With subtle notes of cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves, this easy persimmon bread recipe yields a moist, warmly spiced loaf that’s easy to stir together with just one bowl in about 15 minutes!
Table of Contents
Absolutely delicious!!! Just made the persimmon bread! Amazing! Thank you!
– Martha
Adapted from James Beard’s persimmon bread recipe in his classic bread-baking book, Beard on Bread, this version is truly the best! I’ve added some warm spices, swapped out the bourbon for apple cider, and cut down the quantities to create one perfect loaf. The end result is a moist and tender quick bread that’s full of sweet fruit, crunchy nuts, and cozy fall flavors. It tastes very similar to pumpkin bread, and is incredibly easy to stir together in a single bowl!
A Few Notes Before You Get Started
- For this recipe, you’ll need 1 cup of persimmon puree from about 2-3 very ripe, soft persimmons. I prefer the non-astringent fuyu persimmons, which are squat like a tomato and turn a deep orange color when fully ripe. Other varieties will also work — as long as they’re very soft and sweet! To make the puree, just peel the persimmons, cut off the green tops, and purée the persimmon pulp in a food processor or blender.
- To prevent quick breads or Bundt cakes from sticking to the pan, I prefer to use a baking spray (that includes flour). It also helps to run a knife around the outside of the bread while it’s still warm and cooling in the pan or line the pan with parchment paper before baking.
- The total baking time will vary depending on the type of pan that you use (and on your individual oven). I prefer light-colored pans (or gold pans), which cook the bread more evenly.
How to Make Persimmon Bread
This classic persimmon bread recipe just gets better as it sits! Go ahead and bake a loaf in advance — the flavors will come together and the bread will become even more moist as it rests. You’ll wake up to a delicious morning treat!
- Whisk together the dry ingredients in a large mixing bowl.
- Add the persimmon puree and the rest of the wet ingredients to the dry mixture. Be careful not to over-mix the batter. Too much mixing and the bread will come out tough, dense, or dry. The key to keeping a quick bread moist is not over-mixing.
- Fold in the nuts and raisins.
- Pour batter into a prepared loaf pan. I use an 8 ½ x 4 ½ inch loaf pan, but a 9 x 5-inch loaf pan will also work.
- Bake in a 350°F oven for about 1 hour. Shield the top of the bread loosely with foil after the first 45 minutes of baking. This prevents the top from becoming too dark, while the rest of the loaf can cook through. You’ll know that the bread is done when a toothpick inserted deep into the middle of the loaf comes out clean.
Serving Suggestions
Offer the spiced persimmon bread on its own for an easy make-ahead breakfast or afternoon snack. It’s great spread with butter, cream cheese, apple butter, Christmas jam, or spiced apple pear jam. For dessert, try topping a warm piece of bread with a dollop of whipped cream or vanilla ice cream.
Storage Tips
- How to Store: Allow the bread to cool completely on a wire rack before serving or packaging. Wrap the loaf in plastic wrap or foil to prevent it from drying out. The persimmon bread will stay fresh at room temperature on the counter for 1-2 days or in the refrigerator for up to 1 week.
- How to Freeze: Cool the loaf completely, wrap it tightly, and keep it in the freezer for up to 3 months. Thaw on the counter at room temperature overnight.
Delicious and easy! We tried the combination of bourbon, chopped walnuts, chopped dates, and a teaspoon of orange zest. Nice combination of flavors with the persimmon!
– Jeanine
More Quick Bread Recipes to Try
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Banana Nut Bread (Best Ever!)
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One-Bowl Pumpkin Cranberry Bread
3 hours hrs 20 minutes mins
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Persimmon Bread
Ingredients
- 1 ¾ cups all-purpose flour
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- ¾ teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon ground cloves
- ½ cup (1 stick) salted butter, melted
- 2 large eggs, lightly beaten
- ¼ cup apple cider
- 1 cup persimmon puree
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 cup chopped walnuts or pecans, optional
- 1 cup raisins or dried cranberries, optional
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease an 8 ½ x 4 ½ inch (or 9 x 5-inch) loaf pan; set aside. In a large mixing bowl, whisk together flour, sugar, salt, baking soda, nutmeg, cinnamon, and cloves.
- Make a well in the center and add the melted butter, eggs, apple cider, persimmon puree, and vanilla extract. Stir just until combined – do not overmix.½ cup (1 stick) salted butter,, 2 large eggs,, ¼ cup apple cider, 1 cup persimmon puree, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract, 1 cup chopped walnuts or pecans,, 1 cup raisins or dried cranberries,
- Fold in the nuts and raisins, if using.
- Transfer batter to the prepared loaf pan. Bake for 50-60 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Tent loosely with foil after the first 45 minutes if the bread starts to get too dark on top before it’s done.
Notes
- For this recipe, you’ll need 1 cup of persimmon puree from about 2-3 very ripe, soft persimmons. I prefer the non-astringent fuyu persimmons, which are squat like a tomato and turn a deep orange color when fully ripe. Other varieties will also work — as long as they’re very soft and sweet! To make the puree, just peel the persimmons, cut off the green tops, and purée the pulp in a food processor or blender.
- Recipe adapted from the book, Beard on Bread.
Nutrition
Persimmon Bread Recipe Variations
- Reduce the sugar for a less-sweet loaf. The persimmon puree is very sweet on its own, plus you get a little bit of sweetness from the cider. You can cut the sugar to ¾ cup or even ½ cup if you prefer.
- Add a teaspoon (or more) of orange zest to the batter for a fresh citrus flavor.
- Use chopped walnuts or chopped pecans. You can also omit the nuts.
- Substitute sweetened dried cranberries for the raisins, or omit the extra fruit entirely.
- For a more subtle touch of nuts and raisins, use just ½ cup of each.
- James Beard’s persimmon bread recipe calls for bourbon or cognac instead of apple cider. Feel free to use the alcohol for a more grown-up bread! You can also use apple juice instead of cider if that’s what’s available.
- Play around with the spices. Increase the amount of cinnamon, add some ginger, or try a bit of allspice. Beard recommends mace, and I bet cardamom or allspice would also be good.
- Double all of the ingredients to bake two loaves of bread.
This recipe was originally published in November, 2021. It was updated in October, 2024.
Absolutely delicious!!! Just made the persimmon bread! Amazing!
Thank you!
Martha
Yay! Thank you, Martha!
Delicious and easy! We tried the combination of bourbon, chopped walnuts, chopped dates, and a teaspoon of orange zest. Nice combination of flavors with the persimmon!
Thank you, Jeanine! We’re so glad you enjoyed it.
Recommend this one! I didn’t have apple cider, omitted it. Towards end of mixing the batter was stiff, so added a TB or 2 of water. Turned out great!
Thank you, Jocelyn! We’re glad you were able to make it work for you.
I’m not sure what I did wrong but mine didn’t come out as fluffy.
Hi, Cynthia! I’m sorry to hear that. There are a number of reasons that a quick bread might be more dense. For instance, packing the flour too tightly in the measuring cup, overmixing the batter (which activates the gluten), or leavening agents that weren’t fresh.
Awesome Recipe!! Never though persimmon bread could be so tasty! Thank you!
Thank you! We’re so happy to hear this.