Just when you thought your fall dessert table couldn’t get any better, this moist pumpkin streusel bread steals the show! With a moist pumpkin bread base, crunchy streusel topping, and sweet glaze, one slice will certainly not be enough!

Best Pumpkin Streusel Bread Recipe
Pumpkin lovers, pay attention because this soft and fluffy pumpkin streusel bread is hands down one of the best pumpkin recipes for your dessert table this fall!
This easy recipe takes my delicious pumpkin bread and tops it with a sweet and crunchy streusel topping to create an unforgettable explosion of fall flavors. It is undoubtedly one of the best spiced pumpkin bread recipes you will try.
My recipe takes just one hour to prepare and uses simple ingredients and equipment you likely have at home. It is also very beginner-friendly, so you will impress your guests even if you are a first-time baker.
Unlike other pumpkin streusel bread recipes, I use oil instead of butter in the batter, which gives it the moistest, melt-in-your-mouth texture even days after you make it. The delicious homemade glaze gives it the perfect finishing touch!
Katalin's Take On The Pumpkin Puree
Pumpkin puree is the heart of pumpkin streusel bread. However, depending on the type of puree you use and how much water it contains, the taste and texture of your bread can yield significantly different results. In this recipe, I use half a can of Libby’s pumpkin puree (approximately one cup), but my homemade pumpkin puree works just as well.
Although other brands are acceptable, they can sometimes be too watery. That said, you should first pour the puree through cheesecloth or gently cook it over medium heat for 4-5 minutes to remove any excess water BEFORE measuring it for the recipe. Trust me, you will thank me later! Reducing the water in the pumpkin puree significantly intensifies the taste and moistness of your streusel-topped pumpkin bread.
Make sure to use 100% pumpkin puree instead of pumpkin pie filling, as pumpkin pie filling contains extra sugar and spices that can affect the recipe's outcome!
Make the Streusel Topping
To make the streusel topping for pumpkin bread, you must first bring your butter to room temperature. I recommend removing it from the fridge and cutting it into small chunks at least an hour beforehand. Always use unsalted butter to avoid adding more salt to the recipe.
Once the butter is at room temperature, whisk together the all purpose flour, granulated sugar, brown sugar, and salt.
Next, add your room-temperature butter chunks. Use a spatula or wooden spoon to mix everything, just enough to coat the dry ingredients with the butter. Press the mixture together with your fingers to adjust the size of the crumbles to your liking.
Refrigerate the streusel while you prepare the pumpkin cake batter.
Make The Pumpkin Bread Batter
Before starting, preheat your oven to 175 C / 350 F and prepare your loaf pan by brushing the inside of the pan with a tiny bit of oil, then place parchment paper inside. I use a 9x5 inch (22x12 cm) pan in this recipe.
Add the vegetable oil, room-temperature eggs, and white and brown sugar in a large mixing bowl. Use your electric hand mixer to whip the ingredients until fluffy, then fold in the pumpkin puree.
Next, sift in your dry ingredients: the all-purpose flour, baking soda, baking powder, pumpkin spice (store-bought or homemade), and salt. Fold the dry and wet ingredients together using a rubber spatula. Please do not use a mixer, as it could overwork the batter.
Pour the pumpkin batter into the loaf tin, then gently yet tightly press the streusel crumble onto the top of the batter.
Now it´s Time to Bake
Place the tin in the preheated oven and bake the bread at 175 C / 350 F for approximately 45-50 minutes or until it passes the toothpick test (when you insert the toothpick in the middle of the cake, it comes out clean).
Let the baked pumpkin streusel bread rest for a few minutes in the tin, then carefully flip it onto a cooling rack to come to room temperature.
After you let the pumpkin bread cool completely, dust it with powdered sugar and serve. To make a delicious glaze to finish it off, mix the powdered sugar with 1-2 tablespoons of milk or cream and drizzle it over the top!
Storing & Freezing
Leftovers are highly unlikely, but if you have them, you can store them in an airtight container at room temperature for 2-3 days.
To freeze, first, make sure the bread has cooled completely to room temperature. Then, wrap the bread in plastic food wrap followed by aluminum foil (which prevents freezer burn) and freeze for 1-2 months.
Flavor Variations
One of the best things about this streusel-topped pumpkin bread is that you can easily customize it with different flavors and decorations. Here are a few ways you can kick up the flavor of your bread:
Pumpkin Bread Variations:
In addition to the pumpkin pie spice, add some grated orange zest or a bit of vanilla extract to the batter to take the warm flavor to the next level.
Mix chocolate chips or finely chopped nuts such as pecans or walnuts into the batter, which perfectly complements the fall pumpkin flavor.
Instead of a streusel topping, you can top your bread with cream cheese as I do in my pumpkin bread with cream cheese recipe. To add a maple syrup flavor, top it with my maple glaze. My chocolate glaze or homemade pecan butter are also delicious ways to put a finishing touch on your pumpkin bread.
Streusel Variations:
Warm up the flavor of your streusel by adding a pinch of cinnamon, ginger, or cardamom to the flour.
Add finely chopped nuts to the streusel to give it a nutty flavor and crunch.
Stir in finely chopped dried cranberries, apples, or pears to give your streusel a fruity flavor that pairs perfectly with the pumpkin flavor. You can also use dried orange peel.
For a caramel flavor, you can make a brown sugar streusel by using only dark brown or light brown sugar. Or, instead of a brown sugar crumb, you can use all white sugar or flavored sugar such as coconut or vanilla sugar.
Ingredient Substitutions
When making ingredient substitutions, adjustments to the other ingredients may be necessary to maintain a similar flavor and texture balance. However, remember that the final result will not be exactly the same:
Pumpkin Bread Substitutions:
To make gluten free bread, you can try one of the alternatives listed in my flour guide.
You can use one of these common egg substitutes to make your bread egg-free.
This recipe uses a no butter pumpkin bread base to ensure it stays soft and moist. Instead of vegetable oil, you can use another neutral, flavorless oil, such as canola or sunflower oil.
Streusel Substitutions:
You can make the streusel without flour by using quick oats. For the best results, pulse them a few times in the food processor first.
If you prefer not to use butter for the pumpkin bread streusel, try one of these butter substitutes.
Expert Tips For Making Pumpkin Streusel Bread
- Use high-fat, unsalted butter for the best flavor. I like to use butter with 82% fat in my recipes.
- The butter, eggs, and pumpkin puree must all be at room temperature to emulsify correctly. To quickly bring eggs to room temperature, place them in a bowl of warm water for approximately five minutes. See my guide on softening butter quickly for tips on doing so without using a microwave.
- Do not skip the salt in the pumpkin cake batter or streusel. Salt is a must, as it balances the sweetness and enhances the flavors!
- Since baking times can vary by oven, use the toothpick test to judge for doneness versus baking time. Overbaking can lead to a dry, crumbly bread.
- You can absolutely turn this pumpkin bread into different shapes eg. using a muffin pan or a round cake pan.
What Equipment To Use
Always use a digital scale for the most precise and consistent ingredient measurements. Likewise, use a digital oven thermometer to ensure your oven is at the correct temperature.
Mix the wet ingredients with an electric hand mixer. Fold in the dry ingredients using only a rubber spatula to avoid overmixing the batter.
This recipe uses a 9x5-inch (22x12 cm) loaf pan for baking. A cooling rack is necessary to cool the bread quickly and thoroughly without a soggy bottom.
Try Some Of My Other Pumpkin Recipes
If you enjoyed this easy pumpkin bread recipe with streusel topping, you will want to try some of my other fall recipes:
- Pumpkin Cream Cheese Pie
- Pumpkin Banana Muffins
- Pumpkin Blondies
- Mini Pumpkin Bundt Cakes
- Butterscotch Pumpkin Bundt Cake
- Baked Pumpkin Spice Donuts
Check out my roundup of the Top 35 Best Pumpkin Desserts for even more delicious pumpkin-flavored desserts!
Have You Tried This Recipe?
Please leave a 5-star ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ rating on the recipe card and consider leaving a comment as well!
Pumpkin Streusel Bread
Equipment
- Digital scale
Ingredients
Pumpkin Bread
- 240 g (2 cups) All purpose flour
- ½ teaspoon Baking powder
- 1 teaspoon Baking soda
- ½ teaspoon Salt
- 2 teaspoon Pumpkin spice store-bought or make your own pumpkin spice
- 100 g (½ cups) Granulated sugar
- 100 g (½ cups) Brown sugar
- 3 Eggs at room temperature
- 180 g (¾ cups) Vegetable oil
- 230 g (1 cups) Pumpkin puree Libby´s or make this homemade pumpkin puree
Streusel topping
- 150 g All purpose flour
- 100 g Granulated sugar
- 50 g Brown sugar
- 110 g Unsalted butter
- Pinch of salt at room temperature
Glaze - optional
- 60 g (½ cups) Powdered sugar
- 1-2 tablespoons Milk or. Cream
US customary cup measurement is an indicative figure only. Measure the ingredients with a digital scale by weight (gram). Baking is art but also science which requires precision and accuracy.
Instructions
Start with the streusel topping
- Cut butter into small chunks and let it come to room temperature.
- Whisk together flour, salt, granulated sugar, and brown sugar, then add the room-temperature butter chunks to the mixture and mix with a spatula or wooden spoon just until the dry ingredients are coated with the butter.
- Make sand-like crumbs or larger crumbs by simply pressing the mixture together with your fingers. Place the crumble in the fridge while preparing the cake batter.
Pumpkin Bread
- In a large bowl, with the help of an electric hand mixer, whip the oil, room temperature eggs, two different kinds of sugar for a few minutes until fluffy, then fold in the pumpkin puree.
- Sift dry ingredients (flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, spices) into the wet ingredients and fold in by hand (using a rubber spatula). Do not use a mixer at this point.
- Once the bread is baked, let it rest for a few minutes in the tin, then carefully flip it over to a cooling rack and let it come to room temperature.
- Dust with powdered sugar and serve it fresh. Or, try a simple decoration by mixing powdered sugar with 1-2 tablespoons of milk and drizzling it over the pumpkin bread.
- Any leftovers can be stored at room temperature for 2-3 days.
Notes
- All ingredients must be at room temperature for the pumpkin bread to properly emulsify: eggs, pumpkin puree, etc.
- Ensure your pumpkin puree is not watery for the best taste and texture. Cook it for a few minutes if necessary, so some water evaporates. Or, run it through a cheesecloth. Alternatively, your own pumpkin puree using this homemade pumpkin puree recipe.
- For the crumb topping, do not skip the salt; it will balance the flavor. Use good quality 82% unsalted butter. Feel free to add nuts or oats to this mixture in place of some of the flour.
- A digital scale is required for a consistent, happy baking experience.
- Do not overwork the cake batter. After the wet ingredients are whipped up, switch to a rubber spatula to incorporate the dry ingredients.
- Use parchment paper in your loaf tin so the pumpkin bread can easily be removed after baking. Or, grease the loaf pan thoroughly.
- Always pre-heat your oven and consider using a digital oven thermometer for the best results.
- Baking this pumpkin bread takes 45 minutes in my oven; however, I focus on the texture, not the time. Apply the toothpick check (it should come out clean) to avoid raw cake.
- For the crumb, some recipes recommend using melted butter or cold butter. With cold butter, you would have to work the mixture a bit longer, as the butter slightly needs to be warmed up to coat the dry ingredients, but eventually, the same result can be achieved. With melted butter, you would have to chill the mixture for the butter to somewhat set and being able to form the crumbs. Therefore, I suggest working with room-temperature butter, which is just perfect for creating the crumbs.
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