The perfect moist and delicious Pumpkin Bread recipe. This is always a family favorite fall recipe!

The perfect pumpkin bread

Through many tests I have developed my perfect pumpkin bread recipe. This is a fall staple recipe and one that never lasts long in my house!

Here is why I love it:

Moist: without being gooey or too soft that it falls apart. This bread has the perfect crumb.
Sweet: without being overwhelming.
Pumpkin spiced: just the right amount of pumpkin pie spice to bring all the flavors together and make your kitchen smell amazing.
Delicious: warm or cold, this pumpkin bread tastes amazing!

Pumpkin Bread Ingredients

You can find the full recipe with instructions at the bottom of this post, but here is the quick overview of the ingredients you will need.

All-purpose flour: this recipe has not been tested with other flours, but would likely work with 1:1 gluten free flour or whole wheat pastry flour.
Canned pumpkin: not pumpkin pie filling.
Olive oil: oil is key for getting the perfect moist pumpkin bread. You can substitute this for vegetable oil if you want.
Water: adds a soft, tender crumb to the bread.
Eggs
Baking soda and baking powder
Salt
Sugar and Brown Sugar
Vanilla extract
Pumpkin pie spice and Cinnamon

How to make pumpkin bread

Step 1: Whisk together the dry ingredients in a mixing bowl: flour, baking soda, salt, baking powder, pumpkin pie spice, and cinnamon.

Step 2: In a separate bowl, whisk together the pumpkin, olive oil, water, eggs, sugar, brown sugar, and vanilla extract.

Step 3: Add the dry ingredients to the wet and mix until just combined.

Recipe Tip

Be sure not to over mix the batter as this will result in a dense and dry bread.

Step 4: Pour the batter into a greased 9 by 5 loaf pan.

Step 5: Bake the pumpkin bread at 350 for 60-70 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean.

adding the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients

Recipe Tip

If the pumpkin bread is browning too quickly on top, cover it with foil. I did this around the 45 minute mark and finished baking the bread loosely tented with foil over the top.

Step 6: Allow the pumpkin bread to cool in the pan until no longer hot, then transfer it to a wire cooling rack to cool completely.

This is delicious by itself, but spread a little butter on top for an even more decadent bite.