Brown Butter Pumpkin Bread with Pepitas
A moist, deeply spiced quick bread made with nutty brown butter and a crunchy sugared pepita top.
Why this recipe works
Browning the butter adds a toasty, caramel note that makes pumpkin bread taste bakery-good with almost no extra work. Using oil and butter together keeps the loaf soft for days.
Method
- Brown the butter. Melt the butter in a light-colored saucepan over medium heat, swirling, 5–7 minutes until it foams and brown flecks appear. Pour into a large bowl, scraping in the flecks, and cool 10 minutes.
- Prepare the pan. Heat the oven to 350°F. Grease a 9x5-inch loaf pan and line it with a parchment sling.
- Mix the wet ingredients. Whisk the pumpkin, both sugars, eggs, oil, milk and vanilla into the brown butter until smooth.
- Add the dry ingredients. Whisk the flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt and spices in another bowl. Fold into the wet mixture just until combined.
- Top and bake. Scrape into the pan, sprinkle with pepitas and coarse sugar. Bake 60–70 minutes until a skewer in the center comes out with just a few moist crumbs.
- Cool. Cool 15 minutes in the pan, then lift out and cool fully on a rack before slicing.
Tips & swaps
- Bake as 12 muffins for 20–24 minutes.
- Fold in 3/4 cup chocolate chips or toasted walnuts.
- Leftover pumpkin? Use it in the pumpkin pancakes.
Nutrition per serving
| Calories | 330 |
| Fat | 15g |
| Carbohydrates | 46g |
| Protein | 5g |
| Fiber | 2g |
Estimates only, calculated from standard ingredient data.
Storing & make-ahead
Wrapped, keeps 3 days at room temperature or 3 months frozen (slice first for easy toasting).
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