Fall lovers, meet your new favorite pumpkin bread recipe! This is a rich and flavorful quick bread loaded with cozy pumpkin flavor and spice, baked with olive oil and crunchy pecans. Every bite is moist and delicious!
As soon as cold weather hits, I’m making pumpkin muffins, or pumpkin bars, and setting aside any leftover pumpkin purée and pumpkin spice to make a homemade pumpkin spice latte!
This is THE pumpkin bread you’ll find me baking throughout the fall and winter. It’s my favorite sweet treat for a chilly autumn afternoon or snowy Sunday. I make this quick bread with olive oil instead of butter and it comes out incredibly moist, tender, and full of flavor. Add in a sprinkle of pecans, and it’s pretty much the best pumpkin bread ever. Every slice is jam-packed with crisp fall flavor and nutty crunch. Thick slices are definitely the way to go. Pair them with a cinnamon dolce or eggnog latte!
Why I Love This Pumpkin Bread Recipe
- It’s dairy-free. Sure, butter is delicious, but so many folks have commented saying that they don’t even miss the dairy in this pumpkin bread. It comes out soft, tender, and flavorful, made with oil instead. If you can get your hands on butter-flavored olive oil like the kind I use here, it’s even better.
- Packed with pumpkin flavor. Real pumpkin purée and cozy spices pack every bite of this pumpkin bread full of fall flavor. It’s totally irresistible. Not to mention, the house smells amazing while it bakes.
- Quick and easy. Just like baking banana bread and zucchini bread, this quick pumpkin bread loaf is super beginner-friendly. It calls for easy ingredients and a short amount of prep, without any yeast or rising time.
Ingredients You’ll Need
- Dry Ingredients – These are your baking essentials like flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Remember to check the dates on your leavening to make sure it’s not expired!
- Spices – When it comes to fall baking, I go big with pumpkin pie spice, cinnamon, AND nutmeg. You can use all of one spice in place of the others, or make your own blend of cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, allspice, and cloves.
- Sugar – Brown sugar or granulated sugar both work here.
- Olive Oil – I often make this pumpkin bread with STAR Butter Flavored Olive Oil (you’ll find it at Savemart, Raley’s, Stater Bros., Food Maxx stores, and online). It has all the flavor of butter and the texture of the bread turns out amazing. You can use plain extra virgin olive oil if that’s what you have on hand.
- Eggs – 2 large eggs add moisture and richness, contributing to that soft, tender crumb we all love in quick breads.
- Pumpkin Purée – Make sure you’re buying 100% pumpkin purée and not pumpkin pie filling, which comes with additives and thickeners. You can also make this pumpkin bread with homemade slow cooker pumpkin purée.
- Vanilla – If you can, use pure vanilla extract for a more intense flavor and aroma.
- Pecans – Optional, but recommended! I love adding chopped pecans to the pumpkin bread batter. You can also use chopped walnuts, pumpkin seeds, raisins, or craisins.
How to Make Pumpkin Bread
- Make the batter. Start by whisking together the dry ingredients and spices in one bowl. Mix the wet ingredients separately, and stir the mixture into the dry ingredients using a wooden spoon. Finally, fold in the pecans.
- Rest the batter. Now, leave the batter to rest at room temperature for 15 minutes. Similar to resting the batter for pancakes, resting the pumpkin bread batter gives the flour time to absorb more liquid, for a fluffier bread loaf.
- Bake. Pour the batter into a greased loaf pan and bake at 350ºF for about 1 hour. Afterward, let the bread cool in the pan for a bit, then turn it out and cool it on a wire rack.
Recipe Tips
- Check the pumpkin bread for doneness. If you stick a toothpick into the center of the bread and it comes out clean, the bread is done.
- Don’t skip the resting time. Resting the batter is the secret to soft, moist pumpkin bread that’s rich and fluffy. Don’t skip this step!
- Add a glaze. Sometimes, while the bread is baking, I like to seize the opportunity to whip up the quick cream glaze from my pumpkin scones for serving. It tastes amazing drizzled over pumpkin bread, too.
Add-in Ideas
- Dried fruit. Add in raisins, craisins, dried cherries, chopped dried apple chunks, or apricots.
- Chocolate. Stir in dark, semi-sweet, or white chocolate chips to make chocolate pumpkin bread.
- Different nuts. Chopped pecans are delicious, but so are chopped walnuts, hazelnuts, macadamias, or peanuts. Other crunchy add-ins include pistachios, sunflower seeds, and pepitas.
- Add a swirl. To make cream cheese-filled pumpkin bread, combine 4 ounces of softened cream cheese with 1 egg and 2-3 tablespoons of flour for the filling. Add half of the pumpkin bread batter to the loaf pan, and spread a thick layer of sweetened cream cheese over top before pouring over the rest of the batter. Bake as directed.
How to Store Pumpkin Bread
- On the countertop. Once the pumpkin bread cools completely, wrap it tightly in plastic wrap or store it airtight at room temperature for up to 3 days.
- Freeze. To freeze, wrap the bread in plastic wrap or foil and place it into a freezer bag. Freeze for up to 3 months and thaw in the fridge before serving.
More Pumpkin Recipes
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Prep. Preheat oven to 350ºF. Grease a 9-inch loaf pan with baking spray and set aside.
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Mix the dry ingredients. Place flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, and spices in a large mixing bowl. Whisk until well combined. Set aside.
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Mix the wet ingredients. In a separate mixing bowl, whisk together sugar and olive oil until well blended. Add eggs, pumpkin, and vanilla, and whisk until thoroughly incorporated.
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Combine. Add the pumpkin mixture to the flour mixture and, using a wooden spoon, stir until combined. Stir in the pecans and let the batter stand for 15 minutes.
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Bake. Pour the batter into the previously prepared loaf pan. Bake for 1 hour and 10 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the loaf comes out clean.
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Cool. Remove the pumpkin bread from the oven and transfer it to a cooling rack. Cool in the pan for ten minutes; turn the bread out onto a rack and let it cool completely before cutting and serving.
- Storage: Cool the quick bread completely before wrapping and freezing.
- Freezing: To freeze, wrap securely in aluminum foil and place in freezer bags. When ready to bake, thaw completely at room temperature before baking.
Calories: 301kcal | Carbohydrates: 37g | Protein: 4g | Fat: 16g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 3g | Monounsaturated Fat: 10g | Trans Fat: 0.003g | Cholesterol: 33mg | Sodium: 128mg | Potassium: 118mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 21g | Vitamin A: 3864IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 24mg | Iron: 2mg
Nutritional info is an estimate and provided as courtesy. Values may vary according to the ingredients and tools used. Please use your preferred nutritional calculator for more detailed info.
