Best Pumpkin Bread Recipe | Soft & Moist With A Whole Can Of Pumpkin! (2024)

Best Pumpkin Bread Recipe | Soft & Moist With A Whole Can Of Pumpkin! (1) Jessica

4.5 from 393 votes

103 comments

Prep Time 10 minutes mins

Cook Time 50 minutes mins

Total Time 1 hour hr

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Jump to Recipe

This soft, moist, and tender pumpkin bread recipe is packed with a whole can of pumpkin and warm fall spices. It’s incredibly easy to make and ready to go in the oven in just 10 minutes!

Best Pumpkin Bread Recipe | Soft & Moist With A Whole Can Of Pumpkin! (2)

Table of Contents

  • Why You Will Love This Pumpkin Bread Recipe
  • Watch How To Make It
  • Ingredients Needed
  • How to Make Pumpkin Bread
  • Tips And Variations
  • How to Store Pumpkin Loaf
  • Can I Freeze This?
  • More Must Make Pumpkin Recipes
  • Get the Recipe

    Why You Will Love This Pumpkin Bread Recipe

    This homemade pumpkin bread is so incredible, it’s probably the best you’ll ever have! Here’s why I know you will love it:

    • Easy: This quick bread recipe comes together in just 10 minutes, with no mixer required!
    • Pumpkin Flavor: This pumpkin bread recipe uses one whole can of pumpkin, making it packed with pumpkin flavor with no leftover pumpkin to worry about!
    • Texture: Super soft and moist pumpkin bread every single time! Serve it warm with butter, room temperature or even chilled. It’s insanely delicious all three ways.
    • Starbucks Copycat: If you add pepitas on top, this becomes a great copycat recipe for the Starbuck’s pumpkin loaf. For the price of one piece, you can bake an entire loaf at home!
    • Great For Gifting: This pumpkin bread travels easily and stays delicious for days, making it a great homemade gift.

    Watch How To Make It

    Watch how to make this easy pumpkin bread recipe step-by-step:

    Best Pumpkin Bread Recipe | Soft & Moist With A Whole Can Of Pumpkin! (3)

    Ingredients Needed

    Most ingredients needed are pantry staples that you hopefully already have! For full ingredient amounts and directions, scroll to the printable recipe card at the bottom of this post.

    • Flour: I used regular all-purpose flour.
    • Pumpkin Spice: I shared my homemade pumpkin spice mix in the recipe card.
    • Baking Soda
    • Salt
    • Pumpkin: I use a 15 oz can of pumpkin. Make sure it is pure pumpkin puree, not pumpkin pie filling which is already sweetened.
    • Granulated Sugar
    • Brown Sugar
    • Eggs
    • Vegetable Oil: You can use canola oil or melted butter, if you prefer.
    • Vanilla Extract
    Best Pumpkin Bread Recipe | Soft & Moist With A Whole Can Of Pumpkin! (4)

    How to Make Pumpkin Bread

    If you can measure ingredients and use a whisk, you’ve got this!

    • Dry ingredients: Whisk to combine the flour, pumpkin pie spice, baking soda, and salt.
    • Wet ingredients: Whisk together the pumpkin, sugar and brown sugar. Then beat in the eggs, vegetable oil, and vanilla.
    Best Pumpkin Bread Recipe | Soft & Moist With A Whole Can Of Pumpkin! (5)
    Best Pumpkin Bread Recipe | Soft & Moist With A Whole Can Of Pumpkin! (6)
    • Combine: Slowly whisk the flour mixture into the wet mixture until there are no lumps.
    • Bake: Pour the batter into a 9×5 loaf pan. Bake for 50 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.Half way through baking, lightly cover with foil.
    • Serve: Serve bread warm, or cool completely and store.
    Best Pumpkin Bread Recipe | Soft & Moist With A Whole Can Of Pumpkin! (7)

    Tips And Variations

    Guarantee your pumpkin bread turns out just the way you want with these recipe tips and variations:

    • Don’t Over-Mix: Stir the batter just long enough to remove the lumps and then pour into loaf pan.
    • Parchment Paper: Greasing your baking pan and then lining it with parchment paper will help the bread to not stick to the pan. It also makes it very easy to lift the pumpkin bread out of the pan.
    • Cover With Foil: This is a very moist and dense pumpkin loaf, which means it will take a while to bake through. The outside will be done quicker than the center. To prevent the top from over-browning, loosely cover the pumpkin bread with aluminum foil half way through baking.
    • Add Nuts or Chocolate Chips: I love adding chocolate to create a pumpkin chocolate chip bread! You can add 1/2 cup of chocolate chips, chopped pecans or walnuts to the batter.
    • Pumpkin Muffins: Want to use this recipe to make muffins? Bake them in a standard sized muffin tin for about 18 minutes. I love to add a little cream cheese swirl to create pumpkin cream cheese muffins!
    • Cream Cheese: Want to add cream cheese to the bread? I tried it and it creates a gorgeous pumpkin cream cheese bread.
    Best Pumpkin Bread Recipe | Soft & Moist With A Whole Can Of Pumpkin! (8)

    How to Store Pumpkin Loaf

    To store, tightly wrap the completely cooled pumpkin bread in plastic wrap and then place it in an airtight container. Store the bread on your counter for about 4 days, or in the fridge for up to a week.

    To warm, you can lightly toast a slice in your toaster oven or a standard toaster. You can also microwave it for 10 seconds for that freshly baked taste.

    Can I Freeze This?

    You can freeze an entire loaf, or individual slices, for up to 3 months. Allow bread to cool completely, then wrap the entire loaf, or single slices of pumpkin bread, tightly in Saran Wrap. Place the wrapped bread in a freezer friendly ziplock bag and freeze for up to 3 months. For best results, allow bread to thaw in the fridge for 24 hours before serving.

    More Must Make Pumpkin Recipes

    • Maple Glazed Pumpkin Donuts
    • Pumpkin Pie Cheesecake
    • Best Pumpkin Cheesecake
    • Pumpkin Pie Cookies
    • Pumpkin Roll with Toffee Filling
    • Pumpkin Cookies

    Best Pumpkin Bread Recipe | Soft & Moist With A Whole Can Of Pumpkin! (9)

    4.5 from 393 votes

    Print Pin Recipe

    Yield: 8 slices

    Pumpkin Bread Recipe

    This super soft, moist pumpkin bread recipe is made with a whole can of pumpkin and tastes even better than the Starbucks pumpkin loaf. Bonus: it’s incredibly easy to make with just 10 minutes of work!

    Prep Time10 minutes minutes

    Cook Time50 minutes minutes

    Total Time1 hour hour

    Ingredients

    • 1 ¾ cups all purpose flour
    • 1 tablespoon pumpkin spice, or cinnamon
    • 1 teaspoon baking soda
    • ½ teaspoon salt
    • 1 (15 oz) can pumpkin puree, not pumpkin pie filling
    • 1 cup granulated sugar
    • ½ cup packed brown sugar
    • 2 large eggs
    • ½ cup vegetable oil
    • 1 tablespoon vanilla extract

    Instructions

    • Preheat oven to 375°F. Grease a 9×5 loaf pan and line with parchment paper (where it hangs over the edges) for easy removal. Set aside.

    • In a medium bowl, whisk to combine the flour, pumpkin spice, baking soda and salt. Set aside.

    • In large bowl, whisk to combine the pumpkin, granulated sugar and brown sugar. Beat in eggs, vegetable oil and vanilla extract. Slowly whisk in the flour mixture, until there are no lumps.

    • Pour batter into prepared loaf pan and smooth the top with a spatula. Bake for 50 to 55 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Around the 30 minute mark, lightly cover the top of the bread with foil, to make sure the top does not overly brown.

    • Allow to cool for 10 minutes, then slice and serve warm, or allow to cool completely.

    Video

    Notes

    Storage: To store, first let the homemade pumpkin bread cool completely and then tightly wrap the bread in plastic wrap and then place it in an airtight container. You can then store the bread on your counter for about 4 days, or in the fridge for up to a week.

    Freeze: You can freeze an entire loaf, or individual slices, for up to 3 months. Allow bread to cool completely, then wrap the entire loaf, or single slices of pumpkin bread, tightly in Saran Wrap. Place the wrapped bread in a freezer friendly ziplock bag and freeze for up to 3 months. For best results, let bread thaw in the fridge for 24 hours before serving.

    Parchment Paper: Greasing your baking pan and then lining it with parchment paper will help the bread to not stick to the pan. It also makes it very easy to lift the bread out of the pan.

    Cover With Foil: This is a very moist and dense pumpkin loaf, which means it will take a while to cook through. The outside will be done quicker than the center. To prevent the top from over-browning, loosely tent aluminum foil over the top of the pumpkin bread about 30 minutes into the total baking time.

    Add Nuts or Chocolate Chips: I love pumpkin chocolate chip bread! You can add up to 1/2 cup of chocolate chips, chopped pecans or walnuts to the batter. Love Starbucks pumpkin loaf? Add pepitas on top of the batter to create a copycat version.

    Pumpkin Muffins: Want to use this recipe to make muffins? Bake them in a standard sized muffin tin for about 18 minutes. I love to add a little cream cheese swirl on top of the batter before baking to create pumpkin cream cheese muffins!

    Cream Cheese: Want to add cream cheese? I tried it and it makes a perfect base to create a gorgeous pumpkin cream cheese bread.

    DIY Pumpkin Pie Spice:Combine 4 tsp cinnamon, 2 tsp ginger, 1 tsp cloves, 1/2 tsp nutmeg and 1/2 tsp allspice.

    Nutrition

    Serving: 1slice, Calories: 410kcal, Carbohydrates: 64g, Protein: 5g, Fat: 15g, Saturated Fat: 3g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 8g, Monounsaturated Fat: 4g, Trans Fat: 0.1g, Cholesterol: 41mg, Sodium: 306mg, Potassium: 180mg, Fiber: 2g, Sugar: 40g, Vitamin A: 8334IU, Vitamin C: 2mg, Calcium: 41mg, Iron: 2mg

    © Jessica – The Novice Chef

    Cuisine: American

    Category: Pumpkin

    Categories:

    • Bread
    • Breakfast Ideas
    • Desserts
    • Fall
    • Family Recipes
    • Holidays
    • Pumpkin
    • Recipes
    • Thanksgiving
    • Videos

    Post may contain affiliate links. Read my disclosure policy.

    Related Posts

    • Pumpkin Cream Cheese Bread

    • Pumpkin Snickerdoodles

    • Pumpkin Pie Crisp

    • Pumpkin Bars

    Best Pumpkin Bread Recipe | Soft & Moist With A Whole Can Of Pumpkin! (2024)

    FAQs

    What happens if you put too much pumpkin in pumpkin bread? ›

    You might think you could overcome the lack of flavor by adding more pumpkin purée to your recipe, but you'd be mistaken: By the time you've added enough purée to taste it, your baked good would have a soggy texture on account of all that moisture.

    Why is canned pumpkin better to use in baking? ›

    Canned Pumpkin Delivers Consistent Results

    That's because the amount of water in each pumpkin varies. That means your homemade puree can either yield a perfectly lush pumpkin pie from scratch or one that's unpleasant and watery.

    How do you get moisture out of canned pumpkins? ›

    The easiest is to spread your puree out on a cookie sheet and blot it with a paper towel. If you have a little more time on your hands, you can put your pumpkin puree either on the stove or in the oven to cook off a bit of moisture.

    What to do with whole pumpkin? ›

    The easiest and cheapest way to enjoy the fall flavors is to simply roast a whole pumpkin yourself, and it's way simpler than you might think. You can use this pumpkin for soups, curries, or roasted veggie bowls, or blend it to make your own pumpkin puree for pies, muffins, and more!

    What not to do with pumpkin? ›

    In fact, pumpkin flesh can be extremely dangerous to hedgehogs causing them to be severely ill just as they get ready to go into hibernation. Additionally, some pumpkins that could have been painted or have small plastic decorations added will be toxic and harmful to wildlife and not good for the environment.

    Can too much pumpkin be bad for you? ›

    Pumpkin is very healthy and considered safe for most. However, some people may experience allergies after eating pumpkin (32). It's also considered mildly diuretic, which means eating a lot of pumpkin may induce a “water pill”-like reaction, increasing the amount of water and salt your body expels through urine (33).

    How do you intensify pumpkin flavor? ›

    Cook It on the Stove

    Briefly cooking your canned pumpkin purée on the stove can help improve both the flavor and texture. This method helps reduce excess moisture, which gives the pumpkin a superior texture. It also releases the natural pumpkin flavor and helps reduce the metallic taste from the can.

    Is Libby's pumpkin puree real pumpkin? ›

    Libby's, the quintessential canned pumpkin brand, uses a proprietary strain of the Dickinson pumpkin variety in their product, which is also often called a Dickinson squash. On Libby's website, it states that their product is 100 percent pumpkin.

    What makes pumpkin taste better? ›

    Cook it on the stove

    It involves nothing more than cooking canned pumpkin on the stove for a few minutes. This trick works because adding heat to the purée releases the natural pumpkin flavor, elevating it from barely there to wow.

    Why did my pumpkin bread come out dry? ›

    There are a number of reasons your pumpkin bread came out dry. It's possible the particular flour you used was extra “thirsty” for liquid. Try cutting the amount of flour, or adding more milk. It's also possible your oven was too hot, or you baked the pumpkin bread for too long.

    What happens if you bake canned pumpkin? ›

    Organic canned: The puree on its own was extremely watery and almost looked like applesauce. It had the most air bubbles form during baking, making the appearance less appealing. In the final baked pumpkin pie filling, its texture was more custard-y, almost gelatinous.

    Why did my pumpkin turn to mush? ›

    When fruit is in contact with moist soil for long periods of time, rot organisms such as phytophthora blight can cause problems. Soft sunken spots form where the fruit touches the soil, and if the conditions are good for the fungus, it can cause complete collapse of the fruit.

    How to use whole pumpkin for baking? ›

    Here are the easy steps:
    1. Place the whole pumpkin on a large, rimmed baking sheet. Cover loosely with foil. ...
    2. Bake in a 375°F oven for 1 hour. (It's done when a knife slips in easily.) ...
    3. Slice off the top. ...
    4. Fill with your favorite soup, strata or bread pudding – and make everyone smile big pumpkin grins.
    Oct 30, 2023

    Can I cook a pumpkin whole? ›

    How to Cook a Whole Pumpkin. Preheat your oven to 400ºF and have a rimmed baking dish ready. Rinse off the pumpkin, then use a knife to stab the hard outer shell several times, to allow for ventilation. Place the whole pumpkin on the rimmed baking dish, then transfer to the oven to roast until tender, about 60 minutes.

    Can you feed pumpkin to dogs? ›

    Feeding plain canned pumpkin gives a great boost to your dog's nutrition. Great for digestion. Due to its high soluble fiber content, pumpkin is very good for your dog's digestion. If you feed your dog some pumpkin, it will add bulk to their stool.

    Why did my pumpkin bread come out gummy? ›

    If your pumpkin spice bread is gummy or undercooked in the center, it's typically because it either 1) needed more time to bake in the oven or 2) the batter was too wet, which led the bread to collapse in on itself a bit (this happens if you measure ingredients by volume, rather than by weight: it's easy to ...

    Why is my pumpkin bread mushy? ›

    Preventing your pumpkin bread from having a soggy bottom is all about how you let it cool. When it comes out of the oven, let the loaf sit in the pan for a 5 minutes. Then, and here's the secret, turn it out upside down onto a cooling rack. Remove the parchment paper, and allow it to cool completely.

    How to tell if pumpkin bread is done? ›

    So, to know when pumpkin bread is done, look for the crack on the top of the bread, which is a tell-tale sign it's either done or close to being done. Then stick a skewer or toothpick into the center of the bread. If it comes out clean, it's ready to come out of the oven.

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