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Super Moist Pumpkin Bread

ByRobot

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Pumpkin bread baked in a loaf pan. this recipe

This uncomplicated, EXTRA moist, sugared pumpkin bread is straight up classy.

Classy, among other things. Like barely sweet, perfectly moist, and if you so choose, a perfect canvas for melty butter or – I’m going to go there – HONEY PECAN CREAM CHEESE?? – with your morning coffee.

This guy is simple and straightforward: no chocolate chips, no nuts (gah! the betrayal), and no frosting or overloaded crumble on top in my usual over-the-top style.

Just simple, like s-i-m-p-l-e, gorgeous, classy pumpkin bread.

Pumpkin bread sliced.

How This Pumpkin Bread Came to Be

Baking used to be my favorite thing – it’s actually why I started the blog. I baked almost every Saturday morning in our little condo kitchen with the terribly yellow overhead lights and the 1970’s oven and loved every second of it. My first blog post was actually a pretty average recipe for chocolate chip muffins in which I forgot to list the CHOCOLATE CHIPS. ? Humble beginnings.

As much as I loved baking, as Pinch of Yum started to become more of a thing, like a this-is-my-job thing, I started to feel like the “meal time” recipes were most valuable to myself (and others) rather than just baking recipes. I found that the people who were reading my little blog were hungry (aaaa! get it?) for yummy meal recipes maybe even more than they were for baking and desserts. Meal time recipes were what people wanted, they were something I enjoyed, they was performing well for the blog…

All of this led me to a place where I kind of put baking on the top shelf for a while – still there, but just out of reach.

But why? That’s sort of what I’ve been asking myself lately as I’ve realized my need to stay in love, stay fresh, stay grounded with what I’m doing. So in the last two months, I’ve been re-introducing baking into my life as I try to really get back to the core of loving food and cooking.

Whether cooking or baking, from the basic weeknight dinner recipes like the pumpkin spaghetti I’ve been eating for the last 900 meals straight to this homemade pumpkin bread that is just really, really delicious even when it’s not embellished upon at all, it all just feels so nourishing in my own personal little season of food + work + life inspiration. Fall is good for us like that.

And regarding the mention of pumpkin recipes back to back? You know I’m not even sorry about it.

Pumpkin bread on parchment after baking.

Moist, Delicious, Simple

Today’s pumpkin bread, as the obnoxious title suggests, is deliciously moist. The most important quality of a good pumpkin bread, IMHO. Really, in any good bread (see also: another deliciously moist favorite in this Lemon Poppyseed Zucchini Bread).

It isn’t made with any homemade oat flours or egg substitutes or honey in place of sugar because that’s just not where I’m at with food right now. Where I AM at is getting back to the love of the food, and the love of the food in this pumpkin bread is eggs, oil, flour, pumpkin, and real sugar.

Pumpkin bread on parchment with butter and honey.

If (er, when) you feel like you just need to ground yourself in the basics of life, food, and the beauty of changing seasons, this basic + awesome, deliciously moist pumpkin bread is here for you.

And look! Even though it really doesn’t need anything, you can, if you so desire, put butter all over it. And honey.

Happy fall!

Pumpkin bread with butter stacked.

Common Questions About This Pumpkin Bread

Can I make this gluten-free?

Probably! Use your favorite 1:1 GF flour that’s best for baking, or check out our gluten-free Favorite Pumpkin Muffins here.

Can I make this with less sugar?

Sugar is part of what gives the bread moisture! You can cut the amount of sugar, but it will affect the texture and dry the bread out a bit. For the most yummy and moist version, use the full amount! (It ends up being about 1-2 tablespoons sugar per slice.)

Can I use just one type of oil for this?

You can just use one type of oil – I liked using both because it gave a very subtle olive oil flavor without being overpowering.

Why two loaves?

Because why not?? But seriously: one for you, one for a friend or in the freezer for later.

Is that amount of salt correct?

Two teaspoons seems like a lot of salt but it really helps the flavor of the bread (pumpkin, spices, even sugar) come through.

More Pumpkin Goodness For All Your Fall Needs

Watch how to make this recipe:

[adthrive-in-post-video-player video-id=”iueppPtt” upload-date=”2020-09-30T21:10:42.000Z” name=”Super Moist Pumpkin Bread” description=”This is an easy, classic, super moist pumpkin bread recipe made with olive oil, pumpkin, and cinnamon, and topped with crunchy turbinado sugar.” player-type=”collapse” override-embed=”false”]

One more thing!

This recipe is part of our easy pumpkin recipes page. Check it out!

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168 Comments

  1. OMG I want to dive mouth first into this bread and photos. Now I’m staring at my morning bowl of oatmeal wishing it could magically turn itself into bread. WHY CANT IT DO THAT.
    I need this.
    And I LOVELOVELOVE all Wholesome Sweet Products. They are AWESOME. Pinned!

    Reply

      1. well I almost didn’t make this due to the long drawn out chatter, a lot of scrolling but I did make it although I exchanged 1 cup of. white sugar for 1 cup of packed brown sugar (just plain ole walmart brand) and I would never put 2 tsp of salt, one is plenty. Your baking time is waaayyyyy off! there is no need to interrupt the baking either. I buttered it and used golden decorative sugar, the granulated brown sugar would have changed the flavor. but all in all it’s a nice moist (def adjust the baking time) pumpkin bread.


        Reply

        3. Wow, Gretchen do you hear yourself? You’re complaining about having to read through a blog that you willingly came to, to get to a recipe… that you are getting… for FREE! How dare you? I usually bite my tongue when I want to respond to internet trolls but I couldn’t help it here— You sound so incredibly condescending and lame Lol. I can not wait to make this recipe with the good quality sugar just as the recipe intended. Have fun at Walmart I bet your version is so sweet it tastes just like Betty Crockers— right out of the box— from Walmart.

          Reply

  2. So happy to hear you’re getting back into baking! That’s how I originally found your blog and your efforts are just in time for the holidays too! Also, this bread looks great! Love the touch of olive oil in there 🙂

    Reply

  4. Yum yum YUM! Pumpkin bread is the best! I don’t fault you one bit for making two pumpkin recipes in a row. Tis’ the season, we should embrace it!

    Sounds like you’ve had a really adventurous month! 🙂

    Reply

  8. I made pumpkin bread a couple of weeks ago and my kids are still raving about it. I love really good pumpkin bread.
    I’m going to give this one a try….maybe today if I can remember to roast the rest of my pumpkins and make puree.

    Oh, I don’t spend a lot of time on “dessert only” blogs. Dessert is a treat. Meals are three times a day.

    Reply

  11. Love this so much!! Can’t wait to bake this up very very soon. And I LOVE SuperTarget!! They have everything you could possibly want inside that beautiful place. I always seem to come out with more than I planned on getting whenever I go…funny how that works 😉

    Reply

  13. I also originally found your Blog because of some chocolate chip cookies and then when you posted your Pesto Tilapia you had me FOREVER. But I have so been missing the muffins and desserts. So thank you for this wonderful deliciousness that I will only enjoy in December because that is when my diet is over (insert sobbing emoji).

    Reply

    1. Yes, I do! But for the top you do need turbinado to get the sparkly/crunchy effect. I just like to buy Wholesome brand because of their ethics and quality whenever I can!

      Reply

  15. There’s room for both the sweet and savory in life, and online. This pumpkin bread looks like it would make the perfect indulgent-but-not-too-indulgent breakfast.

    Reply

  18. So yummy!! I am a Peruvian girl who lives in Montreal and followed you for a while. You are a great inspiration for me! I love the way you write and make us fell that cooking is so easy and simple!!
    I am planning to do the recipe with regular pumpkin. How much a can is in cups?
    Thanks in advance!!

    Reply

  20. Love your recipes! I actually have your chicken and wild rice soup in the crockpot now (I’m from MN too and appreciate a delicious CWR soup)!

    I’m going to use gluten free flour in your pumpkin bread recipe. Any suggestions for substituting GFF with regular flour?

    Thanks!

    Reply

    1. Ooh, I have little to no experience with GF flours! Sorry Amy! Hope it turns out for you – feel free to comment back with how it went! I’m sure others might benefit from that too.

      Reply

  22. The bread looks fabulous and the recipe reads like it will taste great. (Praising your sponsor’s packaging is a bit too off-track for me.)

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  23. Oh my goodness…that butter slathered across the surface of those slices may have made me drool… adding this to my list for when my family visits for Thanksgiving!!

    Reply

  28. Wow, a whole cup of oil plus four eggs. That is going to be one moist pumpkin bread! I wish we could still eat like this at our house! It looks so good. And I love your idea of sprinkling turbinado sugar over the top. I’ll try that next time I make pumpkin bread.

    Reply

  29. Made this with white sugar and it was delish!! Thanks for a yummy recipe to brighten these gray November days! And easy to make =

    Reply

  31. Darlin….I just gotta say….YUM! Going to make this tonight and I don’t cook. Or bake. Or do anything that involves actual skill or preparation. Please take this as a compliment. I am a regular reader and I NEVER cook. I just think you’re hilarious and real and fun! So, good job! Please keep it up!

    Reply

  33. Just made this, it’s so delicious and moist! The extra step of melted butter and sugar to finish it off is everything! Can’t wait to make it again, next time I won’t cut the recipe in half and make the full two loaves 🙂

    Reply

  34. Made your pumpkin bread today and it turned out great! I used all vegetable oil and no olive oil. The bread has a delicious flavor and not too sweet , which I like, and very moist! My favorite pumpkin bread recipe now. Thank you!

    Reply

  35. Applesauce and banana are ingredients that I like to add to my pumpkin bread recipe, which is very similar to yours, that makes it EXTRA moist. Your pictures look amazing with all of that butter! Yum, and happy baking.

    Reply

  36. So glad you are loving cooking and baking again — and sharing the baked goodness with us! I was craving pumpkin bread this morning and this looks perfect! Heading off to the kitchen now 🙂

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  37. I used our farm eggs and home grown pumpkin. I was looking for a wholesome recipe without too many extra ingredients. I think I was a little heavy on the pumpkin and had to bake an extra 10 minutes, (but I had such nice pumpkin). I only used vegetable oil because I don’t like the taste of baking with olive oil.
    The bread is very moist and is very flavorful. Not too sweet. Next time I might substitute some local honey for some of the sugar and fresh applesauce for some of the oil. But making it just as is, is a wonderful treat. Thank you!

    Reply

  38. Can I use regular sugar instead of cane sugar? I only have turbinado or white (regular) sugar… How would you adjust baking time for muffins or a mini loaf? Going to make for my daughters teachers for thanksgiving!!!

    Reply

    1. Hi, Sara! For muffins, I’m going to guess 15-20 minutes total bake time. Make sure to keep an eye on them after 13-15 minutes, and pull them out when the tops look dry. For a mini loaf, I’d guess around 25-30 minutes total bake time. We have not tried making muffins or mini loaves from this recipe, so those are my best guesses! 🙂

      Reply

  39. I was quite excited about this recipe and split the loaves between my and my boyfriend’s family, but upon tasting last night, found that the bread tasted of oil alone. I followed the directions to the T and the olive came through in a most unfortunate way. Any suggestions?

    Reply

  41. I found your blog when searching for a yellow curry recipe (which turned out AMAZING and made me feel like such a little chef!). I think I love you.

    I’m assuming fresh pumpkin would work as well for this, instead of canned? Have you tried it before?
    I have a massive pumpkin leftover from Halloween that we didn’t carve (ehk!) that I’m trying to come up with recipes for. Don’t judge me.. Squashes last forever, right??

    Reply

  42. I started following your blog last week and have decided to try a bunch of recipes this week! I started with this one to take to a friend’s house for dessert. I topped it with the maple glaze from your Healthy Maple Glazed Pumpkin Muffins instead of the butter and sugar. I halved the sugar in the bread (who in their right mind does this? haha) but the glaze was enough to compensate. Everyone at the dinner loved it and we polished off one loaf. 🙂 My husband especially liked it, so thanks for sharing this awesome recipe!

    Reply

  45. Have just made this pumpkin bread, smells wonderful, but…… It has been in the oven now for 45 minutes and when I inserted a tooth pick, it’s still not cooked at all in the middle? I substituted brown sugar for white as I don’t ever use white sugar, so am just checking it every five minutes now. I noticed another comment said the timing was way off, was this a typo error?

    Reply

  46. Just made this — SO good and perfect for fall! Wanted to let you know that I used turbinado for both baking (instead of cane sugar) and sprinkling. I also cut the recipe in half. It ended up taking 70 minutes. Not sure if that was because of the sugar replacement but that’s okay… it was worth the wait. Thanks for the recipe!

    Reply

  47. we love this bread! we make it every fall and into the winter. it’s got great flavor and it is incredibly moist. (also, i’ve baked it with parchment and without and it comes out more evenly cooked using parchment.)

    Reply

  48. I just made this recipe for Christmas, and I have to say, at first, the two teaspoons of salt seem a bit much. I also appreciate the talents of fellow bakers, and decided to follow the recipe exactly with my spice exception. (see below) I was not disappointed- the first batch came out phenomenal! I was afraid to change it, but I noticed that various commenters suggested to cut the salt. So, wondering how it would affect the bread, I did initially cut it to 1tsp for the second batch. Before I baked it, I decided to taste the batter – as I always do, and I was surprised to find it was extremely bland! Almost as if I added no spices at all! (I love spice breads, so in my original recipe, which was passed down from my mom, I use 1 heaping tsp of cinnamon, 1/4 tsp clove, nutmeg, and ginger, and a splash of vanilla.) I didn’t like it at all, I could even taste the flour and it was just a serious no. I think what the salt does, is balance all the ingredients out perfectly. It even cuts the sweetness of the sugar (which is needed for texture) and just really brings out the spices. Even if I didn’t add my staples, it would still be a very stable, outstanding bread. Kudos, Lady! You have shared an amazing recipe. I found a new favorite.

    In conclusion, don’t cut th salt unless you need to for health reasons. It really does affect the lovey flavor of this bread.

    Reply

    1. Oh, I forgot to mention, I added that 2nd tsp of salt back into the batter and it made a tremendous difference. It was just like the first batch.

      Reply

  49. Hi, yours recipe for the pumpkin bread calls for 1/2 of the vegetable oil and 1/2 of olive oil. If using just one kind of the oil what you mentioned we could – that means 1 cup of oil in total?
    Thank you

    Reply

  53. I didn’t like this recipe. I felt like it was missing so much. Mostly tasted the flour; but it is very moist. Any suggestions? I thought maybe of adding a half cup of butter to the batter and a cup of brown sugar, more cinnamon and some nutmeg. Let me know if you have any other pumpkin bread recipes you suggest. Thank you. I enjoyed trying this recipe- it’s always fun to create ?

    Reply

  54. Hi

    Thanks for the recipe! Was wondering if we can get by with half the amount of sugar suggested? Likewise for the amount of oil (olive and vegetable)? Many thanks!

    Reply

  55. I made this last night because right now I’m obsessed with Starbucks pumpkin bread, this recipe literally has no flavor, it turned out very moist and had potential had i used pumpkin pie spice or something of that nature. I am an African American , so maybe that’s why i thought it was bland.

    Reply

    1. Hi, DJ! It’s hard to say what went wrong without seeing the bread. It’s possible too much flour was used. For next time, we’d recommend packing down and leveling off your flour to make sure you get the right amount.

      Reply

  57. I made this today with my five year old. We had fun making this super easy recipe. The finished product tasted strange. I’m guessing my olive oil was a bit too strong. I’ll definitely make again but I’ll stick with veg oil only and add some vanilla.

    Reply

  58. I made this and I have to say … the taste is amazing! Especially after a few days. I did have to let it cook for much longer, no idea why. Seems common for me with quick breads.

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  59. Lindsey, this has to be the BEST pumpkin bread ever! I was asked unexpectedly to host our bible study, (18) ppl. It’s snowing out, I care for my 2 yr old grandson, had to clean house and thot I’ll just pull out 2 bags of pumpkin purée from freezer. Instead of using my old recipe, stumbled upon yours. So GLAD I did! Amazingly moist, omg tasty, and easy to boot! Had to use brown sugar instead of raw sugar cane (but will next time) and the 1/2 & 1/2 veg. An olive oil was the key. Had to bake a little xtra but no big deal. I snuck a piece before everyone got here, man is it yummy! They will certainly love it. Thank you.

    Reply

      1. Hi Rachel! We haven’t tested this recipe with oat milk, but I think it’d be a great non-dairy substitute. If you give it a try, we’d love to know how it turns out!

        Reply

    2. Hi Misty! We haven’t tested this recipe with almond milk, but it should definitely work. If you give it a try, we’d love to know how it turns out!

      Reply

    3. I used almond milk and my bread turned out just fine. I also used a little baked sweet potato because I didnt have enough pumpkin on hand. This is a yummy treat to keep the fall vibes going.

      Reply

  62. Hello,
    Please, PLEASE, could you give quantities in grams too? I love your recipies but it’s a nightmare for us Europeans to work out how much a cup/stick/ounce corresponds to. Thank you!

    Reply

    1. American here, and I agree! Weighing ingredients makes so much more sense. Carola- King Arthur Baking has a good conversion guide. You can search by ingredient, so it makes it a little faster than individually Googling everything.

      Reply

  64. Thank you so much for a pumpkin recipe that uses the entire can of pumpkin! Can’t wait to make this bread today and have one to share with my sister!

    Reply

  67. I made this recipe as instructed. I found that 2 tsp of salt was WAY too salty….pumpkin bread should not taste salty. I baked it an additional 10 minutes and that still was not enough. The flavor was fine, a little bland and the bread was moist. I doubt if I will use this recipe again, there are more flavorful recipes out there.

    Reply

  69. Just stopping by to say thank you – I used your recipes for every single dinner this past week. My husband I commented last night (over your sesame broccoli and beef) that this had been a really delicious week! Looking forward to trying this pumpkin bread – autumn is calling and I must go.

    Reply

  70. We had company coming for the weekend and I had all the ingredients in the pantry, so I made it. It’s getting rave reviews for flavor and moisture. This bread is every bit as good and moist as portrayed in the blog. Thank heavens it makes 2 loaves as the first one went quickly. And the bonus is that it gets better with time as the flavors meld.

    Reply

  71. I made this and it was delicious! I only have one loaf pan, so I put the second half in a cake pan with chocolate chips for a weirdish cookie pan situation and both were AMAZING. The loaf (made as described) is so deliciously moist and even easy for my 8 month old to eat – the cookie pan (made as described plus chocolate chips in a 9″ round cake pan) was a HUGE hit from my preschooler.

    Reply

  73. I made a few changes to this recipe to make it refined sugar free and it still turned out perfectly! I replaced the sugar with maple syrup and removed the water and half of the milk. I also omitted the butter and sugar topping. It did seem to need a little extra time cooking (maybe because it didn’t have the butter?) I think I ended up leaving it in for a total of 50 min.

    Here’s an ingredient list if anyone else is interested in making it this way:
    4 eggs
    1/2 cup vegetable oil
    1/2 cup olive oil
    2 cups pure maple syrup
    1 15-ounce can pumpkin (not pie filling – just regular pumpkin purée)
    1/4 cup milk
    3 1/2 cups all purpose flour
    2 teaspoons baking soda
    2 teaspoons salt
    1 heaping teaspoon cinnamon

    Reply

    1. So happy you liked it Lexy, and thanks so much for sharing your edits to make the recipe sugar free!

      Reply

  74. This looks so moist and so delicious! Thank you, I can’t wait to bake it ASAP! Also thank you for a recipe for two loaves, less work later when I can take the second out of the freezer. What is the best way to freeze the second loaf so it maintains its moisture/flavor?

    Reply

      1. Made it with my four year old and we both loved it! I used 3/4 cup of white sugar and 1/2 cup honey and it was just sweet enough! Thank you for another great recipe!

        Reply

  75. DELICIOUS!! My only change was this took another 15 minutes longer to bake in my oven – but it couldn’t just been MY oven. Otherwise, super moist and super delicious!

    Reply

  76. I made this but switched up some ingredients and it was still good. I used a cake mold pan. I used 1 tsp salt, 1 cup maple , 1 cup brown sugar, 1 1/2 cups white pastry flour, 1 1/2 cups whole wheat flour, 1/2 cup flax meal, and 1/2 cup buttermilk. I also added walnuts.

    Reply

  77. My bread turned out very heavy and took forever to bake. Do you know what I might have done wrong? I wanted to love this so much!

    Reply

    1. Sorry to hear that, Erin! It’s so hard to say for sure what may have went wrong. It could be due to the difference in ovens, damaged/outdated baking soda, overmixing the batter, or letting the batter sit too long before baking.

      Reply

  78. Delicious! I couldn’t find pumpkin purée or turbinado sugar at my local store, so I made the purée myself with a real pumpkin and substituted brown sugar. Came out perfect.

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  80. LOVED this bread!! Only thing is – this took almost 55 minutes before it was done. Nothing I used was expired, or overmixed and my oven is a year old! Other than that – DELICIOUS!!

    Reply

  84. My hubby isn’t as crazy about pumpkin bread as I am, so I cut recipe in half! What a mistake! He loved it so much, 2 days later in making more! I used mini loaf pans & stirred in some glazed pecans..incredible! Actually more moist after completely cooled the next day! Thanx do much for this easy yet spectacular recipe!

    Reply

  85. My hubby isn’t as crazy about pumpkin bread as I am, so I cut recipe in half! What a mistake! He loved it so much, 2 days later i’m making more! I used mini loaf pans & stirred in some glazed pecans..incredible! Actually more moist after completely cooled the next day! Thanx do much for this easy yet spectacular recipe!

    Reply

  86. Hi Lindsay! I love your recipes 🙂 Any advice on temp/time if I wanted to make pumpkin bread muffins? I only have one loaf pan, so trying to be creative!

    Reply

    1. Hi Tai! We haven’t tried making muffins with this recipe, so we can’t say for sure. We think it’s worth a try, but bake time would probably be in the 10-15 minute range. If you give it a try, we’d love to hear back!

      Reply

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