The Perfect Persimmon Bread Recipe (2024)

This persimmon bread recipe has been in the family for 3 generations! It’s easy and fun to bake, and a loaf of persimmon bread makes a great holiday gift. Try this easy recipe and enjoy the cozy, spiced, delicious bread you’ll make!

The Perfect Persimmon Bread Recipe (1)
The Perfect Persimmon Bread Recipe (2)

A while back, I shared a series of our family’s traditional recipes, and my aunt’s amazing persimmon cookies were among them. Well, it’s persimmon season again, so I pulled out my family recipe book and realized that she included her legendary persimmon bread recipe as well!

I’ve been eating this bread around the holidays for as long as I can remember, and to me it just tastes like home. Here’s the perfect persimmon bread recipe for you to share with your family and friends!

Psst — check out some of my other favorite things to bake in the winter and fall!

  • Chai Spice Sugar Cookies
  • Make Fall Treats // Gold-Splattered Pumpkin Spice Macarons
  • Baked Apple Oatmeal Recipe (It’s Gluten-Free!)
  • Hot Chocolate Cupcakes
  • Monkey Bread Muffins
  • How to Make Rum Balls
  • Grammie’s Apple Pie
  • Pumpkin Nut Roll
  • Easy Beer Bread Recipe
  • Mini Donut Recipe // Baked Pumpkin Spice Mini Donuts
  • How to Make a 3D Gingerbread Christmas Tree

And if you love these recipes, be sure to sign up below for my VIP group, where I’ll send more fresh ideas straight to ya!

Baking with Persimmons

I shared recently on Instagram Stories that I was making persimmon bread and found out that not only have most people not tried it, but that lots of folks aren’t actually familiar with persimmons at all! So here’s a quick rundown.

Persimmons are tree fruit that kind of look like little tomatoes. There are two main varieties – fuyu and hachiya. I mostly deal with fuyu because hachiya persimmons have to bevery ripe to be edible.

Like, so ripe they’re squishy and soft like a water balloon. (Then you can just cut the top off and eat the insides with a spoon, like jelly.)

If you eat a hachiya when it’s not ripe, the tannins will practically bowl you over. It’s an awful feeling and taste. To be fair, you can do other things with hachiya — dry them, bake with them, etc.

But! The fuyu persimmons can be eaten just like an apple, which we do a lot in the fall. (Even the kids love them.) And those are the ones I love to use to bake with, because I have easy access to a couple of fuyu trees and you can eat them both raw and baked/cooked.

How to Make Persimmon Puree

Most baking recipes that use persimmons call for them to be pureed. There are a ton of ways that you can do this; some people like to wait for them to ripen by themselves and then just use the soft insides, and some people like to freeze persimmons and then scoop out the soft pulp once they thaw.

But to me, the easiest way is to just chop them up and pop them in the food processor. If I’m using fuyu persimmons, I don’t even take the skin off.

Slice off the top, slice out the middle and any seeds, cut into rough chunks, and food process until it’s smooth. Easy peasy. I don’t find that keeping the skins on affects this recipe at all.

So let’s get to the good part, right? Here ya go.

The perfect persimmon Bread REcipe

Ingredients

  • 2 c sugar
  • 3 c flour
  • 2 tsp baking soda
  • 2 tsp baking powder
  • 1 tsp cinnamon
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 2 eggs, beaten
  • 1 c milk (your choice; I use 2% or almond)
  • 2 tsp vanilla
  • 3 TBSP melted butter
  • 2 c persimmon pulp
  • 1 c chopped dates
  • optional: 1 c chopped nuts
  • optional (but recommended!): 1 c chocolate chips

Instructions

  1. Combine dry ingredients (sugar, flour, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon, salt) and whisk together.
  2. Add wet ingredients (eggs, milk, vanilla, butter, persimmon pulp) and mix until thoroughly combined.
  3. Fold in dates, nuts, and chocolate chips.
  4. If baking in a large loaf pan or bundt pan, cook at 325 for one and a half hours.
  5. If using smaller loaf pans (as shown here), cook at 325 for about one hour. Check the middle of your bread with a toothpick at 50 minutes. If the toothpick comes out clean, the bread is done.

Note: If you’d like to add this to your recipe book, there’s a printable recipe card at the bottom of this post!

If you’re using small, individual loaf pans these make the perfect little breads to give as holiday or hostess gifts! The larger loafs are great for feeding families or bringing to parties to share.

My Favorite Loaf Pans for Gifting Persimmon Bread

Loaf Pans. A large loaf pan is a great size to bake the persimmon bread and gift to a family. It makes a wonderful, easy breakfast treat with a cup of tea or coffee!

Mini Loaf Pans. These mini loaf pans make adorable, tiny loaves. I love to make mini loaves and gift them with a pretty liner.

Mini Loaf Paper Pans. Use these pretty paper pans to gift your mini loaves after you bake them in the mini pans!

Let me know if you try our persimmon bread recipe this year. And if you love it, be sure to rate it below. xoxo

P.S. Here are some more great baking ideas for you!

The Perfect Persimmon Bread Recipe (3)
The Perfect Persimmon Bread Recipe (4)
The Perfect Persimmon Bread Recipe (5)

The Best Persimmon Bread Recipe

Yield: 2 Loaves persimmon bread

Prep Time: 30 minutes

Active Time: 1 hour

Total Time: 1 hour 30 minutes

This persimmon bread is easy, delicious, and a perfect fall treat!

Materials

  • 2 c sugar
  • 3 c flour
  • 2 tsp baking soda
  • 2 tsp baking powder
  • 1 tsp cinnamon
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 2 eggs, beaten
  • 1 c milk (your choice; I use 2% or almond)
  • 2 tsp vanilla
  • 3 TBSP melted butter
  • 2 c persimmon pulp
  • 1 c chopped dates
  • optional: 1 c chopped nuts
  • optional (but recommended!): 1 c chocolate chips

Tools

  • Mixer (optional)

Instructions

  1. Combine dry ingredients (sugar, flour, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon, salt) and whisk together.
  2. Add wet ingredients (eggs, milk, vanilla, butter, persimmon pulp) and mix until thoroughly combined.
  3. Fold in dates, nuts, and chocolate chips.
  4. If baking in a large loaf pan or bundt pan, cook at 325 for one and a half hours.
  5. If using smaller loaf pans (as shown here), cook at 325 for about one hour. Check the middle of your bread with a toothpick at 50 minutes. If the toothpick comes out clean, the bread is done.

Notes

Most baking recipes that use persimmons call for them to be pureed. There are a ton of ways that you can do this; some people like to wait for them to ripen by themselves and then just use the soft insides, and some people like to freeze persimmons and then scoop out the soft pulp once they thaw.

But to me, the easiest way is to just chop them up and pop them in the food processor. If I'm using fuyu persimmons, I don't even take the skin off.

Slice off the top, slice out the middle and any seeds, cut into rough chunks, and food process until it's smooth. Easy peasy. I don't find that keeping the skins on affects this recipe at all.

The Perfect Persimmon Bread Recipe (2024)

FAQs

Why add baking soda to persimmon pulp? ›

When persimmons are beaten to a pulp, tannins form complexes with carbohydrates, causing the pulp to stiffen to a gel-like consistency. When baking soda is added, a reaction with the moist and slightly acidic persimmon creates carbon dioxide (CO2), which also plays a role in encouraging the pulp to thicken.

Are persimmons good for baking? ›

If they aren't fully soft in texture, then they will be incredibly astringent. They should be a deep orange color and feel a bit squishy when gently pressed. Because the flesh is very soft, hachiya persimmons are typically used for baking.

Which type of persimmon is best for baking? ›

Fuyu persimmons serve a multi-purpose use. They're best eaten raw or sliced and added to salads, cereal, smoothies, but they are also suitable for baking and roasting. Hachiya persimmons, on the other hand, boast a creamy, jelly-like consistency best for baked goods such as muffins, cookies, bread, and puddings.

How do you prepare persimmons for baking? ›

Trim the leaves off the top of the fruit, remove the stem, and slice the persimmon in half. Continue slicing the fruit into wedges, removing the black seeds from the center. Eat the fruit slices raw (like an apple), add them to a salad or cheese plate, or use them in baked desserts.

How do you get the astringency taste out of persimmons? ›

Treatment with freezing temperatures is a potential method of removing astringency of persimmon, without deterioration in the fruit quality.

How do you get the chalky taste out of a persimmon? ›

Before they've reached peak ripeness, Hachiyas will have a virtually inedible, chalky taste. To avoid this unpleasant surprise, make sure you allow Hachiyas to ripen until they're soft and about to burst. This ensures the tannins will have dissipated, and you'll have a sweet, smooth persimmon on your hands.

What not to mix with persimmon? ›

Potato and persimmon: if you eat them together very often they can form kidney stones.

What to avoid with persimmon? ›

Dairy: Consuming dairy products like milk, yogurt, or cheese immediately before or after eating persimmons may lead to digestive issues for some people. This is because persimmons are acidic and can curdle milk, potentially causing stomach discomfort. To avoid this, consider spacing out the consumption of dairy.

Why cant you eat persimmons on an empty stomach? ›

Excess in persimmons, hawthorns, tea, alcohol or food increasing gastric acidity can cause such stones," said Dr Lu Ying, director of Shanghai Yida Hospital's digestive disease department. "Eating persimmons with an empty stomach or eating an excessive amount of raw persimmons is likely to result in a stone.

How do I know if my persimmon is Fuyu or hachiya? ›

How to Tell Fuyus and Hachiyas Apart. The one you can eat like an apple—Fuyu—is short, squat, and firm. The persimmon you have to ripen until it is squishy, and then you eat or use the pulp—Hachiya—looks like a large orange acorn.

What is the difference between persimmons and Fuyu persimmons? ›

Hachiya vs.

Thus, hachiya persimmons should be eaten they are totally softened - you know when to eat a hachiya when it feels like a water balloon or an over-ripe tomato. Fuyu persimmons are far less astringent. This means that fuyu persimmons can be enjoyed while still firm as well as when they are soft.

Which is better Fuyu or hachiya persimmons? ›

Fuyu and Hachiya: Knowing the Difference

Hachiya (left) and Fuyu (right) are both locally grown persimmons that have beautiful cinnamon notes, perfect for fall. However, the Hachiya's texture is best when extremely ripe, almost jelly-like in texture, while the Fuyu can be eaten while hard, like an apple.

What can I do with a lot of persimmons? ›

One of the best options for copious amounts of any food is to freeze some for later. HalfPint suggests pureeing the persimmon pulp, putting it into plastic freezer bags to maximize your freezer space, and then making persimmon bread, smoothies, and steamed pudding with the thawed fruit pulp later on.

How do you soften persimmons for baking? ›

Persimmons will ripen and soften at room temperature or by wrapping the fruit in paper or a paper bag will increase the concentration of ethylene gas to enhance the ripening time. Once ripe, store in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.

Do you eat the rind of a persimmon? ›

Persimmons have a delicate honey-like flavor and silky texture. They can be eaten fresh, dried, or cooked, and are very versatile in recipes. Persimmon peels are completely edible. Whether or not to peel the fruit is a matter of personal preference and the recipe that you're using.

What are the benefits of baking soda on fruit? ›

The benefits of baking soda.

Baking soda and water can be an effective way of removing some pesticides. A 2017 study found that submerging apples in a baking soda solution for 2 minutes removed more pesticides than a 2-minute soak in a bleach solution or a rinse under running tap water.

What does baking soda do for fruit? ›

The US Food and Drug Administration, the US Department of Agriculture and other scientists agree: use a cold water soak with baking soda to effectively help remove dirt, chemical residue, and other unwanted materials from your fresh vegetables and fruits.

What happens when you add baking soda to fruit? ›

Baking soda is a natural cleaning agent that decomposes and lifts off leftover pesticide residue on produce. It also has abrasive qualities that scrub off dirt and other debris on the surface of fruits and vegetables. Vinegar is another common solution that's used to clean produce.

How can the mouth puckering bitterness of persimmons be removed? ›

Treatment with freezing temperatures is a potential method of removing astringency of persimmon, without deterioration in the fruit quality.

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