3-Ingredient Pumpkin Bread Recipe
This 3-ingredient pumpkin bread recipe just may be the easiest thing you bake all season. Fill your house with the smell of autumnal spices and toasted pumpkin seeds, and fill your belly with a tender, honeyed piece of pumpkin bread.
According to Ksenia Prints of At the Immigrant's Table, pumpkin bread is a famous fall baking project, but it's also one that is incredibly easy to mess up. Pumpkin bread can often come out claggy, dry, or, on the other end of the spectrum, even overly greasy. Luckily, we've cracked the code on achieving the perfect crumb and texture for a slice of pumpkin bread that straddles the line between gooey and smooth, with a full-bodied aroma and a nutty flavor.
This recipe comes together with just three ingredients that, when combined, create something much bigger than the sum of its parts. Your guests will never guess this bread started as a boxed cake mix, and frankly, you'll quickly forget it, too.
Gather the ingredients for 3-ingredient pumpkin bread recipe
To make this easy pumpkin bread, you'll need raw pumpkin seeds, a box of your favorite spice cake mix (gluten-free will work just as well!), a 15-ounce can of pumpkin puree, and as much water as you need to thin out the batter so it's not a big clump. Make sure you avoid the canned pumpkin pie filling, as it'll make the pumpkin bread too sweet.
Step 1: Preheat the oven
Preheat oven to 350 F.
Step 2: Toast the pumpkin seeds
Spread the pumpkin seeds on a baking sheet and toast for 8-10 minutes until golden. Set aside.
Step 3: Prep a loaf pan
Prep a 9×5-inch loaf pan with parchment paper or spray with cooking spray.
Step 4: Mix the batter
Combine the cake mix and pumpkin puree until just mixed.
Step 5: Thin out the batter
Add water 1 tablespoon at a time if the batter is too thick. Do not overmix.
Step 6: Spread the batter in a loaf pan
Pour the batter into the prepared pan.
Step 7: Sprinkle with pumpkin seeds
Sprinkle the toasted pumpkin seeds on top.
Step 8: Bake the bread
Bake for 45-50 minutes until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
Step 9: Cool the bread
Cool the bread in the pan for 10 minutes before turning it out onto a wire rack.
Step 10: Serve the pumpkin bread
Serve the pumpkin bread.
What pairs well with pumpkin bread?
3-Ingredient Pumpkin Bread Recipe
With just three ingredients, fill your kitchen with the aroma of sweet fall spices with this tender pumpkin bread topped with crunchy toasted pumpkin seeds.
Ingredients
- ½ cup raw pumpkin seeds
- 1 (15.25-ounce) box spice cake mix
- 1 (15-ounce) can pumpkin puree
- Water, as needed
Directions
- Preheat oven to 350 F.
- Spread the pumpkin seeds on a baking sheet and toast for 8-10 minutes until golden. Set aside.
- Prep a 9×5-inch loaf pan with parchment paper or spray with cooking spray.
- Combine the cake mix and pumpkin puree until just mixed.
- Add water 1 tablespoon at a time if the batter is too thick. Do not overmix.
- Pour the batter into the prepared pan.
- Sprinkle the toasted pumpkin seeds on top.
- Bake for 45-50 minutes until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
- Cool the bread in the pan for 10 minutes before turning it out onto a wire rack.
- Serve the pumpkin bread.
Nutrition
| Calories per Serving | 281 |
| Total Fat | 7.1 g |
| Saturated Fat | 1.5 g |
| Trans Fat | 0.0 g |
| Cholesterol | 0.0 mg |
| Total Carbohydrates | 50.6 g |
| Dietary Fiber | 2.7 g |
| Total Sugars | 1.9 g |
| Sodium | 329.7 mg |
| Protein | 5.6 g |
What adaptations can you make to this pumpkin bread?
The best thing about this bread is how quickly it comes together. The second best thing is how many ways you can spruce it up or change up its flavor.
If you'd like to make it sweeter, make a simple glaze using powdered sugar, milk, and pumpkin pie spice. To make it more cake-like, double up the recipe's quantities and bake it in round cake pans. Make a batch of classic vanilla buttercream frosting to spread between the layers for an easy semi-naked layer cake. We even gathered some advice from a professional baker to make your layer cakes extra beautiful.
If you want to keep it easy but add some bite, we love folding chopped walnuts, pecans, or hazelnuts into the batter. Sweeter mix-ins like chocolate chips, dried cranberries, or even mini marshmallows are also good additions. And finally, for a fancy-looking slice, try adding in a swirl of cream cheese, Nutella, or almond butter before baking.
What is in a cake mix, and how does it work as a base here?
Somehow, over the years, cake mix has earned itself a bad rep. What began as a shortcut ingredient that helped bakers produce good results in the kitchen — in little time and with little waste — has become synonymous with cheating. Luckily, we're here to dispel that myth.
Invented in the 1950s, commercial cake mix has been a product that contains a carefully selected blend of flour, sugar, leavening agents, and dried flavorings. It provides a foundation for consistent baking results and minimizes the risk of human error. It cuts down a few steps in the baking process, and best of all, it forms an excellent canvas for modification. There are plenty of options to spruce up a cake mix or to use it in creative ways. And this pumpkin bread is just one of them.
In our recipe, pumpkin puree is added to boxed spice cake mix, substituting for the traditional eggs, oil, and liquid you'd find in cakes. As this is a bread recipe, it doesn't need to be as spongy as cake, so we can skip the eggs, and the puree helps it reach a more moist texture. With just one ingredient, the boxed cake mix replaces countless others, making your bakes simpler and more foolproof.