This Pumpkin Gingerbread is sweet and spicy. The moist bread pairs perfectly with the crunchy Turbinado sugar topping. It makes the best fall snack!
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You might be saying, "But Lindsay, I don't need another pumpkin bread recipe!"
To that I say, "Oh yah you do!" in my painfully natural midwest accent.
You need another pumpkin bread recipe because this isn't just any pumpkin bread - it's a pumpkin gingerbread loaf! Fa la la la la and welcome to pumpkin season
I am not in any way condoning getting into the holidays this early. I just know you and your love for all things pumpkin spice. That equals a need for the perfect pumpkin gingerbread loaf that's both soft and crunchy, sweet and spicy.
Pumpkin gingerbread ingredients
- All purpose flour
- Salt
- Baking soda
- Ground ginger
- Ground cinnamon
- Ground nutmeg
- Pumpkin puree
- Butter
- Dark brown sugar
- Molasses
- Eggs
- Milk
- Turbinado sugar
How to make pumpkin gingerbread
- Preheat the oven to 350ºF. Coat a 9x5 inch loaf pan with cooking spray and set aside.
- In a large bowl, whisk together flour, salt, baking soda, ginger, cinnamon and nutmeg.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together pumpkin, melted butter, brown sugar, molasses, eggs, and milk.
- Pour the wet ingredients into the dry and stir with a wooden spoon or rubber scraper until just incorporated.
- Pour the batter into the prepared pan. Bake 40 minutes, remove from the oven and sprinkle with Turbinado sugar. Return to the oven and bake another 10-20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center of the loaf comes out clean. Remove from the oven and let cool ten minutes before inverting the loaf and allowing it to cool completely on a rack.
Top tips
Don't overmix
Quick breads like this one have the best texture when you mix gently, and not too much. Only stir until the dry ingredients are incorporated into the wet ingredients. The batter may still be a little lumpy.
Removing the loaf from the pan
Be sure to spray your pan with cooking spray (or homemade cake release) to prevent sticking. Allow the loaf to cool for 10 minutes before trying to remove it from the pan.
I always place a cooling rack (affiliate link) over the top of the pan, flip them over together, and give it a gentle tap on the counter. The loaf should fall out onto the cooling rack.
If it sticks, try running a butter knife between the edge of the loaf and the pan, then flipping. Adjust the loaf so that it finishes cooling right side up.
How to store
Keep leftovers wrapped in plastic wrap at room temperature for up to 3 days. You can also freeze this loaf for up to 3 months. I recommend cutting it into slices and wrapping it all together in plastic wrap before freezing.
Tips for customizing pumpkin gingerbread
- Substitute 3 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice for the ginger, cinnamon, and nutmeg
- Add a handful of chopped walnuts, pepitas, chocolate chips, or crystalized ginger to the batter
- Skip the turbinado sugar topping and drizzle with the glaze from my banana bundt cake or top with this cinnamon frosting
- Bake in mini muffin tins, adjusting the bake time accordingly
FAQ
Let me introduce you to my little friend (affiliate link) turbinado sugar.
It's big, flashy, and super yummy. It comes from raw sugar cane, and still contains some of the molasses, which is why it's brown.
My kids call it "candy nuts" because the crystals are so big and crunchy. This is your secret weapon to a killer quick bread.
I got the idea from my local food co-op that seasonally sells the most deliciously spicy pumpkin gingerbread loaf topped with these crunchy sweet sugar crystals.
This recipe uses a homemade gingerbread spice mix. It leans more towards ginger than cinnamon, which would be the dominant flavor in pumpkin spice.
More quick bread recipes
- Cinnamon Swirl Banana Bread
- Chocolate Chip Zucchini Bread
- Chocolate Chip Banana Bread
- Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Loaf
- Double Chocolate Banana Bread
More pumpkin recipes
- Mini Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Muffins
- Vegan Pumpkin Muffins
- Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Loaf
- Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Bars
- Pumpkin Seed Butter Cups
- Pumpkin Pizza
- Pumpkin Waffles
- Vegan Pumpkin Soup
- Pumpkin Seed Butter
If you make this recipe, be sure to rate it, leave a comment, or tag #theliveinkitchen on Instagram!
Recipe
Pumpkin Gingerbread Loaf
Ingredients
- 1 ½ cups unbleached all purpose flour
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 2 teaspoons ground ginger
- 1 ½ teaspoons ground cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1 cup pumpkin puree
- ½ cup butter, 1 stick, melted
- ½ cup dark brown sugar
- ½ cup molasses
- 2 eggs, beaten
- 3 tablespoons milk
- 1 tablespoon Turbinado sugar
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350ºF. Coat a 9x5 inch loaf pan with cooking spray and set aside.
- In a large bowl, whisk together flour, salt, baking soda, ginger, cinnamon and nutmeg.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together pumpkin, melted butter, brown sugar, molasses, eggs, and milk.
- Pour the wet ingredients into the dry and stir with a wooden spoon or rubber scraper until just incorporated.
- Pour the batter into the prepared pan. Bake 40 minutes, remove from the oven and sprinkle with Turbinado sugar. Return to the oven and bake another 10-20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center of the loaf comes out clean. Remove from the oven and let cool ten minutes before inverting the loaf and allowing it to cool completely on a rack.
Jessica @ A Kitchen Addiction says
Love the pumpkin gingerbread combination! I'd love a slice of this with my morning coffee!
Lindsay Moe says
Thanks Jessica!
Patricia @ Grab a Plate says
The more pumpkin bread recipes, the better! This looks exceptionally good, and I can just taste those seasonings!
Kristin says
This was delicious. It's like a taste of fall in a quick bread. It pairs really well with a good cup of coffee and some Irish butter.
Ana Luisa says
I found this recipe on another site and it was identical except that milk was substituted for water. I have made it twice now, and both times delicious!
Katarzyna Panek says
This cake had balanced notes and just the right amount of fluffiness and density. Give it a try. Happy Holidays!
Liza says
Wonderful! I made it with gluten free flour and added a tsp of xanthan gum. It was fabulous. Disappeared very quickly. I’m making more mañana.
Amber says
This was amazing! Thanks for sharing.
Jean says
Love this recipe! The bread is moist and full of flavor!!
Leslie says
delicious. my mods: I used 3/4 cup whole wheat flour, 3/4 cup all purpose. 1/4 cup of butter and 1/2 cup of melted coconut oil. put the turbinado sugar on top earlier in the baking process - after 20 mins, the top was already too crusty for it to stick. that's it -- this is great! make it!
Larry R Bainer Jr says
PURE AWESOMENESS
Larry R Bainer Jr says
I’ve made this bread before very good, delicious, taste wonderful, ginger flavor is superb and goes good with a nice hot cup of coffee or tea
Susan says
I don’t have Turbinado sugar, can I do without it or what kind of substitute could I use?
Lindsay Moe says
You can definitely do it without turbinado sugar, otherwise any coarse sugar would work in its place.
Marie Rayner says
This is a lovely loaf. Mine turned out a lot darker than yours for some reason, but it was lovely and dense and moist. The flavors were spot on. I waited as per the recipe to sprinkle the turbinado sugar on, but the top of the loaf was far too done for it to stick. It only stuck to the crack down the middle. If I do it again, I will sprinkle it on at the beginning. Otherwise, this was an excellent loaf that I highly recommend!
Lindsay Moe says
I'm so glad you enjoyed it! All ovens heat a little differently, so it is possible that you will need to add your sugar sooner to get it to stick. Hopefully you can get it to work for you!
Jonidee says
This recipe is hands down the best pumpkin bread recipe I have ever tried, and I have tried many over the years especially from the top cooking/baking websites and magazines. Great, spiced flavor and so moist - the best, really. Thanks for sharing.
Patrice says
This was SO good, but easy to make. I added chocolate chips to the loaf I made for my grandkids, and they begged me to make more! I plan to bake several smaller loaves to gift this Christmas. I will double the recipe and divide it into three 8x4 foil pans. Since I'll have 3 in the oven at once, timing may be tricky. Any suggestions?
Elizabeth says
This was good. I like how this wasn’t too sweet. I didn’t have the turbinado sugar to put on the top but that’s fine. I might add more pumpkin next time because it did taste more like gingerbread than pumpkin (not complaining though:) ). I had doubled the recipe and maybe had a tad less pumpkin than the recipe called for. Maybe that’s why it didn’t have much pumpkin taste. I had to substitute the flour for gluten free flour but the bread was still nice and moist. Definitely making this again! Plus it’s a very easy recipe. I don’t mind making things that require more work and time but it’s also nice to have good recipes like this that are easy. This is perfect for Fall and Winter and with a cup of coffee. Next time I want to make these into muffins with a crumb topping.
Lindsay Moe says
I'm so glad you enjoyed the bread! Thanks for sharing what worked for you. The gingerbread flavor is the strongest in this recipe, feel free to cut back on the spices a little bit if you want to taste more pumpkin. Adding more pumpkin might create too much moisture. I think muffins with a crumb topping is a great idea! Just make sure you adjust the baking time.