Pumpkin Bread — The Best I’ve Ever Had, and One Batch Makes Four Loaves
The Best Pumpkin Bread I Have Ever Had — and I’ve Been Eating It My Whole Life
This pumpkin bread is the best pumpkin bread I have ever had, and I have been eating it since I was a girl. It’s soft, it’s spiced with cinnamon and cloves, and it makes your whole house smell like fall. The recipe came from Georgia Watson, a dear, beautiful lady I grew up with, who gave it to my mama. Now I make it for my own crowd. Everything goes in one bowl, and one batch makes four loaves, so you can keep one and share the rest. If you need a good pumpkin bread recipe, or even if you think you already have one, try this one. That’s how much I believe in it.
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Watch me make this pumpkin bread from start to finish — or scroll down for the full printable recipe card.
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Pumpkin Bread
Start CookingIngredients
- 2 ⅔ cups granulated sugar
- ⅔ cup salted butter softened
- ⅔ cup water
- 15 oz pure pumpkin puree 1 can, not pumpkin pie filling
- 4 large eggs
- 3 ⅓ cups King Arthur all-purpose flour
- 4 ½ teaspoons baking powder see notes
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon ground cloves
Don’t Want to Plan? I Got You.Every Saturday I share a full week of dinners, sides, and a dessert — with the grocery list already done. Come grab this week’s Weekly Meal Plans!Equipment
Method Start Cooking
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Grease the bottoms of four 2 lb disposable loaf pans (or two regular 9×5 loaf pans).
- In a large mixing bowl, stir together the sugar, butter, water, pumpkin, and eggs until well blended.
- Add the flour, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, and cloves. Whisk until you have a thick, smooth batter with no dry streaks.
- Fill each pan about two-thirds full. Set the disposable pans on a large sheet pan so they don’t bend going in and out of the oven.
- Bake at 350°F for 1 hour (1 hour 10 minutes for two regular loaves), until a toothpick in the center comes out clean.
- Let the loaves cool before slicing. Each loaf cuts into about 12 slices.
Nutrition
Video
Notes
Four Weeks of Family-Friendly FoodWhen people gather, I cook. Four weeks of the dinners my crowd asks for — planned, tested, and shopped for. Come see what’s in the cookbook →Why This Pumpkin Bread Works
This pumpkin bread is about as simple as baking gets. You don’t need a mixer, and you only dirty one bowl. I like to get the wet ingredients and the sugar blended up a little first: sugar, butter, water, the can of pumpkin, and four eggs. Then the flour, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, and cloves go right in on top, and I use my whisk to get it all blended up real good. You end up with a beautiful thick batter, and it bakes into a soft, tender loaf every single time. You can certainly use a hand mixer or a stand mixer if you’d rather. It’s really just about getting it all in and getting it all mixed up.
The recipe came from Georgia Watson, a lady I grew up with. She is the one who gave it to my mama, I grew up eating it, and now I make it for my family. I may be biased, but I have honestly never had a pumpkin bread as good as this one. That’s my handwriting on the old recipe card below, right down to “grease bottom” and “2 loaves” in the corner.
I did change one thing. Georgia’s card calls for 2 teaspoons of baking soda, and I’m not a big fan of baking soda in this bread, because I think it can taste bitter. So I leave it out and double the baking powder instead, which is how I’ve always made it. And I love the smell of the cloves. When this pumpkin bread is in the oven, the whole house smells like fall.
This recipe is made for sharing. One batch, one bake, and you have four loaves: one for your family and three to give away. I get little disposable loaf pans at the dollar store or Walmart, or you can order them from Amazon, and they make it so easy to hand a loaf to a neighbor or a friend. I made these for a luncheon with 20 to 30 ladies coming over to my house. For a ladies’ luncheon I also love apple pie bites, the shortcut little apple crumble pies that come out of a mini muffin pan about 36 at a time. I also love making mini loaves for the college kids, the same way I do my banana bread for finals week care packages, and this fall mini loaves of this pumpkin bread went into my care packages for college students.
A Few Things That Make Pumpkin Bread Even Easier
- Use pure pumpkin, not pumpkin pie filling. They sit right next to each other on the shelf, and they are not the same thing. Pie filling is already sweetened and spiced. You want plain pure canned pumpkin , because we season it up with our own cinnamon and cloves. I found a six-can case of organic pumpkin for $8.99 on my October Costco haul — cheaper than Libby’s at Walmart.
- Do it all in the same bowl. Blend the sugar, butter, water, pumpkin, and eggs first, then add the dry ingredients on top. It saves dishes and works just as well.
- Fill the pans about two-thirds full. That leaves room for the pumpkin bread to rise without spilling over the sides.
- Set disposable pans on a sheet pan. You don’t have to, but those thin foil pans like to bend when you’re getting them in and out of the oven. I just set all four on a big sheet pan , and it makes it so much handier.
- Trust the toothpick. Stick one in the very center of a loaf. If it comes out clean, it’s done. King Arthur Baking has a great guide to telling when a quick bread is really done if you’ve ever cut into a loaf with a gooey middle.
Pumpkin Bread FAQ — The Questions I Get Every Time
How long do I bake pumpkin bread, and at what temperature?
Bake this pumpkin bread at 350°F for 1 hour if you’re making four half-size loaves like I do. Georgia’s original card makes two regular 9×5 loaves, and those take 1 hour and 10 minutes. Either way, check with a toothpick in the center before you pull them out.
Can I make this pumpkin bread with baking soda?
Yes. Georgia’s original recipe calls for 2 teaspoons of baking soda plus a half teaspoon of baking powder. I’m not a big fan of baking soda because I think it can taste bitter, so I always leave it out and double the baking powder instead, which gives you 4½ teaspoons of baking powder total. That’s how I’ve always made it, and it’s how you see me make it in the video.
Can I use pumpkin pie filling instead of pure pumpkin?
No, use pure pumpkin. Pumpkin pie filling already has sugar and spices in it, and this pumpkin bread has its own sugar, cinnamon, and cloves. One 15-ounce can of pure pumpkin is exactly what you need.
What size pans do I need for pumpkin bread?
One batch makes four half-size loaves, about 8½ by 4½ inches, or two regular 9×5 loaves. I use disposable loaf pans so I can give them away, and I fill each one about two-thirds full. You can also make mini loaves for gifting. Just start checking them early with a toothpick, because the little ones bake faster.
Can I add nuts or raisins to this pumpkin bread?
You sure can. Georgia’s card says you can stir in ⅔ cup of chopped nuts or raisins with the dry ingredients. I make mine plain, because I love that soft, simple pumpkin bread just the way it is, but it’s your loaf.
How many people does one batch of pumpkin bread serve?
Each half-size loaf cuts into about 12 slices, so one batch gives you about 48 slices. That’s why it was perfect for my luncheon with 20 to 30 ladies, and it’s why I love it for teacher gifts, neighbors, and church potlucks. One bake covers a lot of people.
If you think you already have a good pumpkin bread recipe, give this one a try.
🛒 Complete Shopping List
Everything you need to make this Pumpkin Bread — click any item to shop on Amazon.
Ingredients
All-Purpose Flour — for this pumpkin bread I love King Arthur Unbleached All-Purpose — shop direct →
Equipment
More Crowd-Pleasing Dessert Recipes You’ll Love
- Mama’s Banana Bread — the other loaf I bake four at a time in these same little pans.
- Pumpkin Caramel Sheet Cake — my favorite, favorite, favorite fall recipe, made in one pan for a crowd.
- Pecan Pie Bars — all the pecan pie flavor with no pie crust to roll out.
- Apricot Pecan Scones — the fancy little thing that’s really just a biscuit, perfect next to pumpkin bread at a brunch.
- Desserts for a Crowd — every dessert I make when I’m feeding a houseful, gathered in one place.
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Pumpkin Bread — About Stephanie’s Recipes
Stephanie Longstreth is the home cook, mom, and storyteller behind StephanieCooksForACrowd.com. She cooks for a family of seven in Florida — five kids, two cats, and one husband who appreciates a good meal. Four of her children came home through adoption, and family stories are woven into everything she makes and shares. Find her crowd-friendly recipes, weekly meal plans, and real family life on TikTok, Instagram, YouTube, and Pinterest @stephaniecooksforacrowd.