Pumpkin Bread With Cranberries and Walnuts

Pumpkin bread or cranberry walnut bread? How about the best of both worlds with this pumpkin bread with cranberries and walnuts? Moist and tender, and not too sweet, it’s the perfect accompaniment to a cup of coffee or tea.

This pumpkin bread recipe comes together in just a minute. But first a story about our “pumpkin tree”. (If you don’t want to read the story, you can just scroll to see the photos or “jump to recipe”.)

The Pumpkin Tree

I am pretty proud of my vegetable garden, so when our neighbors, Kishwar and Saeed moved in next door in 2004, I was quick to offer advice to Kishwar on planting a garden in their backyard.
She planted herbs, zucchini, tomatoes, and a “Cinderella” pumpkin, sharing some of the seeds with me, which I planted in my garden.

(This post was originally published on October 10th, 2011 and has been updated to contain nutritional information. As an Amazon Affiliate, I earn a small commission on qualifying purchases.)

That summer, Kishwar went on vacation for 8 weeks with the kids and left her garden to chance, with me peeking over the back fence to make sure that Saeed was watering and harvesting the bounty as instructed. Kishwar’s pumpkins were doing fabulously, with neglect, mine on the other hand, hadn’t even sprouted!

About mid-summer, I noticed that our apricot tree was sprouting some awfully large leaves. Then I noticed a couple of small, green pumpkins growing off the vine.

I ignored them, thinking that the weight of the pumpkins would eventually make them fall off. But slowly, they began to intertwine themselves into the apricot tree, growing bigger and bigger. Part of their pumpkin vine had crept over the fence and had taken over our tree. I watched with marvel, as those beautiful pumpkins grew.

And because they were suspended from the tree, and not touching the ground, every side was flawless.

Cinderella Pumpkins

A Cinderella pumpkin is especially beautiful because it is a flattened oblong, dark orangey-red, with deep striations. It pained me to cut those two pumpkins down to display in front of the house in October and November, and it took all my strength to put them into hiding during the holidays. I kept mine in the garage, and I think Kishwar and I finally tossed them sometime in February.

We’ve never gotten another pumpkin tree, even though I’ve actually tried, by planting seeds under the tree.

What can you make with leftover pumpkin puree?

This pumpkin bread recipe is my go-to in the fall. It is amazingly moist and tender, and the addition of cranberries and walnuts brings both crunch and texture. It’s also perfect if you have leftover puree. Need more ideas? Try these Pumpkin Doughnuts, Pumpkin Ravioli or Pumpkin Pancakes.

Serve it for breakfast or just an afternoon snack. Every time I make it, I forget how incredibly delicious it is, and I vow to make it year-round!

This Pumpkin Cranberry-Walnut Bread is a big hit at our home in the fall.

Some of the items used in this post are available at my Amazon Affiliate Store.’

Pumpkin-Cranberry-Walnut Bread

Cynthia

Pumpkin bread with cranberries and walnuts is perfect with a cup of coffee or tea.

5 from 51 votes

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Prep Time 10 minutes mins

Cook Time 50 minutes mins

Total Time 1 hour hr

Course Dessert

Cuisine American

Servings 12 servings

Calories 215 kcal

Ingredients

  

1x2x3x

• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour (gluten free flour may be subsituted)
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
• 3/4 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 1/4 cup light brown sugar packed
• 1 cup canned pumpkin
• 1/2 cup buttermilk
• 2 tablespoons coconut oil
• 2 large eggs
• 1/2 cup dried cranberries
• 1/2 cup chopped walnuts

Instructions

 

• Mix all the dry ingredients together in a bowl, (flour though cloves) stir to blend.
• Mix next 6 ingredients together, (white sugar through eggs) together in a mixer until well blended.
• Add dry ingredients to the wet ingredients. Stir just until mixed.
• Mix in cranberries and walnuts.
• Fill 12 (or more) greased muffin cups or one greased 10" loaf pan and bake at 375* for 25 minutes for muffins or about 45-50 minutes for loaf pan, or until a toothpick comes out clean.

Notes

This bread can be frozen for up to 3 months. Wrap well.

Pecans can be substituted for pecans.

Recipe can be doubled.

Nutrition

Serving: 1gCalories: 215kcalCarbohydrates: 36gProtein: 4gFat: 7gSaturated Fat: 3gCholesterol: 28mgSodium: 164mgPotassium: 127mgFiber: 2gSugar: 22gVitamin A: 3234IUVitamin C: 1mgCalcium: 40mgIron: 1mg

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