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If you don’t want to go to Starbucks but you’re craving their popular pumpkin bread, you have to try my copycat recipe. You can make this loaf easily in one bowl and the result is a super moist texture with a perfect pumpkin taste! I might even say it’s better than the Starbucks version, especially since the ingredients are simpler!
Table of Contents
This pumpkin bread is great when you’re in the mood for something with pumpkin that’s sweet and light. It’s also great if you have a random 1 cup of pumpkin puree leftover because the rest of the ingredients are pretty much staples you’ll always have. I love making this in the fall and taking it to friends’ for gatherings.
Recipe At a Glance
Cuisine Inspiration: American
Primary Cooking Method: Oven
Dietary Info: Vegetarian
Key Flavor: Pumpkin
Skill Level: Easy
Why This Is So Good
- Moist, tender, and perfectly spiced. Pumpkin spice not only adds that warming flavor that all about fall but also brings out pumpkin’s natural sweetness, and the pumpkin keeps the bread moist.
- Fail proof. I created a video of the pumpkin bread on Instagram rushing through the steps and not properly mixing the butter and sugar first. And even though the butter looked lumpy going into the oven, the final result was a gorgeous moist delicious loaf!
- Versatile. This bread is not just for breakfast; it can be a snack, a dessert, or even a treat with afternoon tea.
Ingredients to Make Pumpkin Bread
- Flour: For best results use all-purpose flour. I haven’t made this recipe with a 1:1 gluten-free flour, but I’m pretty sure it will turn out well.
- Pumpkin pie spice: A little pumpkin pie spice adds a warming sweetness to the bread. If you don’t have pumpkin pie spice, use ¼ teaspoon each of ginger, cinnamon, nutmeg and cloves.
- Baking soda and salt: so that the bread rises when it is baked in the oven and isn’t dense.
- Butter: Use unsalted butter for the best results. Allow it to soften before using so that it mixes well with the other ingredients and you have an even texture.
- Sugar: I use granulated sugar and light brown sugar in this recipe for layers of sweetness.
- Eggs: To bind the ingredients together.
- Pumpkin: Use pure canned pumpkin to make this recipe. Don’t use a pumpkin pie filling which has added sugars and spices.
- Vanilla extract: For flavor and sweetness.
- Pumpkin seeds: The pumpkin seeds are sprinkled on top of the bread before being baked. They are optional but add a great texture and look so pretty – like the Starbucks bread!
How to Make Pumpkin Bread
Tips for Baking Pumpkin Bread
- Use a stand mixer to make this recipe. This is the quickest and easiest way to make the pumpkin bread dough. You can make it by hand, but it will take a little longer to make sure that the wet ingredients are fully mixed and easily combined.
- Don’t over mix the batter. When you add in the dry ingredients, mix together until just combined. If you overwork the flour the gluten will overdevelop and the finished loaf will have a heavy and dense texture.
- Use oil or cooking spray to grease the loaf pan. If you use butter it can burn and cause the bread to stick. You can also line it with parchment paper so that it is easy to remove from the pan.
- Let the pumpkin bread cool fully before removing it from the pan. Place the pan on a cooling rack so that the air circulates all around to cool it completely.
Frequently Asked Questions
After allowing the pumpkin bread to cool down completely, it’s best to store it in an airtight container or resealable plastic bag. This keeps it fresh and prevents it from drying out. The bread will last for up to 5 days at room temperature and a week in the fridge. If you find yourself wanting to enjoy a warm slice of bread, there are a couple of options you can choose from. Preheat the oven to 350°F, wrap a slice in aluminum foil, and warm it for about 5-10 minutes. Or, you can microwave a slice for about 15-20 seconds.
For sure! After it’s cooled down, slice it into individual servings, wrap each slice tightly in plastic wrap, and then place them in a large freezer bag or an airtight container. It will stay fresh in the freezer for up to 3 months. When you’re ready to enjoy a slice, thaw it in the fridge overnight or at room temperature for a few hours. You can then warm it up in the oven or microwave using the reheating instructions above.
Yes, you can make muffins using this batter! Divide the batter evenly into a greased or lined muffin tin, and bake at 350°F for 18-22 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center of a muffin comes out clean.
More Quick Breads Recipes:
- Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Bread
- Chocolate Chip Zucchini Bread
- Chocolate Peanut Butter Banana Bread
- Carrot Banana Bread
- Cranberry Orange Bread
- Lemon Zucchini Bread
- One Bowl Banana Bread
- Lemon Blueberry Bread
- Date Bread
If you try this feel good Starbucks Pumpkin Bread recipe or any other recipe on Feel Good Foodie, then don’t forget to rate the recipe and leave a comment below! It helps others who are thinking of making the recipe. We would love to hear about your experience making it. And if you snapped some shots, share it on Instagram so we can repost on Stories!
Starbucks Pumpkin Bread
Video
Ingredients
- 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
- 1 tablespoon pumpkin pie spice
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ cup unsalted butter room temperature
- 1 cup cane sugar
- ¼ cup packed light brown sugar
- 4 eggs
- 1 cup canned pumpkin
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- ¼ cup pumpkin seeds optional
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F and spray a loaf pan with nonstick cooking spray.
- In a medium bowl, whisk flour, pumpkin pie spice, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.
- In a stand mixer with a whisk attachment or in a large bowl with a hand mixer, mix butter, cane sugar and light brown sugar until light and fluffy, 2 minutes. Add eggs, one at a time, until incorporated. Add canned pumpkin and vanilla extract and mix to combine.
- Add dry ingredients and mix until no streaks remain. Pour into prepared pan and sprinkle with the pumpkin seeds if using.
- Bake in preheated oven until a toothpick inserted in the center of the loaf comes out clean, about 50-55 minutes. Remove from the oven and allow the bread to cool completely in the pan set on a wire rack before slicing.
Equipment
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information provided is an estimate. It will vary based on cooking method and specific ingredients used.
Hi!! This looks great!! But my oven is broken, doesn’t always work on 350. What do you suggest?
Hi Nicole, I’m not sure how to make this recipe without a working oven. So sorry!
Will almond flour work same as all purpose flour? What will be ratio for almond flour?
Almond flour will change the texture and make it more dry. If you use almond flour, I recommend using a combination of almond flour and all-purpose flour (maybe 50/50?) to maintain the bread-like consistency. Hope that helps!
This pumpkin bread is sooo good!! It came out so moist. In my opinion it tastes better than Starbucks 🤩
Wow, thank you so much!! So happy you love it, Cristina!
It baked up and looks really nice, but it was fairly dry.
Hi Jenni, I’m sorry to hear that. Is it possible you overmixed the batter? The bread can end up too heavy and dense if you overmix.
HOLY MOLY! This recipe is incredible & uber delicious!!! AND- much cheaper than buying from SBux- THANK YOU!
Yay!! So happy you loved it, Dena!
I have cooked this twice. It has a very strong egg flavor. Also, it’s impossible whisk butter and sugar together. Use the regular mixing attachment.
Hi there, so sorry this didn’t work out well for you. What size egg are you using? Also, the recipe calls to use a stand mixer or hand mixer to cream the butter and sugar together.
This recipe is great. Really moist and delicious. I have seen a lot of other Starbucks pumpkin bread recipes that use oil. I prefer this one that uses butter in place of the oil. I think making your pumpkin puree from scratch is best too and prefer the kabocha pumpkins to do this (personal taste). I try to find small ones because they have the best sweet flavor.
Thank you so much!!
Did it and loved it ! Everything is …so good ! The spice, the texture… I added chopped pecans on tops of it. Thank you Yumna !
You’re so welcome! So happy to hear that you liked it!
This is my new “go to” pumpkin bread recipe. I made a double batch and used half coconut sugar and half regular cane sugar. The spices in this bread and spot on, and the texture is as well. I added chocolate chips to one loaf and chopped pecans to the other.
It was a huge hit with the family.
Thanks for the recipe!
Oo I love that idea!! Thank you for making the recipe!
What temp and how long if using a glass loaf pan or disposal aluminum loaf pan?
Thank you!
For the disposable pan, I would follow the cooking directions as written. For glass, I would bake it at the same temperature but you could start checking for doneness around 45 minutes.
Hello! What will happen if you use pumpkin pie filling instead of pumpkin puree or canned pumpkin? Because that’s all that I have, and I don’t want to waste it if it wont work.
Pumpkin Pie filling contains sweeteners and additives that may impact the final texture of this bread. The recipe was developed and tested with pumpkin puree, which is simply pumpkin so that is what I recommend using.
Brought this to a Halloween party and it was the first item to be finished. Will definitely make it again.
So glad to hear this! Really happy you enjoyed it!
Can you substitute butter for oil? thanks
I want to make this recipe however, I’m wondering, will white sugar make a difference? Thanks for anyones help.
That should be just fine to add all white sugar. I like to use a mix as the brown sugar adds a nice depth of flavor, but using all white sugar should not really impact the texture too much.
Made this tasty cake for Thanksgiving. Everyone loved it especially the 2 year olds. It’s going to be my go to recipe next year.
So happy to hear that this made it on your Thanksgiving table and that even the kids loved it! Thank you for letting me know.
Delicious! I used freshly baked pumpkin, mashed with fork and added a bit of almond milk. I believe this gave the bread a nice texture. Great recipe, thank you!
You’re so welcome!
Hey! How much maple syrup can I use if I don’t want to use any sugar
The sugar will really help to bind it better than the maple syrup. Unfortunately I haven’t tested it without sugar so it’s hard to tell if it’s a 1:1 swap or if it will hold well together.
I’m bookmarking this website. Finally … a site where I don’t have to scroll down 75 pages to get to the actual recipe! Well done! I will be back! Thank you very much.
Looking forward to hearing what you think of my recipes, George!
Hi! Can we use coconut sugar instead of the cane and light brown sugar?
Yes, coconut sugar should work well!
so I made it with the coconut sugar and it turned out absolutely incredible!! Literally amazing, it was so moist and fluffy, everybody loved it and it was gone in less than 24 hours!!! Thank you! I will be making this again for sure.
Woohoo! So happy to heat that!
Would it be possible to add chocolate chips and walnuts to this recipe? Or is that not recommended?
You can add them in!
It’s great 👍
Thank you, Todd!
I like a simple and quick recipe, but need to ask a small favour. As an international reader, I’d be very happy with measurements by weight, rather than by volume. Thanks in advance!
Thank you for the feedback! I am constantly trying to better my website, so I’ll take that into consideration.
I agree, I’m American but prefer international weights as they are much more accurate and easier to follow! Thank you for the wonderful recipe!
This is a basic recipe for a quick bread, with pumpkin puree. It’s not a copycat for the Starbucks loaf. For that, you need vegetable oil instead of butter, a lot more spice (including freshly grated nutmeg), a lot more sugar, and dough conditioners/emulsifiers which are necessary to maintain that moist texture. All of this can be reverse-engineered by looking at the publicly available nutritional facts and ingredients.
I say it’s a copycat because of the flavor rather than the ingredients 🙂
Delicious and easy to make…My kids love it ..It takes just like starbucks.
I love that! Yay!!
Nice recipe
Thank you!
This pumpkin bread is so delicious! It comes together very quick, it’s not too sweet or too spicy, and the pumpkin seeds on top add the perfect amount of crunch. Thanks Yumna for developing the perfect copy-cat recipe!
Thank you! I love that so much! You’re so welcome!
This is 100% just like Starbucks’ pumpkin bread. SO good 🙂
I followed the recipe exactly but didn’t have pumpkin seeds on hand. Delicious!!
That’s great to hear! Yay!!
Hi, I am wondering if I could use fresh pumpkin Since it sort of hard to get can pumpkin wherr I live..If so do I just boil of steam the pumkin and mashed them into puree..
If you use fresh pumpkin, make sure to squeeze out as much water from it as possible!