Pumpkin Bread with Cream Cheese Frosting

Pumpkin Bread with Cream Cheese Frosting is a quick bread recipe you’ll be dreaming about all season! Decadently moist, soft, sweet and spiced pumpkin bread is incredibly easy to make and is topped off with the best (and most simple) homemade cream cheese frosting.

Grab your loaf pan, because it’s time to bake some quick bread! Really, there’s nothing better than making homemade bread without all the kneading and rising, right? This quick and easy pumpkin bread is an all-time fall favorite recipe of mine! It always rises to perfection in the oven while still being oh-so moist from the perfect amount of pumpkin puree.

The spices are what really seal the deal on that classic fall flavor we all know and love. Just a few pinches of cinnamon and nutmeg compliment the pumpkin beautifully and give you all of the cozy autumnal feelings! While I find that the cream cheese frosting adds the perfect amount of tang and sweetness to this recipe, feel free to make the bread even more indulgent with some chocolate chips. Because, well, why not?

Why You’ll Love This

• Perfect for Fall. Whoever said pumpkin spice was basic might be right… But sometimes basic is best. There’s no better flavor for fall than some classic spiced pumpkin, especially when it’s baked to perfection in bread form!
• SO easy. Yes! This easy pumpkin bread recipe takes just about 20 minutes to prep. It’s a super simple recipe that you can have ready to go with minimal steps and inexpensive ingredients that you might already have on hand.
• The frosting. Cream cheese, powdered sugar and milk are all you need to make this homemade cream cheese frosting! It’s sweet, simple, and perfect for slathering all over your pumpkin bread. And yes, it’ll make you want to lick the spoon!

Ingredients You’ll Need

Here is a list of ingredients you will need to make pumpkin bread with cream cheese frosting. Make sure to scroll down to view the full recipe for exact measurements.

• White granulated sugar
• Vegetable oil
• Eggs
• All purpose flour
• Baking soda
• Salt
• Cinnamon
• Nutmeg
• Water
• Pumpkin puree
• Dark chocolate chips (optional)

For the cream cheese frosting:

• Cream cheese
• Powdered sugar
• Milk

How To Make Pumpkin Bread with Cream Cheese Frosting

Here is a general overview of the steps involved to make homemade pumpkin bread with cream cheese frosting. Be sure to scroll to the bottom of this post for the full recipe.

Prepare. Preheat your oven to 350°F and grease a 9×5 loaf pan with cooking spray.

Mix the wet ingredients. Using a stand mixer, beat the sugar and vegetable oil together. Add the eggs one at a time.

Whisk the dry ingredients. Whisk together the flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg until combined.

Make the batter. Add the flour mixture and water to the stand mixer, alternating as you go. Beat in the pumpkin puree. If using chocolate chips, fold them in as a last step.

Bake and let cool. Bake the bread for about 55 minutes. Let the bread cool in the pan for about 10 minutes before flipping onto a wire rack to finish cooling completely.

Make the cream cheese frosting. Beat together the cream cheese, powdered sugar, and milk.

Enjoy! Pour your frosting over the pumpkin bread, slice, and serve.

Recipe Tips, Substitutions, and Variations

Keep these notes in mind while making your pumpkin bread with frosting!

• Let the bread cool. I know that the smell of freshly baked pumpkin bread is intoxicating! It’s hard to wait, but it’s also very important to let the bread fully cool to room temperature before frosting it. If frosted while still warm, the frosting will melt.
• Create the best consistency for the frosting. If your frosting is too thick, you can thin it out by stirring in a little more milk. Too thin? Add more powdered sugar.
• Measure with care. As it goes with all baking recipes, a little bit too much or too little of an ingredient can throw the whole thing out of whack. Make sure you pay attention to all of your ingredients (especially ones like flour and baking soda) and measure accordingly for the best results.
• Chocolate chips. I think that a cup of dark chocolate chips adds something pretty wonderful to everything, especially this recipe! Feel free to add them or skip them – your bread will be delicious either way.

Storage Instructions

In an airtight container at room temperature, your frosted pumpkin bread will stay fresh for up to 5 days.

If you’d like to freeze your pumpkin bread, do so WITHOUT the frosting! Frozen pumpkin bread will stay fresh in an freezer-safe airtight container for about 2 months. Let it slowly thaw in the fridge before serving.

More of Our Favorite Pumpkin Recipes

Enjoy the best flavor of the fall season with all of these scrumptious pumpkin recipes!

• Pumpkin Cinnamon Rolls
• Pumpkin Cheesecake
• Pumpkin Roll
• Pumpkin Delight