With over 250 5-star reviews, this persimmon bread recipe has become a long-time reader favorite. The texture is super moist and fluffy, it's the perfect combination of spices, and not too sweet.
By Candice Walker on February 24, 2019 (Last updated October 31, 2023) This post may contain affiliate links. Read my disclosure policy.
With over 300 5-star reviews, this persimmon bread recipe has become a long-time reader favorite. The texture is super moist and fluffy, it’s the perfect combination of spices, and not too sweet.
Here’s what people are saying about the best persimmon breadthey’ve ever had:
“This is the most delicious bread I’ve ever made!”
“Super moist, not too sweet, perfect combination of spices!”
“The texture of this bread is amazing.”
“Fluffy, moist, and super duper delicious!”
“…the smell was absolutely heavenly while it baked.”
Want the complete scoop on baking with this fruit? Read my thorough persimmon guide.
🌟Why You’ll Love This Persimmon Bread Recipe
Easy for beginners – I have tested this recipe thoroughly to make sure it’s accessible for beginner bakers and provided easy-to-follow instructions for every step.
Over 250 5-star reviews – Ratings don’t like, and this persimmon bread recipe is has won the hearts of many readers.
Persimmon flavor is the star of the show – Persimmons are my favorite winter fruit. They’ve got all the fall and winter spice flavors, and overripe persimmons are irresistibly sweet and delicious.
Moist texture – This bread has the texture of the best banana bread, moist and scrumptious. You’ll never have a dry, cakey bread with this recipe!
Great way to use ripe persimmons – Persimmon lovers can always eat these lovely fruits as they are, but I think they really shine in baked goods like this bread, these persimmon cookies, or these persimmon muffins.
🧾Ingredients for Persimmon Bread
Persimmonpulp – I prefer to use Hachiya persimmons because they have a better yield, but Fuyu and American also both work. Your persimmons must be really ripe and mushy (think a super squishy and soft texture) for this recipe to work best. To ripen persimmons, leave them on the counter at room temp. Then pulse them into a puree.
All-purpose flour – Some readers have tried using gluten-free flour substitutes with success, but I haven’t tested it myself.
Unsalted butter – It’s better to use unsalted butter in baking so that you can control the salt content yourself.
Whitesugar – Use white granulated or white cane sugar.
Spice mix – I use a combination of cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves to spice this bread with fall flavors. You can also substitute with pumpkin spice.
Vanilla extract – Try to use a high-quality vanilla extract for this recipe.
Eggs – These act as the binder for the mix.
Salt – I usually use kosher or sea salt in this recipe.
Baking soda – This is the raising agent that helps the persimmon bread rise. Baking soda uses the acidity from the fruit to activate.
See the recipe card for full information on ingredients and quantities.
🧡 Pro Tip 🧡
Use very ripe and mushy persimmons for your puree. The riper they are, the sweeter they taste. Also, the mushiness of the ripe persimmon makes it so the persimmon can be evenly distributed throughout the batter. Discard as much of the persimmon skins as possible when baking for the smoothest texture.
👩🍳How to Make Persimmon Bread
Before starting, you will need to have three bowls ready: 1 large, 1 medium, and 1 small. You will also need your pureed Hachiya persimmon pulp.
Preheat your oven to 350F. Lightly grease the surface of a 9x5x3 loaf pan with butter or a non-stick baking spray. I like to use a non-stick loaf pan for easy results.
Peel your overripe persimmon and pulse them in a food processor.
In your medium bowl, sift the dry ingredients together (flour, salt, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves). If you don’t want to sift them, you can also whisk them together to break down any clumps.
In your large bowl, cream together the butter and sugar until well incorporated and they have a light, fluffy texture.
In the small bowl, beat the eggs and vanilla extract with a whisk.
With a hand mixer or standing mixer, slowly pour the egg mixture into the creamed butter and sugar and mix them together well.
Next, add in the persimmon puree. Mix until just incorporated.
Add the flour mixture to the wet ingredients one-third at a time. Mix until just incorporated. It will be a very wet batter.
Pour the batter into the greased loaf pan. I sometimes like to top the batter with very thinly sliced Fuyu persimmons for decoration.
Cook the bread for 1 hour until a toothpick inserted into the bread center just barely comes out clean. Take care not to overbake it as the texture will not be as moist.
🧡 Pro Tip 🧡
To make sure your bread retains its moist texture, let the bread cool completely in a sealed environment. Use a plastic bag or large resealable container. Then, leave the bread overnight and enjoy it in the morning.
With over 250 5-star reviews, this persimmon bread recipe has become a long-time reader favorite. The texture is super moist and fluffy, it's the perfect combination of spices, and not too sweet.
Preheat to 350F. Lightly grease your 9x5x3 loaf pan.
In a medium bowl sift the dry ingredients. Flour, salt, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves.
In a large bowl, cream the butter and sugar.
In a small bowl, beat the eggs with the vanilla extract.
With a hand mixer or standing mixer slowly pour the egg mixture into the creamed butter and sugar. Mix well.
Add the persimmon. Remove from mixer.
With a spoon or rubber spatula, add the flour mixture to the wet ingredients 1/3 at a time. Mix with a rubber spatula until just incorporated.
Pour into loaf pan*. Optional to top with thinly sliced persimmons.**
Cook 48-55 minutes until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
Cool completely. I let it cool overnight and have it for breakfast!
Video
Notes
* Usually when baking in a glass pan, the temperature should be 25 degrees lower, and will take up to 10 minutes longer – this recipe has not been tested in a glass pan, but in a non-stick pan (see photos).**If you plan to decorate the top of the loaf with persimmon, know that it keeps the center from cooking evenly with the sides of the loaf. The center of the loaf will need longer to cook than the sides. For best results, do not top the loaf with persimmon. If you do, slice them VERY thinly.Additional Notes
Use very ripe and mushy persimmons. The riper, the sweeter. Also, the mushiness of the ripe persimmon makes it so the persimmon can be evenly distributed throughout the batter.
Note that the batter is very wet, so don’t be concerned with this texture.
Fuyu or Hichaya? Although I prefer to eat slightly under-ripe Fuyu persimmons for snacks on the go, the over-ripe hachiya works best in the batter of this recipe. I use sliced Fuyu persimmons for the top of the bread.
Discard as much of the persimmon skins as possible when baking for the smoothest texture.
Did you try this recipe?I’d love to hear what you think! Leave a Review to let us know how it came out, if you have a successful substitution or variation, or anything else.
352 Comments
HI Candice — I noticed the # of eggs is not on your ingredient list? I guessed & added two. It seemed to come out fine — love the rich flavor!
Hi Carole, you guessed right..2 eggs! They’re in the ingredient list in the recipe card… maybe not in the blog post? Anywho, I’m glad you guessed correctly. Enjoy!
Yes, you can use Fuyu persimmon. Just make sure they are completely bletted and mushy. I also don’t risk using this kind straight into the batter and make sure I pulse or puree them in a food processor first.
Hi there! I am so glad I found this recipe — thank you so much for posting it and sharing it with us. I had a persimmon that was very ripe, but not overripe, alone with a couple bananas in the same condition. I followed your recipe almost exactly, except I used 1 banana and the 1 persimmon. I don’t have much of a sweet tooth at all, so I was tickled this bread didn’t come out overly sweet like traditional banana bread does — thanks for not overloading this with a lot of added sugars. It was just right for my palate! And the smell was absolutely heavenly while it baked. I live in an apartment building and could hear people walking through the hall outside my door, saying “Gosh, what is someone baking? They’re making me hungry.” This will be perfect with a cup of strong black coffee or chai tea for breakfast, even with a slice of savory cheese on top. This was a winner and something I will make again and for years to come. Again, thank you so much!
Thank you so much for your kind words, DcGal, and for taking the time to share! I’m going to have to try it with some savory cheese… that sounds lovely. Enjoy!
I have never tried it but on first though, you’ll be adding moisture, so adding more flour or adapting it some other way would be necessary… You can substitute out some of the persimmon pulp for cranberry, and I’d probably cook the cranberry, first, so the moisture addition is less of a wild card. If you give it a try, I’d love to hear how it goes!
Hello! Excited to try this recipe. How do you recommend storing it and for how long does it stay good? I have a lot of persimmons so I might be making multiple loaves. Thank you in advance!
Hi Samantha! It stays best for 2 days, and after that it is still OK for up to 4 days total. I store it at room temperature in a sealed bag if I’m planning on consuming it in the first 2 days.
You can always make the persimmon pulp in advance without baking all the loaves. You can store the pulp in the refrigerator or even freeze it.
Hope this helps!
Hi, can I do this with the regular persimmons? Their still hard right now. Is there a way to soften them up quicker to do this recipes? Thank you in advance
Hi Liz! You should be able to use most persimmon for this recipe. I have tried it with Fuyu and Hachiya. People in the comments have used in with American.
If you’re not in a rush and have a few days, you can leave them in a bag with an apple and/or banana to ripen faster.
If you’re shorter on time, this tip may seem counter-intuitive, but it works. Freeze your persimmons overnight, then let them thaw on your countertop at room temperature. As they defrost, they’ll be ready to go.
Remember, Hachiya persimmons will be jelly-like when ripe. They will be so squishy you can press your finger into the fruit.
Thank you, Candice! Awesome recipe! We baked it last evening and added some nuts to it after substituting the granulated sugars 3/4 cup with only a fraction of stevia (<1/4 cup). I’m sensitive to gluten so we also swapped the all-purpose-flour to a cup of wholewheat flour and 1/4 cup of oats flour. They baked beautifully altogether. I’m enjoying it now with a cup of coffee. So satisfying! 😀
Thank you for taking the time to share, Deon… I’m so glad you liked it! And it’s helpful for others to know that you were able to make that swap with success… thank you!
This was really yummy! I had so much hachiya persimmons from my father’s yard that was super ripe.. I didn’t know what to do with it. The bread came out very delicious.. its like a banana bread cake but with persimmons! I added chocolate and some nuts to it and loved it.
I was given some persimmon pulp and didn’t know what do with it. So glad I found this recipe! Really easy to make (especially for a beginner baker) and the flavor is so yummy! The only thing I noticed is that the color isn’t as dark as the video image when the bread is cut (mine was more of a pumpkin/lighter brown), and the texture isn’t really closed/thick or “gooey” like banana bread. Mine came out more like a cupcake texture. Any suggestions on how to improve? Would love to try making it again! 🙂
Hi Glenda, I’m so glad you like it! If you’re getting a cupcake texture, it is possible you didn’t fluff the flour before scooping it (this would yield too much flour in your batch). Flour can pack together, and fluffing it before scooping it is necessary to measure it properly. I’m glad you asked… this should be an easy fix for you!
Hi! I haven’t tried the recipe yet but from all the comments, I am sure to extremely enjoy this recipe! Additions, substitutions are right up my alley! I have learned that coconut flour substitute in recipes, I believe, absorbs more of the moist ingredients, so will keep that in mind when substituting flour, I think cassava flour also absorbs more wet. I wanted to learn how to pronounce “hichaya” persimmon and learned that the correct spelling is “hachiya.” Will give this recipe 5-stars in advance! Thank you, Candice! Don’t know what I would do without rated recipes on-line!
This looks yummy! Our tree is finally producing again, so I’m going to try this in a few days. I’ve got about a gallon of the fruit in the fridge, just waiting to be “squished out”.
HI Candice — I noticed the # of eggs is not on your ingredient list? I guessed & added two. It seemed to come out fine — love the rich flavor!
Thanks!
Hi Carole, you guessed right..2 eggs! They’re in the ingredient list in the recipe card… maybe not in the blog post? Anywho, I’m glad you guessed correctly. Enjoy!
I used Bob Red Mill Gluten Free flour and it turned out very moist and delicious.
Thank you so much for sharing, Hengameh… this is going to help so many others! Glad you liked it, too 🙂
can i use japanese persimmon for this recipe
Yes, you can use Fuyu persimmon. Just make sure they are completely bletted and mushy. I also don’t risk using this kind straight into the batter and make sure I pulse or puree them in a food processor first.
Can I use this recipe to make muffins? If so, how long would you bake for? Thanks
Hi GT, you can make persimmon muffins using this recipe and just leave out the chocolate chips.
Hi there! I am so glad I found this recipe — thank you so much for posting it and sharing it with us. I had a persimmon that was very ripe, but not overripe, alone with a couple bananas in the same condition. I followed your recipe almost exactly, except I used 1 banana and the 1 persimmon. I don’t have much of a sweet tooth at all, so I was tickled this bread didn’t come out overly sweet like traditional banana bread does — thanks for not overloading this with a lot of added sugars. It was just right for my palate! And the smell was absolutely heavenly while it baked. I live in an apartment building and could hear people walking through the hall outside my door, saying “Gosh, what is someone baking? They’re making me hungry.” This will be perfect with a cup of strong black coffee or chai tea for breakfast, even with a slice of savory cheese on top. This was a winner and something I will make again and for years to come. Again, thank you so much!
Thank you so much for your kind words, DcGal, and for taking the time to share! I’m going to have to try it with some savory cheese… that sounds lovely. Enjoy!
Very good!
I made this bread for my Christmas baskets, and it was the star of the show. Could I incorporate cranberries in the recipe?
I have never tried it but on first though, you’ll be adding moisture, so adding more flour or adapting it some other way would be necessary… You can substitute out some of the persimmon pulp for cranberry, and I’d probably cook the cranberry, first, so the moisture addition is less of a wild card. If you give it a try, I’d love to hear how it goes!
This is a perfect breakfast bread. I would also like to try with walnuts and chocolate chips to make it a bit sweeter.
I’m so glad you enjoyed it, and thanks for taking the time to share. It’s delicious with nuts and chips, Monica… enjoy!
Hello! Excited to try this recipe. How do you recommend storing it and for how long does it stay good? I have a lot of persimmons so I might be making multiple loaves. Thank you in advance!
Hi Samantha! It stays best for 2 days, and after that it is still OK for up to 4 days total. I store it at room temperature in a sealed bag if I’m planning on consuming it in the first 2 days.
You can always make the persimmon pulp in advance without baking all the loaves. You can store the pulp in the refrigerator or even freeze it.
Hope this helps!
Hi, can I do this with the regular persimmons? Their still hard right now. Is there a way to soften them up quicker to do this recipes? Thank you in advance
Hi Liz! You should be able to use most persimmon for this recipe. I have tried it with Fuyu and Hachiya. People in the comments have used in with American.
If you’re not in a rush and have a few days, you can leave them in a bag with an apple and/or banana to ripen faster.
If you’re shorter on time, this tip may seem counter-intuitive, but it works. Freeze your persimmons overnight, then let them thaw on your countertop at room temperature. As they defrost, they’ll be ready to go.
Remember, Hachiya persimmons will be jelly-like when ripe. They will be so squishy you can press your finger into the fruit.
Thank you, Candice! Awesome recipe! We baked it last evening and added some nuts to it after substituting the granulated sugars 3/4 cup with only a fraction of stevia (<1/4 cup). I’m sensitive to gluten so we also swapped the all-purpose-flour to a cup of wholewheat flour and 1/4 cup of oats flour. They baked beautifully altogether. I’m enjoying it now with a cup of coffee. So satisfying! 😀
Thank you for taking the time to share, Deon… I’m so glad you liked it! And it’s helpful for others to know that you were able to make that swap with success… thank you!
This was really yummy! I had so much hachiya persimmons from my father’s yard that was super ripe.. I didn’t know what to do with it. The bread came out very delicious.. its like a banana bread cake but with persimmons! I added chocolate and some nuts to it and loved it.
So happy you liked it… thank you for taking the time to review!
I was given some persimmon pulp and didn’t know what do with it. So glad I found this recipe! Really easy to make (especially for a beginner baker) and the flavor is so yummy! The only thing I noticed is that the color isn’t as dark as the video image when the bread is cut (mine was more of a pumpkin/lighter brown), and the texture isn’t really closed/thick or “gooey” like banana bread. Mine came out more like a cupcake texture. Any suggestions on how to improve? Would love to try making it again! 🙂
Hi Glenda, I’m so glad you like it! If you’re getting a cupcake texture, it is possible you didn’t fluff the flour before scooping it (this would yield too much flour in your batch). Flour can pack together, and fluffing it before scooping it is necessary to measure it properly. I’m glad you asked… this should be an easy fix for you!
Hi! I haven’t tried the recipe yet but from all the comments, I am sure to extremely enjoy this recipe! Additions, substitutions are right up my alley! I have learned that coconut flour substitute in recipes, I believe, absorbs more of the moist ingredients, so will keep that in mind when substituting flour, I think cassava flour also absorbs more wet. I wanted to learn how to pronounce “hichaya” persimmon and learned that the correct spelling is “hachiya.” Will give this recipe 5-stars in advance! Thank you, Candice! Don’t know what I would do without rated recipes on-line!
Came up short on persimmons so added one banana and it was awesome! I only had a 8×4 pan and pulled it at 40 mins
This looks yummy! Our tree is finally producing again, so I’m going to try this in a few days. I’ve got about a gallon of the fruit in the fridge, just waiting to be “squished out”.