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!
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 cloves) 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, cloves 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!
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!).
Storing
Properly store cooled pumpkin bread in a resealable food storage bag or airtight container at room temperature and enjoy within 2 to 3 days.
Alternatively, you can freeze this pumpkin bread. To freeze, first let the loaf completely cool. Next, wrap it in plastic food wrap, then wrap it in aluminum foil (or just two layers of plastic food wrap). Place the wrapped loaf into a freezer-safe container and freeze for up to 3 months. Don’t forget to label the container with the recipe name and date it was made. When ready to enjoy, remove the pumpkin loaf from the container (but still leave wrapped) and let it thaw in the refrigerator overnight.
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.
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
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 cloves
- 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, cloves 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!Note: Leftovers? Properly store cooled pumpkin bread in a resealable food storage bag or airtight container at room temperature and enjoy within 2 to 3 days. Alternatively, you can freeze it. To freeze, first let the loaf cool completely. Wrap it in plastic food wrap, then wrap it in aluminum foil (or just two layers of plastic food wrap). Place the wrapped loaf into a freezer-safe container and freeze for up to 3 months. Label the container with the recipe name and date it was made. When ready to enjoy, remove the pumpkin loaf from the container (but still leave wrapped) and let it thaw in the refrigerator overnight.
A note on times provided: appliances vary, any prep and/or cook times provided are estimates only.
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Tried this recipe?
If you do make this recipe, thank you!! It would mean so much if you could leave a comment below. Love to know how you enjoyed it, and it helps other readers too!
Michelle says
What a delicious variation with all those pecans and cranberries studded throughout the pumpkin bread! Yum!
David @ Spiced says
I love baking loaves of pumpkin bread this time of the year – the spices really are perfect for the fall! We usually make a version where we frost the top with cream cheese frosting. I’m digging this one with pecans and cranberries baked into the bread. #MakingThisSoon!
Valentina says
Never too much pumpkin bread for me. ‘Tis the season! This one looks so good — especially the slice with butter spread over it. 🙂 ~Valentina