This Ginger Persimmon Bread Recipe is packed with soul-warming spices. Whether you serve this quick bread as part of a Christmas breakfast or as an afternoon snack, it will become one of your favorite persimmon recipes!
The fall and winter months are an invitation to bake. Are you with me?
Comforting and cozy treats, delicious aromas of warming spices making their way through the house, the oven heating the kitchen . . .
I love quick breads, which are really dessert breads -- cakes, if you will. 😉 There's no yeast or kneading involved -- you can throw this recipe together and get it in the oven inside of 30 minutes.
Ginger Persimmon Bread is full of the quintessential flavors of fall. It's like gingerbread with the sweet flavor of persimmon running through it.
The Ingredients
- Fuyu persimmons - Persimmon season is approximately October through January. During that time, you should be able to find them in almost all major grocery stores and at Farmers Markets. They should be on the firm side with a deep orange color.
- brown sugar - The slight maple-y flavor is delicious with the ginger and brown sugar helps create a softer texture. Both of these things are subtly, so white sugar is okay, too.
- olive oil - I love using olive oil in baked goods, as it creates super moist products.
- eggs
- pure vanilla extract
- fresh ginger - Fresh ginger adds a bit of a kick to the flavor.
- crystalized ginger - This will add delightful tiny chewy, sweet bites of ginger. You can likely find crystalized ginger in the baking section of grocery stores. Or you can get it here.
- ground cinnamon, ground cloves and ground ginger - These are all warming spices that greatly enhance the overall flavor profile.
- all-purpose flour - See gluten-free option below.
- baking soda - If you don’t bake regularly, it’s a good idea to check to be sure your baking soda is still good. To do so, pour a couple of tablespoons of vinegar or lemon juice over about ¼ teaspoon of the baking soda. If it starts to fizz, it’s still good.
- Kosher salt - I bake (and cook) with Kosher salt because I like its larger flake size and it usually doesn't contain additives. (If you use table salt, use half the amount.)
Substitutions
- Crystalized ginger. If you don't have crystalized ginger, you can substitute it with golden raisins and an additional ½ teaspoon of ground ginger.
Can you make Gluten-Free Persimmon Bread?
Yes, you can substitute the flour in the recipe for Cup4Cup All-Purpose Gluten-Free Flour. Please note that although still delicious, the texture of gluten-free persimmon bread might be slightly different than the one with regular all-purpose flour.
Recipe Tips
- Don't substitute the Fuyu persimmons with the Hachiya variety. You will not be able to grate them as they'll be way too soft when they're ripe.
- Be sure not to skip the step of adding the baking soda directly to the grated persimmons. It will help thicken the liquid derived from grating the fruit.
- Generally, baking times will vary from pan to pan, oven to oven, etc. It's more about how the bread looks and feels, than how long it bakes. It should be golden, beginning to crack, and if you touch it, it should feel sponge-like.
How to Make it
- Place a rack in the center of the oven and preheat to 350°F. Grease an approximately 12-inch loaf pan with a light coating of olive oil. (It's easiest to do this with a spray, pastry brush -- or dab the oil on a paper towel to spread it around.) Set aside.
- Slice the stem ends off of the persimmons (just a ½-inch or so), then use a vegetable peeler or paring knife to peel them. Use either a hand held grater or a food processor with the grater attachment, to grate them. (You will need 1½ cups.)
- Now add the grated persimmon to a bowl and add the baking soda. Mix to blend and set aside.
- In a large mixing bowl, combine the brown sugar with the olive oil and mix to blend. Add the eggs and egg yolk and mix again. Once it's smooth, stir in the fresh ginger, vanilla, cinnamon, cloves, ground ginger, and salt. Fold in the flour and mix just until it's fully incorporated.
- Then fold in the grated persimmon and crystallized ginger.
- Pour the batter into the prepared loaf pan and bake in the 350°F preheated oven until it's golden brown, set, and beginning to crack on top, about 50 minutes.
- Let it cool in the pan for at least 30 minutes before slicing.
Storing Persimmon Bread
Persimmon Bread and be made the day before you want to serve it. Cover it lightly with foil overnight, at room temperature and it'll be ideal the next morning.
- Room temperature. In a tightly sealed container, Persimmon Bread can be kept at room temperature for about two days.
- Refrigerator. Wrapped tightly, it can be stored in the refrigerator for up to a week.
- Freezer. Wrapped tightly, you can store it for about a month in the freezer.
More Amazing Quick Bread Recipes
- Butternut Squash Bread
- Almond Butter Bread
- Chocolate Breakfast Bread
- Macadamia Honey Bread
- Glazed Pineapple Guava Bread
- Zucchini Avocado Bread Recipe
This is one of my favorite persimmon recipes so I hope you'll try it to share with your family and friends. Maybe even make an extra loaf or two for gifts.
I hope you love every last crumb!
Ginger Persimmon Bread Recipe
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1½ cups grated Fuyu persimmons (about 1 pound persimmons)
- 1½ teaspoons baking soda
- 1½ cups brown sugar
- ¾ cup olive oil
- 2 large eggs
- 1 large egg yolk
- 1½ tablespoons fresh ginger pulp
- 1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
- 1¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ¾ teaspoon ground cloves
- ¾ teaspoon ground ginger
- ¾ teaspoon salt
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- ½ cup crystallized ginger, finely chopped
Instructions
- Set oven and prepare pan. Place a rack in the center of the oven and preheat to 350°F. Grease an approximately 12-inch loaf pan with a light coating of olive oil. (It's easiest to do this with a spray, pastry brush -- or dab the oil on a paper towel to spread it around.) Set aside.
- Prepare persimmons. Slice the stem ends off of the persimmons (just a ½-inch or so), then use a vegetable peeler or paring knife to peel them. Use either a hand held grater or a food processor with the grater attachment, to grate them. (You will need 1½ cups.) Now add 1½ cups of the grated persimmon to a bowl and add the baking soda. Mix to blend and set aside. (The baking soda will help thicken the liquid derived from grating the fruit.)
- Make batter. In a large mixing bowl, combine the brown sugar with the olive oil and mix to blend. Then add the eggs and egg yolk and mix again. Once it's smooth, stir in the fresh ginger, vanilla, cinnamon, cloves, ground ginger, and salt. Fold in the flour and mix just until it's fully incorporated. Then fold in the grated persimmon and crystallized ginger.
- Bake. Pour the batter into the prepared loaf pan and bake in the 350°F preheated oven until it's golden brown, set, and beginning to crack on top, about 50 minutes.
- Let it cool in the pan for at least 30 minutes before serving.
NOTES
NUTRITION
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Monika
Absolutely love this recipe! Especially love the crystallized ginger. Nice change to use olive oil. Just used pumpkin pie spice. Ended up divided into three loaves. Thank You!!!
valentina
Hi Monika! Thanks for writing in. So happy you liked this recipe. Hope you love it every persimmon season. 🙂 ~Valentina
Annie
Wow! This recipe is great....better than great! I made it last year and EVERYONE who tried it wanted the recipe. I have a Fuyu tree and harvested 4 large baskets so far this year. Friends and neighbors want some just to make this bread. I had trouble giving them away last year. I'm so happy to have this recipe. It makes me want more of the fruit for myself. Thank you so much for sharing it and helping me spread my 'Persimmon Love'.
valentina
Hi Annie. Thank you so much for writing in. I was JUST thinking today about how how persimmon season has begun, and what recipes to create with them next. I'm so happy you love this bread -- well let's be honest, cake-like bread. 😉 And I so appreciate that you've shared it with friends, and how lovely to share your persimmons too. Awesome you have a Fuyu tree! Hope you enjoy many more loaves. Cheers 🙂 ~Valentina
Vanessa
This recipe is divine. My family loved it and I will definitely make this again. Thanks for sharing!
valentina
Thanks so much for sharing, Vanessa. So happy you all loved it! 🙂 ~Valentina
Colette
I can almost smell the warm spices of this bread!
Persimmons are a fav this time of year and the Fuyus don't last long in our house. I gobble them up so quickly. I might have to slow down and bake this bread of your for breakfast in the morning! xo
valentina
Thank you, Colette. 🙂 I LOVE it for breakfast. ~Valentina
John / Kitchen Riffs
Love persimmons with ginger! Heavenly pairing. And speaking of which, this bread looks heavenly -- really nice recipe. Thanks.
valentina
Thanks so much, John. I do love the ginger with the sweet persimmons. Enjoy! 🙂 ~Valentina
2pots2cok
Beautiful, beautiful photos and beautiful loaf to make these days ! Love all the ingredients and the way you put them all together is absolutely great !
valentina
Thank you so much, Davorka. Hope you try and enjoy! 🙂 ~Valentina
Penny M
This is an all time favorite. I made the recipe as muffins and just took a couple I had saved out of the freezer and can hardly wait for them to thaw. They are light and moist and filled with flavor.
valentina
Hi Penny. Thank you so much for this lovely comment. Made my day! Great idea to make them as muffins, too. 🙂 ~Valentina
Cecilia G
Can I use an alternative flour to make it gluten free? Walnuts too
valentina
Hi Cecilia. While I haven't tested this particular recipe with a gluten-free flour, I'm pretty confident that if you use a gluten-free, all-purpose 1 to 1 flour, it will work well. This is the one I use a lot. And yes, add the walnuts! I wouldn't use more than 1/2 cup and chop them finely. Also, here are a couple of my gluten-free short breads in case you want more choices: Gluten-Free Almond Butter Bread Recipe, Gluten-Free Banana Chocolate Chip Bread Well, cake really. ;-). Enjoy and thanks so much for writing in, and checking out my recipes. 🙂 ~Valentina
valentina
UPDATE: I've tested and retested this recipe a handful of times since a few of you were needing longer baking times. Guess what!? You were right! I've edited the recipe to indicate the baking time is approx. 50 minutes. This can vary of course, depending on a few things, including the thickness of your pan, if you use a pan that's bigger or smaller, if your oven is calibrated, etc.
Jasmin
This was a delicious way to use up my Costco persimmons that got a little too ripe, greatly enhanced by the bursts of ginger. I have to agree with the other commenters that it took closer to an hour to bake. My largest pan is only 10" which could have been a factor. I look forward to toasting tomorrow for breakfast.
valentina
I'm so happy you liked this, Jasmin. I hope you enjoyed it toasted this morning . . . with coffee or tea, maybe. Thanks so much for the comment and for trying my recipes! 🙂