The very Best Pumpkin Bread that is made with canned pumpkin, vanilla and butterscotch pudding mixes. This deliciously moist pumpkin quick bread recipe is also topped with a delicious cream cheese glaze!
Pumpkin Bread is one of those things that I love making every fall and this particular recipe is simply the best one that I have ever tried!
Why we think you’ll love this pumpkin bread recipe:
- Soft and moist bread every single time. The thing that sets this recipe apart from other pumpkin breads is the pudding! Adding 2 boxes of pudding mix to the batter gives the bread the most amazing flavor and texture.
- Easy to make and share! I love gifting quick breads to neighbors and friends. It only takes about 10 minutes to mix up the batter and the recipe yields 2 large loaves or 5 mini loaves. Everyone loves a loaf of fresh pumpkin bread!
- Absolutely delicious! Recently I began adding a cream cheese drizzle on the top just because it is pretty, and let’s face it – this bread tastes kinda like cake anyways so we might as well add some frosting! If you really want to splurge, add some chocolate chips in the batter and turn it into Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Bread!
Be sure to check out our updated collection of Delicious Pumpkin Recipes!
How do you make the Best Pumpkin Bread?
Our Pumpkin Bread recipe is unique because there are two different kinds of pudding mix in the batter! Vanilla and butterscotch pudding mixes are both used, and the flavors from both are perfect in this bread. You can also use both vanilla or both butterscotch – it’s so easy to change up the flavor just a little bit by swapping out the pudding mixes! I love baking with pudding mixes because they add a lot of flavor and tend to make baked goods moist and soft. Just make sure to use the Cook & Serve pudding mixes. I have tried using instant pudding mixes in this recipe and it just doesn’t turn out very well.
This pumpkin bread recipe uses canned pumpkin, applesauce and calls for a lot of eggs which I believe is another reason why this bread is so moist and the consistency is so perfect every time!
How many loaves of Pumpkin Bread does this recipe make?
One of the reasons that I love this recipe is because you can make 2 large loaves of Pumpkin Bread, or 5 mini loaves of bread from one batch! I usually make the smaller loaves so that I can share with friends and neighbors. A lot of times, I make one large loaf and two smaller loaves. That way, we can keep the big one (of course!) and share the other two with some friends! The larger loaves bake for 55-60 minutes and the smaller loaves bake for 40-45 minutes.
Can you make this Pumpkin Bread recipe healthy?
Quick breads are not known for being super healthy – we all know that they are pretty much cake in bread form, but there are some things that you can do to make this pumpkin bread a little bit healthier!
- Swap out some or all of the oil with more applesauce. This does change the consistency a little bit, but the bread will still taste great and will have less fat and calories!
- Swap out some or all of the white flour with whole wheat flour.
- Reduce the sugar. I would start by reducing the sugar by about 1/2 cup and if you still think the bread is sweet enough, you could try reducing that even more the next time around.
- Leave off the cream cheese glaze. The bread is still wonderful even without it!
More amazing quick bread recipes that we love:
- Sweet Coconut Quick Bread
- Best Zucchini Bread recipe
- Easy Lemon Quick Bread
- Yogurt Banana Bread recipe
- Dutch Apple Quick Bread
- Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Quick Bread
- Caramel Banana Nut Bread
- Best Ever Pumpkin Bread
- Lemon Buttermilk Quick Bread
- Caramel Apple Quick Bread
- Cinnamon Raisin Quick Bread
- Peppermint Chocolate Quick Bread
- Cranberry Orange Quick Bread
- Cinnamon Roll Quick Bread
What are the ingredients in Pumpkin Bread?
Pumpkin – You will need a 15 ounce can of pumpkin. Make sure NOT to use pumpkin pie filling! You can also use homemade pumpkin puree if you’d like.
Eggs – Yes, you read that right. You will need 6 eggs, lightly beaten. I’m not sure why so many, but I promise this bread is amazing and maybe having so many eggs is part of the reason!
Cinnamon applesauce – Using applesauce also helps to keep the bread moist (and the calories a little lower) and the cinnamon applesauce adds some flavor. If you want to use regular applesauce, that’s fine, but just go ahead and add a teaspoon of ground cinnamon to the batter as well.
Oil – The recipe calls for vegetable or canola oil, but I almost always use coconut oil. Just make sure it is melted before mixing in with the other ingredients.
Flour – All purpose flour works best.
Sugar – Yep, that’s kind of a lot of sugar, but I never claimed this bread was healthy! You can reduce the sugar a little bit if you’d like, but don’t leave it out!
Pudding mixes – You will need 1 small box (3 oz) of cook and serve vanilla pudding and 1 small box (3 oz) of cook and serve butterscotch pudding. These pudding mixes are a big part of why this bread is so yummy! I’ve tried to make this bread with instant pudding and it doesn’t turn out quite as well, so stick with the cook and serve varieties.
Pumpkin pie spice – You will need 1 tablespoon of pumpkin pie spice. Pumpkin pie spice is a delicious blend of cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg and cloves. Easy to make your own if you don’t have any, but this spice is an absolute staple at my house in the fall – it seems like I use it in almost every recipe I make.
Baking powder and baking soda – These are the leavening agents in the bread, so make sure they aren’t old or expired!
Salt – Just a little bit of salt helps all of the other flavors to pop!
Cream Cheese Glaze
Cream cheese – You can use any variety of cream cheese (regular, low-fat, or non-fat). Just make sure it has been softened to room temperature before making the glaze.
Powdered sugar – Just a little bit of powdered sugar provides all of the necessary sweetness for the glaze.
Milk – Start with about 3 tablespoons of milk and then add a little more if needed to thin the glaze out to the desired consistency.
How do you make this Pumpkin Bread recipe?
Preheat oven to 350°.
In a large bowl whisk together the pumpkin, eggs, applesauce and oil.
In another large bowl, mix together all of the other ingredients.
Stir the pumpkin mixture into the flour mixture just until combined.
Pour the mixture into greased loaf pans. You can either make two large loaves or five 5.75X3 inch pans. I actually made one large loaf and two smaller ones and it worked out great. Bake for 55-60 minutes (larger pans) or 40-45 minutes (smaller pans), or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
Place the pans on a wire rack for about 10 minutes before removing the loaves from pans. Cool completely on wire racks and then drizzle with the cream cheese glaze if desired.
To make the glaze, beat the cream cheese with an electric mixer for 1-2 minutes and then add the powdered sugar. Mix well for about a minute and then add the milk, mixing on low speed until smooth. If you need to thin the glaze a bit in order to drizzle it, add a little more milk and mix until you have the perfect consistency. I just drizzled mine with a spoon but you could put it in a squeeze bottle too.
THE BEST PUMPKIN BREAD
Ingredients
- 15 oz can pumpkin
- 6 eggs lightly beaten
- ⅔ cup cinnamon applesauce or you can use regular applesauce and add 1 tsp cinnamon to the batter
- ½ cup oil
- 2 cups flour
- 1 ½ cups sugar
- 1 sm. box 3 oz cook and serve vanilla pudding
- 1 sm. box 3 oz cook and serve butterscotch pudding
- 1 Tbsp. pumpkin pie spice
- 2 tsp baking powder
- ½ tsp baking soda
- ½ tsp salt
Cream Cheese Glaze
- 4 ounces cream cheese softened
- ½ cup powdered sugar
- 3 Tbsp milk plus more if needed for desired consistency
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°.
- In a large bowl whisk together the pumpkin, eggs, applesauce and oil.
- In another large bowl, mix together all of the other ingredients. Stir the pumpkin mixture into the flour mixture just until combined.
- Pour the mixture into greased loaf pans. You can either make two large loaves or five 5.75X3 inch pans. I actually made one large loaf and two smaller ones and it worked out great. Bake for 55-60 minutes (larger pans) or 40-45 minutes (smaller pans), or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
- Place the pans on a wire rack for about 10 minutes before removing the loaves from pans. Cool completely on wire racks and then drizzle with the cream cheese glaze if desired.
- To make the Cream Cheese Glaze, beat cream cheese with an electric mixer for 1-2 minutes and then add powdered sugar. Mix well for about a minute and then add the milk, mixing on low speed until smooth. If you need to thin the glaze a bit in order to drizzle it, add a little more milk and mix until you have the perfect consistency. I just drizzled mine with a spoon but you could put it in a squeeze bottle too.
- Slice and serve the bread!
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What is the best type of bread pan to use?
I bake a lot of bread and the pans I prefer are either ceramic, glass or cast iron. These pans will bake bread more evenly and release the bread more easily after baking. I don’t like using dark or nonstick pans because the bread cooks unevenly. It darkens on the outside before the bread is cooked on the inside, so the coloring is uneven. Read more about which bread pan is the best here!
How do you store Pumpkin Bread?
Pumpkin Bread can be stored at room temperature for 2-3 days as long as it is wrapped tightly in plastic wrap.
AVOID SUNKEN BREAD
- Use a thermometer. The easiest and best way to avoid sunken bread is to use a cooking thermometer to check the inside of the loaf. Fully cooked bread will register 200°F on a thermometer. My all-time favorite thermometer is the Thermapen. It’s super fast and incredibly durable. Another great cooking thermometer is the ThermoPop which is a more basic version that works just as well!
- Don’t overmix the batter. Only mix just enough to combine the ingredients and then stop!
- Don’t overfill the bread pan. The bread pan should only be about half full before baking.
- Use fresh ingredients. Make sure to check the expiration date on your baking powder and baking soda since these is the leavening agent in the bread. Once they have been opened, they should only be on your shelf for about 6-9 months before purchasing new.
Can you freeze Pumpkin Bread?
I have not yet tried to freeze this bread (I have 4 kids so it usually disappears pretty quickly!) but I think it would freeze beautifully. I would freeze it before adding the drizzle/frosting on top and then add that once the bread is thawed.
Here are more recipes with pumpkin to try:
- Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Bread
- Apple Pumpkin Bread
- Gingersnap Pumpkin Cookies
- Pumpkin Apple Butter recipe
- Spice Pumpkin Caramels
- BEST Pumpkin Recipes Ever
- Pumpkin Bundt Cake with Caramel Glaze
- Layered No-Bake Pumpkin Pie
- Pumpkin Chiffon Cake
Best Pumpkin Bread is moist and delicious with two different kinds of pudding mix in the recipe and a yummy cream cheese glaze drizzled on top. This pumpkin quick bread recipe is easy to make and is perfect for fall.
L.R. says
Delicious and very moist. A keeper recipe!!
Jessica says
So glad you enjoyed it!!
Amy C. says
This recipe sounds yummy! How long do you bake the five mini loaves? Thanks!
Nellie says
About 40-45 minutes for the smaller pans. Enjoy!
Amy says
Your pumpkin bread looks delicious. Thank you for sharing at Dare to Share Saturday.
Deana says
So, I have small 2.5 x about 3.5 inch ceramic loaf pan to use for gifts. Any idea how to adjust the bake time for those?
Nellie says
Deana – I would start checking them at about 25-30 minutes and then every 3-4 minutes after that until the centers are done.
Gail says
Can you use instant pudding.? Have not made it yet. Only have instant puddings. Let me know. Thanks.
Jessica says
Yep- when baking, you can use either instant or cook and serve pudding mix!
Charlotte Keiran says
I made this and forgot the sugar, when I ate a slice I realize what I had done. It’s still is very good and may continue to leave out the sugar. My husband never even new the difference and loves it. It’s a keeper for me..
Alison says
Charlotte, I am so glad it still worked out and that you and your husband enjoyed it!
Grace Salinger says
do you lower the temperature when using a glass pan?
Nellie says
I don’t like using glass pans, so I haven’t tried this recipe with a glass pan, but I would probably just bake at the same temp.