Pumpkin Bread Recipe (No Mixer!) - Sally's Baking Addiction (2024)

Homemade pumpkin bread is a favorite fall recipe packedwith 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!”

Pumpkin Bread Recipe (No Mixer!) - Sally's Baking Addiction (1)

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, buthomemade 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). Simplymeasure 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.
Pumpkin Bread Recipe (No Mixer!) - Sally's Baking Addiction (2)

Here’s the batter and a couple pictures of the bread without chocolate chips:

Pumpkin Bread Recipe (No Mixer!) - Sally's Baking Addiction (3)
Pumpkin Bread Recipe (No Mixer!) - Sally's Baking Addiction (5)

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 tobanana bread, it tastes even better on day 2 (if it lasts that long!)

Ilove 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.”

Pumpkin Bread Recipe (No Mixer!) - Sally's Baking Addiction (6)
Pumpkin Bread Recipe (No Mixer!) - Sally's Baking Addiction (7)

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 my30+ favoritepumpkin dessert recipes.

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Pumpkin Bread Recipe (No Mixer!) - Sally's Baking Addiction (8)

My Best Pumpkin Bread

5 Stars4 Stars3 Stars2 Stars1 Star4.8 from 488 reviews

  • Author: Sally
  • Prep Time: 15 minutes
  • Cook Time: 1 hour
  • Total Time: 1 hour, 15 minutes
  • Yield: 1 loaf
  • Category: Bread
  • Method: Baking
  • Cuisine: American
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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()
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
  • 1/4teaspoon 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

  1. 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.
  2. 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.
  3. 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.
  4. Allow the bread to cool completely in the pan on a wire rack before removing and slicing.
  5. 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

  1. 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.
  2. Special Tools (affiliate links): 9×5-inch Loaf Pan | Glass Mixing Bowls | Whisk | Cooling Rack
  3. 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.
  4. Oil: Oil is a better choice than melted butter in this recipe. The bread is not as moist and soft if using butter.
  5. Orange Juice: You can substitute milk (any kind) for orange juice.
  6. 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.
  7. 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.
  8. 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.
Pumpkin Bread Recipe (No Mixer!) - Sally's Baking Addiction (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 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 heavy? ›

Pumpkin bread can become dense if there is not enough hydration or wet ingredients in the recipe. Another cause is overcooking the bread which can cause it to dry out. Remember, it's always easy to keep cooking if it isn't done but impossible to take cooking time back.

Why won t my pumpkin bread cook in the middle? ›

Setting the Oven Temperature Is Too Hot

If your oven runs hot, your bread is likely to brown and bake up on the outside before the center has a chance to fully cook. Invest in a simple oven thermometer to help verify the temperature. Make sure you have other bread baking essentials in your kitchen, too.

What happens if you use too much baking soda in pumpkin bread? ›

It's important not to use too much baking soda in recipes, as it can result in a metallic, soapy flavor. It is much more powerful than baking powder – you only need about 1/4 teaspoon baking soda per cup of flour to leaven baked goods.

What happens if I put too much evaporated milk in my pumpkin pie? ›

Pies with too much evaporated milk formed blisters on top.

Though the interior of the filling had a great, creamy texture. The flavor was ever-so-slightly muted and had a hint of milkiness to it.

How to tell if pumpkin bread is done baking? ›

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.

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.

Should pumpkin bread be jiggly in the middle? ›

You want the bread to puff up and crack on top—this is a sign that it has cooked all the way through. It's easy enough to test for doneness by inserting a wooden skewer or cake tester (sometimes I use a paring knife) into the center of the loaf.

How can I make my bread lighter and fluffy? ›

Add Sugar

Adding sugar weakens the gluten structure, absorbs water, and eventually makes the bread lighter and softer. As a result, sugar improves the bread's taste, structure and texture. Yeast also eats up sugar to produce carbon dioxide, which raises the dough and makes bread fluffy.

Why does my pumpkin bread crumble when I cut it? ›

Too much flour and not enough water can cause crumbly bread – people often do this if the dough is too sticky and they add more flour rather than kneading through it. Other culprits can be overproving or not kneading enough – the things you need to do to get a good structure.

What is the best pumpkin for baking? ›

For cooking, you'll want to use sugar pumpkins (also called pie or sweet pumpkins), which are small and round. Long Island Cheese pumpkins, which are more oblong and can look like a wheel of cheese, are also good to eat.

Can you put undercooked pumpkin bread back in the oven? ›

If you check the top section of the loaf and find it's undercooked, simply tent a piece of aluminum foil loosely over the loaf pan and pop the bread back into the oven so that the inside can continue to cook to completion.

What temperature to bake bread? ›

Pop the loaves into a 375º oven and bake for 30 to 35 minutes. The loaves should be golden brown. If you want to be sure they're baked through, use your thermometer to check the internal temperature of the bread. You're looking for about 185º.

What are the side effects of too much pumpkin? ›

When taken by mouth: Pumpkin is likely safe when eaten in foods. It is possibly safe to take pumpkin seed or pumpkin seed oil in medicinal amounts. Side effects from pumpkin products are rare, but might include stomach discomfort, diarrhea, and nausea.

Can too much pumpkin be bad? ›

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).

What does pumpkin do in baking? ›

Not only does pumpkin purée act as a sweetener, a creamy moisturizer, and a fat substitute in everything from muffins to soup — but it also tastes delicious in everything! But because canned pumpkin is unlike any other baking ingredient, it tends to be mistreated in recipes.

How much pumpkin spice is too much? ›

After trying all of these different selections, I've come to the conclusion that there is no such thing as too much pumpkin spice.

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