This pumpkin bread with pecans and cranberries is a quintessential fall quick bread recipe. It not only tastes delicious but makes your home smell amazing as it bakes. For breakfast (or that mid-afternoon snack), a thick slice of homemade pumpkin loaf is so good with a cup of tea or coffee!

Loaf of pumpkin bread with some slices cut out.

I could not let fall pass by without sharing my homemade pumpkin bread recipe (it’s just too yummy to miss).

This pumpkin loaf is loaded with lots of texture and flavour from pecans, cranberries and warming spices (like cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger and clove) and just screams fall.

Pumpkin bread is just the sort of thing I like to bake on a Saturday or Sunday (especially if it’s raining or cold outside). It’s super easy to whip up and no mixer is required! Plus, who doesn’t love a homemade treat?

I enjoy serving it with a coffee that’s spiked with my homemade pumpkin spice coffee creamer. Then I love to curl up with a good book and my snack. Perfect way to relax, if you ask me!

How To Make Pumpkin Bread

Here is an overview of how to make this easy pumpkin bread (full details are in the recipe card below):

In a bowl, whisk the flour, baking soda, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, clove and salt together until combined.
In another bowl, mix the pumpkin puree, brown sugar, granulated sugar, melted butter, milk, eggs and vanilla extract together until combined.
Combine the flour mixture with the pumpkin mixture, mixing until there’s no dry flour left (but don’t overmix).
Stir in cranberries and pecans.
Pour the pumpkin bread batter into a prepared pan and bake.
Allow the bread to cool for 10 minutes in the pan. Then remove the bread from the pan and allow it to fully cool on a cooling rack. There ya have it, homemade pumpkin bread with pecans and cranberries all ready to be devoured!

Collage of steps to make homemade pumpkin bread with pecans and cranberries.

Serving

Obviously, homemade pumpkin bread is delicious as is. Those warming spices, sweetened cranberries and crunchy walnuts work so good together.

However, sometimes I do enjoy a slice slathered with butter or clotted cream or dusted with some icing sugar. It’s also great served with a big dollop of whipped cream or drizzle of icing sugar glaze and a sprinkling of pumpkin pie spice.

For a little indulgence, try crumbling up a slice of pumpkin bread over vanilla ice cream and drizzling with caramel syrup (now that’s a treat!).

Sliced pumpkin bread on a serving platter.

Storing

Properly wrap the cooled pumpkin bread in plastic food wrap, then place in a resealable bag or airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 to 3 days.

Alternatively, you can freeze the pumpkin bread. To freeze, wrap the cooled loaf in plastic food wrap, then wrap in aluminum foil (or just two layers of plastic food wrap). Place into a freezer-safe container. Don’t forget to label with the recipe name and date it was made. You can freeze for up to 3 months. When ready to enjoy, remove the pumpkin loaf from the container (but still leave wrapped) and let thaw at room temperature.

Tip: Have some pumpkin loaf on the ready by slicing the loaf before freezing. That way, you can pull out a portion whenever you are craving some — which, if you’re like me, is quite often. When I do this (and want a slice of pumpkin bread right away), I literally pull a slice of the bread from the freezer and warm up in my Air Fryer (without thawing first). In the Air Fryer, it takes about 5 minutes (depending on the model) at 350 degrees Fahrenheit to warm through.

Slice of pumpkin bread on a plate slathered with butter.

Tips and Variations

Don’t worry if your pumpkin bread cracks on the top. This is totally normal for quick breads.
I generally find it takes about 70 to 80 minutes to bake the pumpkin bread. Because ovens vary, I would recommend checking on the loaf around the 60-minute mark. You want the loaf baked, of course, but not overbaked.
Add extra flavour with some orange zest (about 1 tablespoon or so). Pumpkin and orange go so well together.
Pumpkin chocolate bread is also delicious. Mix up the flavour profile by using chocolate chips instead of dried cranberries.

More Pumpkin Recipes

If you make this yummy homemade pumpkin bread with pecans and cranberries, be sure to leave a comment below!

Pumpkin Bread With Pecans and Cranberries

Dawn | Girl Heart Food

Print Recipe Save Recipe

Prep Time 10

Cook Time 1 10

Cooling Time 2

Total Time 3 20

Course Dessert

Servings 1 pumpkin bread

Ingredients

Baking spray, to grease loaf pan
2 cups all-purpose flour, spoon into measuring cup and level off with a butter knife
1 teaspoon baking soda
1.5 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground ginger
½ teaspoon ground nutmeg
½ teaspoon ground clove
½ teaspoon salt
1.5 cups pumpkin puree (canned pumpkin), not pumpkin pie filling
1 cup dark brown sugar
½ cup granulated sugar
¾ cup melted unsalted butter, or vegetable oil
½ cup milk, like 2% or whole milk
2 large eggs
1.5 teaspoons vanilla extract
¾ cup chopped pecans, or chopped walnuts
½ cup dried sweetened cranberries

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
Spray a 9-inch x 5-inch loaf pan with baking spray, then line with some parchment paper (the parchment paper should cover the bottom and two longest sides of the loaf pan, with some parchment paper slightly overhanging the longest sides — this makes for easy removal of the pumpkin bread after it's baked). Then spray the parchment paper with baking spray. Set aside.
In a bowl, whisk the flour, baking soda, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, clove and salt together until combined.
In another bowl, mix the pumpkin puree, brown sugar, granulated sugar, melted butter, milk, eggs and vanilla extract until well combined.
Combine dry ingredients (flour mixture) with wet ingredients (pumpkin mixture), mixing until there's no dry flour left (but don't overmix). Stir in cranberries and pecans.
Pour pumpkin bread mixture into the prepared pan and bake for 70 to 80 minutes or until a wooden skewer or cake tester inserted in the centre of the bread comes out clean.
Note: Because pans and ovens can vary, check on the pumpkin bread at the 60-minute mark to see how it's doing. If it's not done, continue baking until it is.
Note: If your pumpkin bread starts to brown too quickly, you can loosely cover it with some aluminum foil.
Allow the bread to cool for 10 minutes in the pan. Then remove the bread from the pan and allow it to fully cool on a cooling rack. Slice and serve. Enjoy!

A note on times provided: appliances vary, any prep and/or cook times provided are estimates only.

Keyword pumpkin loaf, quick bread recipe

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