Crockpot Pumpkin Bread
An easy pumpkin infused quick bread, this crockpot pumpkin bread is dense, but moist and features little notes of chocolate courtesy of a smattering of chocolate chips thrown into the batter. Make it in the bowl of your crockpot, or bake it in the oven- either way it will pair perfectly with your cup of coffee or milk for brunch and dessert.
Saturday morning we woke up to snow falling.
I love snow, and so do my kids, but snow seems to make them a little bit frantic, and crazy.
Sadly, even after four kids, I am still not a morning person, but there’s something about snow falling while sipping my piping hot cup of coffee that can make even the most chaotic morning just a little bit magical.
Still, there was something missing, and my coffee seemed…lonely.
So I decided to use my last can of pumpkin and make some pumpkin bread, the perfect accompaniment to any snowy morning, and another pot of coffee.
The kids went out to play in the snow, which wasn’t even sticking, and I waited for our bread to finish baking, soaking up every stolen minute of peace and quiet.
Right about the time the troops clomped in feeling frozen this delicious loaf of crockpot pumpkin bread was ready to eat.
Ingredients Needed For This Crockpot Quick Bread
Check your pantry, you probably have most of the ingredients already on hand.
If you don’t, consider investing in them and keeping the majority of them stocked.
Quick breads are fast, easy, and fun to adapt with all kind of flavors- making them perfect for breakfast or dessert in a pinch.
For this particular bread recipe, you’ll need:
- oil – I tend to use canola oil vs. vegetable oil since it’s lower in saturated fat than vegetable oil and has a milder taste to me- but either will work here
- sugar – the plain white granulated kind
- brown sugar – either light or dark brown sugar will work in this recipe
- eggs
- pumpkin – NOT pumpkin pie filling, canned pumpkin puree is what’s needed for this recipe
- flour – no need to get anything special, or fancy, just use the regular all purpose flour
- salt
- cinnamon
- nutmeg
- baking soda
- chocolate chips – these are optional, but I highly recommend including them!
See? Basic pantry staples. If you don’t have them on hand, I highly encourage you to start keeping them- especially if you want to begin baking more.
They’re all very versatile, and shelf stable so there’s no pressure to use them before you’re ready to try your hand at another recipe.
Making A Pumpkin Bread Batter
Morning person or not, this slow cooked pumpkin bread is just the thing you never knew you needed.
If I’m wide awake and have some time on my hands, I can easily whip up a loaf for brunch.
Busy day ahead, but still want to enjoy a slice with my cup of coffee the next day?
Well then I can prep it, let the crockpot do all the cooking, and have it cooled and ready when I roll out of bed the following morning.
Whipping up the batter is easy. You can do it in the bowl of a stand mixer, or in a large mixing bowl with a hand held mixer.
Technically, yes you can aboslutely do it the old fashioned way- with a sturdy wooden spoon & some elbow grease.
However, the modern housewife in me prefers the convenient electric short cut.
To begin, add the oil and sugars to your bowl. Whip them together until smooth & evenly combined.
Add in beaten eggs & canned pumpkin, whipping again until evenly combined.
Add all of the remaining ingredients, except the chocolate chips, to a mixing bowl.
Whisk the dry ingredients together until combined.
Slowly mix them in, a little bit at a time, until all have been completely incorporated into the batter.
That’s it, your pumpkin bread batter is ready. Now it’s time to transfer it to a loaf pan.
Liberally grease a 9×5″ loaf pan with either non stick cooking spray or butter. Get all the cracks and crevices.
This will ensure your bread releases easily from the pan after baking, without any bits sticking and breaking off or pulling apart.
How To Bake Pumpkin Bread
We call this fluffy pumpkin infused bread, crockpot (or not) pumpkin bread for a reason.
You have options when it comes to how you decide to bake it.
You can use the traditional oven baked method, or you can let your slow cooker do all the work.
We’ll break down each method so you can choose which one best suits you.
The Crockpot Method
Pour two cups of water into the bowl of your crock pot.
Pour the batter into your prepared loaf pan, scraping the mixing bowl to get it all in. Spread it evenly out with a spatula.
Set the loaf pan carefully in the bottom of your crockpot.
Add a layer 8-10 paper towels thick over the top of the crockpot bowl.
Cover with the lid, making sure to keep the paper towel layer securely in place.
This is important because the paper towels will absorb the condensation. Without this, your pumpkin bread will be a soggy mess.
Set your crockpot to cook on high heat, and cook the bread for 2 1/2-3 hours- or until a butter knife inserted in the center comes out clean.
Use potholders to carefully remove the hot loaf pan from the crockpot.
Let the loaf cool slightly before running a butter knife around the edges to release it from the pan. Turn it out onto a wire cooling wrack to finish cooling completely.
The Oven Baked Method
While this crockpot pumpkin bread is great when slow cooked, I know not everyone owns a slow cooker or trusts that method.
Therefore, we’re including clear & concise instructions to bake it in the oven too.
Nobody should go without enjoying this delicious treat!
Pour the batter into your prepared loaf pan, scraping the bowl as necessary to get it all.
Using a spatula spread it out evenly, although it doesn’t have to be perfect.
Bake the crockpot pumpkin bread at 350 degrees for 50-60 minutes, again until a butter knife inserted in the center comes out clean.
Remove the loaf from the oven, and let it cool for 5-10 minutes.
Run a butter knife around the edges to ‘release’ it from the pan, then carefully transfer it to a wire rack and let it finish cooling completely.
Once cooled, slice and serve as desired.
This crockpot pumpkin bread is easy and delicious, and sure to get all the kids around the table ooh-ing and aah-ing.
It’s so good, that they won’t even want to talk between bites of deliciousness and sips of milk.
Adding Some Chocolate To The Bread
For a treat I threw in some chocolate chips, around 1/4 cup, and even threw a few on top for a ‘garnish’ because I find chocolate so aesthetically pleasing.
I was going for magical in the midst of chaos, remember?
You don’t have to include chocolate chips at all and it will still be moist & delicious.
You can also incorporate the chocolate chips into the batter, or just sprinkled on top before baking- or divide them and do both.
White chocolate chips work just as well, and chopped walnuts or pecans make for a crunchy alternative.
Morning, noon, night, what day couldn’t use a little magic in it?
Make some ‘magic’ of your own today with a loaf of this delicious crockpot pumpkin bread.
Other Pumpkin Bread Recipes To Try
If you’ve tried this CROCKPOT PUMPKIN BREAD, or any other recipe on my site, let me know in the comment section how it turned out, we love hearing from our readers! You can also follow along with me on PINTEREST, FACEBOOK, and INSTAGRAM to see more amazing recipes and whatever else we’ve got going on!
Crockpot Pumpkin Bread
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup oil
- 1/2 cup of sugar
- 1/2 cup of packed brown sugar*
- 2 eggs beaten
- 1 15 oz can of pumpkin
- 1 1/2 cup flour
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp cinnamon
- 1/2 tsp nutmeg
- 1 tsp baking soda
- chocolate chips optional
Instructions
- In a stand mixer, blend oil and sugars together.
- Stir in the beaten eggs and canned pumpkin.
- Gradually add the remaining dry ingredients, mixing until evenly incorporated.
- Pour the batter into a greased loaf pan.
For Crockpot Cooking
- Add 2 cups of water to your crockpot, and then sit the loaf pan inside the crockpot.
- Cover the top of the crockpot with 8-10 paper towels. This is important as it traps the moisture and condensation so the bread doesn't become 'mushy'.
- Place the lid on the crockpot, keeping the paper towels securely in place.
- Bake on high 2 1/2-3 hours.
For The Oven-Baked Version
- Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.
- Bake pumpkin bread 50-60 minutes in the oven, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
Notes
Nutrition
pictured & post updated 9/18/20
I find this a fascinating way of making cakes and breads, being a gluten free household I wonder if this will cope with a free from version. I’ll have to give this a try as I love the idea of this Pumpkin Bread.
Let me know if you do and how it turns out Rebecca!