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.
Keywords: pumpkin bread
All hail queen Sally! This is my third time making this bread. It has quickly made its way into my fall rotation. I love the balance the orange juice brings to the pumpkin + spices. It’s moist, dynamic, and tastes like the season. Thank you, Sally + team.
★★★★★
This recipe was amazing! I made two loaves: 1 for home and 1 for work. It was a hit with my boyfriend, co-workers, and bosses! One of my bosses even asked for the recipe! The bread is so moist, soft, and has the perfect amount of pumpkin.
★★★★★
I found this recipe doesn’t seem to double well the texture was off and there was a wierd gooey line at the bottom. The flavor was amazing. I will try again using the exact recipe. I also used milk this time and I believe the orange juice will add the little bit of acidity the flavor was missing. Looking forward to my second attempt at this recipe.
★★★★★
Is there a substitute for the eggs? Can flax eggs be used?
Hi Nicola, we haven’t tested an egg-free version of this bread so we’re unsure of the best substitute. Let us know if you give anything a try! And if you’re interested, here are all of our egg-free recipes.
I’ve been using this recipe since I first saw it in 2014! It’s the only recipe I’ve used or ever will use. I made it for my fiancé for the first time on Friday night… here it is Sunday and it’s gone. And he’s DEMANDING I make it again this week. I do have one question. He loves bananas too so I’d like to add to the recipe, however, I have no idea how I’d adjust the ingredients. Any and all suggestions are appreciated!
★★★★★
Hi Eliza, so glad it’s a hit! We haven’t tested it, but if you want to try it we recommend keeping the total amount of puree the same, so 1 and 1/2 cups of pumpkin and banana in whatever ratios you wish (i.e. 3/4 cup each if you want to make half of each).
I made this yesterday and it is amazing- moist and delicious. Added zest from one orange, as well as chocolate chips and dried cranberries, so good!
Sally, could applesauce be substituted for the oil?
Thanks for this recipe
★★★★★
Hi Katie! So glad you love it. The bread would turn out with a less-than-desirable texture if you replace all the oil with applesauce. We don’t recommend it. You could try substituting a smaller portion to see how that goes!
Thanks, Trina!
Awesome recipe! Tried it today, just added a bit vanilla and switched the chocolate chips with raisins. Also put 1/4 cup less brown sugar (turned out still sweet enough, would even skip more next time!).
It tasted amazing! Perfect texture, sweet and those spices… – YUM.
PS. I made pumpkin puree from scratch by roasting a halved Hokkaido Pumpkin for about 25 min at 200 degree celsius in the oven – no need to blend, it came out so soft and smooth i only whisked it with a spoon and ready!
★★★★★
Tried raisins instead of chocolate chips. Very good
I just made this along with your delicious apple cinnamon bread. It’s wonderfully spicy and the chocolate chips are a great addition. I might try the cinnamon chip idea I saw above next time. Yum!
★★★★★
We usually just keep light orange juice in the fridge. If I were to use this in place of the regular orange juice, would it make a significant impact on the outcome of the bread?
Not at all, would be delicious!
I have a gallon of apple cider I need to use up…might that work in place of the orange juice?
Hi Lisa, you can definitely give that a try! Should be a delicious swap.
Wow…so so good! I made 1/2 the recipe because I had a small loaf pan (6.5×3.5). I also bake sugar-free so I subbed Lakanto Monkfruit for the granular sugar, and Swerve Brown for the brown sugar. It was perfect, so moist and delicious. Thank you!
Note: If using sugar alternatives you will want to bake 25F less than recipe calls for (for this recipe I baked at 325F) as the sugar replacements tend to brown more easily.
★★★★★
I made the pumpkin loaf this past weekend and it did NOT disappoint! I didn’t have orange juice on hand so I just used milk. It came out so moist and was perfectly balanced with the spices! I am excited to make this again when I buy more pumpkin.
I baked this in a glass loaf pan at the instructed temperature for about 65 minutes
★★★★★
As an Australian, we don’t really use pumpkin in sweet recipes, however this looked too good to pass up when I saw it floating around on an American Instagram page.. I love it and my kids absolutely love it too! Definitely a winner in our house over here
Has anyone tried using an egg substitute? I want to make this for my family but my daughter is allergic to eggs. I was thinking of trying apple sauce but wanted to see if anyone else has tired anything yet.
I was in the mood for pumpkin bread and found this recipe On Sally’s website. I served it for company and we absolutely loved it! I followed the directions as stated and the bread was moist and flavorful. I did add a streusel topping with oatmeal and walnuts. Will definitely make this again. YUM!
★★★★★
So glad you loved this pumpkin bread recipe, Sue!
My loaf just came out of the oven and it is dangerously good. I decreased the sugar content just a smidge and used 1/4 cup oil and 1/4 cup applesauce and it is just as moist. Also substituted for oat milk. I only had an 8×4 pan so my loaf baked for 70 min.
★★★★★
So easy to make and amazingly delicious! I’m not usually a very good baker, but this came out perfectly and I’m
making another right now! Thanks for the delicious recipe!
★★★★★
Great recipe and easy to whip up! The recipe calls for almost a can of pumpkin and 1/4 cup orange juice. Too lazy to store 1/4 cup or so of leftover pumpkin puree so I use the entire can, added two teaspoons of lemon juice (to make sure there is enough acid to react with the baking soda) and one teaspoon of orange extract – came out perfect!
★★★★★
My DIL made this recipe substituting butter for the oil.Very disappointing,it was dry and crumbly.When I made it with oil it was perfect,moist,just delicious.She said Lesson learned,follow the recipe!
★★★★★
First time ever making pumpkin bread and I’m SOLD – came out PERFECT! So soft and flavorful. Will definitely make this again. Thanks for another winner, Sally!
★★★★★
Love this and everything I’ve ever tried on your site. Quick question:
Can unsalted melted butter be used instead of vegetable oil?
★★★★★
We highly recommend sticking with oil for this recipe.
I’ve made these for several years now and it’s the main thing anyone ask me to make in the fall now. Thanks for this recipe. What time and temp should I do for mini loaf pans?
Hi Ward, 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.
Amazing!!! I made this with almond milk instead of oj. Also, not the biggest fan of pumpkin pie spice…so just added 3/4 tsp. I also didn’t add any chocolate chips. This was simply the best I’ve had!!!
★★★★★
Have you made this with gluten free flour? How does it come out? Any recommended changes for gf?
Thank you.
Hi Cindy, We haven’t tested this recipe with gluten free flours, but some readers have reported success using 1:1 flour substitutes (like Cup4Cup). If you try it, let us know how it goes!
I made it with bobs gluten free 1:1 And it was perfect!! Legit couldn’t tell the difference and I make the normal version a lot! The crumb was spot-on
I have tried once and the whole family loved it . I am wondering if I could substitute the sugars with coconut sugar .
★★★★★
Hi Aliki, We’d love to help but we are not trained in baking with sugar substitutes. For best taste and texture (and so you don’t waste your time trying to adapt this recipe since it may not work properly), it may be more useful to find a recipe that is specifically formulated for sugar substitutes like coconut sugar. We’re so glad your family enjoyed this pumpkin bread!
I use coconut sugar in place of the sugar in almost every muffin and quick bread recipe I make. It subs easily 1:1. I often cut down the sugar in recipes as a personal choice, because I find they don’t need as much as most call for. I plan to make this with 1 c. of coconut sugar and it will undoubtedly be delightful!
I noticed today that in your cookbook the recipe calls for one cup of granulated sugar, and 1/2 cup of light brown sugar which is different than this recipe. Could you tell me which one is the updated recipe please ? Thanks!
Hi Melissa, so sorry for the confusion! The website will always have the most up-to-date version of a recipe. Sometimes we do re-test a recipe and make some tweaks. Hope you enjoy the pumpkin bread!
I’m not a big fan of pumpkin pie, pumpkin spice lattes, etc because the spice flavor is usually overwhelming to me but I wanted to give this recipe a try. Loaf came out absolutely perfect and I was pleasantly surprised with how much I enjoyed it. The spice flavor wasn’t over the top. I swapped the chocolate chips with pecans because I wanted something less sweet for breakfast. Was great warm with a little bit of maple butter. I plan to make again. Sally, you may have made a pumpkin spice convert out of me!
★★★★★
This is so delicious! thanks you Sally and team for another keeper.. Has anyone tried using two smaller loaf pans?
I’ve used 2 “medium” sized loaf pans and also 3 mini loaf pans! Worked good any way I tried!
My while family loved this, including my 4yo!
I’d like to send a loaf home with my mom (2hr drive), but don’t have the time to bake it. Does anyone know if I could premix the dry ingredients and the wet ingredients (separately, of course) so that all she has to do is combine them and bake?
★★★★
That would be fine for 2 hours. Glad you all enjoyed this loaf enough to make it again!
Another one of your great recipes. None have failed me yet. Thank you
★★★★★
I have 3 mini loaf pans so I’ll give this a try, how did you adjust the time in the oven and did you rotate the mini loaves during cooking?
Could you also substitute 1/2 & 1/2 for the milk, in place of the orange juice?
That shouldn’t be a problem.
Very excited to have made.
The flavor is absolutely amazing but let’s talk about how good my house smells while this bakes.
★★★★★
Question – is this recipe as is okay for high attitude or do I need to adjust it? I live in the mountains of Colorado.. Thank you for any suggestions to can provide..
Hi Vickie, we wish we could help, but we have no experience baking at high altitude. Some readers have found this chart helpful: https://www.kingarthurflour.com/learn/high-altitude-baking.html
I live in the Andes at over 8000 feet. Did the recipe as written and no problem. In my experience quick breads usually do well without adjustment
★★★★★
Yes! 5/5! Rivals Starbuck’s pumpkin loaf!
★★★★★
Did you figure out if any adjustments need to be made for altitude? I am also in CO. I just made this was is and the middle is uncooked. This also seems to happen to me with banana bread.
Fall is calling, I couldn’t help myself, I needed to bake and needed it to be pumpkin and this pumpkin bread fulfilled that. It’s really delicious, I added half cinnamon chips and half chocolate chips, I think the cinnamon chips knocked this bread outta the park.
★★★★★
Wow! Cinnamon chips are a great idea!
How long is this bread good for if I place it in the fridge?
Hi Gisselle, you can cover and store leftover pumpkin bread at room temperature for up to 3–4 days, or in the refrigerator for up to a week.
So good! I skipped the orange juice for milk, and use 3/4 cup + 1 tbsp. of brown sugar blend Splenda, the bread turned out amazing, not too sweet or oily like other recipes. Added pumpkin seeds and walnuts for extra flair. Family loved.
★★★★★
Where do you get cinnamon chips?
I’ve bought them at Walmart where the chocolate chips are kept. They may be seasonal but, it’s getting to the fall season now so they are probably available now.
Chris L, I get mine from nuts.com, fabulous website!!! Check em out!