Pumpkin Cream Cheese Bread

Name: Pumpkin Cream Cheese Bread
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 75 min
Total time: 90 min
Ingredients: 1 1/2 cup pumpkin puree; 1/2 cup unsalted butter (melted); 1/3 cup brown sugar; 1/3 cup granulated sugar; 1 tsp vanilla extract; 2 large eggs; 1 1/2 cup all purpose flour; 1 tsp baking soda; 1/2 tsp baking powder; 2 tsp ground cinnamon; 1/2 tsp ground nutmeg; 1/2 tsp salt; 4 oz cream cheese (softened); 1/4 cup granulated sugar; 1 large egg; 1 tsp vanilla extract; 3 tbsp all purpose flour

Jump to Recipe

Moist, soft and flavorful Pumpkin Bread with Cream Cheese Swirl is a must-bake this Fall! Loaded with rich pumpkin and cinnamon flavors, and a cheesecake swirl filling baked into the middle, this is truly the best pumpkin bread out there!

Pumpkin Cream Cheese Bread is a simple and straight-forward recipe that will satisfy all your Fall pumpkin cravings. It has the added benefit of making your home smell amazing while it bakes in the oven!

A loaf of pumpkin bread with cream cheese swirls sliced into a few pieces

Love pumpkins? Don’t forget to also check out my pumpkin banana muffins, pumpkin banana bread, and easy pumpkin pie recipes!

Table of Contents

Pumpkin Bread with Cream Cheese

I cannot say enough good things about this Pumpkin Cream Cheese Bread recipe. Truly, it is moist, soft, and loaded with rich pumpkin flavors.

The cream cheese swirls are folded into the pumpkin bread, bringing a creamy cheesecake texture and flavor to it. It compliments that warm pumpkin flavors so very well.

I’m telling you, even my non-pumpkin eaters actually enjoy this pumpkin cream cheese bread.

Here’s what you need to know about our pumpkin cream cheese bread recipe:

Easy 15 minutes active time – and then the oven does the hard work! And if you are intimidated by the swirls, don’t be! You are basically just layering your pumpkin bread with cream cheese mixture, and it automatically creates the pretty design/swirls! That’s it!
Straight-forward short list of ingredients
No mixer needed – you can use a hand or electric mixer if you have it but everything comes together really easier with a spatula! How great is that!
Not bland or dry at all – we’ve all had bland and dry pumpkin baked goods which has tainted the great name of pumpkin, but this is the complete opposite…it is actually moist AND flavorful!
Makes great gifts for Fall – bake this for friends and family and they will love you for it!

I hope you are ready to not only fall in love with this pumpkin cream cheese bread, but pumpkin bakes in general!

Slices of pumpkin cream cheese bread on a rectangular plate

Ingredients

To make pumpkin bread with cream cheese, you will need a 9’x5′ bread loaf pan (linking my absolute favorite one!), then gather up these ingredients!

For the bread

pumpkin puree – I use Libby’s canned pumpkin puree – I find that they yield the most tasty pumpkin baked goods. Note that canned ‘pumpkin pie filling’ is different from pumpkin puree. Homemade pumpkin puree works as well.
unsalted butter – melted. This really bring a lot of moisture and flavor to the pumpkin bread. I’ve tried using vegetable oil, and while it tasted fine, it’s really not as good
brown sugar – you can substitute this with granulated sugar but I like the caramelized flavor you get from brown sugar.
granulated sugar
eggs
vanilla extract – pure vanilla extract brings the best flavor!
all-purpose flour
baking soda – used as a rising agent for the bread
baking powder – rising agent for the bread
ground cinnamon – compliments the pumpkin flavor well and brings on the Fall flavors
ground nutmeg
salt – just a small pinch to open up the flavors

For cream cheese swirl filling

cream cheese – make sure cream cheese is softened completely before use.
granulated sugar
all-purpose flour
egg
vanilla extract

A loaf and a few slices of pumpkin bread with swirls of cream cheese inside

How to make Pumpkin Cream Cheese Bread

Let me show you how easy it is to make this pumpkin bread with that lovely swirl on the inside. You won’t believe how straight-forward and simple this is.

Step 1: Make pumpkin bread batter

To make the batter for the pumpkin bread, bring together all the wet ingredients – pumpkin puree, vanilla extract, melted unsalted butter, brown sugar, sugar, and eggs.

Use a spatula or whisk to mix everything together. Since the batter is pretty wet and comes together easily, you really don’t need a mixer to do this.

In a separate bowl, combine the dry ingredients – flour, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt. Add the dry ingredients into the pumpkin batter.

Mixing flour into pumpkin mixture in a large mixing bowl

Step 2: Make Cream Cheese Swirl Filling

Next we will combine cream cheese mixture in a small mixing bowl to make the swirl filling.

You’ll want to make sure cream cheese is completely soften first, then bring it together along with sugar, vanilla extract, egg and flour.

Use a whisk to whisk everything up. The mixture should be pretty liquid-y.

Step 3: Assemble

Once the pumpkin mixture and cream cheese mixture are ready, we will bring everything together to make our pumpkin bread with cream cheese swirls!

The assembly process is super simple. We are simply layering the two mixtures in the bread pan.

Here are the layers:

~2/3 pumpkin mixture at the bottom
Cream cheese mixture in the middle
~1/3 of pumpkin mixture at the top

Layering pumpkin mixture into a bread pan, followed by cream cheese filling, and then topping it off with another layer of pumpkin mixture

The layers do not have to be perfect. The top pumpkin layer doesn’t have to completely cover the cream cheese mixture it is sitting on.

When pumpkin cream cheese bread bakes and rises, it will by itself form the prettiest cream cheese swirl in the middle of the pumpkin bread.

Step 4: Bake and Cool

Bake pumpkin cream cheese bread in the oven for 1 hour 15 minutes at 350℉. I typically check for doneness at the 1 hour 10 minute mark by inserting a toothpick into the middle of the bread. If toothpick comes out clean, it is done.

Remove pumpkin cheesecake bread from oven and let it sit in the bread pan for ~5-10 minutes, before removing it and letting it cool on a cooling rack.

You’ll want to practice all the patience and wait for the bread to cool for at least 15 minutes before cutting into it. This will the bread will cool and cut not fall apart when cut into.

A loaf of pumpkin cream cheese bread fresh off the oven

What I love most about this delicious pumpkin cream cheese bread is that combination of spiced pumpkin flavors along with the cheesecake swirl filling. They balance each other out perfectly.

This pumpkin bread with cream cheese swirls has a moist and soft texture (we like to avoid dry bread at all cost!), and I also love the crustier top that is slightly caramelized. Yum!

Enjoy this pumpkin cream cheese bread with a cup of hot coffee or tea. It’s one of my favorite things to make during Fall.

Tips and Tricks

Grease your bread pan or line with parchment paper for easy bread removal.
Pumpkin puree isn’t the same as pumpkin pie filling!
Make sure butter and cream cheese is completely softened before mixing to avoid a lumpy batter. If needed, soften them in the microwave using the defrost setting.
Check pumpkin bread for doneness around 1 hour 10 minute mark. Note that all oven differ slightly so it’s safer to check to avoid over-baking or underbaking.

Modifications and Variations

To bake pumpkin bread without cream cheese swirl, simply omit cream cheese portion and bake for only 1 hour at 350℉.
Other ingredients that are yummy to add to pumpkin batter: chocolate chips, walnuts, pecans.
If you do not have brown sugar, substitute it with granulated sugar. I do prefer the caramelized flavors brown sugar brings, but your pumpkin cream cheese bread will still be super tasty.
Add more cinnamon and nutmeg if you prefer a stronger spiced pumpkin cheesecake bread.

Two slices of pumpkin cream cheese swirl bread on a plate, with a loaf in the background

Storage Instructions

Pumpkin Cream Cheese Bread can be stored in an air tight container in room temperature for up to 2 days. After that, store in refrigerator for up to 5 days.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can you freeze pumpkin bread with cream cheese swirls?

Yes. Make sure to bring bread to a cool, and seal by wrapping it up well with aluminum foil/saran wrap, and then put it into a zip lock bag. Freeze in freezer for up to two months.

Can I use fresh pumpkin puree instead of canned?

Yes! To make homemade pumpkin puree, check out this recipe.

DID YOU ENJOY THIS RECIPE? Please comment below and give us a 5-star rating! This will help others find this recipe on Google and Pinterest. We very much appreciate your help! 🤍

More Fall Bakes