Cozy autumn vibes in loaf form! This Pumpkin Cream Cheese Bread packs all the warm spices and tender pumpkin flavor you love-but with a dreamy cream cheese swirl baked right in. It's one bowl, easy layering, and delicious. Slice it warm with a cuppa and enjoy the swirl of fall flavors.
I am thrilled pumpkin season is upon us again. Although I live in Southern California where summertime weather lasts well into October, I can blast my AC and bake some pumpkin bread and daydream of wearing sweaters and boots in NYC or England.
Each year I always make a few of the same pumpkin treats, my pumpkin cheesecake recipe- which is made with a Biscoff Crust and my oat flour pumpkin bread.
I think pumpkin and cream cheese just go so well together so I decided to make this cream cheese swirled pumpkin bread. The beauty of this recipe is how simple and easy it is.
Make sure you use pure pumpkin puree, NOT pumpkin pie filling. Pumpkin puree is incredibly moist so for this recipe, we only need a little bit of oil and only one egg for the pumpkin bread batter.
Pumpkin, Spice & Everything Nice (Plus Cream Cheese!)
This recipe calls for pantry staples. Make sure your cream cheese is softened to room temperature so you don't end up with a lumpy cream cheese layer. You can do this quickly by placing the cream cheese (wrapped in foil or in a plastic baggy) in a bowl of warm water for 5 minutes.
You can totally make your own blend of pumpkin pie spice at home with spices you probably already have in your cupboard! Check out my recipe for homemade pumpkin pie spice.
Let's Bake This Pumpkin Swirl Loaf
Bake the bread and let cool before slicing. Next time try my cream cheese banana bread or these easy pumpkin bars with cream cheese frosting.
Try some of my other pumpkin recipes?
You can totally make your own blend of pumpkin pie spice at home with spices you probably already have in your cupboard! Check out my recipe for homemade pumpkin pie spice.
★★★★★ Please let me know if you make this recipe by leaving a star rating and comment below!
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PrintRecipe Card
Pumpkin Cream Cheese Bread
Moist, delicious, and perfectly spiced this pumpkin bread is filled with a cream cheese swirl. This easy recipe for pumpkin cream cheese bread is the perfect fall breakfast or snack.
- Total Time: 1 Hour
- Yield: 8-10 Slices 1x
Ingredients
Pumpkin Bread
- ¼ cup Vegetable Oil
- ⅓ cup Granulated Sugar
- ⅓ cup Light Brown Sugar
- 1 cup Pure Pumpkin Puree
- 1 Large Egg, at room temp.
- 2 Teaspoons Pure Vanilla Extract
- 1 ½ cups Grams All-Purpose Flour
- 2 Teaspoons Pumpkin Pie Spice
- ¾ Teaspoon Baking Powder
- ¼ Teaspoon Baking Soda
- ½ Teaspoon Salt
Cream Cheese Filling
- 4oz Cream Cheese, softened to room temp.
- ¼ cup Granulated Sugar
- 2 Tablespoons All-Purpose Flour
- 1 Teaspoon Vanilla Extract
- 1 Large Egg, at room temp.
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350F/180C and grease a 9X5 loaf pan.
- In a large bowl add the vegetable oil, brown sugar, granulated sugar, pumpkin puree, egg, and vanilla extract mix to combine.
- In a small bowl whisk together the flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, and pumpkin pie spice. Gently fold the dry ingredients until just combined. Pour ⅔rds of the batter into the prepared pan and spread into an even layer.
- In a medium bowl whisk together the cream cheese, sugar, flour, and vanilla extract. Once fully combined, whisk in the egg until fully combined. Pour on top of the pumpkin bread layer, spreading cream cheese into an even layer.
- Using a spoon and spatula place the remaining pumpkin bread batter on top trying to cover the cream cheese layer completely and evenly. Bake for approximately 40 to 50 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean with no wet batter. Let cool on a wire rack for at least 20 minutes before inverting to cool completely. Store in an air-tight container.
- Prep Time: 10 Minutes
- Cook Time: 50 Mintues
- Category: Snack
- Method: Bake
- Cuisine: American
Pat says
Dreaming of this loaf right now while I am at work..... Most certain this is what ill be making after work this evening!
Aimee Wadley says
Sooo yummy! I made this today and love it! I accidentally put in double the cream cheese but it still turned out amazing! I also added pecans, cinnamon and brown sugar as a topping ... yummm!
Elizabeth Waterson says
Pecans and cinnamon sound like a great addition, I will have to try it out Aimee! Thank you for reviewing the recipe!! XX Liz
Jessa says
Would It be okay to double the recipe to make 2 loaves? Or would I have to make one, then start all over for another?
Elizabeth Waterson says
HI Jessa, I would totally just double the recipe and try to split it as evenly as possible. Please let me know if you try it and how you get on! XX Liz
Calli says
This recipe was great! The flavor was so pronounced and the cream cheese just added to it! I love all of her baking recipes, especially her cupcake ones.
The only issue I had was when poured the batter into the pan. I recommend doing more of a half-and-half when it comes to putting the bread batter into the pan. The 1/3 I had saved at the end to put on top of the cream cheese wasn’t quite enough, so I ended up using a spoon to fold the cream cheese all throughout the bread. Otherwise, awesome recipe!
Elizabeth Waterson says
Thank you so much for the lovely review Calli. And thanks for the tip on the batter ratio!! Take care. XX Liz
Carolyn Sue Smith says
Hi !!
Just wondering you can use low fat cream cheese in this recipe?
I love anything pumpkin !
Elizabeth Waterson says
Hi Carolyn, thanks for reaching out. I don't think that should be a problem, it just won't be as rich and creamy! Just make sure it's softened to room temperature fully. Please report back and let me know if you have any further questions. XX Liz
Lillian says
this recipe was delicious!!! I think I added the cream cheese part too close to the top so the tops of the loafs kept falling off lol! but thank you so much for sharing:)
Elizabeth Waterson says
Hi Lillian, thank you so much for coming back to review the recipe, I appreciate it more than you know!! So happy to hear you enjoyed the pumpkin bread, sounds like you know for next time to put the cream cheese a little more down 🙂 Take care. XX Liz
patti says
I love this recipe. Yummy and so easy to make. Perfect way to start the fall season. 5 star!!!
Elizabeth Waterson says
Thanks so much for coming back to review the recipe Patti, I am so pleased you enjoyed the pumpkin cream cheese bread!! Take care. XX Liz
Derek Robertson says
I was so excited about this recipe but the bread didn’t rise at all. I make a lot of breads and this is the first time I’ve ever had this happen. I followed the recipe exactly but it was very dense and flat... I don’t know how anyone else had a good result.
Elizabeth Waterson says
Hi Derek, I am so sorry you had a bad result. I actually just remade this cake tonight and had no problem with it rising. I would double-check your baking soda and baking powder are fresh, if not then your cake will not rise. You also want to make sure not to overmix the cake batter and that your oven is heated to the correct temperature. A lot of oven runs hotter or colder, so if you don't have it calibrated often I suggested an oven thermometer. Please let me know if you have any further questions or if I can help with anything else. XX Liz
Tatyana says
This was a great recipe to get back into baking with. Easy to follow instructions, the ingredients were all easy to find and didn’t take that long. I didn’t use all spice or nutmeg in my bread but it was still stupid flavorful. I added chocolate chips to the top for a nice extra sweetness. I’d definitely use this recipe again!
Elizabeth Waterson says
Thanks so much for coming back to review the recipe Tatyana, the chocolate sounds like a great addition!! Take care. XX Liz
Diane says
I made these this morning and while the inside was delicious, the top of and sides were not moist, it appears dry on top. What did I do wrong?
Elizabeth Waterson says
Hi Diane, I am so sorry your bread didn't turn out just right! I would think that it could be a number of things. The number one being that the bread was overbaked. Your oven may need to be calibrated, most home ovens are off and are running cooler or hotter, you can buy a cheap oven thermometer on amazon to test your oven. Also if you used a bad pan that doesn't conduct heat well, or a glass pan retains heat so will continue cooking long after it's out of the oven. Also, overmixing the batter can create a tougher cake, which in turn could create a drier cake. Please let me know if you have any other questions or if I can help in any way!! Take care. xX Liz
Alana says
Question: do you store in or out of the fridge? Thank you!
Elizabeth Waterson says
Hi Alana, thanks for reaching out. I personally keep the bread at room temperature unless it is very hot in that case I keep it in the fridge. No matter what though I always keep it in an air-tight container. Please let me know if you have any other questions or if you try the recipe. I would love to know what you think! XX Liz
Debby says
I've made this pumpkin bread in the past and I continue to come back to it. It's amazing. My family loves it and so do I.
Elizabeth Waterson says
Hi Debby, thank you so much for coming back to review the recipe I appreciate it so much!!! So glad you have been able to have success with this recipe many times! Take care. XX Liz
Heather says
I made this bread for my husband's birthday. We just needed a low-key "cake" this year, for obvious reasons. It was perfect. Mine fell a little bit, but I'm sure it was because I didn't have very much of the pumpkin part on top and I swirled it. But it was still very yummy! Thank you!
Elizabeth Waterson says
Hi Heather, thank you so much for coming back to review the recipe I appreciate it so much!!! This is such a good idea to use as an easy birthday cake. Take care. XX Liz
Afzan says
Hello from Malaysia! I’ve tried your recipe and turned out so tasty! In Malaysia we dont have pumpkin spice or anything related to it, so I was curious to try the recipe. Easy to prepare and happy with the result.
Elizabeth Waterson says
Hi Afzan, thank you so much for coming back to review the recipe I appreciate it so much!!! And hello from Malaysia, I love how the internet can connect us from 1000 of miles apart!! Glad you were able to try and enjoy this American quick bread!! Take care. XX Liz
Jaqui G says
It never says where and when to add the baking powder. I assumed to the bread and not the cream cheese layer, but that layer ended up runny and kind of melting into the bread so maybe it was supposed to go in that layer?
Elizabeth Waterson says
Hi Jaqui, I am so sorry about the confusion. The baking powder was supposed to go in with the rest of the dry ingredients for the bread layer. The cream cheese layer is quite runny but should bake up thicker. Please let me know if I can help with anything else. XX Liz
Ann says
Made this yesterday and it is fantastic, added an orange glaze poured over the top. My cream cheese layer was very runny and sort of “melted” in with the top layer but next time I’ll try half and half when adding the batter before and after the cream cheese. Regardless, it’s great and I’ll make it again soon for Christmas gifts. Thank you for sharing.
Pat says
Just tried this today. Mine did the same thing. I used the LF cream cheese. Haven't tasted yet but it smells good! Next time I'll either double cream cheese.
Elizabeth Waterson says
Hi Pat, sorry you felt you had a thin cream cheese layer! I hope it baked up nicely and you enjoy it! Please report back how you liked it! XX Liz
Emily says
Can I sort of marble out the cream cheese mixture within the batter? Is that a safe call or should I just keep it in the middle of the bread?
By the way, that one star you got wasn’t fair. It looks like a fabulous recipe and you’re right. It probably was an old baking soda. Much love!
Elizabeth Waterson says
Hi Emily, thanks for reaching out. You can totally marble the cream cheese if you want, I just worry the cream cheese would end up not having such a pronounced flavor. Because it's so spread out and there isn't a ton of it that you would lose some of the oomph you get from the one layer of CC. But if you are not worried about that then for sure go ahead and swirl! Thank you for the vote of confidence! I hope you love the pumpkin bread, keep in mind this isn't a super sweet bread!! Please let me know if I can help with anything else! Take care. XX Liz
Rhiannon says
Yummy recipe! Made it as written and it turned out great, will definitely make again.
Elizabeth Waterson says
Hi, Rhiannon thank you so much for coming back to star rate the recipe, so happy you enjoyed it! XX Liz
Ash says
So it’s in the oven baking and I hope it turns out cause I did the double the recipe button and it didn’t seem like a lot? I don’t think your conversation thing is working if you hit times two it increases the stuff on the side for instance it changes from 8oz of pumpkin to 16ozs but the cup still says one cup both ways...and realized that after the fact so ended up having to do another set of it to make equal amounts
Elizabeth Waterson says
Hi Ash, thanks for reaching out. I am so sorry about the confusion. What happened was I used to not have the ability to switch between US and metric measurements so I wrote them in each line ingredient and the double and triple options are only fixing the first measurement, not both. Now that you can switch between US and metric I have deleted the extra measurement in the line item. So that should clear things up, thank you for bringing it to my attention. I am so sorry it caused confusion for you while baking. I hope your loafs turned out and you enjoy the bread! Please let me know how you like it and if you have any other questions. XX Liz
Claire says
This is the perfect pumpkin bread recipe. Seriously! So so good.
Kathy says
can you convert this to cups and Tbs.?
Elizabeth Waterson says
Hi Kathy, on the recipe card if you press the US and M buttons the quantities convert to cups vs grams. Please let me know if you have any questions or if you try the recipe I would love to know what you think! XX Liz
Jacquie says
Excellent bread! I was stupid and used a whole 8 oz brick of cream cheese and it STILL turned out lovely. In fact, I think I'll make it with the 8 oz next time, too! Thank you. 😀
Karen says
Love the recipe. I keep thinking the batter should not be so thick because I have trouble covering the cream cheese layer. It still came out great the first time and second loaf is in the oven now. My family loves this recipe. Thank you so much for sharing!
fabiola says
I loved this recipe. The cheesecake part was not dense and it paired nicely with the more subtle pumpkin part.
Elizabeth Waterson says
Thank you for the 5-star review, Fabiola! So pleased you enjoyed the bread! Take care. XX liz
Carol Anne says
OMG this is my favorite! I missed Fall so I made it today and ugh it was EVERYTHING!!!
Elizabeth Waterson says
Thank you for the lovely review, Carol Anne! I love baking year-round with pumpkin too!!! Take care. XX Liz
Inma Alemán says
Hola Elizabeth. Saludos desde las Islas Canarias España
Me gustaría por favor, que activarlas los subtítulos en tu canal de YouTube.
Gracias de antemano.
Jean Kane says
The bread was excellent, thanks for the recipe. I’d like to make it in a tube cake pan. Would I need to double the recipe ? What would the baking time be ? Thank you !
Elizabeth Waterson says
Yay so glad you enjoyed it, Jean! I would double the recipe and expect it to bake between 40-60 minutes but I have never actually done this so I am not quite sure, I'm sorry! Pleae do report back how you get on and how long it takes 🙂 Take care. XX Liz
Khadija Suliman says
It’s my first time having pumpkin bread and it’s safe to say it won’t be my last I’m excited to make this for the rest of my family when they all come
Elizabeth Waterson says
Thank you for the lovely review Khadija so happy you enjoyed it! Next time try my Nutella Pumpkin Bread recipe! Take care. XX Liz
doug campbell says
This one is below average and pretty amateurish, if I'm honest. It was sort of dry, it needed more oil, another egg, and probably the entire can of pumpkin. The cream cheese filling was so thin it wasn't worth the work.
Next time I will double the cream cheese filling, double the oil, add the entire can of pumpkin, drop the baking powder, and use 1 tsp soda, a 1/4 cup OJ, no vanilla extract in the pumpkin batter and zest of one orange in its place.
Klare says
Made this with homemade roasted pumpkin and bread was devoured within 24hrs by just three people. So delicious! Made again the next day and added raisins and topped with raw pumpkin seeds. Delicious! Thank you for sharing this wonderful recipe.
Elizabeth Waterson says
Thank you so much for the 5-star review Klare, those additions sound great!! Take care. XX Liz
Robin says
I made this into muffins. This is my daughter’s favorite!
Elizabeth Waterson says
Thank you so much for the 5-star review Robin, I need to try these as muffins too!! Take care. XX Liz
Kelli U. says
Robin!!! THANK YOU!!! I was wondering if it could be made into muffins!!! Did you need to change anything??? Temp, minutes baking, anything in the ingredient list??? Please let us know!! And again, THANK YOU!!!!
Katherine says
This turned out perfectly! I used a Bundt pan and followed the recipe exactly, but I did listen to other people's comments and added a couple extra ounces of cream cheese and put the layer in the centre instead of 2/3 up. A new fall tradition!
Elizabeth Waterson says
Hi Katherine, thank you for the 5-star review. So glad you loved the recipe and had success in a bundt pan! Happy Thanksgiving. XX Liz
Maricela says
Since this has cream cheese how do you store it?
Elizabeth Waterson says
I would keep it in a cool environment, since I live in Southern California it can be quite warm so I store it in the fridge. Good luck. XX Liz
Melissa says
Doesn’t taste like pumpkin. Disappointing.
Elizabeth Waterson says
Hi Melissa, sorry to hear you did not like the pumpkin bread. You could always increase the pumpkin spice to get a deeper flavor! Thanks. X Liz
Sheila P says
Hi I would love to make this but is there anything to substitute for vegetable oil? That..and canola is so very bad for your health. Any suggestions?
Thank you!
Elizabeth Waterson says
I use avocado oil most of the time now for the past few years! Hopefully that helps! Happy Baking XX Liz
Anonymous says
Kelli U. says
Can this be made into muffins?? I teach a cooking class and I have limited time.
Elizabeth Waterson says
Hi Kelli, I am sorry I have never made them in muffins. The bread is quite thick so it might not be the best for muffins! My pumpkin banana muffins are delicious though! Let me know if I can help with anything else! XX Liz
Lola says
Can I halve the recipe and bake it in a mini loaf pan?
Elizabeth Waterson says
Hi Lola, I haven't ever done this but I would think you should be able to just fine. I would *guess* if you are using mini loaf pans this size 5 ¾" x 3 ¼" x 2" I would start checking the cakes are done at 25 minutes but it may take closer to 35 I am not quite sure!! Let me know if you try it! XX Liz
Jen says
Cooking it right now. i couldn't get the cream cheese covered. hoping that it will still cook okay.
Kim says
This recipe sounded good, but I ended up being frustrated with it.
I only intended to make one loaf, but I thought I had misjudged how much pumpkin batter to put on the bottom, and I didn't have enough batter to cover the top, so I had to swirl it around a lot. The bread came out okay, but there was no cream cheese ribbon.
So, I immediately made a second loaf, and put just a very thin layer of batter on the bottom. But, there STILL wasn't enough batter to cover the top. Then, I realized it was because the cream cheese layer is so runny and thin, that the heavier pumpkin batter sinks down into the cream cheese layer and there is no way to spread it evenly over the top. It is essentially immersed in the cream cheese mixture. So, I still had to swirl a bit. I think the suggestions to use the whole brick of cream cheese might work - the cream cheese layer needs to be stiffer so it can support the last layer.
Also, it needs that extra cream cheese flavor!
The bread smelled nice baking, and the pumpkin bread base is well-spiced and moist.
It just needs more cream cheese!
Marlo says
Hi, I've been making this bread for years with your recipe. I've even had friends request I make them a loaf to have all to themselves! It never fails.
Thank you!!
Elizabeth Waterson says
Thank you so much Marlo!! So glad you enjoy this bread!!! Happy Baking Season!! XX Liz