Blueberry Pumpkin Bread

This easy blueberry pumpkin bread is a fun twist on traditional pumpkin bread. Sweet blueberries add a burst of flavor along with a lovely purple color. This healthy pumpkin bread makes a fun fall treat that goes beyond the ordinary.

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Pumpkin bread is one of my family’s favorite fall traditions. We all love the moist and tasty bread and serve it with both Thanksgiving and Christmas dinner every year.

But I’ve been making the same chocolate chip pumpkin bread recipe for about 20 years now. Sure we love it, but maybe it is time to try something different!

And what better way to change up pumpkin bread then by adding my favorite berry, blueberries! After all I already make a blueberry zucchini bread, so it makes sense to add blueberries to pumpkin bread too.

Why You Will Love Blueberry Pumpkin Bread

• Pumpkin spice flavor
• The house smells amazing as it bakes
• Pretty bursts of purple color against the orange bread
• Spicy, moist bread
• Better for you than traditional pumpkin bread

Healthier Pumpkin Bread

As long as I was making changes to my pumpkin bread recipe I decided to make it a little bit healthier. Now I wouldn’t say this recipe is super healthy, but it is better for you than chocolate chip pumpkin bread.

Compared to that recipe this bread has less sugar, less oil and fewer eggs. It replaces those ingredients with more pumpkin and a little bit of milk.

The recipe also includes blueberries, obviously, which are considered by some to be a super food because they have a very high level of antioxidants along with vitamins like vitamin C and K.

I also topped the bread off with pumpkin seeds, which adds even more health benefits. Pumpkin seeds have lots of fiber and vitamins too.

All in all this blueberry pumpkin bread is less cake-like and more like a bread than a traditional pumpkin bread.

Ingredients

Here are the ingredients needed to make blueberry pumpkin bread:

• Blueberries – Fresh blueberries are best.
• Pumpkin – Make sure it is pumpkin puree, not pumpkin pie filling.
• Flour
• Brown sugar
• Egg
• Milk – Almond milk works fine in this recipe if you want to make it dairy free
• Vegetable oil
• Baking powder, baking soda, salt
• Spices – pumpkin pie spice, cinnamon, vanilla extract
• Pumpkin seeds – These are for sprinkling on top and are optional.

No pumpkin pie spice? Make your own with my easy pumpkin pie spice recipe!

Step by Step Instructions

1. Preparation

Preheat the oven to 350 F and spray a 9×5 inch loaf pan with cooking spray. Then set half of the blueberries aside for sprinkling on top of the loaf.

Put the other half of the blueberries in a large bowl and add all the remaining dry ingredients – flour, sugar, pumpkin spice, cinnamon, baking soda, baking powder and salt.

Stir to mix everything together. Stir gently so you don’t squish the blueberries.

In a smaller bowl combine the wet ingredients – egg, pumpkin, oil, milk and vanilla. Stir to mix everything together and break the egg up.

2. Combine

Combine the wet and dry ingredients by pouring the wet ingredients in the smaller bowl into the larger bowl. Stir everything with a wooden spoon until it is just combined.

As with most quick breads the key to getting a good bread is not over mixing. You want the flour to be completely mixed in, but don’t keep stirring once it everything is combined.

3. Bake

Pour the batter into the prepared loaf pan. Then spread the remaining blueberries and the pumpkin seeds on top of the bread.

Press them down just a little bit into the batter and try to distribute them more or less evenly. Bake the bread for 45-50 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean.

Once the blueberry pumpkin bread is done let it cool in the pan on a rack for about 30 minutes. If you take it out too soon it won’t hold its shape well.

How to Serve

Once the loaf is completely cool slice it and enjoy it! Don’t try to cut it when it is still warm, it will mess up the texture of the bread and be difficult to cut.

This is a very moist bread with a strong cinnamon and pumpkin flavor. The blueberries scattered throughout give it a nice juicy burst of taste. The pumpkin seeds on top add a nice bit of crunchy texture.

How to Store

Store this blueberry pumpkin bread well wrapped at room temperature for 2-3 days. It also freezes very well.

To freeze the bread wrap it completely in foil or place it in a freezer bag. It will keep frozen for 2-3 months. Let it thaw at room temperature after freezing.

Can I Use Frozen Blueberries?

I think that if you used frozen blueberries the bread would taste fine, but it wouldn’t be as pretty. I haven’t actually tried the recipe with frozen blueberries, but that is based on what I’ve seen cooking with them in the past.

When I bake with frozen blueberries they tend to sink to the bottom instead of being scattered throughout the bread. If you try the recipe with frozen blueberries let me know how it turns out!

No Pumpkin Pie Spice?

If you don’t have pumpkin pie spice you can substitute 2 teaspoons of cinnamon, 1/2 teaspoon of nutmeg and 1/2 teaspoon of ginger. This will give you most of the flavor of pumpkin pie spice.

Find More Quick Bread Recipes

• Peanut Butter Bread
• Five Ingredient Banana Bread
• Apple Pecan Bread