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Richly-spiced and aromatic, this easy pumpkin bread recipe has a moist crumb and features caramel notes from brown butter, warm spices, and nutty walnuts for crunch.
If you’re looking for inspiration for an easy fall baking project, look no further.
I have a festive quick bread that’s not too over-the-top festive. It’s basically the perfect treat to whip up all fall and winter. And it serves double (or triple) duty; it’s great as breakfast, dessert, or a snack!
This pumpkin bread recipe is moist and rich, and very aromatic. In this recipe I used a complex blend of chai spices (including cardamom and black pepper!). These spices balance out the rich, caramel flavor notes from the browned butter. All in all, it’s a winning combination.
And the best part is, it gets even tastier the day after it’s been baked once the flavors have had the chance to marry.
Pair a slice of this bread with coffee or tea for the perfect start to a festive day, or as an afternoon treat. And it would be amazing made into French toast for a weekend or holiday brunch!
What is Quick Bread?
You might see the cook time on this bread and wonder what the heck is quick about it! If so, I completely understand.
Quick bread refers to any type of bread is made with baking powder or baking soda instead of yeast as the leavening agent. Because of this, quick breads don’t require time to rise and are considered quicker than making traditional yeasted breads.
Common types of quick breads include pumpkin, banana, and zucchini.
What You’ll Love About This Recipe
Here’s what you’re going to love about this homemade quick bread:
- Brown butter. It adds great depth, as well as nutty, caramel flavor notes.
- Chai spices. The spice blend I came up with here is unique, and really makes this bread something special. Don’t be tempted to skip the black pepper! Just like in a classic gingerbread spice blend, it marries beautifully with the rest of the spices.
- Perfect pumpkin. This quick bread has just the right amount of pumpkin flavor without it being overwhelming. And canned pumpkin puree works perfectly!
- Great texture. This loaf has great texture; if you’re looking for a moist pumpkin bread recipe, you found it.
How to Make Moist Quick Bread
I have a few tips and tricks for making a delicious moist quick bread, such as banana bread, zucchini bread, or pumpkin bread:
- Use oil as the fat. Using oil (or as we we do in this case, a combination of butter and oil) helps yield a moist quick bread.
- Don’t skimp on the sugar. I’m usually tempted to reduce the amount of sugar in a recipe like this. However, the sugar in this recipe isn’t just for sweetness, it also helps keep the bread moist and fresh-tasting for longer.
- Pumpkin puree. It adds moisture to this quick bread, the same way that zucchini does for zucchini bread and mashed banana does for banana bread.
- Make sure not to over-mix the batter. Once you add the dry ingredients to the wet, it’s important not to over-mix.
- If all else fails. Make a simple sugar sugar syrup (add 1 part water + 1 part sugar to a medium saucepan; bring to a boil over medium heat; remove from the heat; cool), and pour or brush the cooled syrup onto the hot-out-of-the-oven bread. I would use 1/2 cup water + 1/2 cup sugar for a 9 by 5-inch loaf of quick bread like this. And note that in addition to adding moisture, this will add a bit more sweetness too.
Ingredients
Breaking It Down
Ingredients Explained
In this section I explain the ingredients and give substitution ideas where applicable. For the full recipe (including the ingredient amounts), see the recipe card below.
- Unsalted butter – Instead of using only oil in this recipe, I like to use half butter + half oil, and brown the butter for rich flavor. Browned butter adds deep notes of toasted nuts and caramel.
- Oil – Oil is one of the key ingredients for making moist pumpkin bread, or any quick bread, for that matter. If possible, I like to opt for a healthy oil, such as avocado oil. However, you can use any mild or neutral-flavored oil you like, such as canola oil or vegetable oil.
- Sugar – Use granulated white sugar here.
- Eggs – Eggs help us achieve the perfect texture. They help with rise and lift the bread so it isn’t dense.
- Blackstrap molasses – Instead of using brown sugar here, we use white sugar + molasses for a similar result. Molasses adds rich caramel notes and pairs beautifully with pumpkin and spices.
- Vanilla – For depth of flavor.
- Pumpkin puree – This mixes well into the quick bread batter. You can use homemade or store-bought pumpkin puree.
- Flour – Use regular all-purpose flour here.
- Baking soda – This is the leavening agent in our quick bread. In this recipe, we use baking soda instead of baking powder because of the acidic ingredient (i.e., molasses in this recipe).
- Salt – Salt makes sure our loaf isn’t bland and helps create a balanced flavor profile.
- Cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, cloves, allspice, cardamom, and black pepper – This combination of spices is inspired by a classic masala chai spice blend.
- Nuts – Nuts are completely optional here, but add great flavor and crunch. You can use any kind you like; walnuts and pecans are my personal favorites in this recipe.
How to Make This Easy Pumpkin Bread Recipe
1: Brown the Butter
- Add the butter to a small saucepan over medium heat.
- It will look foamy when it first melts, but the foam will go away as it cooks.
- Once melted, turn the heat down to medium-low and continue cooking.
- Keep cooking until the butter is slightly browned and smells nutty, about 3 to 5 minutes. When it looks like this, it’s ready. Don’t forget to scrape up the brown bits from the bottom of the pan!
2: Sift the Dry Ingredients
When you’re making quick breads and other baked goods, it’s a good idea to sift together the dry ingredients. This helps combine the dry ingredients evenly and make sure there are no lumps. Additionally, it helps prevent over-mixing when you combine the wet and dry ingredients because the dry ingredients are already combined.
- Position a fine mesh sieve over a bowl. Add all dry ingredients to the sieve.
- Stir together the dry ingredients, gently pressing them down through the sieve.
3: Make the Batter
- While it’s still hot, add the browned butter to a large bowl. Don’t be tempted to let the brown butter cool, we need it hot. Add the avocado oil and sugar, and beat until well combined.
- Beat in the eggs, and then the molasses, vanilla, and pumpkin.
- The mixture will be runny at this point.
- Sift in the flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, cloves, allspice, cardamom, and black pepper.
- Stir by hand or use a handheld electric mixer just to combine, being careful not to over-mix.
- Fold in the walnuts or pecans (if using).
4: Bake
- Pour the batter into a 9 by 5-inch loaf pan that is lined with 2 pieces of parchment paper and sprayed with coconut oil spray. Spread the top of the batter out evenly.
- Bake until a wooden pick inserted in the center comes out clean, about 65 to 80 minutes. Cool completely before slicing.
Storage
Store homemade pumpkin bread wrapped at room temperature for up to 5 days, in the fridge for up to 1 week, or in the freezer for up to 1 month. To keep it as fresh as possible, I like to wrap it in plastic wrap and then put it in a gallon-sized zip-top plastic bag.
Expert Tips
- Don’t let the browned butter cool before making the batter. Mixing the hot butter with with sugar allows the sugar to dissolve, which helps create the perfect crumb.
- Be careful not to over-mix the batter. Sifting your dry ingredients together before mixing them into the wet ingredients helps prevent over-mixing. The reason to avoid over-mixing is so your bread doesn’t turn out dense, rubbery, and/or gummy.
- Use the right size loaf pan. You’ll need a 9 by 5-inch loaf pan here; make sure it’s not an 8 by 4-inch or 8.5 by 4.5-inch.
Pumpkin Quick Bread FAQs
Yes! Canned pumpkin is pureed pumpkin that is canned. You can usually find it in the baking aisle of the grocery store.
This recipe calls for 1/2 cup of avocado oil. You can use any neutral or mild-flavored oil you like, such as canola oil, safflower oil, corn oil, or even light olive oil.
Or to lower the calories a bit, you can use unsweetened applesauce instead.
More Quick Bread Recipes to Make
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Easy Pumpkin Bread Recipe with Brown Butter and Chai Spices
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Equipment
- 9 by 5-inch loaf pan also called a 1.25-pound loaf pan
Ingredients
- Coconut oil spray
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter browned
- 1/2 cup avocado oil
- 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 1 tablespoon blackstrap molasses
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1 cup canned pumpkin puree not pumpkin pie filling
- 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 3/4 teaspoon baking soda
- 3/4 teaspoon salt
- 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon ground ginger
- 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
- 1/2 teaspoon ground allspice
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cardamom
- 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1 cup walnuts or pecans, coarsely chopped (optional)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350F; line a 9 by 5-inch loaf pan with 2 pieces of parchment paper so it hangs over all 4 sides. Lightly spray the inside (especially the corners) with coconut oil spray.
- While it’s still hot, carefully beat together the browned butter with the avocado oil and sugar until well combined. Beat in the eggs, and then the molasses, vanilla, and pumpkin.
- Sift in the flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, cloves, allspice, cardamom, and black pepper, and stir just to combine, being careful not to over-mix. Fold in the walnuts or pecans (if using).
- Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake until a wooden pick inserted in the center comes out clean, about 65 to 80 minutes.
- Cool completely before slicing.
Notes
- Recipe Yield and Serving Size: This recipe makes 1 (9 by 5-inch) loaf or 18 servings. Each serving is 1 slice, about 1/2-inch thick.
- Storage: Store homemade pumpkin bread wrapped at room temperature for up to 5 days, in the fridge for up to 1 week, or in the freezer for up to 1 month. To keep it as fresh as possible, I like to wrap it in plastic wrap and then put it in a gallon-sized zip-top plastic bag.
- Use the Brown Butter While it’s Hot: Don’t let the browned butter cool before making the batter. Mixing the hot butter with with sugar allows the sugar to dissolve, which helps create the perfect crumb. (For step-by-step instructions and photos of how to make brown butter, see the post above.)
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- Loaf Pan Size: You’ll need a 9 by 5-inch loaf pan here; make sure it’s not an 8 by 4-inch or 8.5 by 4.5-inch.
Nutrition
Nutritional information is automatically calculated and should be used as an approximate.
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This post was first published on An Edible Mosaic on November 20, 2017 and updated on October 18, 2024.
I’m the writer, recipe developer, photographer, and food stylist behind this blog. I love finding the human connection through something we all do every day: eat! Food is a common ground that we can all relate to, and our tables tell a story. It’s my goal to inspire you to get in the kitchen, try something new, and find a favorite you didn’t know you had.
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Cardamom and pepper! Who knew?! As usual, Faith – creative and easily doable!
I just made this and it is delicious! Your blend of spices was perfect and sets this loaf apart from traditional pumpkin bread. I know I will be making this several times over the holidays. Thanks for posting!