You don’t need a hand mixer or any fancy equipment; just two ingredients, a mixing bowl and a loaf pan to make a homemade pumpkin bread.
Why you’ll love this 2-ingredient pumpkin bread recipe
All you need are two main ingredients to make this easy pumpkin bread recipe – canned pumpkin and boxed cake mix (spice flavour)!
You can have this bread mixed together and in the oven with just 5 minutes of prep.
It’s the best combination of pumpkin and spice flavours for all of those fans of pumpkin spice during pumpkin season.
Ingredients needed to make this easy recipe
Pumpkin purée: you’ll need one can of pure pumpkin puree for this recipe (make sure it’s pumpkin purée NOT pumpkin pie filling.
Spice cake mix: one box of spice cake mix is crucial for this 2 ingredient recipe; the spices in this box of cake mix pair perfectly with the pumpkin puree to create the best pumpkin spice flavor.
Maple Icing: if desired I highly recomment drizzling this delicious pumpkin bread with a quick homeade icing made with simple ingredients: melted butter, maple syrup, icing sugar and a pinch of salt
Pecans: to round things out, top the icing with chopped pecans!
How to make this quick pumpkin bread
Step 1: Preheat the oven to 350F. Grease a loaf pan with non-stick cooking spray and then line with parchment paper.
Step 2: In a medium bowl, mix together the pumpkin purée and the spice cake mix until fully combined and smooth.
Step 3: Transfer the batter to the prepared loaf pan and smooth out the top.
Step 4: Bake for 45-55 minutes or until a toothpick or cake tester inserted in the center of the bread comes out clean (you can start checking the loaf around the 45 minute mark as some oven’s run more hot than others).
Step 5: Once done, let the loaf cool completely in the loaf pan on a cooling / baking rack.
Step 6: When the loaf is completely cooled, remove from the pan. If desired, make the icing by mixing together the melted butter, maple syrup and icing sugar until smooth. Drizzle the icing over the loaf and then sprinkle over chopped pecans if desired. Slice and enjoy!
Expert tips for this 2-ingredient recipe
Make sure to use pure pumpkin purée, not pumpkin pie filling! The can of pumpkin purée is just pumpkin and that’s what is needed to make this recipe work.
Stir the pumpkin purée and dry cake mix together until just combined. Try not to overmix as you’ll end up with a more dense / heavy pumpkin bread.
As oven’s can vary, start checking for doneness of the pumpkin bread around the 45 minute mark.
Common questions
Can I use a different kind of cake mix?
I’ve only tested this recipe with the spice cake mix but you could use a carrot cake mix in a pinch. To get the best pumpkin bread flavour I wouldn’t stray from using the combination of spice cake mix and pumpkin purée.
Is there a different type of icing I can use to top this pumpkin loaf?
If you’re a fan of cream cheese icing, try the cream cheese frosting from my apple cake recipe – you would probably need to make only a half batch of the frosting to top this pumpkin loaf.
Can I add more spices to the batter to enhance the flavour further?
If you’d like to add more spices like cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger or pumpkin pie spice, add 1/4-1/2 tsp of a spice at a time and taste the batter to make sure it’s to your liking before baking.
What if I want to make these into muffins instead?
I haven’t tested it but you should be able to make 12 muffins from this 2 ingredient recipe. I would recommend baking them at 375F for 18-22 minutes.
How to store
Store leftover pumpkin bread in an airtight container or wrapped with plastic wrap for up to 3 days.
1boxspice cake mix (approximately 375g or 14-15oz size box)
For the maple drizzle
1tbspmelted butter
3tbspmaple syrup
1/2 cupicing sugar
pinchsalt
1/4cupchopped pecans (optional)
Instructions
Preheat the oven to 350F. Grease a loaf pan and then line with parchment paper.
In a medium mixing bowl, mix together the pumpkin purée and the spice cake mix until fully combined and smooth.
Transfer the batter to the prepared loaf pan and smooth out the top.
Bake for 45-55 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the centre of the loaf comes out clean (you can start checking the loaf around the 45 minute mark as some oven's run more hot than others).
Once done, let the loaf cool completely in the loaf pan.
When the loaf is completely cooled, remove from the pan. If desired, make the icing by mixing together the melted butter, maple syrup and icing sugar until smooth. Drizzle the icing over the loaf and then sprinkle over chopped pecans if desired. Slice and enjoy!
Make sure to use pure pumpkin purée, not pumpkin pie filling!
What if I want to make these into muffins instead? I haven't tested it but you should be able to make 12 muffins from this 2 ingredient recipe. I would recommend baking them at 375F for 18-22 minutes.
Substitutions for pecans: chopped walnuts or almonds.
This was So good; I should have made two because it’s not going to last the night. Easy, delicious and perfect even without frosting! Thank you for sharing this recipe.
Yes! I like to slice the bread and then put pieces of parchment paper in between. Then wrap all of the slices together in plastic wrap and then foil. Finally put in a ziploc bag and then you can easily take out however many slices you’d like at a time. I hope that helps!
Great question! I haven’t baked this recipe in a bundt pain so I can’t say for sure. I have baked other loaves in a budnt pan so it’s possible it could work but do note the bundt pan holds a much higher volume of dough so you might need to start at a lower bake time to make sure you don’t overbake. If you try it, please let me know!
I added additional seasonings as well as a quarter cup of oil to make it smooth. It was good but I think adding some additional moisture would help. It was very dense. I also liked the flavor of the icing. . But way too thick. Tasty
Thanks for the feedback! I’ve never added oil to the bread and have only made it the way which the recipe is published and it works every time. It is a more dense loaf by using just the pumpkin which does provide enough moisture. If you make it again and want a thinner icing, you could add a bit more melted butter or maple syrup to your tastes to thin is just slightly more.
I used a carrot cake mix as my grocery store was out of pumpkin spice cake mix and added a 1/2 cup of applesauce. It worked beautifully and along with the icing on top I added some pumpkin seeds. Very flavorful and moist.
This was So good; I should have made two because it’s not going to last the night. Easy, delicious and perfect even without frosting! Thank you for sharing this recipe.
This is so wonderful to hear! Good call on making two loaves next time – I might have to do the same 😉
Can you freeze this bread?
Yes! I like to slice the bread and then put pieces of parchment paper in between. Then wrap all of the slices together in plastic wrap and then foil. Finally put in a ziploc bag and then you can easily take out however many slices you’d like at a time. I hope that helps!
This is perfect! We love it. I added an egg and I cook it in a 9×9 pan so it would cook faster. It doesn’t even need the icing. We didn’t add any.
Oh wonderful to hear! Love to hear it works in a 9×9 pan as well 🙂
Could you bake this in a bundt pan?
Great question! I haven’t baked this recipe in a bundt pain so I can’t say for sure. I have baked other loaves in a budnt pan so it’s possible it could work but do note the bundt pan holds a much higher volume of dough so you might need to start at a lower bake time to make sure you don’t overbake. If you try it, please let me know!
I added additional seasonings as well as a quarter cup of oil to make it smooth. It was good but I think adding some additional moisture would help. It was very dense. I also liked the flavor of the icing. . But way too thick. Tasty
Thanks for the feedback! I’ve never added oil to the bread and have only made it the way which the recipe is published and it works every time. It is a more dense loaf by using just the pumpkin which does provide enough moisture. If you make it again and want a thinner icing, you could add a bit more melted butter or maple syrup to your tastes to thin is just slightly more.
I used a carrot cake mix as my grocery store was out of pumpkin spice cake mix and added a 1/2 cup of applesauce. It worked beautifully and along with the icing on top I added some pumpkin seeds. Very flavorful and moist.
Wonderful to hear! I love that you used a carrot cake mix – that’s so smart!
I added raisins, pecans & extra pumpkin spice & cinnamon. So simple & exceptionally good. Wow!👍🏻❤️
So glad you were able to take this recipe and make it your own! Your additions sound delish!