Crumbly Pumpkin Bread
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Mini pumpkin bread (lightened up) to satisfy that fall pumpkin craving! So moist + so flavorful.
why i love this recipe
- So perfect for the holidays and pumpkin season
- An easy peasy recipe without any special equipment (no mixer required!)
- Tastes even better the very next day, letting the flavors really meld overnight
- Mini sized loaves makes for great gifts for friends, family, neighbors and teachers (a guaranteed crowd-favorite)
- Includes an out-of-this-world crumb topping to go along with the super moist, light, pumpkin-cakey-inside
- Made lighter with whole wheat pastry flour, coconut oil and applesauce but just as indulgent to satisfy that fall sweet tooth craving
why use whole wheat pastry flour
A combination of all-purpose flour and whole wheat pastry flour will create a healthier swap, still yielding that favorited soft, moist texture when compared to using all whole wheat flour, which could lead to dense, heavy pumpkin bread.
how to make the easiest pumpkin bread without a mixer
- Make the crumb topping and set aside
- Coat 3 mini loaf pans to prevent sticking
- Combine the dry ingredients
- Combine the wet ingredients
- Combine wet to dry using a rubber spatula, being careful not to overmix
- Add the batter to the mini loaf pans, sprinkling the crumb topping in an even layer
- Bake, cool, slice and serve (or freeze, more on that below)
variations
One of the best things about pumpkin bread is how highly adaptable it is, dressing it up or down as needed with any of these add-ons.
Chocolate
Chocolate chips (semi-sweet or dark), white chocolate chips or cinnamon chips
Nuts
Chopped almonds, walnuts or pecans
Fruit
Raisins, dried cranberries or dried cherries
Coconut
Shredded coconut
tips and tricks for success
- Use pumpkin puree, not pumpkin pie filling. Canned pumpkin puree and pumpkin pie filling are not the same, and are not interchangeable. Pumpkin pie filling comes pre-mixed with sweeteners and spices.
- Avoid overmixing. Using a rubber spatula, stir the batter until everything is just combined and moistened with a few lumps here and there. Overmixing will lead to dense, tough pumpkin bread.
- Serve at room temperature or warm. Pumpkin bread is so versatile, and can be served with a morning cup of coffee or as an after school snack for the kids. Serve at room temperature or warm (lightly toasted) with a slather of butter.
- Make muffins instead. This recipe can easily be made into muffins. Line a 12-cup standard muffin tin with paper liners or coat with nonstick spray, scooping the batter evenly into the muffin tray (about two-thirds full), sprinkling with the crumb topping. Bake for 15-20 minutes or until a tester inserted in the center comes out clean.
- Freeze as needed. Let the pumpkin bread cool completely on a wire rack prior to freezing to prevent sogginess and freezer burn.
freezing and storage
Make ahead
Similar to banana bread, pumpkin bread tends to taste even better the very next day, allowing all the pumpkin flavors to really meld overnight. If time permits, bake the pumpkin bread 1 day prior, covering tightly with plastic wrap and storing overnight at room temperature.
Storage
Leftovers can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for 3-4 days or in the fridge for 5-7 days.
Freeze
Pumpkin bread can keep in the freezer for a few months. Cool completely and cover the pumpkin bread tightly with plastic wrap, then aluminum foil (this will help prevent freezer burn). Label, date and freeze up to 2 months. To reheat, remove the plastic wrap and thaw at room temperature on a wire rack for 2-3 hours (or in the fridge overnight for a slow, consistent thaw). Optional: once thawed, reheat in the oven at 250°F, covered in aluminum foil, until warmed through.
more favorited pumpkin recipes
- Pumpkin Donut Holes
- Pumpkin Cake Donuts
- Pumpkin Spice Waffles
- Baked Pumpkin Donuts with Maple Glaze
- Starbucks Pumpkin Scones Copycat Recipe
Tools For This Recipe
Mini loaf pans
Crumbly Pumpkin Bread: Frequently Asked Questions
Pumpkin pie spice is a blend of ground spices such as cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, cloves and allspice.
A blend of cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, cloves and allspice can be substituted in place of pumpkin pie spice. For example, a common substitute for 1 tsp pumpkin pie spice = 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon + 1/4 tsp ground ginger, 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg + pinch of cloves + pinch of allspice.
Leftovers can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for 3-4 days or in the fridge for 5-7 days.
Yes! You can freeze pumpkin bread (whole or sliced) for up to 2 months.
Crumbly Pumpkin Bread (SO EASY, NO MIXER!)
Video
Ingredients
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- ¾ cup whole wheat pastry flour
- ½ cup sugar
- ¼ cup brown sugar, packed
- 1 ½ teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 1 cup pumpkin purée
- ⅓ cup coconut oil
- ¼ cup unsalted butter, melted
- ¼ cup applesauce
- 2 large eggs
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
For the crumb topping
- 1 ¼ cup all-purpose flour
- ½ cup brown sugar, packed
- ¼ cup sugar
- 1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
- ½ cup unsalted butter, melted
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly coat 3 mini loaf pans with nonstick spray.
- In a large bowl, combine flours, sugar, brown sugar, pumpkin pie spice, baking soda, baking powder and salt.
- In a large glass measuring cup or another bowl, whisk together pumpkin, coconut oil, butter, apple sauce, egg and vanilla.
- Pour mixture over dry ingredients and stir using a rubber spatula just until moist.
- Scoop the batter evenly into the loaf pans. Sprinkle with reserved topping, using your fingertips to gently press the crumbs into the batter.
- Place into oven and bake for 30-35 minutes, or until a tester inserted in the center comes out clean. Remove from oven and let cool for 15 minutes before inverting the cake onto a wire rack.
- Slice and serve.
For the crumb topping
- In a medium bowl, combine flour, sugars, pumpkin pie spice and butter.
Did you make this recipe?
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This recipe may be amazing, but there is too much topping for the bread. Reduce to 2/3 and the recipe may be alright Too much waste..
Mjski, please feel free to reduce the crumb topping as needed (everyone has different preferences). I have personally made this a dozen times and used every single crumb each time!
I was so excited to take this into work for a Halloween treat… its been baking for an hour and still raw in the middle.. I don’t know what went wrong.. 🙁
Jenna, are you making mini loaves or are you making 1 full loaf with this? Mini loaves should not take longer than 30-35 minutes.
Can’t wait to try this tonight! If I don’t have whole wheat pastry flour, can I just use all-purpose flour for all of it? Thanks again for a delicious recipe 🙂
Yes, absolutely!
can you please tell me how to make this gluten free
Debbie, without further recipe testing, I cannot advise on the appropriate substitutions to make this gluten-free. Please use your best judgment to convert this recipe to fit your dietary restrictions.
This bread is so delicious! It was my first time baking with whole wheat flour and was pleasantly surprised that the bread still tasted amazing and not “healthy”. I doubled the recipe and made 2 mini loaves and one regular-sized loaf. The only issue I had was with the crumb topping. The recipe calls for melted butter, however, when I added the melted butter it turned into a soupy mess! So I had to throw it away and start from scratch, this time just cutting in cold butter. The crumb topping ended up turning out delicious nonetheless! Thanks for the recipe 🙂
Hi!! I would love to try your recipe but all I have is fresh Pumpkin. How should I cook it in order to make the puree??
Patricia, as I have never tried it myself, I recommend using online resources to create homemade pumpkin puree.
Yes, cooking the pumpkin will make soft and really that’s all that is in canned pumpkin. Fresh pumpkin tastes way better than the metallic canned stuff.
Your crumb topping was fantastic. Plus I like how it uses melted butter– so much easier than cutting in cold butter. I used my own (unhealthy) pumpkin bread recipe but that topping is what it was always missing. It turned out exactly like your gorgeous pictures. Thanks!
Fantastic! I just made these in muffin form. 20 minutes at 350 degrees was perfect. Thanks for this recipe. It’s a keeper!
Love this! Made it last week, and my toddler gobbled up every last crumb. I ended up making it without the crumb topping, for a a little less sugar (and less mess), but still wonderful.
This looks wonderful, can I substitute veg. oil for coconut oil?
Thanks,
You can certainly give that a try but it is best to use the ingredients listed here to obtain the best results possible.
What beautiful picture of your bread. They look so life-like. I can also smell and taste the delicious bread. Great recipe and damndelicious Bread.!!!!!
So yummy, thanks for sharing! I made it for the second time today, and it turned out just as delicious as the first time around. I made one large loaf (instead of three mini loaves), and just baked it for approx. 55 minutes instead. Also substituted veg. oil for coconut oil and AP flour for wheat pastry flour. All in all, turned out fabulous 🙂
I loved this recipe so much! The cake was so moist and flavorful! I love the contrast of crunchy topping and the soft, moist cake! And my husband loves a streusel topping on just about anything, which makes me happy to serve it to him! Thanks for sharing recipe! Can’t wait to try more from your site!
Hi! I bought whole wheat pastry flour in the summer and haven’t used it yet. Its unopen but is it still good? I thought I saw somewhere that it should be refrigerated immediately even unopened. Thanks!
You should check the expiration date before using. I also leave my opened whole wheat pastry flour in my pantry.
I love this recipe it came out great. Its great because I am using it for a church activity which only lasts an hour and it uses the same size pans I wanted to use. This recipe was meant to be. Thank you
This recipe is absolutely delicious. I made one large loaf with this recipe and baked it for about an hour. Thank you for the great recipe!
I made this 2 days ago and oh.my.goodness. It is SO good. I won’t tell you how much I ate the day I made it because it is embarrassing. 🙂 I love that it not super sweet and yet very moist. And the crumb topping? It’s awesome and the perfect compliment. I’m getting ready to make another batch and plan to freeze half of it so that I don’t eat too much! Thanks for the recipe!
Ps. I did add about a tsp. cinnamon because of the recommendation from some other commenters.
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I made this tonight and it turned out fantastic! I’m a sucker for anything pumpkin so this recipe is a keeper! The only thing I did differently was that I added 1/4 cup rolled oats to the topping!
Sounds amazing! I’ll have to try that next time!
delicious! though, i think it needs a bit of cinnamon. I only had a regular loaf pan so i cooked it for 40-45 mins and it came out great. definitely going to try a make this as muffins next time. thanks!