Pumpkin Streusel Bread

Ingredient Notes

(For the full recipe, scroll down to the recipe card below)

• 🍞 Pumpkin Bread: This recipe starts with my tried-and-true Best Pumpkin Bread as the base. It makes two incredibly moist, tender loaves and is the perfect base for all that buttery streusel! You’ll prepare the batter as directed, but skip the cinnamon-sugar topping since we’re replacing it with streusel.
• 🤎 Dark Brown Sugar: I love using dark brown sugar for the streusel because its higher molasses content gives it a deeper, richer flavor and helps create those irresistible, buttery crumbles. Light brown sugar will work in a pinch.
• 🎃 Pumpkin Pie Spice + Cinnamon: Pumpkin pie spice brings all those warm, cozy fall flavors to the streusel, while a little extra cinnamon makes the topping even more flavorful. You can use your favorite store-bought or homemade pumpkin pie spice.
• 🧈 Cold Unsalted Butter: Cold is key for the streusel! Cutting cold butter into the flour and brown sugar creates those chunky, buttery crumbles instead of a smooth paste. Keep the finished streusel chilled until you’re ready to add it to the loaves.
• 🥛 Vanilla Glaze: A simple combination of powdered sugar, vanilla, milk, and a pinch of salt makes the sweet glaze that gets drizzled over the cooled bread. I also add a little melted butter for a richer, more buttery flavor, but it’s optional.

Step by Step Directions

(For the full recipe, scroll down to the recipe card below)

Expert Tips

• Keep the butter cold. Cold butter is the key to those big, buttery streusel crumbles. I like cutting the cold butter into little cubes when cutting it into the streusel ingredients.
• Don’t overwork the streusel. Stop mixing once you have pea-sized crumbs with some larger chunks. Those bigger clumps bake into the best crunchy, buttery bites!
• Chill the streusel while you make the batter. This helps the butter stay cold and keeps the topping crumbly rather than melting into the bread. This is why I want you to make the streusel before you make the bread batter.
• Use the correct loaf pan size. I use two 8.5 x 4.5-inch loaf pans. A different size can change the baking time and how the bread rises. I recommend light-colored metal pans for this recipe.
• Tent with foil if needed. The streusel can brown before the center of the bread is finished baking. If it’s getting too dark, loosely tent the loaves with foil for the last 15–20 minutes.
• Check the bread, not just the streusel. Insert a toothpick into the pumpkin bread portion near the center of the loaf. It should come out clean or with a few moist crumbs, but no wet batter.
• Add the milk to the glaze slowly. Start with just 2 teaspoons. You can always add more, but it’s much harder to fix a glaze that’s too thin!
• Let the loaves cool completely before glazing. If the loaves are still warm, the glaze will melt right into the streusel instead of creating that pretty white drizzle.

Variations / Substitutions

• Light brown sugar: You can substitute light brown sugar for the dark brown sugar in the streusel if needed. The flavor will be slightly less rich and molasses-y, but it will still be delicious.
• Homemade pumpkin pie spice: No pumpkin pie spice? Use your favorite homemade blend, or make a quick version with cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, cloves, and allspice.
• Add nuts: Add ½–¾ cup chopped pecans (or walnuts) to the streusel for extra crunch.
• Maple glaze: Swap some or all of the milk for pure maple syrup for a maple-vanilla glaze. You may need a small splash of milk to get the consistency just right.
• Add chocolate chips: You could fold chocolate chips into the pumpkin bread batter before dividing it between the pans. I’d probably use 1–1½ cups mini or regular semisweet chocolate chips.

Storage / Freezing

• Room temperature: Store the Pumpkin Streusel Bread in an airtight container at room temp for 2–3 days.
• Refrigerator: For longer storage, refrigerate in an airtight container for up to 5–7 days. Let individual slices come to room temperature before serving, or warm them briefly in the microwave.
• Freezer: Pumpkin Streusel Bread freezes really well! For best results, I’d recommend freezing it before adding the glaze. Allow the loaf to cool completely, wrap tightly in plastic wrap followed by foil, and freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator or at room temperature, then glaze before serving.
• Freeze individual slices: You can also wrap individual slices and freeze them in a freezer-safe bag or container. This is great for grabbing one piece at a time.
• Don’t forget! This recipe makes two loaves! Enjoy one now and freeze the second for later, or wrap one up and give it to a friend or neighbor.

FAQs

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Pumpkin Streusel Bread

Prep: 20 minutes mins

Cooling Time: 1 hour hr

Cook: 1 hour hr 5 minutes mins

Total: 2 hours hrs 25 minutes mins

Servings: 2 loaves

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This Pumpkin Streusel Bread takes my viral Pumpkin Bread recipe and tops it with a thick layer of buttery, brown sugar streusel and a simple, sweet vanilla glaze. It’s incredibly moist, packed with cozy fall flavor, and makes two delicious loaves!

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Ingredients

Pumpkin Bread Base

• ▢ Best Pumpkin Bread recipe

Pumpkin Spice Streusel

• ▢ 1 cup dark brown sugar (packed)
• ▢ 1 cup all-purpose flour
• ▢ 2 tsp. pumpkin pie spice
• ▢ 1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon
• ▢ 1/4 tsp. kosher salt
• ▢ 1/2 cup unsalted butter (cold and cut into small cubes)

Vanilla Glaze

• ▢ 1 cup powdered sugar
• ▢ 1 Tbsp. unsalted butter (melted and cooled slightly (optional but gives the glaze a buttery taste))
• ▢ 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
• ▢ 1-2 Tbsp. milk (room temperature)
• ▢ pinch of salt

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Instructions 

• Mix streusel ingredients: In a medium bowl, whisk together the brown sugar, flour, pumpkin pie spice, cinnamon, and salt.
  1 cup dark brown sugar, 1 cup all-purpose flour, 2 tsp. pumpkin pie spice, 1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon, 1/4 tsp. kosher salt, 1/2 cup unsalted butter
  
• Finish making streusel: Add the cold cubed butter and cut it into the dry ingredients using a pastry cutter, two forks, or your fingertips until the mixture forms pea-sized crumbles with a few larger chunks remaining. Don't overwork the mixture. you want plenty of buttery clumps. Place the streusel in the refrigerator while you prepare the pumpkin bread batter.
  
• Prepare the pumpkin bread: You’ll need two 8.5 x 4.5 inch loaf pans. Follow my recipe for Best Pumpkin Bread. You’ll stop at Step 6 (after pouring the batter into the pans). You want to skip the sugar sprinkle on top since for this recipe, we’re adding the streusel.
  Best Pumpkin Bread recipe
  
• Add streusel: Remove the chilled streusel from the refrigerator and generously sprinkle it over both loaves, gently pressing a few of the larger crumbles into the batter so they stay in place during baking.
  
• Bake: Bake for 60-70 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean or with just a few moist crumbs attached. Start Timer If the streusel begins browning too quickly, loosely tent the loaves with foil during the final 20 minutes of baking.
• Cool: Allow the bread to cool in the pans for about 15 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely. Start Timer
• Make glaze: Whisk together the powdered sugar, melted butter, vanilla, and salt. Add 2 teaspoons milk and whisk really well until smooth. If needed, add additional milk, 1 teaspoon at a time, until the glaze falls from the whisk in a ribbon. If it becomes too thin, whisk in a little more powdered sugar. If your icing breaks or separates, your butter may have been too hot. Drizzle over the completely cooled loaves. Allow the glaze to set for about 10-15 minutes before slicing and serving (if you can wait!) and enjoy! Start Timer
  1 cup powdered sugar, 1 Tbsp. unsalted butter, 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract, pinch of salt, 1-2 Tbsp. milk
  

Nutritional information is provided as a courtesy and is automatically calculated. It should only be construed as an estimate rather than a guarantee. Ingredients can vary and Kroll’s Korner can’t make any guarantees to the accuracy of this information.

© Author: Tawnie Graham of Kroll’s Korner

📸 Photography by Angelica Oles