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 391 votes

103 comments

Prep Time 10 minutes mins

Cook Time 50 minutes mins

Total Time 1 hour hr

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 391 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

    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

    How do you get moisture out of canned pumpkins? ›

    Whichever brand you choose, there's one step you should probably take when baking with pumpkin purée this year: Add the pumpkin purée to a cheesecloth or paper towel and wring out the excess moisture that's inside. This tip is a particular favorite of TikTok creator and baker Sarah Fennel, the creator of Broma Bakery.

    Why is my pumpkin bread not moist? ›

    There are a number of reasons your pumpkin bread came out dry. It's possible the particular flour you used was extra “thirsty” for liquid. 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.

    How do you make canned pumpkin taste better? ›

    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.

    Why is canned pumpkin better to use in baking? ›

    Canned Pumpkin Delivers Consistent Results

    That means your homemade puree can either yield a perfectly lush pumpkin pie from scratch or one that's unpleasant and watery. Because canned pumpkin has the same texture can after can, “you'll get a consistent result with your recipes every time,” explains Maggie.

    What is the moisture content of canned pumpkin? ›

    Although canned pumpkin is not a rich source of fibre, it has an extremely high moisture content. As seen in the chart, 100g of canned pumpkin (salted and unsalted) contains 90g of water.

    How do you moisturize pumpkin? ›

    Let your pumpkin dry completely, then choose one of the options below to keep it fresh:
    1. Spray daily with a bleach solution (use ratio above)
    2. Spray daily with a pumpkin spray (either store bought or homemade)
    3. Spray with WD-40 (just once or after each soak)
    4. Rub with petroleum jelly (just once or after each soak)

    What is the secret to moist bread? ›

    Add Milk

    To make your bread soft and fluffy, another trick used by commercial bakers is replacing water with milk. Milk has fats which make bread softer.

    How to prevent pumpkin bread from drying out? ›

    Don't over bake it. Test it a few minutes earlier than you have been baking it for. Try using a slightly smaller pan for a taller loaf. Adding some ground walnuts to the batter at the end can help, too.

    Why did my pumpkin bread come out dense? ›

    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.

    Is Libby's Pure pumpkin actually 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.

    How to enhance pumpkin flavor for baking? ›

    The amount of water that gets cooked off is drastic — Sarah says the purée can be reduced by half (both in weight and volume). And without all that water in the way, the natural sugar in the pumpkin has the opportunity to caramelize and brown, resulting in a more complex flavor.

    What is the difference between 100% canned pumpkin and pumpkin puree? ›

    Canned pumpkin (labeled as "100% pure pumpkin") is a purée of pumpkin that is sometimes mixed with other kinds of winter squash. It is unsweetened and does not contain any added spices. Canned pumpkin and pumpkin puree are the same thing, and you'll often see the terms used interchangeably in recipes and cookbooks.

    What is the best canned pumpkin to use? ›

    In this taste test, our Test Kitchen pros found that the biggest name in the pumpkin game does, in fact, make the best canned pumpkin on the market. Libby's 100% Pure Pumpkin is a favorite among our culinary crew. Libby's canned pumpkin has a really rich orange color that is quintessential fall.

    What does canned pumpkin replace in baking? ›

    Use Libbys Pumpkin Instead of...
    • 1 EGG = ¼ cup LIBBY'S Pumpkin.
    • 1 TBSP. OIL = 1 tbsp. LIBBY'S Pumpkin.
    • 1 TBSP. BUTTER = 1 tbsp. LIBBY'S Pumpkin.

    Can dogs eat pumpkin? ›

    Due to its high soluble fiber content, pumpkin is very good for your dog's digestion. If you feed your dog some pumpkin, it will add bulk to their stool. This helps reduce issues with diarrhea. In addition, fermentation of the same fiber produces beneficial fatty acids that supply energy to cells.

    How do you remove excess water from a pumpkin? ›

    (Note, if the puree is overly watery, you should strain it over cheesecloth or a fine mesh strainer to get rid of some of the liquid.) 6Dump the pureed goodness into a bowl, and continue pureeing until all the pumpkin is done.

    How do you dry the inside of a pumpkin quickly? ›

    Prevent puddles of moisture from sitting inside the pumpkin by inverting it onto a clean, dry rag and letting it dry completely. Give the pumpkin at least 20 minutes to dry. You could let it sit up to 1 hour if desired, though.

    Why is my pumpkin cake too moist? ›

    Why is my pumpkin cake too moist and dense on the bottom? If you find that your pumpkin cake is too moist, isn't holding it's shape and is gummy in certain areas, it's usually caused by too much liquid in your recipe.

    How do you fix a watery pumpkin? ›

    If a batch of pumpkin puree appears thin or watery, let it drain in a fine-meshed strainer for 1 hour to remove excess liquid. Most roasted or steamed pumpkin just needs a quick mash to turn soft and creamy-smooth. If lumps remain, place the puree in a blender or food processor, and blend until smooth.

    References

    Top Articles
    Latest Posts
    Article information

    Author: Nicola Considine CPA

    Last Updated:

    Views: 6598

    Rating: 4.9 / 5 (69 voted)

    Reviews: 84% of readers found this page helpful

    Author information

    Name: Nicola Considine CPA

    Birthday: 1993-02-26

    Address: 3809 Clinton Inlet, East Aleisha, UT 46318-2392

    Phone: +2681424145499

    Job: Government Technician

    Hobby: Calligraphy, Lego building, Worldbuilding, Shooting, Bird watching, Shopping, Cooking

    Introduction: My name is Nicola Considine CPA, I am a determined, witty, powerful, brainy, open, smiling, proud person who loves writing and wants to share my knowledge and understanding with you.