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 390 votes

103 comments

Prep Time 10 minutes mins

Cook Time 50 minutes mins

Total Time 1 hour hr

This post may contain affiliate links. Read my disclosure policy.

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 390 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

    This 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

    Why is my pumpkin bread not moist? ›

    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. Try reducing the oven temperature and cutting the baking time.

    Why is canned pumpkin better to use in baking? ›

    So, Why Used Canned Pumpkin Instead of Fresh?
    • Canned Pumpkin Saves Time and Effort. “Making pumpkin puree is time-consuming,” says Maggie. ...
    • Canned Pumpkin Delivers Consistent Results. ...
    • Canned Just Tastes Better. ...
    • Canned Pumpkin Is Cost-Effective. ...
    • Canned Pumpkin Is Readily Available.
    Nov 21, 2022

    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.

    Can I use canned pumpkin instead of fresh? ›

    There isn't much of a difference between canned pumpkin and fresh pumpkin puree, and looking at the list of ingredients on the back of the can will tell you that.

    How can I make my bread more moist? ›

    Fats keep your bread moist. If your loaf was too dry, try adding a tablespoon or two more oil next time you make it. Likewise, water does more than hydrate your dough. It helps yeast do its thing, activates gluten and determines the volume of your loaf—all crucial for the right results.

    What adds moisture to bread? ›

    Finally, if you're feeling adventurous, why not add honey, molasses, or brown sugar to your recipe? Not only will they give your bread a unique flavor, but they'll also help keep it soft and moist for days.

    How do you get moisture out of canned pumpkin? ›

    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.

    Is heavy cream or evaporated milk better for pumpkin pie? ›

    During my testing of pumpkin pies, I tried lots of different milk options – heavy whipping cream, regular milk (I used 2% in my testing), sweetened condensed milk and evaporated milk. Ultimately, I found heavy whipping cream to be the best. It produced the creamiest pie in my opinion.

    How do you intensify pumpkin flavor? ›

    Ruth Reichl's Tip: Roast Your Pumpkin Purée

    Not only does roasting deepen the flavor of the pumpkin, but it bakes off some of the moisture in the purée, ensuring a more custard-like pie with less risk of a soggy crust.

    How to make canned pumpkin taste good? ›

    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.

    Who makes the best canned pumpkin? ›

    The Best Overall: Libby's 100% Pure Canned Pumpkin

    There is a reason that Libby's 100% Pure Pumpkin has been the go-to brand for so many people for so long.

    Why is my pumpkin bread undercooked? ›

    When the toothpick comes out clean, the bread is done. If not, bake 5-10 minutes longer and recheck. PRO-Tip: Do not pull the loaves out without doing a toothpick check. If you remove the loaf too early, the middle will be raw.

    Why is my bread always so dry? ›

    Leaving the bread in the oven too long will dry out bread. If the bread has finished baking before the minimum time stated in the recipe, the oven temperature may not be correct. To insure the correct temperature each time you bake, always use an oven thermometer.

    Why is my bread not soft and fluffy? ›

    The over-kneading dough is a common bread making mistake, which makes gluten too tight for bread to rise, resulting in chewy bread instead of fluffy. Kneading correctly is most important to strengthen the gluten and give your bread a perfect texture.

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