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Easy Pumpkin Bread Recipe

ByAshley
Jump to Recipe

Moist, light, and warmly spiced, this Easy Pumpkin Bread Recipe has the same tender crumb you love from my Olive Oil Yogurt Loaf Cake, just cozier with pumpkin and fall spices.

A hand lifts a slice of pumpkin bread from a stack of slices on a plate, highlighting the rich color and texture.

A little secret ingredient (shhh, it's yogurt!) makes the crumb unbelievably springy without weighing it down, while a generous pour of olive oil gives it that extra-rich, moist texture.

This is the kind of loaf that invites you to slow down, to find a warm, quiet space (maybe with a book in hand?) and just be. It's perfect with a steaming cup of coffee as you watch the leaves outside start to change their colors.

Getting Started: Prep and Dry Ingredients

A flat-lay shot of all the ingredients for olive oil pumpkin bread laid out on a light-colored surface. The ingredients include pumpkin puree, flour, sugar, eggs, olive oil, and spices.

Start by gathering and measuring all of your wet and dry ingredients. It makes baking so much easier when everything is laid out and ready to go.

A close-up shot of a hand whisking flour and spices in a gray bowl.

Whisk your dry ingredients together so the baking powder and spices are evenly distributed.

Mixing the Wet Ingredients

A person's hand using a whisk to mix eggs and sugar in a large yellow bowl, creating a pale, frothy mixture.

In a large bowl, whisk the eggs and sugar for 3 minutes until pale and a little frothy. This gives your loaf a lighter, springier texture.

A person pouring a stream of olive oil from a small glass bottle into the egg and sugar mixture in a large bowl.

Slowly drizzle in the olive oil while whisking. It should blend right in-no oily puddles on top.

Bringing it All Together

A person using a wire whisk to combine pumpkin puree with the wet ingredients in a large yellow bowl.

Now whisk in the pumpkin puree, yogurt, and vanilla. The mixture should have no lumps of yogurt or pumpkin remaining.

A bowl of dry ingredients is being added into the pumpkin bread batter.

Add the flour in two additions, folding gently with a spatula until no streaks of flour remain.

pumpkin bread batter mixed in a bowl

The batter will be thick but pourable. That's exactly what you want.

A loaf pan lined with parchment paper holds the thick, orange-colored pumpkin bread batter, ready for baking.

Pour the batter into the parchment-lined loaf pan, smoothing the top.

Dip Bench Scraper and Bake

Quick tip: If you want that pretty crack down the middle of your loaf, dip a bench scraper into the batter about ½ inch deep before baking. An excellent tip from Lindsay Landis (Love and Olive Oil).

A bench scraper dipped into batter to create a crack in the center for baking

Optional trick: dip a bench scraper about ½ inch into the center of the batter before baking. It encourages that pretty crack down the middle.

baked pumpkin bread in loaf pan

Bake at 350°F for 50 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the loaf comes out clean.

Do you have the right loaf pan? If your loaf pan is too wide, your loaf will come out short, over-baked, dark on the sides, and pale on top. I highly recommend this pan, or a loaf pan that's one pound, 8½ × 4½ × 2⅔ inches (21.5 × 11.4 × 6.9 cm).

sliced pumpkin bread

How to Serve Pumpkin Bread

This loaf is so versatile-you can enjoy it plain with your morning coffee, smear on a little cream cheese, or even toast a slice with butter for an afternoon snack. If you want to dress it up, a dusting of powdered sugar or a drizzle of honey is all it needs.

How to Store Pumpkin Bread

Once cooled, wrap your pumpkin bread tightly in plastic wrap or foil and keep it at room temperature for up to 3 days. For longer storage, pop it in the fridge for up to a week.

Tips for the Perfect Loaf

  • Use the correct loaf pan size to ensure your bread rises tall and bakes evenly.
  • Don't overmix the batter-gentle folding keeps the crumb soft.
  • That bench scraper trick really does help create a gorgeous bakery-style crack on top.

Pumpkin bread is one of those cozy bakes that instantly makes your kitchen smell like fall. This version, made with olive oil, comes out soft, tender, and just the right amount of sweet.

I hope it becomes one of those recipes you come back to year after year. If you give it a try, I'd love to hear how it turned out for you-drop a comment below and let me know! ♡

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Easy Pumpkin Bread Recipe

sliced pumpkin bread
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5 from 1 review

Moist, tender pumpkin bread made with olive oil and a touch of yogurt for the perfect fall loaf. Lightly spiced and perfectly sweet.

  • Author: Ashley
  • Prep Time: 15 minutes
  • Cook Time: 50 minutes
  • Total Time: 1 hour 5 minutes
  • Yield: (about 8-10 slices)
  • Category: Dessert, Snack, Breakfast
  • Method: Baking
  • Cuisine: Mediterranean-Inspired, American
  • Diet: Vegetarian

Ingredients

Units Scale
  • 1 ¾ cups (210 g) all-purpose flour
  • 1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
  • ¼ teaspoon baking soda
  • ½ teaspoon fine sea salt
  • 2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
  • 2 large eggs
  • ½ cup (200 g) granulated sugar (or ¼ white + ¼ brown for more flavor)
  • ⅓ cup (120 ml) olive oil
  • ⅓ cup (80 g) plain whole milk yogurt
  • 1 cup (240 g) pumpkin purée (about ½ of a 15 oz can)
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C). Grease and line an 8½ x 4½ inch loaf pan with parchment paper.
  2. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and pumpkin pie spice.
  3. In a large bowl, whisk eggs and sugar until pale and slightly thickened, about 3 minutes. Slowly whisk in the olive oil until smooth.
  4. Stir in yogurt, pumpkin purée, and vanilla until combined.
  5. Add the dry ingredients in two additions, folding gently with a spatula until no streaks of flour remain. The batter will be thick but pourable.
  6. Pour batter into the prepared pan, smoothing the top. Optional trick: dip a bench scraper about ½ inch into the center of the batter before baking. It encourages that pretty crack down the middle.
  7. Bake for 50 minutes, or until the loaf is golden brown and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
  8. Cool in the pan for 10 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely before slicing.

Notes

Recipe adapted from my Olive Oil Yogurt Loaf Cake recipe

Nutrition

  • Serving Size:
  • Calories: 267
  • Sugar: 14.2 g
  • Sodium: 211.3 mg
  • Fat: 11.3 g
  • Saturated Fat: 2.1 g
  • Trans Fat: 0 g
  • Carbohydrates: 37.6 g
  • Fiber: 1.7 g
  • Protein: 5.1 g
  • Cholesterol: 47.8 mg

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One Comment

  1. I love this recipe because it’s not overly sweet. That’s exactly what I was looking for. Definitely worth making again.

    Reply