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 since 2014. You don’t even need a mixer! The days of bland pumpkin bread are behind us.
Reader Laura says: “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.
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, 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, says: “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 & Pumpkin Cinnamon Rolls
- Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies & Pumpkin Snickerdoodles
- Pumpkin Roll
- Brown Butter Pumpkin Oatmeal Cookies
- Pumpkin Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting
- Pumpkin Bundt Cake
- Recipes to Make With Leftover Pumpkin Puree
For even more inspiration, here are my 30+ favorite pumpkin dessert recipes.
PrintMy 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.
Excellent recipe made exactly as posted! Thank YOU
This is by far the best pumpkin bread recipe I have made. My thanks you to you. It’s moist 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.
Delicious pumpkin bread. However, it does require more than 60-65 minutes. It
needs 75 minutes, and then need to check.
Sooooo tasty!!!!! The best recipe ever!!!! I love it I did it exactly as it said it came out delicious
Wonderful recipe. Used Splenda 1 for 1 on both white and brown sugar. PERFECT. No chocolate chips. Absolutely delicious.
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! Like finding bread and cookie recipes on here that I can make for my family, and farmers markets that I do! Thanks Sally
Have made this multiple times and it’s always delicious! I had to use water instead of orange juice and craisins instead of chocolate chips and it turned out wonderful!
What a great recipe! The flavor and texture are spot on and the bread is delicious!
I didn’t have orange juice, so I used buttermilk rather than regular milk to keep the acidic aspect (especially since this is a baking soda-based recipe), and I thought it turned out perfect.
I recently tried the Serious Eats pumpkin bread recipe and it was a let-down, Sally’s is way better! Her’s has more pumpkin (and less oil!) per loaf and way more flavor!
Best pumpkin bread recipe I’ve found. Great flavor and not dry at all!
Do you hate it when people rate something, then write all the ways they modified it? Is it even the same recipe?! Well, I like to read all the various things people change to see what they liked and what they didn’t. So, yes, I made some modifications: used King Arthur White Whole Wheat flour in place of the AP, added the zest from the orange I used for the OJ, used 3 tsp cinnamon, then doubled the rest of the spices as another reviewer suggested, and added 1/2 tsp cardamom (because I love it). I also reduced the sugar – 50g of white, 75g brown. IT IS AN AMAZING recipe! It turned out so good. My husband said, “This is the best pumpkin bread you’ve ever made.”! Thanks, Sally! And thanks to everyone who shared their reviews and the things they did differently.
I don’t know what to say the recipe is unbelievable it’s sooooo good ♥️
Absolutely delicious. I did cut brown sugar to 1/2 cup and used pineapple juice in place of orange. Thanks for sharing the recipe!
Hi there! I would like to ask what kind of oven I should be baking this with? I only have a small oven with no fan inside. There are heating elements at the top and bottom. Any advice would be helpful!! Thank you xx
Hi Sera! All of the recipes on this site are written for conventional settings. Convection ovens are fantastic for cooking and roasting. If you have the choice, we recommend conventional settings when baking cakes, breads, etc. The flow of air from convection heat can cause baked goods to rise and bake unevenly and it also pulls moisture out of the oven. If you do use convection settings for baking, lower your temperature by 25 degrees F and keep in mind that things may still take less time to bake.
Delicious!
Pumpkin bread is a little out of season but after 4th of July my dog was a little thrown off so I opened one of his favorite treats…pumpkin purée! He’s little and I didn’t want the rest to go to waste so I made this recipe. Wasn’t sure about using the orange juice but it worked great. Another perfect recipe!
I want to love this recipe but my loaf has been in the oven for 80 mins and it’s still completely unbaked. It’s not my oven, as I bake all the time with zero issues. I use Sally’s recipes ALL the time and love them but this one just isn’t working for me.
Hi Miranda
I also experienced this. I used a porcelain loaf pan and I’m wondering if that is the issue. But it’s worth the wait! My second loaf is currently in the oven and now I know when to start testing.
We are going to make this amazing pumpkin bread again….it is that awesome. It is a staple in our house all year around! I had to leave a comment! I’ve been using your recipe for a couple years now! Thank you Sally for an outstanding recipe!!! We love it!!! Oh, and sometimes instead of chocolate chips we make it with butterscotch chips…delish!!
Thank you for sharing your positive feedback!
Wonderful pumpkin loaf. Works beautifully with gluten free flour blend. Moist and delicious. Thank you!
Have become a muffin making maniac during the pandemic. This recipe is out of this world delicious-freezes well and makes 18 nicely sized muffins. I always add nuts to my muffins if possible; they worked well with the other ingredients. Love your recipes and have many successes because of them. Thanks!
Added raisins and walnuts!
Delicious!
We made a double batch with large can of pumpkin pie filling (and did not add any additional spices since they are already in filling). We baked each loaf separately. So delish with OJ or milk. We are also high altitude and didn’t have to make any adjustments for that. Our fav!
Thanks for including the oven temperature in celcius. Saves me from converting each time.
This is an easy recipe to follow. It is always so delicious. I tried a different recipe once ( forgot to save this one), and my children and myself where very disappointed. The only step I do different is l always add extra on the spices. They are my favorite, I use them in my coffee too. Thank you for this fantastic recipe.
This pumpkin bread is delicious! I love the subtle orange flavor (I actually use orange juice concentrate from the can without adding water). That really makes it yummy. The only other tweak I make is to use less cinnamon. I end up doing 1 1/4 tsp of cinnamon and the same measurements for the rest of the ingredients. I have used both canned and fresh pumpkin and loved both equally. Thank you Sally!
I made it without chocolate chips and did milk since we didn’t have orange juice, but planning to try out next time. This was the best pumpkin bread I’ve ever made!
I have made your recipe about 6 times now and it is the best I have found! I add walnuts, just because I like the flavor it adds. My neighbors and family love it 🙂
Just made this and it turned out delicious. I used applesauce instead of oil and used homemade pumpkin puree. I did drain the puree of the extra moisture. The baking time was off for me. Took 25 extra minutes to cook. The result was delicious. The loaf turned out moist and flavourful!!! Will make again and again. Thanks
I’m almost 70 years old and have been baking forever. This is the best Pumpkin bread I’ve ever made…so moist and flavorful! I made it exactly as the recipe suggested, using the orange juice and semi sweet chocolate chips. This easy to make recipe will for sure be a regular baked treat for my big family and for holiday giveaways. Thank you, thank you!
Made this last night. I originally got it from tasteandtravellers tik tok page and I’m so happy I found this. I was so incredibly moist I fell in love with this. Did everything the same but I didn’t want to waste any pumpkin puree so I just used the entire 15 oz can. 100% recommend
Omg so good. I used whole milk in place of orange juice and a tsp of pumpkin pie spice for ease. It took the full 65 minutes and came out perfectly moist and delicious!
I love this recipe! I’ve made it at least 5 times. I always increase the amount of spices up to 1.5-2x and have never used chocolate chips. I also swap the amounts of white and brown sugar to use a little less brown sugar. I use homemade pumpkin puree without squeezing out any water and don’t add orange juice, so I bake for 65 minutes. Even with the modifications, it comes out great!
First-this recipe is delicious!! I had to use the milk instead of oj and I did a mixture of chocolate chunks and chips. I made it as mini loaves and muffins.
Second-I see now (after I’ve already made it) that you recommend not doubling the recipe. I’m curious the reason for this? Mine seemed to do okay with doubling, but maybe because that’s the only way I’ve done it I don’t know any better?
Thanks for the recipe!!
Hi Stacey! So glad you loved this recipe. We recommend not doubling the recipe because it is easy to over or under – mix batter when working with larger volumes.
Do you think it would be ok if I didn’t use any cloves, ginger or pumpkin spice? I don’t have access to either of these
Hi Des! This bread will still be tasty with just cinnamon and nutmeg for spices, though it will lack some of the “pumpkin spice” flavor. Let us know if you give it a try!