This Pumpkin Gingerbread is sweet and spicy. The moist bread pairs perfectly with the crunchy Turbinado sugar topping. It makes the best fall snack!

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You might be saying, “But Lindsay, I don’t need another pumpkin bread recipe!”
To that I say, “Oh yah you do!” in my painfully natural midwest accent.
You need another pumpkin bread recipe because this isn’t just any pumpkin bread – it’s a pumpkin gingerbread loaf! Fa la la la la and welcome to November.

I am not in any way condoning getting into the holidays this early. I just know you and your love for all things pumpkin spice and oh hey, it might be my five year blogiversary too. All that together equals a need for the perfect pumpkin gingerbread loaf that’s both soft and crunchy, sweet and spicy.
I feel like we might be glossing over the fact that I’ve been blogging for five years. Even if this never becomes the most popular food blog on the planet I appreciate you being here and love sharing my favorite foods with you.
I hope you know you can trust that when I share a recipe with you I have tested it many times, eaten it to excess, and loved every crumb of it. So it goes with this pumpkin gingerbread loaf.
Pumpkin gingerbread ingredients
- All purpose flour
- Salt
- Baking soda
- Ground ginger
- Ground cinnamon
- Ground nutmeg
- Pumpkin puree
- Butter
- Dark brown sugar
- Molasses
- Eggs
- Milk
- Turbinado sugar
What is turbinado sugar?
Let me introduce you to my little friend (affiliate link) turbinado sugar.

It’s big, flashy, and super yummy. My kids call it “candy nuts” because the crystals are so big and crunchy. This is your secret weapon to a killer quick bread.
I got the idea from my local food co-op that seasonally sells the most deliciously spicy pumpkin gingerbread loaf topped with these crunchy sweet sugar crystals. Why would I spend $4 on a teeny tiny loaf when I can have it warm from the oven at a fraction of the cost? That’s a no-brainer.
How to make pumpkin gingerbread
- Preheat the oven to 350ºF. Coat a 9×5 inch loaf pan with cooking spray and set aside.
- In a large bowl, whisk together flour, salt, baking soda, ginger, cinnamon and nutmeg.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together pumpkin, melted butter, brown sugar, molasses, eggs, and milk.
- Pour the wet ingredients into the dry and stir with a wooden spoon or rubber scraper until just incorporated.
- Pour the batter into the prepared pan. Bake 40 minutes, remove from the oven and sprinkle with Turbinado sugar. Return to the oven and bake another 10-20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center of the loaf comes out clean. Remove from the oven and let cool ten minutes before inverting the loaf and allowing it to cool completely on a rack.
Tips for customizing
- Substitute 3 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice for the ginger, cinnamon, and nutmeg
- Add a handful of chopped walnuts, pepitas, chocolate chips, or crystalized ginger to the batter
- Skip the turbinado sugar topping and drizzle with the glaze from my banana bundt cake or top with this cinnamon frosting
- Bake in mini muffin tins, adjusting the bake time accordingly
Thanks again for being here. If I could send you all a loaf of this bread I would.

If you make this recipe, be sure to rate it, leave a comment, or tag #theliveinkitchen on Instagram!
Recipe

Pumpkin Gingerbread Loaf
Ingredients
- 1 ½ cups unbleached all purpose flour
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 2 teaspoons ground ginger
- 1 ½ teaspoons ground cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1 cup pumpkin puree
- ½ cup butter, 1 stick, melted
- ½ cup dark brown sugar
- ½ cup molasses
- 2 eggs, beaten
- 3 tablespoons milk
- 1 tablespoon Turbinado sugar
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350ºF. Coat a 9×5 inch loaf pan with cooking spray and set aside.
- In a large bowl, whisk together flour, salt, baking soda, ginger, cinnamon and nutmeg.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together pumpkin, melted butter, brown sugar, molasses, eggs, and milk.
- Pour the wet ingredients into the dry and stir with a wooden spoon or rubber scraper until just incorporated.
- Pour the batter into the prepared pan. Bake 40 minutes, remove from the oven and sprinkle with Turbinado sugar. Return to the oven and bake another 10-20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center of the loaf comes out clean. Remove from the oven and let cool ten minutes before inverting the loaf and allowing it to cool completely on a rack.
Jessica @ A Kitchen Addiction says
Love the pumpkin gingerbread combination! I’d love a slice of this with my morning coffee!
Lindsay Moe says
Thanks Jessica!
Patricia @ Grab a Plate says
The more pumpkin bread recipes, the better! This looks exceptionally good, and I can just taste those seasonings!
Ana Luisa says
I found this recipe on another site and it was identical except that milk was substituted for water. I have made it twice now, and both times delicious!
Katarzyna Panek says
This cake had balanced notes and just the right amount of fluffiness and density. Give it a try. Happy Holidays!
Liza says
Wonderful! I made it with gluten free flour and added a tsp of xanthan gum. It was fabulous. Disappeared very quickly. I’m making more mañana.
Amber says
This was amazing! Thanks for sharing.
Jean says
Love this recipe! The bread is moist and full of flavor!!
Leslie says
delicious. my mods: I used 3/4 cup whole wheat flour, 3/4 cup all purpose. 1/4 cup of butter and 1/2 cup of melted coconut oil. put the turbinado sugar on top earlier in the baking process – after 20 mins, the top was already too crusty for it to stick. that’s it — this is great! make it!