Starbucks Pumpkin Bread Recipe

Name: Starbucks Pumpkin Bread Recipe
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 60 min
Total time: 165 min
Ingredients: 1 1/2 cups all purpose flour (gluten free all purpose flour works great!); 1/2 tsp baking soda; 1/2 tsp baking powder; 1/2 tsp salt; 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon; 1/4 tsp ground cloves; 1/4 tsp ground nutmeg; 2/3 cup granulated sugar; 2/3 cup brown sugar; 1/4 cup milk (I used skim); 3 large egg whites; 1 cup canned pumpkin puree (use a 15 oz can - you'll have a little leftover in the can)

by Beth @ The First Year // Published September 12, 2013 , Updated August 7, 2023

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A copycat for Starbucks Pumpkin Bread Recipe!

The easiest pumpkin bread with 12 ingredients! This bread can be made in muffin, mini muffin or mini loaf pans. Scroll down to view the how-to video!

Two slices of pumpkin bread on a small white serving plate on a cooling rack.

Starbucks has changed their pumpkin bread over the years, so this copycat recipe is for their old school pumpkin bread, circa 2013.

With over 150 comments, this easy starbucks pumpkin bread recipe is a classic fall recipe that will soon be a favorite in your family!

Quick breads and muffins are some of my favorite baked goods because you can eat them any time of the day. Morning. Afternoon. Snack. Dessert. Yum.

If you want a better-for-you option, try this healthy pumpkin chocolate chip bread.

whole pumpkin bread loaf on metal cooling rack with pumpkins in the background

Pumpkin Everything

The pumpkin spice craze has unleashed for the the season.

The most notable pumpkin spice item is probably the pumpkin spice latte (PSL!). We should thank coffee shops everywhere for creating the best fall beverage ever.

There are definitely some PSL haters out there who want nothing to do with pumpkin spice. I personally love the craze, within reason. But I found some weird products that definitely shouldn’t have been pumpkin spiced. Yes, I just made it into a verb. Here’s my take on the good and the ugly of all things pumpkin spice.

GOOD: PSL, pumpkin spice coffee creamer, pumpkin sugar cookies, pumpkin spice pudding, pumpkin spice almonds, pumpkin spice kettle corn, pumpkin whipped cream.

UGLY: pumpkin spice dental chews for pets, pumpkin spice pringles, pumpkin spice lasagna, pumpkin spice seltzer water, and pumpkin spice skittles.

Do you have something to add to the list, on the good or ugly side?! Leave a comment telling us!

ingredients to make easy pumpkin bread on dark background

What You’ll Need

all purpose flour – flour is necessary to build structure
baking soda and baking powder – helps to leaven and lift the batter
cinnamon, cloves, and nutmeg – adds warmth and classic spice flavor
salt – just a pinch to balance the sweetness and enhances the other flavors
granulated sugar and brown sugar – adds sweetness, flavor, and moisture
milk – adds fat and moisture
eggs – binds the batter together by providing structure
pumpkin puree – adds pumpkin flavor and acts as a binder

pumpkin bread loaf sliced into 2 pieces on metal cooling rack

How to Make Pumpkin Bread

The best part about this Starbucks pumpkin bread recipe is that you’ll only dirty up 3 things – a small bowl, a larger bowl, and the loaf pan.

In a small bowl combine all of the dry ingredients.

In a larger bowl combine the sugars and all wet ingredients, stir to combine.

Gently mix in the flour mixture.

Pour into a greased loaf pan and bake at 350ºF for 55-60 minutes.

Copycat Starbucks Pumpkin Bread

This copycat version of Starbucks pumpkin pound cake rivals the real deal, so much so you won’t have to fork over $2-3 for a single slice anymore.

Bake up a whole loaf in your own kitchen in under 90 minutes, which the majority of that time is baking and cooling, aka a great time to watch Fixer Upper!

Gluten Free Starbucks Bread

I’ve made this bread with both regular and gluten free flour with awesome results on multiple occasions. I recommend King Arthur’s Gluten Free Measure for Measure Flour. Use it as a one for one substitute for regular flour.

How to Store

Store the bread in an airtight container on the counter. To keep the bread extra moist, wrap in plastic wrap then place inside the container.

How to Freeze Quick Bread

To freeze the whole loaf: allow it to cool completely, then wrap well in plastic wrap, then in aluminum foil. Place inside a ziplock bag. To thaw, place the wrapped bread in the fridge overnight.

To freeze individual slices: allow the loaf to cool completely and slice. Wrap each slice in plastic wrap then in aluminum and place inside a ziplock bag. To thaw, place a slice in the fridge overnight. Or unwrap and microwave for 30 second intervals.

Pro Tips

1. DO NOT OVER MIX THE BATTER

I have been guilty of this myself and I am learning to be okay with lumps in my batter. For quick bread, do not use your electric mixer to beat in the dry ingredients, using a spatula and mixing by hand will give you more control.

“Mix just until incorporated” means mixing the dry ingredients with the wet ingredients until you can just no longer see any flour streaks. Yes you should still scrape the sides and the bottom of the bowl, but do that as you’re mixing in the flour.

2. DO NOT OVER BAKE

Sometimes the bread can trick you, it can look done on the outside but still be doughy in the middle. That’s when tenting the bread with aluminum foil comes in handy. It protects the top from becoming too brown, overcooked or crusty.

3. LOAF PAN SIZE MATTERS

There’s two popular loaf pan sizes – 9×5 and 8.5×4.5. Even though the numbers are similar, the pans actually differ in size by 15%. The 8.5×4.5 pan will yield a tall, more domed bread and will take 5-10 minutes longer when baking.

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