My family has become slightly obsessed with pumpkin bread.
It calls to me when I walk near a Starbucks, and always seems to find its way into my cart at the grocery store. But purchasing pumpkin bread isn’t cheap when you have five little girls who will eat a whole loaf in one sitting. I discovered a pumpkin bread mix at the grocery store and it was an okay substitute for the store bought bread, not amazing, just okay.
Last night I was having a major craving for some pumpkin bread, but the store was closed and I didn’t have a mix on hand so I pulled some things out of the pantry and decided to make my own version of pumpkin bread.
I have to say it turned out great… it even got the seal of approval from my 16 yo who doesn’t really like pumpkin flavored foods.
The best part is, it’s super quick and easy to make. I added some old fashioned rolled oats and chia seeds to add fiber, thiamine, iron, protein, calcium, antioxidants, and omega-3s to the recipe, but I’m sure it would be just as good if you don’t have them in your pantry.
AND it’s totally kid approved! My 9Â yo tried a little tiny piece, because she didn’t think she would like it, and then shouted “Oh YUMMY! This feels like cake but tastes like pumpkin bread!” The only complaint was from my 12Â yo who didn’t like the rolled oats, but she liked the bread so much she just picked them out.
One trick I discovered by accident. If you mix the pumpkin and the spices together first and let it sit for 15-20Â minutes the spice flavors come through more in the finished bread.
UPDATE: I made this with a Spice cake mix (it was good, I added a little more cinnamon to punch up the spice) and Butter Pecan cake mix (super delish, a tad sweeter than the other versions). My kids voted the Butter Pecan Pumpkin Bread to be the best version (but said all three kinds were very good) the Spice Cake version was their second favorite by just a tiny bit.
If you are short on time and ingredients try it this simple recipe!
Tasty Tuesday – Super Easy Pumpkin Bread
Ingredients
- 1 box white, yellow or spice cake mix
- 1 15-ounce can pumpkin puree
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon (or 1 1/2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice)
- 1-3 eggs (see cake mix directions)
- Vegetable oil (see cake mix directions)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
- Grease a loaf or cake pan.
- Follow directions on the box to find the amount of eggs and oil.
- Combine cake mix, eggs and oil in a bowl and mix on medium speed until smooth and well-blended.
- Add pumpkin and cinnamon.
- Mix on low until incorporated.
- Pour mixture into prepared loaf pan.
- Bake at 375 for 50 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
- Cool and serve with butter or frost with cream cheese frosting.
If you want something that is a bit more healthy and also tastes amazing, use the recipe below.
Healthier Pumpkin Bread
Easy and healthier pumpkin bread recipe using a boxed cake mix.
Ingredients
- 1 box white or yellow cake mix
- 3 eggs (may be fewer, please follow instructions on the cake mix box)
- Vegetable oil (follow instructions on the box)
- 1 15 oz can pumpkin puree
- 1 1/4 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
- 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon (optional, I like the extra flavor, can increase if you like a little more spice)
- 1/4 cup old fashioned rolled oats
- 3 tablespoons chia seeds
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees and grease two 9 X 5 X 3" sized pans or three 8 X 3 7/8 X 2 15/32" pans.
- In a mixing bowl, add the pumpkin pie spice and cinnamon to the pumpkin puree, let it sit for a few minutes to let the flavors meld.
- Following the directions on the box, (but do not add the water) combine cake mix, eggs and oil in a bowl and mix until smooth, then add the pumpkin mixture.
- Add the rolled oats and chia seeds and stir until incorporated.
- Pour batter into greased loaf pans.
- Bake at 375 degrees for approximately 30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
- Enjoy!
Nutrition Information:
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 2684Total Fat: 60gSaturated Fat: 16gTrans Fat: 1gCholesterol: 480mgSodium: 4027mgCarbohydrates: 495gFiber: 34gSugar: 242gProtein: 49g
Sounds easy enough and yummy! Pumpkin bread is my favorite. I'm still trying to perfect a gluten free version. I did make yummy gluten free pumpkin cookies! It was a start at least :).
Pumpkin cookies! They sound delicious. We have become slightly obsessed with pumpkin-flavored stuff right now, along with everyone else! I just made the bread with a Candied Pecan cake mix last night and it was delicious! A little sweeter than the others and it was gone in a flash so I guess the girls liked it too!
I love how you upped the quality of this with the oats and chia! I definitely need to make some pumpkin bread, it's been too long.
I've got this pinned and am sharing my pumpkin board later so this will be on it! YUM!
Yum. I love pumpkin flavors but my kids not so much. I am gonna try it anyway, it would be good for a light Thanksgiving morning breakfast before the feast. Pinned to my Thanksgiving board.
Okay, don't kill me… I used the pumpkin bread to make FRENCH TOAST! It was soooo good. My kids begged me to make it every morning, lol. Not going to happen but definitely a good weekend brunch.
FANTASTIC idea! We went to a restaurant at the beach that served banana bread french toast. It was so good, made me want to try it with my banana-pineapple bread. If I french toast it, I bet my kids would devour it.
Pumpkin bread with rolled oats? Sign me up!
I love recipes that start with a box of cake mix. So easy! This looks really good!
I love everything pumpkin. I love that your recipe is clear and easy looking
You could make a cream cheese whipped filling and make tasty Whoopie Pies with this recipe!
That is a great idea, Jamie!! YUM! So going to try that this weekend.
I love using cake mixes for pretty much everything but baking cakes, lol. 😉 This bread looks yummy!
This looks AMAZING!