Easy Pumpkin Bread
Moist spiced pumpkin bread with walnuts and a tender crumb, baked in a loaf pan for holiday breakfasts and gifting.
Updated: Oct 7, 2026
Why you'll like it
- Ready in about 1 hr 25 min.
- Serves 12 — easy to halve or double.
- Easy level — everyday equipment only.
- Storage, freezing and reheating covered below.
Ready in 1 hr 25 min, this easy Pumpkin Bread serves 12. Pumpkin Bread is a holiday quick bread across the USA, moist and warmly spiced for breakfasts, lunchboxes, and neighbor gifts.
Helpful guides
Instructions
Heat the oven to 350 degrees and grease a nine-by-five-inch loaf pan, then line it with a parchment sling. The sling lets you lift the finished loaf out cleanly without tipping or breaking. Spoon flour into cups and level for accurate measuring that prevents a dry crumb.
Whisk the flour, baking soda, pumpkin pie spice, and salt in a medium bowl until evenly combined. Even distribution of leavening matters because pockets of soda taste metallic and bake into dark streaks. Set the dry mixture aside while you combine the wet ingredients in a large bowl.
Whisk the pumpkin puree, sugar, oil, and eggs in the large bowl until completely smooth and slightly glossy. Break the eggs fully so no streaks of white remain, which can bake into rubbery spots. The batter will look thick, orange, and uniform when it is ready for flour.
Add the dry mixture to the wet in two additions, stirring gently just until no flour streaks remain. A few small lumps are fine and better than overmixing, which develops gluten and tunnels the crumb. Fold in the walnuts evenly with three or four strokes.
Scrape the batter into the prepared pan and smooth the top. Bake sixty to sixty-five minutes until deep golden and a toothpick in the center emerges with moist crumbs but no wet batter. If the top browns fast after forty-five minutes, tent loosely with foil and continue baking.
Cool the loaf in the pan on a rack for ten minutes, then lift it out by the parchment and cool fully before slicing. Cutting hot bread compresses the soft center into gumminess. Wait at least one hour for clean slices that hold together with butter or cream cheese.
Troubleshooting — fixes, not repeats
- If the center sinks after baking, the loaf was underbaked or the soda was old. Test with a toothpick for moist crumbs, not wet batter, and check that baking soda fizzes in vinegar before starting. Cool fully in the pan ten minutes so the structure sets firmly.
- If the bread tastes dry, flour was packed or the loaf overbaked. Spoon flour into the cup and level it off, then check doneness five minutes early since ovens vary. Oil-based crumbs stay moist for days, but only when measured flour stays accurate.
- If the crumb is gummy or dense, the batter was overmixed or sliced too soon. Stir only until flour disappears, fold nuts in briefly, and cool the loaf completely so interior steam finishes the texture instead of wetting the knife path.
- If the loaf sticks in the pan, greasing was thin or the parchment missing. Grease every corner, add a flour dusting or full sling, and run a thin knife around edges after the ten-minute rest before lifting the loaf out cleanly.
Make it your way
- Serving with rice or naan: For chocolate chip pumpkin bread, replace the walnuts with one cup of semisweet chips using the same batter and bake time.
- For muffins, divide batter among eighteen lined cups and bake eighteen to twenty-two minutes until springy.
- Swirl one half cup of sweetened cream cheese through the batter before baking for a tangy ribbon.
- Add one half cup of dried cranberries with the nuts for a festive holiday loaf.
Storage & reheating
Cool leftovers within 2 hours, then refrigerate in a covered container and use within 3 to 4 days. Reheat only the portion you will eat until steaming hot throughout — poultry and reheated rice should reach 165°F (74°C).
The moist crumb keeps well chilled; warm slices ten seconds in the microwave before serving.
Freeze the whole loaf or slices in freezer bags up to three months; thaw overnight in the refrigerator.
FAQ
Can I use fresh pumpkin instead of canned?
Yes. Roast sugar-pie pumpkin until very tender, puree until smooth, and drain in a sieve for at least thirty minutes. Measure fifteen ounces of thick drained puree. Watery puree makes heavy sunken loaves, so draining well matters more than any other step in this swap.
Can I bake mini loaves or muffins instead?
Yes. Divide the batter among four greased mini pans and bake thirty-five to forty minutes, or eighteen muffin cups for eighteen to twenty-two minutes. Test each small loaf separately since pans vary. Cool mini loaves five minutes in pans before turning out onto a rack.
Why did my pumpkin bread sink in the middle?
The usual causes are underbaking, old baking soda, or too much batter movement early on. Confirm the toothpick shows moist crumbs, test soda freshness in vinegar, and avoid opening the oven during the first forty-five minutes. A fully cooled loaf also firms up slightly.