This easy recipe for Pumpkin Bread shows you exactly how to make a moist fresh pumpkin bread from scratch. Drizzled with a simple maple glaze, each slice of this bread is so delicious. Best of all, it requires only 15 minutes of prep before baking in the oven!
Haley here from If You Give a Blonde a Kitchen and my pumpkin kick is going strong. You may see lots of pumpkin recipes floating around this time of year, but I assure you that this is the best pumpkin bread with fresh pumpkin you will make this year!
This bread is loaded with pumpkin flavor and fall spices. The maple syrup glaze melts into the loaf and gives each bite an even more seasonal flavor. It’s perfect for the months of September, October and November.
Enjoy a slice of this bread for breakfast, snack or dessert. Bring a loaf to Thanksgiving dinner to share or simply make a batch at home to enjoy. Either way, you will love the taste and will enjoy making it every year.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- This pumpkin bread recipe is moist and flavorful which is much tastier than store-bought.
- You can enjoy it for breakfast, snacks, or even as a decadent dessert with ice cream or homemade whipped cream.
- This easy quick bread makes a great gift to give to family, friends, neighbors, or school teachers.
Ingredients You’ll Need
- All-Purpose Flour – Used to make up the main dry ingredient base of the bread. You’ll also need to dust the loaf pan to prevent it from sticking. You can substitute with 1:1 gluten free all-purpose flour made with xanthan gum, if desired. You can also substitute half of the all purpose flour for whole wheat flour.
- Baking Powder & Baking Soda – Helps the batter rise giving it a bread consistency while still maintaining moisture.
- Salt – Activates the baking soda and baking powder and also balances the sweetness from the sugar.
- Spices – A mixture of ground cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, and ginger all add a warming fall flavor.
- Sugar – Use regular granulated sugar for this recipe. Do not use brown sugar as it alters the flavor of the bread.
- Butter – Unsalted butter is best, but you can use salted in a pinch.
- Egg – Binds the bread together and helps it set when baking and cooling.
- Vanilla Extract – Adds a light vanilla flavor.
- Pumpkin Puree – Homemade pumpkin puree or store-bought canned pumpkin puree is fine. Do not use pumpkin pie filling as it is not the same thing.
Maple Glaze
- Unsalted Butter – You can use salted butter if you do not have unsalted, but omit the additional salt.
- Pure Maple Syrup – Adds naturally sweet maple flavor to the glaze.
- Powdered Sugar – Adds additional sweetness and helps the topping form a glaze.
- Salt – Balances the sweet flavor of maple syrup and sugar.
You can omit the maple glaze, if desired. The pumpkin bread with fresh pumpkin tastes great without it, but the glaze adds a little more sweetness and flavor.
How To Make Homemade Pumpkin Bread
- Prepare for baking: Preheat oven to 325° Fahrenheit. Grease one 9” x 5” loaf pan with butter and dust with flour to prevent the bread from sticking. Set aside.
- Combine the dry ingredients: To a medium-sized bowl, add flour, salt, baking powder, baking soda, and all of the seasonings. Use a whisk to combine the dry ingredients fully.
- Combine wet ingredients: To a large bowl, add butter and sugar. Using a stand mixer or electric mixer, beat until the butter and sugar are creamed together for about 30 seconds. Add the egg and vanilla then beat until the mixture is light and fluffy, then mix in the pumpkin puree.
- Assemble the pumpkin bread batter: To the wet ingredients, add in the dry in batches until a smooth rich pumpkin bread batter is formed without overmixing. Pour the batter into the prepared loaf pan.
- Bake and cool: Bake in the preheated oven for 60-70 minutes or until an inserted toothpick comes out clean. Let it cool completely before removing it from the pan.
- Make the maple glaze: Add the butter and syrup to a saucepan, then add the sugar and salt and whisk until smooth. Drizzle over the cooled bread and let harden before slicing and serving. If the glaze is too thick, add a teaspoon or two of water. If the glaze is too thin, add a little more sugar.
This easy pumpkin bread recipe is made in little time. Everything comes together easily in a few bowls. As the bread bakes, your kitchen will fill with autumnal aromas. Delicious!
Expert Tips
- Use pure pumpkin puree. This recipe calls for fresh 100% pumpkin puree and not pumpkin pie filling. You can find canned pumpkin puree at your local grocery store.
- It’s okay if the mixture curdles before adding dry ingredients. After adding the pumpkin to the wet ingredients, the mixture may look curdled. This is normal. The batter will look fine after adding the dry ingredients.
- Use fresh ingredients. Before baking, always check your baking soda and baking powder to make sure it is not expired. If it is expired, it may not activate and will not cause the bread to rise properly.
- Do not overmix. When mixing the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients, make sure you do not overmix. This will prevent the bread from getting too hard and will make sure it maintains its soft and moist texture.
- Allow the bread to cool completely. Removing warm bread from the pan could cause it to break and crumble easily. You’ll also want to make sure it is fully cooled before adding the icing as warm bread will cause it to melt and not harden properly.
Variations
- Make pumpkin chocolate chip bread. If you’re a chocolate lover, you can fold in your favorite chocolate chips or chocolate chunks into the bread before adding it to the loaf pan.
- Add nuts. Chopped nuts such as walnuts, pecans, or sliced almonds give this bread a nutty flavor and a bit of crunch.
- Use pumpkin spice. You can substitute the spices with pumpkin spice, if desired.
- Make mini loaves. You can bake the bread in mini loaf pans. One regular loaf will yield about three mini loaves baked in 5 1/2 x 3 inch loaf pans.
FAQs
If your pumpkin bread is dry, it’s likely that it was overmixed. Make sure you mix the ingredients just until combined. You’ll also want to make sure your bread is cooked at a temperature no higher than 325F to prevent it from drying out.
This depends on how long you plan on using it. Fresh pumpkin bread will stay fresh on the counter in a container or bag for 2 days. To extend the freshness, refrigerate it for up to 1 week.
If your pumpkin bread did not rise properly, it’s likely that your baking soda or baking powder may have been expired. It is very important to check this before baking. You’ll also want to make sure you are not overfilling the loaf pan so it has room to rise.
Did you make this easy Pumpkin Bread with Maple Glaze? Leave a recipe rating and review below!
Pumpkin Bread with Maple Glaze
Ingredients
For the bread
- 1 cup all-purpose flour, plus more for greasing the pan, (125 g)
- 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
- 1/4 teaspoon ginger
- 1/2 cup sugar, (100 g)
- 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature, plus more for greasing the pan, (85 g)
- 1 large egg
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 cup 100% pure pumpkin (about half of one 15 oz. can), (212 g)
For the Maple Glaze:
- 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
- 1 tablespoon pure maple syrup
- 1/4 cup powdered sugar, (30 g)
- Pinch of kosher salt or sea salt
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 325° F. Grease one 9” x 5” loaf pan with butter and dust with flour.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, salt, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves and ginger until combined. Set aside.
- In large bowl of an electric mixer (or using a hand mixer), beat butter and sugar until just blended, about 30 seconds. Add egg and vanilla and beat well. Continue beating until very light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add pumpkin and mix until combined. The batter might look curdled at this point—that’s okay.
- With the mixer on low, beat in flour mixture until incorporated.
- Pour batter into prepared pan and bake for 60 to 70 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Let pumpkin bread cool in pan about 10 minutes before removing it onto a wire rack. Let cool to room temperature.
- To make the glaze, melt butter in a saucepan along with syrup. Add salt and sugar and whisk until smooth. While warm, spoon glaze over pumpkin bread (the glaze will harden as it cools).
I made a double loaf put raisins and pecans in one loaf and just pecans in the other. I also tripled the glaze. I make pumpkin bread several times a year and use the same recipe but this is by far the best I’ve had. I will be using this recipe from now on. Thank you for sharing!
I’m so glad to hear you love this pumpkin bread. Thank you so much for your feedback!