Best Pumpkin Bread Recipe (Moist)

A loaf of pumpkin bread sliced on a wooden cutting board.

Best Pumpkin Bread Recipe (Moist)

Pumpkin Bread is an easy, moist quick bread. It is a favorite fall recipe packed with pumpkin spice and topped with a powdered sugar glaze and crunchy pepitas.

Course Dessert

Cuisine American

Prep Time 5

Cook Time 1 10

Total Time 1 15

Servings slices (2 loaves)

Calories 294kcal

Author Meggan Hill

Equipment

2 Loaf Pans

Ingredients

For the bread:

3 ½ cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice (see note 1)
½ teaspoon salt
3 cups sugar
1 (15-ounce) can pumpkin purée (not pumpkin pie filling, see note 2)
1 cup vegetable oil
3 eggs

For the glaze and pepitas topping:

1 cup powdered sugar
2 tablespoons butter softened
2 to 3 tablespoons milk or water
1/2 cup raw pepitas

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

Adjust oven rack to lower-middle position and preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line two (2) 9-inch x 5-inch loaf pans with parchment paper. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon, pumpkin pie spice, and salt. Set aside.
In a large bowl whisk together sugar, pumpkin, oil, and eggs and mix well. Add dry ingredients in 3 batches, mixing well after each addition and scraping down the sides as necessary.
Divide batter between the two loaf pans and smooth the top with a spatula. Bake 1 hour and 10 minutes or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean with a few crumbs attached, rotating pans after 30 minutes through and checking for doneness after 1 hour.
Cool 15 minutes in the loaf pans on a wire rack over a baking sheet. Slide a knife around the inside of the loaf pan to loosen the bread and flip out onto the wire rack. Remove parchment paper and cool loaves completely.
Meanwhile, combine powdered sugar, and butter in a small bowl. Whisk in the milk, 1 tablespoon at a time, until slightly thick and smooth.
Pour glaze over the top of the cooled loaves so any excess glaze drips through the wire rack and onto the baking sheet. Garnish loaves with pepitas and allow glaze to cool and harden, about 30 minutes.

Notes

Pumpkin pie spice: Purchase this pre-mixed, or to make homemade pumpkin pie spice, in a small bowl, whisk together 3 tablespoons cinnamon, 2 teaspoons ground ginger, 2 teaspoons ground nutmeg, 1 ½ teaspoons ground allspice, and 1 ½ teaspoons ground cloves. Transfer to a small airtight container and store in a dark place for up to 6 months.
Pumpkin purée: Good ol’ unadorned roasted pumpkin purée is what you’re after, no pumpkin pie filling. Buy a 15-ounce canned pumpkin puree that can be found in the baking aisle, or if you’re feeling ambitious, make your own Fresh Pumpkin Purée.
Yield: This recipe yields 2 loaves, about 12 slices per loaf depending on how you slice it, or 24 slices total.
Storage: Store Pumpkin Bread at room temperature for 2 to 3 days.

Nutrition