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Pumpkin Cream Cheese Bread is soft and moist with a tender crumb and so much pumpkin and pumpkin spice flavor – and that cream cheese ribbon flowing through is the perfect combination!
Easy Pumpkin Bread with Cream Cheese
I’m telling 100% the truth when I say that this is the best cream cheese pumpkin bread. You’re going to love that swirl of cream cheese that you’ll get every time you take a bite of this pumpkin bread recipe. It’s like you’re getting a mouth full of pumpkin pie filling without having to actually make a pie! It’s the perfect breakfast or brunch and freezes great too!
Ingredients Needed
- Cream cheese – you need this to make the cream cheese layer!
- Granulated sugar – adds the perfect sweetness.
- Brown sugar – packed brown sugar adds a lovely brown coloring to the recipe as well.
- Vegetable oil – I love using oil in my quick breads to keep them moist
- Libby’s Pumpkin Puree – don’t confuse this with pumpkin pie filling.
- Pumpkin pie spice – Make your own pumpkin spice if you don’t have a jar
- Buttermilk – this helps to keep the quick bread moist. Make your own buttermilk or use a combination of milk and vinegar.
How to make Pumpkin Cream Cheese Bread
- Mix cream cheese, egg, sugar and vanilla in a medium bowl. Grease and flour a 9 x 5-inch loaf pan.
- Stir granulated sugar and brown sugar with oil and pumpkin in a large mixing bowl. Stir in the eggs, pumpkin pie spice, salt, and baking soda. You can also use an electric mixer on medium speed.
- Stir in buttermilk and flour.
- Pour half of the batter into the prepared loaf pan.
- Top with cream cheese mixture.
- Top with remaining pumpkin bread batter and swirl it with a knife.
- Bake until a toothpick comes out with just a few crumbs.
- Cool before removing from the pan. If the bread sticks to the sides of the pan, be patient and let it cool. You can then take a butter knife and insert it around the sides of the bread and the sides of the pan. This will help loosen it up.
Expert Tips
- Pumpkin Bread is done baking when a toothpick comes out clean from the center of the loaf.
- If your bread browns too quickly, lower the oven temperature to 325F.
- You can use a 8×4 or 9×5 loaf pan, but know the 9×5 loaf pan might be flatter.
- You can mix in some add-ins: 1 cup of chocolate chips or nuts (pecans or walnuts are best).
- Want even more cream cheese flavor? Add a cream cheese frosting on top!
Storing and Freezing Instructions
Store in an airtight container in the fridge or freeze for up to one month. Be sure that you wrap the bread with plastic wrap and then add it to a freezer-safe bag as this will add two layers of protection. Thaw in refrigerator.
Pumpkin Cream Cheese Bread Recipe
Recipe Video
Ingredients
Cream Cheese Filling:
- 4 ounces (113g) cream cheese softened
- 1 large egg
- ¼ cup (50g) granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Bread:
- ½ cup (100g) granulated sugar
- ¼ cup (50g) brown sugar
- ⅓ cup (79ml) vegetable oil
- 1 cup (244g) Pumpkin Puree
- 2 large eggs
- 2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ⅓ cup (79ml) buttermilk
- 2 cups (248g) all-purpose flour
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Spray a 9×5-inch loaf pan with cooking spray.
- Mix cream cheese, egg, sugar and vanilla until smooth. Set aside.
- Stir granulated sugar and brown sugar with oil and pumpkin. Stir in the eggs, pumpkin pie spice, salt, and baking soda. Stir until combined. Stir in buttermilk and flour.
- Pour half of batter into prepared pan. Top with cream cheese mixture. Top with remaining pumpkin bread batter.
- Bake for 40-50 minutes. If you want it totally done (no gooey center), test it by inserting a toothpick just partway into the top center of the bread. If this comes out clean, it’s done. stuck to the top.
- Cool before removing from pan. Store in an airtight container for up to 2 days or freeze for up to one month.
Recipe Notes
- Make sure cream cheese is room temperature to avoid lumps.
- To make your own buttermilk, add 1/2 teaspoon of vinegar or lemon juice to a measuring cup and fill with milk to 1/3 cups. Let sit for 5 minutes.
Recipe Nutrition
BEST Pumpkin Cream Cheese Bread is a soft pumpkin bread with cream cheese swirl – it’s an easy quick bread recipe perfect for fall!
There is a strange phrase used in the Instructions for this bread. Point #5 re baking time says at the end, “stuck to the top.” What does that mean?