This pumpkin bread is soft and tender. It is just 3 ingredients and doesn’t require any eggs, butter, or oil. It is quick and easy to make. The batter comes together in just a few minutes and you don’t even need a mixer to make it. The bread can also be made ahead of time and is easy to customize.
This is my new favorite pumpkin bread to make. It has the texture of traditional pumpkin quick bread but with less ingredients and less work. I love the texture which is the perfect balance of bread and cake. The bread is also sweet but not as sweet as cake. You can also customize it with various spices and mix-ins.
Ingredients
- Pumpkin puree
- Condensed milk
- Self-rising flour
Pumpkin puree: I used canned pumpkin puree but you can also make your own.
Condensed milk: This bread uses sweetened full fat condensed milk. The condensed milk adds sweetness to the bread and acts as a binding agent. I also have an easy pumpkin bread made without condensed milk.
Self-rising flour: Self-rising flour is all purpose flour that is already premixed with baking powder and salt. If you don’t have self-rising flour, you can also mix together all purpose flour, baking powder and salt.
How to Make Pumpkin Bread
The pumpkin and condensed milk are first whisked together until uniform. The self-rising flour is then sifted in with a fine mesh strainer. You need to make sure to sift in the flour. This will ensure the crumb of the bread stays tender and it also prevents clumps of flour in your batter. Whisk in the flour until the batter is smooth and then the batter is ready to be poured into a baking loaf pan and baked. Your bread will need about 40 minutes in the oven.
Texture and Flavor
This bread has a pure pumpkin flavor and is sweet. If you prefer fall spices in your pumpkin bread, you can add cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger and cloves. If you like nuts or chocolate chips in your pumpkin bread, you can add them as well.
This bread has a texture similar to classic pumpkin quick bread. The crumb is a little tighter because of the condensed milk, but it is also very soft and tender.
More Easy Pumpkin Recipes
- 2 Ingredient Pumpkin Bread Rolls
- 3 Ingredient Pumpkin Brownies
- 3 Ingredient Pumpkin Pie Oatmeal Cookies
3 Ingredient Pumpkin Bread
Ingredients
- 1 cup (227 g) pumpkin puree
- 1 cup (237 ml/8 oz) full fat sweetened condensed milk
- 1.5 cups (195 g) self-rising flour
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F (177°C). Line an 8 x 4 inch loaf pan with parchment paper.
- Add pumpkin and condensed milk to a large mixing bowl. Whisk until the mixture is smooth and uniform in color.
- Sift the flour in using a fine mesh strainer. See notes for why it needs to be sifted in. Also see note for how to properly measure the flour. Use your whisk to mix in the flour until it is fully incorporated and no flour lumps remain. The batter will get quite thick at the end but you should still be able to store it. Make sure you don't whisk the batter too vigorously. If you are using a mixer instead of a whisk, use the lowest speed setting to mix in the flour.
- Pour the batter into your prepared loaf pan. Use a spatula to scrape down the sides of your mixing bowl so that all the batter gets into the pan. Smooth the surface of the batter with your spatula. Bake the bread for about 35-45 minutes or until the bread is done (mine was done at 40 minutes). When the bread is done, a toothpick inserted should come out clean and if you apply light pressure to the surface of the bread, it should bounce back and not sink in. Let bread cool completely before slicing and serving.
Notes
- This is a pure pumpkin bread. If you like fall spices, you can add cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves and ginger. If you like mix-ins, you can add chocolate chips or nuts.
- Make sure you sift the flour in. Even if your flour is labeled pre-sifted, it still needs to be sifted in. Sifting the flour will make it very light and powdery which helps keep the bread very soft and tender. It also prevents you from overmixing the batter and having little clumps of flour left in your batter. Because of condensed milk and lack of a lot of fat, it is very hard to stir out any flour lumps which is why it needs to be sifted first.
- My current favorite self-rising flour brand is Amazon Fresh. I have found that the texture seems lighter and finer than other self-rising flour brands.
- How to measure flour: It is very important to properly measure the flour because if you add too much your batter will be too dry or your bread will be too dense or dry. To properly measure flour, spoon the flour into the measuring cup and then level off with a knife. Do not directly dip the measuring cup into the flour because this results in too much flour. Use this method of measuring whether you are measuring self-rising flour or measuring all purpose flour to make your own self-rising flour.
- Homemade self-rising flour: To make your own self-rising flour, combine 1 and 1/2 cups all purpose flour, 2 and 1/4 teaspoons baking powder and 3/8 tsp salt. Whisk until thoroughly and evenly combined. Make sure to also sift this in to the batter.
Nutrition
The nutrition information provided are only estimates based on an online nutritional calculator. I am not a certified nutritionist. Please consult a professional nutritionist or doctor for accurate information and any dietary restrictions and concerns you may have.
Looks good
I love to bake and donate to my friends and family, this bread looks like a great gift I hope to bake this bread soon.
We hope you love it!
I am simply hooked on this three ingredient pumpkin loaf. It’s fantastic few days after heated up with butter over it or even cream cheese. Try it you won’t go wrong!
Thank you for your nice review! We’re so glad you love it.
what is the amount of baking powder and baking soda to add to the flour? Also, what are the measurements for the spices?
All of the ingredient amounts and instructions are in the recipe card at the end of the post including how to make your own self rising flour. If you want to add pumpkin spices, we recommend adding a teaspoon or so depending on how much flavor you want.
I followed the directions exactly. This was a very dense/dry pumpkin bread. It could use more pumpkin and/or less flour.
Did you measure the self-rising flour using the spoon and level method and then sift it into the batter? If you skip these steps, the bread will be tougher/denser. Also, if your self-rising flour is older the baking powder might have expired (or if you mixed your own and the baking powder is expired) – that would cause the bread not to puff up when it bakes.
I don’t eat Pumpkin, but I want to try this recipe maybe I can eat it
We hope you try it!
Hello, how can I adjust this recipe to use a full 15 Oz. Can of pumpkin puree? I don’t want to use just a portion of the can, it seems a bit wasteful that way since the recipe calls for a cup of pumpkin puree and there is, from what I understand, a cup and like 3/4 cup roughly altogether in a standard size can. (15 oz, 425g to be exact) Any help would be very much appreciated! I am such a fan of all of your recipes, I can’t thank you enough for all the time and effort you put into this website and for sharing with us your delicious and very innovative recipes! I will be a supporter for life! Thank you!
Sorry, but haven’t tested the recipe with a whole can, but you can store the leftover canned pumpkin in the refrigerator (it will keep for four days) and use it in other pumpkin recipes. We’re glad you’re enjoying the recipes!
Very intriguing! I will give a try! Question, I am gluten and dairy intolerant, and I stay clear of refined anything especially sugars. May I use full fat coconut cream or milk for this recipe? Also, from reviews or experience, could I use GF self rising flour?
The recipe needs sweetened condensed milk – regular coconut milk won’t work and we’re not sure coconut cream will either. As far as the GF flour, cup4cup GF flour is often used as an alternative in other baking recipes, but it would need to be self-rising (or you would need to mix your own). However we can’t say for sure how it will work in this recipe without testing it first.
Can I possibly use half of whole wheat pastry flour or almond flour in place of self rising flour.
Sorry, we haven’t tried those subs.
Could you please clarify the measurement for the condensed milk — a typical can of condensed milk is 14 oz (396g and the nutrition part of label says there are ten 1 tbsp servings, so that’s 20 tablespoons, but a cup has 16 tablespoons) but your recipe says to use 8 ounces. Are you measuring 8 fluid ounces or a 14 ounce can, less two tablespoons? Or perhaps your brand of condensed milk is in a larger can?! Thank you!
You are supposed to use 1 cup of condensed milk. 8 oz refers to fluid ounces as I was converting the cup measurement.
Love your pumpkin recipe s
Thanks so much!