Looking for the best pumpkin bread with walnuts? This moist and tender loaf combines pumpkin puree, warm spices, and crunchy walnuts for the ultimate fall treat. What makes this recipe extra special is the addition of red lentils, which keep the bread incredibly moist while adding a boost of protein. Topped with cinnamon honey butter, this pumpkin walnut bread is a cozy snack, breakfast, or gift during pumpkin season.
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Why You'll Love This Recipe
- This pumpkin bread stays extra moist with the addition of red lentils.
- The combination of fresh and dried ginger in this recipe give a depth of warm flavor.
- Walnuts add the perfect crunch.
- This recipe makes two loaves, enjoy one and gift or freeze the other.
- The cinnamon honey butter is the perfect accompaniment.
This pumpkin bread with walnuts makes the best afternoon snack, or breakfast. It's really pretty great anytime with a cup of coffee or add it to your kids lunch boxes. If you are a lover of pumpkin recipes, you will love this one.
We love pumpkin recipes this time of year. These pumpkin blondies are the first recipe I make every fall. If you need a pumpkin dessert, check out our cream puffs with pumpkin custard and caramel sauce or this pumpkin bread pudding recipe.
What makes this pumpkin bread with walnuts different? A secret ingredient – red lentils – makes it extra moist and adds protein, without changing the flavor.”
Ingredients
- Pumpkin -The star of the show here is the pumpkin. We used canned pumpkin puree for our pumpkin bread. Be sure to look for canned pumpkin puree and not pumpkin pie filling, which has sugar and spices added. You could also make your own pumpkin puree by cooking pumpkin and pureeing it in your food process.
- Lentils -This pumpkin bread has a secret ingredient that makes it extra moist. You really can't taste the lentils in this dish, but they keep the loaf from being too dry and give the bread a nice texture and tender crumb, and they add 11g of protein to the recipe. Lentils are easy to prep for the pumpkin bread. Just cover them in water and boil them for 15-20 minutes until they are softened, then drain and add to your pumpkin mixture.
- Fresh Ginger -The fresh ginger combined with the ground dry ginger adds a richer more intense ginger flavor to the dish, but isn't overpowering. Look for fresh ginger root in the grocery store in the fresh produce aisle. To prepare the ginger, first peel off the outer skin, and then finely grate the ginger, being sure to preserve the juices which are so rich in flavor.
- Walnuts Or Other Nuts or Seeds -My favourite add-in for this homemade pumpkin bread is crunchy walnuts. They add the perfect crunch and nutty flavor to the loaf.
- Honey Cinnamon Butter -Lastly you have to make the honey cinnamon butter -have to. The sweet honey butter adds the perfect buttery sweetness to the pumpkin loaf.
Substitutions
- Ginger: If you don't have any fresh ginger you can substitute more ground ginger for the fresh ginger. Use an extra ¼ teaspoon of ground ginger in place of the fresh ginger if necessary.
- Walnuts: You could substitute the walnuts for another nut or seed, like pecans or pumpkin seeds if you prefer.
- Chocolate: If you are a chocolate lover you can do half walnuts and half chocolate chips, or just chocolate chips.
Storage
Store your cooled ginger pumpkin bread with walnuts in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3-4 days. Store the cinnamon honey butter in a small sealed container like a small mason jar at room temperature on the counter or for longer in the refrigerator.
You can also freeze the pumpkin bread, especially the second loaf if you would like to save it for later. After it's cooled completely, just wrap the bread in plastic wrap, or place in an airtight container and store in the freezer for up to 3 months.
How To Make Pumpkin Bread With Walnuts
Step 1 and 2: In a small pan, cover lentils with about 2 inches of water.
Step 3: Bring the lentils to a boil and simmer 15 -20 minutes until they are soft.
Step 4: Drain the lentils with a wire sieve and discard the cooking water.
Step 5: In a large mixing bowl, combine flour, brown sugar, cinnamon, ground ginger, baking powder, baking soda, and salt and stir to combine the dry ingredients.
Step 6 and 7: In a food processor, combine the lentils, pumpkin, oil, buttermilk, eggs, fresh ginger, and vanilla, and process until well blended and smooth.
Step 8: Add the wet ingredients to the bowl of dry ingredients.
Step 9: Stir to combine the ingredients fully, but don't over mix.
Step 10: Add the walnuts to the batter and stir to combine.
Step 11: Spray two loaf pans with non-stick cooking spray and divide the pumpkin loaf mixture evenly between the two pans. Bake the pumpkin bread until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out dry.
Step 12: To make the cinnamon butter, combine the softened butter, honey and cinnamon in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment and mix to fully combine, or mix vigorously by hand in a large bowl. Serve a slice of ginger pumpkin bread spread with cinnamon honey butter.
Expert Tips: Make a gift of the extra loaf of ginger pumpkin bread with walnuts. Wrap it in some parchment paper, tie it with a bow and add a small mason jar of the cinnamon honey butter with it.
Frequently Asked Questions
This loaf is best eaten as soon as it's made. It will last at room temperature in a sealed container for 3-4 days. If you need to keep it longer consider freezing it.
If you don't have any fresh ginger you can substitute more ground ginger for the fresh ginger. Use an extra ¼ teaspoon of ground ginger in place of the fresh ginger if necessary.
Yes. Look for a pie pumpkin, because they're sweeter and more flavourful than larger decorative pumpkins. Cut your pumpkin in half and remove the seeds, then roast in a hot oven, until the center is soft. Then scoop the cooked pumpkin from the skin and puree the flesh until smooth. Or peel the pumpkin, remove seeds, and cut into small cubes. Cover the pumpkin cubes with water in a pot and boil until soft, then drain and puree.
More Pumpkin Recipes
If you tried this Pumpkin Bread With Walnuts Recipe or any other recipe on my blog please leave a star rating and let me know how it went in the comments below. Thanks for visiting today!
Recipe
Pumpkin Bread With Walnuts
Ingredients
- ¼ cup split red lentils
- 2 ½ cups all-purpose flour
- 1 cup brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon ground ginger
- 2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 14 oz. pumpkin puree
- ½ cup canola oil
- ½ buttermilk
- 3 eggs
- 2 teaspoon freshly grated ginger
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- ½ cup chopped walnuts or pecans or green pumpkin seeds
For the Cinnamon Honey Butter
- ½ lb soft butter
- ½ teaspoon cinnamon
- 3 tablespoon honey
Instructions
- In a small pan, cover lentils with about 2 inches of water, and bring to a boil. Simmer 15 -20 minutes until they are soft. Drain the lentils with a wire sieve and discard the cooking water.
- In a large mixing bowl, combine the flour, brown sugar, cinnamon, ground ginger, baking powder, baking soda, and salt and stir to combine the dry ingredients.
- In a food processor, combine the lentils, pumpkin, oil, buttermilk, eggs, fresh ginger, and vanilla, and process until well blended and smooth.
- Add the wet ingredients from the food processor to the bowl of dry ingredients, and stir to combine. Add the walnuts and combine. Spray two standard loaf pans with non-stick cooking spray. Divide the batter evenly between the two greased loaf pans.
- Bake in a preheated oven at 350 degrees, for about 45 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the middle comes out dry.
For the Cinnamon Honey Butter
- Combine soft butter, cinnamon, and honey in a stand mixer and beat on high until well combined, and light and fluffy.
Dannyelle Nicolle-Ramjist says
This recipe is a fall favourite and perfect for any pumpkin lover.