipe to be gluten-free, you could use a 1 to 1 gluten-free flour blend in place of the AP flour.
Hi!
What are the baking instructions if I want to make this into muffins?
Thank you!!
Hi Elle, I’d go make our pumpkin muffin recipe, they’re delicious!: https://www.loveandlemons.com/pumpkin-muffins/
Thank you!! What dairy-free milk work you swap in that recipe for regular milk? 😊
Hi Elle, almond milk is our go-to.
Thank you!!!
It’s the same recipe as the pumpkin muffins except the muffins use coconut oil. They were delicious! Added chocolate chips to 1/2 the batch to mix it up a bit. I’m looking forward to trying the pumpkin bread too!
Btw, the roasted delicata squash and apples is my FAVORITE. Awesome fall recipe. Will be made for the Thanksgiving!
I’m so glad you loved the delicata squash!
If I add zuchinni to this pumpkin recipe do I need to eliminate an ingredient, such as the milk? Of how would I add zuchinni to this recipe? Thanks!
Hi Lauren, we’ve never tried adding zucchini to this loaf, but it might work to use it in place of the milk. You might also enjoy our zucchini bread recipe (you could try using pumpkin in place of some of the oil there!).
Probably the best pumpkin bread recipe I’ve ever made. Moist, flavourful, and easy. It baked very evenly so the outside wasn’t too dark. I opted for entirely whole wheat flour, used 2% milk and sunflower oil, and added a cinnamon/sugar/walnut layer in the centre. Thank you for this recipe – will be making on repeat!
I’m so glad you loved it, Ella! The cinnamon sugar-walnut layer sounds amazing.
Made the vegan version of this pumpkin bread and it was delicious! It’s moist with great flavor from the spices. Was wondering, would it would work well as a muffin recipe? If so, what would the baking time be adjusted to?
Thank you for this great recipe😊
What size can of pumpkin do you use?
Hi, you need 1 cup canned pumpkin puree for this recipe, or most of a standard (15-ounce) can.
How much pumpkin puree. different size cans are available. Cup size would give a better indication.
Hi Marie, 1 cup, the measurements are listed in the recipe card at the bottom of the post. I hope you enjoy!