Easy Pumpkin Bread with Cinnamon Pecan Streusel

If you've been here for awhile, then you know how I love to doctor up a mix and during the fall, I would often do that to the Krusteaz pumpkin bread recipe on the back of box. Something recently happened to that mix though--it's gone rogue. I don't know if it's been discontinued or it's one of those ultra-seasonal ingredients that everyone buys before I get a chance to, but I cannot find it anywhere.

So instead of giving up, I did what any self-respecting recipe developer (who shops at no fewer than five grocery stores every week) would do: I made my own version. Spoiler alert: I think this pumpkin bread is actually better than my original glow-up and bonus: it uses a whole can of pumpkin. Waste not, want not y'all!

For this recipe, instead of my usual Krusteaz pumpkin spice quick bread mix, I start with the Krusteaz Cinnamon Swirl Coffee Cake and Muffin Mix (the one you can actually find year-round) and turn it into a rich, tender pumpkin bread piled high with buttery cinnamon-pecan streusel.

And when I say "piled high," I mean it: there's practically as much streusel as there is batter, and yes, some of it will tumble off when you slice it. But that's part of the charm. Those crunchy little bits are pure gold and one bite in, you'll see why I'm not the least bit sorry about the mess.

When it comes to fall baking, I lean in to everything apple, pumpkin, and maple-flavored. Are you the same way? If you're craving more delicious pumpkin flavor, you'll love my pumpkin cinnamon rolls with cream cheese frosting and pumpkin buttermilk pancakes.

If apples are more of your thing, then grab my recipes for my warm apple crostata or baked apple cinnamon dumplings. Finally, if maple is your go-to autumn flavor then you're going to be obsessed with my maple cupcakes with candied bacon.

Ready to make this yummy pumpkin streusel bread recipe? Let's do it.

Jump to:

• Ingredients
• Instructions
• Substitutions
• Variations
• Equipment
• Storage
• Tasty Tip
• Frequently asked questions
• Related
• Pairing
• 🍽Get the recipe
• Recipe guidelines and test kitchen tips
• Food safety

Ingredients

Before we get started, let's gather the ingredients we need for this recipe:

• Krusteaz cinnamon swirl crumb cake and muffin mix
• pumpkin pie spice
• canned pumpkin
• large egg
• salted butter
• all-purpose flour
• light brown sugar
• pecans

(See recipe card for quantities.)

Instructions

Now that we've got our ingredients, it's time to get baking!

Hint: When lining the loaf pan with parchment paper, allow 1- to 2-inches of paper to extend over the sides of the pan. That'll make it easier to lift the bread from the pan once it's done.

Hint #2: I place a baking sheet on the rack underneath the loaf pan to catch any streusel that may spill over as the bread rises.

Substitutions

Out of something? Need some ingredient substitutions? I've got you covered:

• Nuts - Instead of a cup of pecans, use walnuts, pumpkin seeds, or almonds.
• Pumpkin purée - Mashed sweet potatoes are a great substitute for the pumpkin. Either cook and mash your own or grab a can of mashed sweet potato instead.
• Butter - If you've been here for awhile, you know that I'm a fan of salted butter--I find it enhances the flavor of so many dishes. If unsalted butter is all you have, that's okay--just add a pinch of salt to the streusel mixture.
• Light brown sugar - Use dark brown sugar if you prefer.
• Pumpkin pie spice - Make your own pumpkin pie spice by mixing together 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon, ½ teaspoon ground nutmeg, ¼ teaspoon ground ginger, and a pinch of ground cloves.

Variations

Want to change things up? Here are some ideas:

• Maple Glazed Pumpkin Bread - Take this pumpkin bread over the top by making a quick maple glaze. Whisk together ¼ teaspoon maple extract, 2 tablespoons heavy cream, and 1 cup powdered sugar until drizzling consistency.
• Chocolate Chip Pumpkin Bread - Fold ½ cup mini chocolate chips into the batter and bake as directed.
• Pumpkin Streusel Muffins - Divide the batter among standard-sized muffins cups and bake for 25 or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
• Pumpkin Coffee Cake - Instead of a loaf pan, bake this in a square baking pan or springform pan. Spread half of the cake batter into the pan and sprinkle the top of filling with half of the streusel. Repeat the process with the remaining batter and streusel. Reduce the baking time to about 30 minutes.

Equipment

Here's the equipment you'll need to make this recipe:

• dry measuring cups
• measuring spoons
• 9- x 5-inch loaf pan
• chef's knife
• medium bowl
• whisk
• large bowl
• wire cooling rack

Storage

At room temperature: Wrap the loaf tightly with plastic wrap or transfer to an airtight container and eat within 3 days.

To refrigerate: Transfer leftovers to an airtight container or wrap the bread tightly with plastic wrap and/or aluminum foil and store in the fridge for up to 1 week.

To freeze: Wrap the whole loaf (or individual slices) tightly in plastic wrap and aluminum foil and freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight at room temperature before serving.

Frequently asked questions

Related

Looking for other recipes like this? Try these:

Pairing

These are my favorite dishes to serve with this moist pumpkin bread recipe:

🍽Get the recipe

Recipe guidelines and test kitchen tips

When developing and testing recipes, here are some key things that I do for more success in the kitchen:

• Be sure to use dry measuring cups for things like flour, sugar, and mayonnaise and a liquid measuring cup for things like water, milk, and broth.
• When measuring dry ingredients like flour and powdered sugar that can pack down, spoon the ingredient into a dry measuring cup and level with a knife as opposed to scooping the measuring cup into the ingredient.
• I test and develop recipes using a standard electric oven and standard gas stovetop. Be aware that if you use an electric stovetop or convection oven, your bake times will be different.
• When recipes call for kosher salt, I use Diamond Crystal kosher salt.

Food safety

Keep these few food safety things in mind when making this recipe:

• Do not use the same utensils on cooked food, that previously touched raw meat or eggs
• Wash hands after touching raw meat or eggs
• Don't leave leftovers sitting out at room temperature for extended periods
• Never leave cooking food unattended
• Always have good ventilation when using a gas stove

See more guidelines at USDA.gov.