Spiced pumpkin cranberry bread recipe! Dark rye flour makes this whole grain pumpkin cranberry loaf moist and flavorful.
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Hi, Rhubarbarians! Let's make your house smell super mega cozy with some pumpkin cranberry bread.
If you're like me, you've got random amounts of leftover fresh cranberries and pumpkin puree in your fridge all fall season. Wondering what to make?
This pumpkin cranberry loaf is rich with fall flavors and bursts of tart flavor thanks to pumpkin pie spice, dark rye flour, and fresh cranberries.
Need more ideas? Here are ten fresh cranberry recipes and fifteen pumpkin puree recipes to try!
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Why you'll love this
I personally think that this pumpkin rye bread is fall flavor perfection. The whole grain rye flour, the pumpkin spice, the bursts of cranberry, and the pepitas that get toasted on top. It's just so warm and cozy and delicious!
Why rye flour? Dark rye flour has gotten a bad reputation for being bitter and sharp, but it most definitely isn't! Rye has a mild, nutty, somewhat malty flavor. It enhances warm spices like cinnamon and nutmeg beautifully, making it perfect for pumpkin bread.
I recommend Bob's Red Mill dark rye flour. Give it a try or learn more about rye flour.
When is pumpkin and cranberry season?
Pumpkin: fresh pumpkins are in season in early fall, but store well into late fall and possibly early winter. You can find canned pumpkin year round at your grocery store, or make your own pumpkin puree.
Cranberry: Cranberries grow on shrubs in early fall between September and November in the Northern hemisphere. You can use fresh or frozen cranberries in this recipe. Visit our guide to cranberries to learn more.
Fall recipes you'll love:
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Here's what you'll need
Here's everything you need to make perfect pumpkin bread with cranberries at home. Full ingredients are listed in the recipe card at the bottom of this article
Ingredients:
- Olive oil or coconut oil
- All purpose flour and whole grain dark rye flour
- Baking soda and baking powder
- Pumpkin pie spice and salt
- Eggs
- Honey
- Vanilla extract
- Dark brown sugar
- Pumpkin puree
- Fresh or frozen cranberries
- Unsalted pepitas
Equipment:
- Oven
- 10" by 5" loaf pan
- Large mixing bowl
- Measuring cups
- Measuring spoons
- Whisk
- Medium mixing bowl
- Toothpick or knife
Step by step instructions
Here is a visual guide with step by step instructions to help you make this recipe at home. Full instructions are listed in the recipe card at the bottom of this article
- Start by preheating your oven.
- Grease your loaf pan with olive oil or coconut oil.
- Add all of the dry ingredients to a large mixing bowl.
- Whisk together until combined.
- Whisk the eggs in a separate medium sized mixing bowl.
- Whisk in the honey, olive oil, and vanilla.
- Whisk in the brown sugar.
- Whisk in the pumpkin puree.
- Combine the dry ingredients and the wet ingredients.
- Whisk until just combined.
- Fold in the cranberries.
- Pour the batter into your greased loaf pan and spread evenly.
- Sprinkle the top with pepitas.
- Bake in the oven for 60-70 minutes.
- To check for doneness, insert a toothpick or knife in the center. If it comes out with any batter on it, continue cooking until it comes out clean.
- Remove from the oven and let cool in the baking pan.
- Enjoy your pumpkin cranberry bread with butter, cream cheese, or honey alongside coffee or tea!
Serving suggestions
My favorite way to serve this pumpkin cranberry bread is freshly baked and warm with a bit of butter, cream cheese, or honey on top. Alongside a cup of holiday spiced coffee or homemade eggnog is perfect!
Breakfast: Serve this as a breakfast loaf with scrambled eggs, fresh fruit, and coffee. Pssst: how about these buttermilk cranberry pancakes?
Snack: Serve as an afternoon snack with tea.
Dessert: Serve warm with a scoop of vanilla ice cream or whipped cream. YUM.
Recipe tips and substitutions
- Feel free to use frozen cranberries instead of fresh. No need to adjust the recipe!
- If you don't have pepitas for the top, just leave them off. You can add chopped pecans or walnuts to the batter before baking if you'd like.
- Let the bread completely cool in the loaf pan before you try to remove it. It will be very soft and won't hold it's shape if it's removed while warm.
- If you can't find dark rye flour, go ahead and swap for light rye flour.
- Make it extra special by adding a cinnamon sugar mix to the top before baking or topping with a simple icing when it has cooled.
Storing and freezing
Storing: Store your pumpkin cranberry loaf in an airtight container or wrapped in plastic wrap at room temperature for up to 2 days. Beyond 2 days, you can store it in the refrigerator for up to 5 more days.
Freezing: Wrap your loaf tightly in plastic wrap and then place in an air tight, freezer safe container like a ziplock bag. Push out any excess air before sealing. Freeze for up to 2 months. I recommend letting it thaw and heating in the oven before serving after frozen.
FAQs
Insert a toothpick or a knife into the middle of the loaf. It it comes out clean, it's done. If it comes out with a bit of dough on it, it still needs to bake.
You'll want to increase your oven temperature to 375 degrees and bake for much less time. Check for doneness at around 20 minutes, as muffin tin sizes and ovens will vary.
Replace the eggs with flax eggs and swap the honey for maple syrup.
More quick bread recipes to try:
Did you make this recipe? Leave us a review and star rating in the comments below! We read every single review and appreciate your feedback.
Recipe
Pumpkin cranberry bread
Ingredients
- olive or coconut oil for greasing pan
- ¾ cup all-purpose flour
- 1 cup whole grain dark rye flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 Tablespoon pumpkin pie spice
- ½ teaspoon sea salt
- 2 large eggs
- ¼ cup raw honey
- ½ cup extra virgin olive oil or coconut oil
- ½ teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- ¾ cup packed dark brown sugar
- 15 ounces pumpkin puree
- 1 cup fresh cranberries
- 3 Tablespoons unsalted pepitas
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350° F. Generously grease a 10″ x 5″ loaf pan with coconut oil or olive oil. Set aside.
- In a large bowl, whisk together both the flours and next 4 ingredients, through salt. Set aside.
- In a separate medium bowl, whisk together the eggs just until yolks break. Whisk in the honey, olive oil, and vanilla. Whisk in the brown sugar. Whisk in the pumpkin puree.
- Add the wet ingredients to the dry and stir until just combined. Do not overmix. Fold in the cranberries.
- Pour the batter into the greased loaf pan. Sprinkle pepitas evenly on top. Bake, uncovered, 60-70 minutes. To check for doneness, insert a toothpick or knife in the center. if it comes out with any batter, continue cooking. If it comes out clean, it is done.
- Remove from oven and let cool in the pan for at least 30 minutes. Do not try to remove from the pan before it is cool or it will be too soft to hold it's shape.
Notes
- Feel free to use frozen cranberries instead of fresh. No need to adjust the recipe!
- If you don't have pepitas for the top, just leave them off. You can add chopped pecans or walnuts to the batter before baking if you'd like.
- Let the bread completely cool in the loaf pan before you try to remove it. It will be very soft and won't hold it's shape if it's removed while warm.
- If you can't find dark rye flour, go ahead and swap for light rye flour.
- Make it extra special by adding a cinnamon sugar mix to the top before baking or topping with a simple icing when it has cooled.
Nutrition
If you make this recipe, please let us know on social media or in the comments below! Leave a star rating in your comment or tag us on Instagram with #Rhubarbarians
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M Sparks
Hi Trish--Just made this and I subbed eggs for flax eggs and the honey for maple syrup and it turned out great--just a tad moist (not the worst thing!) Do you think by making it vegan it should have more flour? Also do you think coconut oil over olive oil might also be a nice touch? Thanks so much! Definitely picture worthy!
Trish Bozeman
Hi there! I haven't tested it as a vegan loaf, so I'm not sure if adding more flour would help. This IS a very moist loaf, which is why it states to leave it in the pan before cutting into it for so long. And yes, I think coconut oil would be fantastic! Especially with the rye flour. Let me know if you try it out with a bit more flour. 🙂
Chocoviv
This looks so good!
coopere23
Hi Patricia. Have you tried baking this with 100% rye flour? I ate some delicious and moist 100% rye pumpkin bread recently, and would love to duplicate it, but I've only baked yeast and sourdough breads with rye; I don't know how it'll behave as a quick bread. Just wondering if you have any insight!
Patricia Bozeman
Hi there. I haven't tried all rye flour! I don't do a whole lot of baking, but I bet if you added some moisture and sweetness like molasses that would help keep it from drying out. Let me know if you find something that works! 🙂
Serena Ball MS, RD (@tspcurry)
I made it and it was AMAZING! Love how it uses a whole can of pumpkin. Healthy + no #leftover to use up!
Patricia Bozeman
Awesome, Serena! So glad you enjoyed it! I was really happy with how well this turned out. 🙂