Pumpkin Streusel Bread Recipe
Posted: 10/27/2021
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This pumpkin streusel bread starts with a healthier base and is topped with the most irresistible streusel! It’s perfect for fall or anytime of the year.
Recipe Overview
Why you’ll love it: Not only is it delicious, this recipe makes 2 loaves, so you can freeze one for later.
How long it takes: 15 minutes to prep, one hour and fifteen minutes to bake
Equipment you’ll need: mixing bowl, measuring utensils, 2 loaf pans, oven
Servings: 20 slices
Table of Contents
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Streusel is a magical thing, isn’t it? It makes everything ten times better, at least in my humble opinion. Would you rather have a plain muffin or a muffin with a sweet, crumbly streusel on the top? I’d choose the streusel-topped muffin any day! And coffee cake with streusel? Yum!
The same goes for this pumpkin bread. It’s really great without the streusel but with the streusel? It’s next-level delicious! Moist and rich, with that crumbly, buttery topping, this pumpkin bread won’t stick around long. Good thing this recipe makes two loaves!
About this Pumpkin Bread
This recipe is based on my original healthy pumpkin bread and is similar in many ways to chocolate chip pumpkin bread. However, I cut down on the sugar used in the original recipe, for two reasons.
The first is that the bread tastes really great even with reduced sugar so I guess you could say the extra sugar is not completely necessary (don’t get me wrong, though, those recipes are delicious!). The second and main reason is that the streusel topping also includes sugar for another great layer of sweetness.
You’ll also find that there’s no added oil in this recipe. Instead, the bread gets a ton of moisture from both the pumpkin and the addition of Greek yogurt.
The streusel includes some butter, but trust me, it’s necessary.
I’ll run through the recipe here to get you started, with a few extra hints thrown in. The printable recipe card with full directions and nutrition information can be found at the end of the post.
What You’ll Need
- All-Purpose Flour and Whole Wheat Flour: Use both kinds of flour if you can. The whole wheat flour adds nutrition and great flavor but the all-purpose flour keeps the bread from becoming too dense and heavy. You could substitute white whole wheat flour if you’d like.
- Baking Powder, Baking Soda, and Salt: To provide leavening and seasoning.
- Pumpkin Pie Spice: I like to use my homemade blend of cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, allspice, and cloves. You can buy a pre-made blend, too.
- Canned Pumpkin Puree: This is 100% pumpkin, not to be confused with canned pumpkin pie filling mix. Check out the FAQ section for more about this.
- Sugar: Like I mentioned above, there is not a lot of sugar in this bread, only a half cup per loaf (not counting the streusel).
- Greek Yogurt: I usually use 2% Greek yogurt but use what you like. Choose plain Greek yogurt, not flavored.
- Eggs: Add even more moisture and richness.
- Pure Vanilla Extract: For yummy flavor.
- Streusel: You’ll need butter, flour, brown sugar, and cinnamon for the topping.
How To Make This Recipe
This recipe makes two large loaves of bread. Make sure you have two loaf pans and spray them with cooking spray. Turn the oven to 350°F to preheat and let’s get started.
Make the streusel first so it’s all ready to sprinkle onto the batter once you get it into the pans. Simply mix the butter, flour, brown sugar, and cinnamon with your fingers or a fork until it clumps together. It should look like large crumbs. Set it aside.
You’ll need quite a large bowl to mix the batter since this recipe makes two loaves. It will probably be the biggest bowl you have!
In the bowl, and the eggs, pumpkin, yogurt, sugar, a bit of water, and the vanilla.
Mix everything up really well.
In another bowl, mix both kinds of flour, baking powder, baking soda, and pumpkin pie spice.
Add the dry ingredients to the big bowl and gently stir just until combined.
Cooking Tip
You don’t want to go crazy here and overmix the batter. There shouldn’t be any stray dry ingredients yet you don’t need to whip the batter into a frenzy. Why? Overmixing can cause the bread to become tough, bake unevenly, or have really big holes in it.
Divide the batter into two pans, smoothing it out a bit. Sprinkle the streusel on top and pop the loaves into the oven. They take about an hour to bake, depending on the size of your loaf pans. If your pans are smaller than mine, the bread may need up to one hour and fifteen minutes. Use the toothpick test to determine doneness.
Cool in the pans for fifteen minutes or so, then remove from the pans and finish cooling. I know you’re anxious to try your homemade bread but it slices best when it’s completely cooled.
Try this bread with Vanilla Bean Whipped Cream Cheese. Oh, is that good! If you want, add a little extra sprinkle of pumpkin pie spice on top.
FAQs
What is the difference between pumpkin puree and pumpkin pie filling?
Canned pumpkin puree (often labeled as 100% pure pumpkin) is just pumpkin, with no added ingredients. Pumpkin pie filling, in contrast, is a blend of pumpkin, sugar, and spices. It may be labeled as “pumpkin pie mix”. They are not interchangeable in recipes.
What’s in pumpkin pie spice?
My homemade pumpkin pie spice blend, which is pretty typical of most blends, contains cinnamon, nutmeg, ground ginger, allspice, and cloves.
What’s the difference between whole wheat flour and all-purpose flour?
According to King Arthur Baking Company, whole wheat flour has more protein, nutritional value, and a more robust flavor than all-purpose flour. It’s made from the entire wheat berry, both the inner germ and the outer bran. I store mine in an airtight container in the refrigerator or freezer to preserve freshness.
You can usually substitute whole wheat flour for some, if not all, of the all-purpose flour in a recipe, on a 1:1 basis. Whole grain baked goods will be somewhat denser and heavier.
Make It Your Own
- If you don’t want to mess with the streusel or would like to cut back on calories or sugar, omit the streusel topping. Aaargh, I can’t believe I said that! Really, though, this bread is delicious with or without the streusel.
- Make a pecan streusel simply by adding a half cup chopped pecans to the streusel. Walnuts are good, too.
- All out of whole wheat flour? Simply replace it with all-purpose flour. You’ll need three and a half cups of flour total, plus another one third cup for the streusel.
- Rather have muffins? Simply divide the batter between muffin tins, top with the streusel, and bake at 400°F for 15 to 20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
Storage and Freezing Tips
If you’re planning on eating the pumpkin streusel bread within a couple of days, it’s fine on the counter as long as it’s covered or wrapped. For longer storage, it will keep well in the fridge for up to a week.
This bread freezes well, just like most quick breads. Simply wrap it in plastic wrap or parchment and put it into a freezer safe container or reclosable bag.
The streusel may lose a little of its crunch when it thaws, but it will still be delicious. Sometimes I freeze the loaf unsliced (usually if I’m in a hurry), and then I’ll thaw it at room temperature before I slice it.
Other times, I slice the loaf before freezing it. That way, we can take out one slice at a time and warm it in the microwave or toaster oven. A slice of pumpkin bread makes a good lunchbox treat too. Wrap each slice individually and they’re all ready to add to lunches.
Both methods work great! I love that this recipe makes two loaves. Woohoo! Whenever I can do the work once and get twice the results, I’m a happy lady.
More Pumpkin Recipes
Can’t get enough pumpkin goodies right now? I hear you, neither can I. Here are some more to try:
- Pumpkin Breakfast Cookies (Hurray, cookies for breakfast!)
- Pumpkin Poke Cake – made with fresh pumpkin, not canned
- Mini Pumpkin Doughnuts with Cider-Rum Glaze
- Mini Pumpkin Tarts {no bake!} – an easy dessert recipe!
- Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Muffins – because chocolate chips make everything better!
- Adorable Pumpkin Bar Mummies for Halloween
- Pumpkin Bran Muffins
- Pumpkin Pie Muddy Buddies
Did you make this? Be sure to leave a review below and tag me @rachelcooksblog on Facebook, Instagram, or Pinterest!
servings
This pumpkin streusel bread starts with a healthier base and is topped with the most irresistible streusel!
Ingredients
Streusel (optional)
- ⅓ cup all-purpose flour
- ¼ cup packed light brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 3 tablespoons cold butter, cut into small chunks
Bread
- 1 can (15 oz.) pumpkin puree (not pumpkin pie filling)
- 3 large eggs
- 1 cup sugar
- ¾ cup plain Greek yogurt
- ¾ cup water
- 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- 2 cups whole wheat flour
- 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons baking soda
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Spray two large loaf pans with nonstick baking spray.
- In a medium sized bowl, prepare streusel topping by combining ⅓ cup flour, brown sugar, cinnamon, and cold butter using a fork or your fingers. It should resemble large crumbs, with some larger pieces and some smaller. Set aside.
- In a large bowl, combine pumpkin, eggs, sugar, yogurt, water and vanilla. Whisk until combined.
- In a separate medium bowl, combine dry ingredients (whole wheat flour, all-purpose flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, pumpkin pie spice). Add dry ingredients to the pumpkin mixture and stir until just combined. Do not over mix.
- Split the batter between the two prepared loaf pans. Sprinkle streusel topping evenly on top of each loaf.
- Bake for 1 hour to 1 hour and 15 minutes depending on the size of your loaf pans — mine are extra long so it only took an hour. A toothpick or a knife inserted in the middle should come out clean when the bread is done baking.
- Let cool 10 to 15 minutes in pans before carefully removing to a wire rack to cool completely.
Notes
- Nutrition information is for one slice (10 slices per loaf).
- This bread freezes really well. You can freeze an entire loaf, or you can slice it and then freeze it already sliced. The streusel may lose a bit of its crunch when thawed.
- If you prefer, replace whole wheat flour with all-purpose flour.
- Streusel topping can be omitted if desired.
- Rather have muffins? Simply spoon the batter into greased muffin tins, filling each well two-thirds full, top with the streusel, and bake at 400°F for 15 to 20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Makes 24 muffins, depending on size.
Nutrition Information
Calories: 172kcal, Carbohydrates: 33g, Protein: 5g, Fat: 3g, Saturated Fat: 2g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g, Monounsaturated Fat: 1g, Trans Fat: 1g, Cholesterol: 30mg, Sodium: 278mg, Potassium: 115mg, Fiber: 2g, Sugar: 14g, Vitamin A: 3402IU, Vitamin C: 1mg, Calcium: 42mg, Iron: 1mg
This website provides approximate nutrition information for convenience and as a courtesy only. Nutrition data is gathered primarily from the USDA Food Composition Database, whenever available, or otherwise other online calculators.
Kara Plantinga says
I divided this up into 4 mini loaf pans and baked for 35 minutes and it turned out great. Delicious, but how could it not be with streusel. I LOVE streusel.
Rachel Gurk says
You’re so right…streusel makes everything amazing!
Dale says
I made this a couple of times. I recommend using olive oil, not water. It turns out a bit dry otherwise. Olive oil can be substituted for any oil generally, and even for butter often.
Rachel Gurk says
Thanks for the suggestion! I’m glad you like this recipe!
Liz says
Made this last weekend. It was amazing!!! It was the perfect addition to our breakfasts/desserts through the week. Will be making this again. It’s also the perfect housewarming gift!!
Rachel Gurk says
This comment made me smile! I’m so glad you liked this recipe…it would make such a great housewarming gift! Thank you for taking the time to leave a comment, it means so much!
denise says
I will have to get some Greek yogurt so I can make this. Yum!
Rachel Gurk says
I hope you love it!