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Air Fryer Pumpkin Bread

Name: Air Fryer Pumpkin Bread
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 32 min
Total time: 72 min
Ingredients: 1½ cups all-purpose flour (180 g); 1 cup granulated sugar (200 g); ½ teaspoon baking soda; ½ teaspoon baking powder; ½ teaspoon salt; 1½ teaspoons pumpkin pie spice; 1 cup pumpkin puree (245 g canned pumpkin puree, not pumpkin pie filling); 2 large eggs (room temperature); ½ cup vegetable oil (120 ml); 1 teaspoon vanilla extract; 1 cup powdered sugar (120 g); 2 tablespoons milk (plus more as needed); ¼ teaspoon vanilla extract; Ground cinnamon or pumpkin pie spice (for dusting (optional))

Author: Laurie Fleming
Published: November 2, 2017

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Air fryer pumpkin bread is the fastest way I know to get a warm, spiced quick bread on the table without heating up the whole kitchen. It bakes in mini loaf pans in about thirty minutes, the crumb comes out tender and genuinely moist, and a two-ingredient vanilla glaze turns it into something people ask you for the recipe for.

Sliced air fryer pumpkin bread on a wire rack with vanilla glaze drizzled over the top

I have made this loaf more times than I can count, and the version below is the one I keep coming back to. It uses one bowl. It uses canned pumpkin, not pumpkin pie filling. And it tells you exactly how to know when it is done, because a fifteen-minute cooking window in an air fryer is not an instruction — it is a guess.

If you have never baked in an air fryer before, this is a good place to start. The circulating hot air does the same job an oven does, just in a smaller space and in about a third less time.

Why You’ll Love This Recipe

No oven required. Perfect for warm afternoons in early fall when you want pumpkin but not a 350°F kitchen.
One bowl, one whisk. Wet ingredients, dry ingredients, stir, pour. That is the whole process.
Genuinely moist. Canned pumpkin holds moisture in the crumb for days. This loaf is better on day two than it is on day one.
Small batch. Two mini loaves means one for now and one to wrap up and give away, or to freeze.
Freezer friendly. Wrapped well, these keep for three months and thaw on the counter in an afternoon.

Ingredients Needed for Air Fryer Pumpkin Bread

Exact measurements are in the printable recipe card at the bottom of this post.

Ingredients for pumpkin bread laid out including canned pumpkin puree, flour, sugar, eggs, oil and pumpkin pie spice

All-purpose flour — the structure of the loaf. Spoon it into your measuring cup and level it off. Scooping directly from the bag packs in as much as 20% extra flour and gives you a dry, dense bread.
Granulated sugar — sweetens and, just as importantly, keeps the crumb tender by interfering with gluten development.
Baking soda and baking powder — the lift. Soda reacts with the acidity in the pumpkin; powder gives an extra push. You need both.
Salt — without it the pumpkin and spice taste flat.
Pumpkin pie spice — or make your own with cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, and cloves. Freshly ground spice is noticeably more aromatic than a jar that has been open since last October.
Canned pumpkin puree — this is pumpkin puree, not pumpkin pie filling. Pie filling is already sweetened and spiced, and using it will give you a cloying, oddly seasoned loaf.
Large eggs — binding and structure. Room temperature eggs emulsify better with the oil and give you a smoother batter.
Vegetable oil — oil, not butter. Oil stays liquid at room temperature, which is precisely why oil-based quick breads stay moist for days while butter-based ones firm up overnight.
Vanilla extract — rounds out the spice.
Powdered sugar and milk — for the glaze. These are not part of the batter. Keep them separate until the loaves have cooled.

How To Make Pumpkin Bread in the Air Fryer

Pumpkin puree, eggs and oil added to the dry ingredients before stirring

Step One: Preheat. Set your air fryer to 320°F and let it run for 3 minutes. Yes, preheat. Putting batter into a cold basket means the outside sets slowly while the center stays raw, and that is the single most common reason air fryer quick breads fail.

Step Two: Prepare your pans. Grease two 5¾ x 3-inch mini loaf pans with non-stick spray or a light coating of oil. Make sure they fit inside your basket with at least an inch of clearance on all sides before you fill them.

Orange pumpkin bread batter mixed just until combined with a rubber spatula

Step Three: Whisk the dry ingredients. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, baking soda, baking powder, salt, and pumpkin pie spice until no streaks remain.

Step Four: Add the wet ingredients. Add the pumpkin puree, eggs, oil, and vanilla directly to the dry ingredients. Stir with a spatula just until the flour disappears. Stop there. Overmixing develops gluten and gives you a tough, dense loaf.

Two mini loaf pans of pumpkin bread batter placed inside an air fryer basket

Step Five: Fill the pans. Divide the batter evenly between the two prepared pans. Fill each about two-thirds of the way — no higher, or the batter will rise into the heating element. Smooth the tops with the back of a spoon.

Step Six: Bake. Place the pans in the air fryer basket and cook at 320°F for 28 to 35 minutes. Start checking at 25 minutes.

Step Seven: Test for doneness. Insert a toothpick into the deepest part of the center of the loaf. It should come out clean, or with a few dry crumbs clinging to it. If it comes out wet, or tinted orange, the center is still raw — air fry for another 3 minutes and test again. You can also press the top lightly; a finished loaf springs back.

Toothpick inserted into the center of a baked pumpkin loaf to test for doneness

Step Eight: Cool completely. Let the loaves rest in the pans for 10 minutes, then turn them out onto a wire rack. They must be fully cool before you glaze, or the glaze will melt straight through and soak in.

Step Nine: Glaze. Whisk the powdered sugar, milk, and vanilla together until smooth and pourable. Drizzle over the cooled loaves and finish with a dusting of cinnamon or pumpkin pie spice.

Vanilla glaze whisked to a smooth pourable consistency in a small bowl

How Long To Cook Pumpkin Bread in an Air Fryer

Twenty-eight to thirty-five minutes at 320°F in mini loaf pans.

That range exists because air fryers vary enormously in wattage and basket size. A 1700-watt basket model runs hotter than a 1500-watt oven-style unit even at the same set temperature. The first time you make this recipe, treat it as a test batch and start checking at 25 minutes.

Do not attempt this in a single full-size loaf pan. It is the most common mistake with air fryer quick breads. The batter is too deep, the outside browns and sets long before the center cooks, and you end up with a beautiful crust wrapped around raw batter. Mini loaf pans are not a suggestion here.

If the tops are browning faster than the centers are cooking, tent them loosely with a small piece of foil for the remaining time.

Pro Tips

Room-temperature eggs and pumpkin blend more smoothly into the oil and give you a more even crumb. Set them on the counter 20 minutes ahead.
Weigh your flour if you can. 1½ cups is 180 grams. This one change fixes more quick bread problems than anything else.
Do not skip the cooling step. Warm pumpkin bread crumbles when you slice it. The structure sets as it cools.
Check your pan clearance first. Air needs to circulate around the pans, not just above them.
Skip the foil liner. Lining the basket floor with foil blocks the airflow the entire cooking method depends on.

Close up of the moist tender crumb inside a slice of air fryer pumpkin bread

Variations

Pumpkin nut bread. Fold ½ cup of chopped pecans or walnuts into the batter at the very end. If you want a version built around the nuts from the start, my Air Fryer Pumpkin Nut Bread is the one to make.
Chocolate chip pumpkin bread. ½ cup of mini semi-sweet chips, folded in last. Mini chips distribute better than standard ones and are less likely to sink.
Gluten-free. Swap in a 1:1 gluten-free all-purpose blend measure for measure. The texture will be slightly more tender and slightly more crumbly. Time and temperature stay the same.
Whole wheat. Replace up to half the all-purpose flour with whole wheat pastry flour. Any more and the loaf turns heavy.
Baked in jars. Half-pint mason jars work beautifully and make a lovely gift — the method is the same one I use for Air Fryer Mason Jar Banana Bread.
Single serving. When you want one slice and not two loaves, the mug cake approach from my Air Fryer Banana Bread Mug Cake adapts easily — swap the mashed banana for ¼ cup pumpkin puree and add ½ teaspoon of pumpkin pie spice.

Storing, Freezing, and Reheating

Room temperature: Once completely cool, wrap the loaves in plastic wrap or store in an airtight container. They keep for 3 days on the counter and stay noticeably moist.
Refrigerator: Up to 1 week, well wrapped. Cold pumpkin bread firms up — bring slices back to room temperature or warm them briefly before serving.
Freezer: Cool completely, skip the glaze, wrap each loaf tightly in plastic wrap and then a layer of foil, and place in a freezer bag. Frozen, they keep for 3 months.
To thaw: Unwrap and leave on the counter for 2 to 3 hours, or overnight in the refrigerator. Glaze after thawing.
To reheat: Air fry individual slices at 300°F for 2 to 3 minutes, or microwave for 10 to 15 seconds.

Slice of glazed pumpkin bread on a plate beside a cup of coffee

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I use pumpkin pie filling instead of pumpkin puree? No. Pumpkin pie filling is already sweetened and heavily spiced. Using it will make the bread overwhelmingly sweet and throw off the moisture balance. The label you want says 100% pure pumpkin or pumpkin puree.

Can I use fresh pumpkin instead of canned? Yes, but you must drain it. Roast and puree sugar pumpkin, then strain the puree through a cheesecloth or fine-mesh sieve for at least 30 minutes. Fresh pumpkin carries far more water than canned, and skipping this step gives you a gummy loaf.

Do I need to preheat my air fryer? Yes. Three minutes at 320°F. Baked goods rely on immediate heat to set their structure and begin rising. Starting cold gives you a flat, dense loaf.

Why is my pumpkin bread raw in the middle? Almost always the pan. A full-size loaf pan is too deep for air fryer baking — the exterior sets before heat reaches the center. Use mini loaf pans and fill them no more than two-thirds full. A too-high temperature will do the same thing, so if you have been running at 350°F or above, drop down to 320°F.

Can I make this without eggs? Yes. Replace each egg with 1 tablespoon of ground flaxseed whisked into 3 tablespoons of water, rested for 5 minutes. The loaf will be a touch denser but still moist.

How do I know when it’s done without a toothpick? Press the center of the loaf gently with a fingertip. If it springs back, it is finished. If it holds the dent, give it another 3 minutes. A thin butter knife works as a substitute for a toothpick.

Can I double the recipe? Yes, but bake in batches. Crowding the basket blocks airflow and the loaves will cook unevenly. Air fry two pans at a time.

More Air Fryer Quick Breads to Try

Once you have baked one quick bread in the air fryer, the rest follow the same rhythm. My Air Fryer Banana Bread is the recipe most people make second, and if you like a little crunch, the Air Fryer Banana Nut Bread is worth your overripe bananas. For something a little different, the Air Fryer Banana Bread Cookies take four ingredients and six minutes.

Still in a pumpkin mood? The Air Fryer Pumpkin Raisin Scones are the breakfast I make on the first genuinely cold morning of the year, and the Air Fryer Copycat Starbucks Pumpkin Scones will save you a trip and a considerable amount of money.

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Comments

Pete Loveys

September 21, 2023
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Good afternoon, I stead of canned pumpkin, (not always available here in England), how much real pumpkin should be used.

Pete

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