Perfectly spiced, moist pumpkin bread gets an upgrade with the addition of cream cheese frosting! This Frosted Pumpkin Bread is an easy one bowl recipe that makes two delicious loaves. Eat one now and freeze the other for later.

Sliced pumpkin bread with cream cheese frosting on a cutting board.

Table of Contents

Cream Cheese Frosted Pumpkin Bread

I’ve long waxed poetic about our easy pumpkin bread recipe. You know the deal–it’s spiced and moist, full of pumpkin flavor, and simple in the way that I want all of my fall baking to be.

But if there’s one thing that could make homemade pumpkin bread even more irresistible, it’s definitely a cream cheese frosting. Cream cheese pairs so beautifully with Autumn flavors. It’s why we use it in our carrot sheet cake and our cinnamon spiced zucchini cake, and why it’s a no brainer for a frosted pumpkin bread.

The frosting might edge this quick bread slightly out of the breakfast zone and into dessert territory, but that hasn’t stopped me from enjoying a slice any time of day. The cool, tangy cream cheese frosting is the perfect contrast to the warmly spiced pumpkin bread. It’s the kind of flavor combo that makes it tough to stop after just one slice.

Just like my other pumpkin bread recipe, this one makes two loaves. I highly recommend frosting one for now and freezing the other for later! There’s nothing better than knowing you have an emergency pumpkin bread stashed away in the freezer.

Courtney

Key Ingredients

Ingredients to make cream cheese frosted pumpkin bread in prep bowls.

Pantry staples, including flour, baking soda, and salt.
Spices, including cinnamon, ginger, cloves, and nutmeg. My favorite pumpkin spice blend is a little more gingery and a little less nutmeg-y. Feel free to adjust the spices to your tastes.
Vegetable oil– Canola oil or melted coconut oil are great substitutes. I recommend using oil instead of butter for the best texture.
Eggs– You’ll need four large eggs for this recipe, to bind the ingredients and keep everything nice and moist.
Water– My family’s pumpkin bread recipe called for water, but these days I like to use orange juice or apple juice. Any of these options will work great.
Canned pumpkin puree– One of my favorite things about this recipe is that it uses a whole can of pumpkin. No leftovers! Look for 100% pure pumpkin, not pumpkin pie filling.
Cream cheese– Use a full fat cream cheese for this frosting recipe.
Unsalted butter– Also for the frosting!
Powdered sugar- This is what thickens the cream cheese frosting.
Milk– You’ll only need a tiny splash of milk to thin out the frosting to make it spreadable. Any kind of milk or non-dairy milk will work here.

For a full list of ingredients and quantities, be sure to visit the recipe card below.

How to Make Pumpkin Bread with Cream Cheese Frosting

Flour, salt, baking soda, and sugar in a glass bowl.

Step 1: Whisk dry ingredients. In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, cinnamon, ginger, cloves, nutmeg, baking soda, and salt.

Pumpkin puree, water, eggs, and vanilla stirred into dry ingredients.

Step 2: Add wet ingredients. Add the oil, eggs, water or orange juice, and pumpkin puree. Use a wooden spoon or spatula to gently stir the mixture together until no white streaks remain.

Step 3: Bake. Divide the batter evenly between two parchment lined loaf pans. Bake at 350 degrees for 60-70 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out with just a few moist crumbs.

Cream cheese and butter beaten together in a white bowl.

Step 4: Make the frosting. Combine softened butter and cream cheese in a small bowl or stand mixer. Beat on high speed until well combined.

Step 5: Add powdered sugar. Add powdered sugar to the cream cheese mixture, beating on low speed until mostly combined, then on high speed for another minute. Beat in a splash of vanilla and milk.

Cream cheese frosting spread on top of a loaf of pumpkin bread.

Step 6: Frost and serve. Once the pumpkin bread has cooled completely, spread the frosting evenly over the the top, then slice and enjoy!

Storage and Make-Ahead Instructions

Make ahead: Pumpkin bread keeps well for 5-6 days and tastes even better on the second day! The cream cheese icing can also be made up to 2 days ahead of time and stored in the fridge.
Storage: Store unfrosted pumpkin bread at room temperature, wrapped or in an airtight container. Store frosted pumpkin bread in the refrigerator unless you plan to serve it the same day it’s made.
Freezing: I recommend freezing the pumpkin bread without the frosting. Double wrap in plastic wrap, then freeze for up to 3 months. Remove from the freezer and thaw at room temperature for several hours. Then, frost and serve as usual!

Slice of frosted pumpkin bread on a wooden cutting board.

Recipe Tips & Variations

Start with fully softened cream cheese and butter. It’s soft enough when you can press your finger into it gently and it leaves an indent.
To quickly soften cream cheese and butter: Place on a plate and microwave in 8 second increments, rotating each time, or cut into small chunks and leave at room temperature for 1 hour.
A note on the frosting amount: This recipe makes two loaves of pumpkin bread. The frosting is enough to thinly frost two loaves or have a very generous layer of frosting on one loaf. We often frost one and leave one unfrosted and freeze it. If you like a lot of frosting, double that part of the recipe.
To make a parchment paper sling: You definitely don’t have to use a parchment sling for this recipe, but it is a sure-fire way to know you’ll be able to remove the whole loaf from the pan without any stress. Measure your parchment so it’s as wide as the longest side of your pan and hangs over the edges by a few inches. If the edges are curling inward, secure them with binder clips so it doesn’t fall into the batter while it’s baking. Here’s a full parchment sling tutorial.
Variations: Feel free to add 3/4 cup of chopped walnuts, pecans, dried cranberries or chocolate chips to each loaf. Since this recipe makes two loaves, you can add different mix-ins to each one!

More Quick Bread Recipes to Make This Year

If you love an easy quick bread, you’ve got to try these other favorites.

Join Our Community

Sign up for the NeighborFood email community to get recipes in your inbox ad free and access exclusive content from us! You can also follow us on Instagram and Pinterest. Made our recipe? Leave us a star rating or comment below!