The recipe claims this as “the best” pumpkin bread and it truly is! It is moist and dense with the perfect amount of spices for a delicious Fall treat!
Several years ago, a friend gifted us some and it was so delicious! She shared her recipe with me and I have held on to it for years, because it was such a special treat. It wasn’t until recently that I remembered this decadent Fall dessert, so I pulled out my recipes to make it.
I picked Knox up from school recently and he pulled out a bag of treats from his backpack. As he gobbled down, he raved about the pumpkin bread his friend brought in for his Fall share. So, I took a bite and memories of how much I love this bread came flooding back!
The texture and flavor was almost exact and I couldn’t wait to compare the recipes! I reached out to my friend Elizabeth and asked her for her recipe. I knew her recipe was going to be a special one, because she’s such a special Southern belle! She sent me a picture of her handwritten recipe card and sure enough it was indeed the recipe of the best pumpkin bread!
How to Make Pumpkin Bread
You can also find the recipe on the Food Network here. I wanted to experiment and I had the idea to cook it on dessert mode in the Express Crock on pressure cooker mode. If you have an Instant Pot you can do the same. Cooking it this way makes it even more moist and Knox chose this in a blind tasting! You will need a 7 inch springform pan that will fit in the inner pot and you can find it (affiliate link) here.
What a special treat it has been to watch Knox fall in love with everything pumpkin this year! Just like his mama! Check out our other favorite recipe like my Crockpot Pumpkin Chicken Chili or Pumpkin Cheesecake!


The Best Pumpkin Bread
Ingredients
- 3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour plus more for the pan (see Cook's Note)
- 3 cups sugar white
- 1 cup vegetable oil
- 4 large eggs lightly beaten
- 1 15 ounce can pumpkin puree
- 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
- 2 teaspoons baking soda
- 1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1 teaspoon ground allspice
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 2/3 cup water
Instructions
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Preheat oven to 350° F. Butter and flour two 9-by-5-inch loaf pans or three 7×3 inch loaf pans.
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Whisk together the sugar and oil in a large bowl until well combined. Whisk in the eggs and pumpkin and combine.
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In a medium bowl sift the dry ingredients: flour, salt, baking soda, nutmeg, allspice, cinnamon and cloves, and whisk until well combined.
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Add half the dry ingredients to the pumpkin mixture and stir to combine. Add half the water and stir to combine. Repeat with the remaining flour and water.
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Stir the dry ingredients into the pumpkin mixture until just blended.
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Divide the batter between the prepared loaf pans.
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Divide the batter between the prepared loaf pans. Bake for 50-60 minutes until toothpick comes out clean.
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Let the loaves cool in the pans on a wire rack for 10 minutes. Remove from the pans and let cool completely, about 1 hour.
EXPRESS CROCK:
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Whisk together the sugar and oil in a large bowl until well combined. Whisk in the eggs and pumpkin and combine.
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In a medium bowl sift the dry ingredients: flour, salt, baking soda, nutmeg, allspice, cinnamon and cloves, and whisk until well combined.
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Add half the dry ingredients to the pumpkin mixture and stir to combine. Add half the water and stir to combine. Repeat with the remaining flour and water.
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Stir the dry ingredients into the pumpkin mixture until just blended.
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Divide the batter between 7 inch greased springform pans and cover with aluminum foil.
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Place trivet in inner pot and add one cup water. Place lid on lock and set valve to sealing.
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Press Dessert button and cook for 50 minutes and do a natural release for 10 minutes.
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Let cool in the pan on a wire rack for 10 minutes. Remove from the pans and let cool completely, about 1 hour.

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