One-Bowl Pumpkin Cranberry Bread

Sweet, tart, moist, and warmly-spiced, this easy pumpkin cranberry bread is the perfect fall treat!

Course Breakfast, Brunch

Cuisine American

Keyword cranberry pumpkin bread, pumpkin cranberry, pumpkin cranberry bread, pumpkin cranberry bread recipe

Prep Time 10

Cook Time 1 10

Cooling Time 2

Total Time 3 20

Servings slices

Calories 312kcal

Author Blair Lonergan

1 ½ cups sugar
½ cup vegetable oil
2 large eggs
1 cup canned pumpkin puree (not the entire can of pumpkin)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon baking soda
¾ teaspoon salt
1 ¾ cups all-purpose flour
¾ teaspoon ground cinnamon
½ teaspoon ground nutmeg
¼ teaspoon ground cloves
¼ teaspoon ground allspice
¼ teaspoon ground ginger
1 cup fresh or frozen cranberries, larger cranberries cut in half (if using frozen cranberries, do not thaw before adding to batter)
½ cup chopped nuts (such as walnuts or pecans)

Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease and flour a 9 x 5-inch loaf pan. Set aside.
In a large bowl, whisk together sugar, oil, and eggs. Add pumpkin and vanilla; whisk to combine. Sprinkle baking soda and salt over top; whisk until well blended. Stir in flour, cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice, cloves, and ginger; be careful not to over-mix. Gently fold in cranberries and nuts.
Transfer batter to the prepared pan. In a small bowl, stir together the granulated sugar and cinnamon for the topping. Sprinkle on top of the batter.
Bake for 50-55 minutes for dark or nonstick pans or about 60-70 minutes for glass, ceramic, or light pans. The bread is done when a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Tent the loaf with foil during the final 15-20 minutes of baking if the top starts to get too dark. Remove the bread from the pan and cool on a wire rack before slicing and serving.

Do not over-mix the batter. It should come together so that everything is combined, but then stop stirring! Mixing too much will result in a dry, dense loaf.
The total baking time will vary depending on the type of loaf pan that you use. A dark metal, nonstick pan cooks the bread faster, so it may be done within 50-60 minutes. By contrast, a lighter metal pan, a glass pan, or a ceramic pan can easily require up to 70 minutes of baking in a 350°F oven. You can tell that your loaf is cooked through when you insert a toothpick or long stick deep into the center of the loaf and it comes out clean.
If using frozen cranberries, you will likely need to extend the baking time by a few extra minutes.
I use canned Libby’s 100% pure pumpkin, but you can substitute with 1 cup of fresh homemade pumpkin puree.
Make sure that you use 100% pure pumpkin puree, which is different from canned pumpkin pie filling or pumpkin pie mix. The pure pumpkin puree is unsweetened and doesn’t include any spices or other seasonings.