Chocolate Chip Pumpkin Bread

Moist, warmly spiced, and loaded with melty chocolate chips, the first pumpkin bread of every fall.

September second and I am already in the kitchen with a can of pumpkin. Not because the temperature has dropped (it has not, this is North Carolina) but because the calendar said so. That is all the permission I need. Pumpkin season arrives and I want the house to smell like warm spices. Cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, cloves, allspice, and a whisper of cardamom. That specific scent that means fall is here whether fall has bothered to show up outside or not.

Pumpkin bread is always the first thing I make. It has been that way for years. The minute canned pumpkin appears on the grocery stores end cap and the sugar pie pumpkins show up at the farm stand, I am thinking about this loaf. During fall season I make it in rotation all the way through winter. It is a fall favorite and honestly a new recipe never stays new for long in this house because it immediately becomes a favorite recipe. There are other variations in my pumpkin bread repertoire (cinnamon swirl, bourbon spice, sourdough discard), but this one, the chocolate chip version, is the one that never makes it past the second day.

This chocolate chip pumpkin bread recipe uses a full cup of semisweet chocolate chips folded into the batter, with a little sugar sprinkled over the top before it goes into the preheated oven. If you want something with a little more depth, dark chocolate chips bring a slightly bitter edge that plays beautifully against the warm spices. Milk chocolate chips will give you something sweeter. I have made it with chopped chocolate bars when I did not have chips on hand (just rough-chop a bar of good semisweet chocolate into irregular pieces) and honestly those pockets of melted chocolate throughout the loaf are wonderful. Plenty of chocolate chips in every slice is the whole point. White chocolate chips are also an option, though that is a different bread entirely. Same batter, completely different taste.

This is an easy recipe that comes together in one bowl without an electric mixer, making it a perfect fall treat to bake on a Sunday afternoon with a cup of coffee nearby. First time bakers and experienced ones will get the same result. That is what I love most about quick breads.

This post contains affiliate links, which means I may earn a small commission if you make a purchase through one of my links, at no extra cost to you. I only recommend products I use and love.

What You Need to Make Chocolate Chip Pumpkin Bread

The ingredient list for this easy recipe is simple. Two large eggs, a can of plain pumpkin puree (about two cups of pureed pumpkin), brown sugar, granulated sugar, and a neutral oil such as vegetable oil or canola oil. You can also use coconut oil or melted butter if you prefer, and both work well, though melted butter will give you a slightly richer crumb. Olive oil is another option some bakers use, though a light or extra-light variety works better here than extra virgin olive oil, which has a stronger flavor. Some bakers swap in a spoonful of sour cream or Greek yogurt for extra moisture, and that makes a huge difference in the final crumb. I have tried both and they are good options if you have them on hand.

For flour, all-purpose flour is what you want. The bread is moist enough on its own that you do not need to reach for whole wheat flour, though a half-and-half blend works if you like a heartier loaf. The spice blend is generous: teaspoons of pumpkin pie spice broken out as individual spices rather than a pre-mixed blend, which gives you more control over the flavor. That mixture of cinnamon and warm spices is what gives this bread its true pumpkin flavor and fills the house during pumpkin season.

One important note on the pumpkin: use plain pumpkin puree, or fresh pumpkin puree if you make your own homemade pumpkin puree. Do not use pumpkin pie filling. They look nearly identical on the shelf at most grocery stores, and it is an easy mistake. Pumpkin pie filling already has sugar and spices in it and will throw off the whole recipe. Real pumpkin puree (canned or homemade) only. One 15-ounce can is just right for this recipe.

For the chocolate, extra chocolate chips are always welcome. Semisweet is the standard and what I use most often for best results. If you want to go the chocolate bar route, chop it roughly so you get a mix of larger chunks and smaller shards. Those irregular pieces melt into the crumb in a way that uniform chips do not quite replicate. This pumpkin chocolate chip bread recipe also works beautifully as pumpkin muffins: use muffin tins, reduce the bake time, and start checking early. Mini loaves baked in 5-inch loaf pans are another option, which also make nice gifts.

How to Make Chocolate Chip Pumpkin Bread

Start by letting your large eggs sit on the counter until room temperature, about thirty minutes before you plan to bake. Room temperature eggs make a huge difference in how smoothly the wet ingredients come together.

Position a rack in the lower third of the oven and heat to 350 degrees F. Coat a 9×5-inch loaf pan (or two 5-inch loaf pans for smaller loaves) with cooking spray, then line with parchment paper, leaving an overhang on the two long sides. That overhang is your handle and will let you lift the finished bread cleanly out of the prepared pan.

Mix the wet ingredients first. Place the eggs, pumpkin puree, brown sugar, granulated sugar, and vegetable oil in a large bowl. Whisk until smooth. In a medium bowl, whisk together the dry ingredients: flour, spices, and baking soda. This is optional but it distributes the spices more evenly before they hit the wet ingredients. Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and fold everything together with a rubber spatula or wooden spoon until the flour mixture is almost completely incorporated. You want to see just a few streaks of flour remaining.

Add one cup of the chocolate chips and fold until no streaks of flour remain and the chips are evenly distributed throughout. Do not overmix. Transfer to the prepared loaf pan and smooth the top. If you love chocolate sprinkle chocolate chips across the surface and press them in lightly. This is what gives you those melty chocolate chips on top after baking.

Bake for 35 minutes, then loosely tent the pan with aluminum foil. Continue baking until a cake tester or toothpick inserted at the center of the loaf comes out with just a few moist crumbs attached. Total baking time is usually between 60 and 80 minutes. The foil tent keeps the top from over-browning while the center finishes. For best results, do not open the oven door during the first 35 minutes.

Let the bread cool in the pan for ten minutes, then use the parchment overhang to lift it onto a wire rack. Let it cool completely before slicing. This tender loaf will slice much more cleanly if you wait. Then cut yourself a thick slice, make a cup of coffee or tea, and consider it a perfect fall treat.

Storage and Make-Ahead Tips

This moist pumpkin bread keeps well at room temperature in an airtight container for up to three days. Refrigerated, it will last up to a week. For longer storage, wrap the cooled loaf tightly in plastic wrap and then foil and freeze for up to three months. Thaw in the refrigerator overnight, or unwrap and warm in a 300 degree oven for about twenty minutes.

This pumpkin chocolate chip bread recipe is a good candidate for batch baking. Double the recipe and freeze one loaf. The baked loaves freeze beautifully and thaw quickly, which makes it one of my favorite recipes to have on hand through fall season and into the holidays. Mini loaves baked in 5-inch loaf pans are ideal for gifting and easy to stack in the freezer. This bread makes the perfect favor for your Thanksgiving guests.

Variations Worth Trying

This recipe is a reliable base for several variations. Pumpkin muffins are the most obvious adaptation: same batter, muffin tins, paper liners, shorter bake time, and for best results start checking at twenty minutes. Adding cream cheese to a swirl in the batter (a small block beaten smooth with a little sugar) turns this into something closer to a pumpkin cream cheese loaf, which is genuinely its own category of good. If chocolate chip banana bread is one of your favorite recipes, this is essentially its fall counterpart: same spirit, different season, and worth having in your rotation.

For a homemade pumpkin bread that feels a little more special, use fresh pumpkin puree roasted from real pumpkin when you have the time. The pumpkin flavor is more complex and the color is deeper. It makes this already flavorful loaf taste truly homemade in the best sense. For best results with fresh puree, strain it through cheesecloth or a fine mesh strainer first to remove excess moisture.

More Pumpkin Bread Recipes to Try

If pumpkin season means a rotation of pumpkin bread in your kitchen from September through February, you have good company. A few other favorite recipes worth having alongside this one: the Pumpkin Spice Chocolate Marble Bread Recipe is the one I reach for when I want something that feels a little more special. The Sourdough Discard Pumpkin Bread is a perfect fall treat for anyone who maintains a starter. And the Bourbon Pumpkin Bread is exactly what it sounds like, for the evenings when something warmer is called for.

What I love most about this moist pumpkin bread is how immediately it makes the house feel like fall season is here, even when it is still eighty seven degrees outside. It is an easy recipe that rewards you with something that smells and tastes like you spent all day in the kitchen. If you make this one, I would love to know which chocolate you reached for and whether you made the full size loaf or the mini 5-inch loaf pan version. Come back and tell me. I am curious what your version looked like and which chocolate is your favorite.

If you make this recipe, please leave a comment below or tag me on Instagram. And if you are not already following along, find me on Pinterest, Instagram, and Facebook. for more seasonal recipes and a little bit of everything else.

You May Also Enjoy:

Pumpkin Banana Bread with Cinnamon Glaze

Pumpkin Pie Bars

Cinnamon Swirl Pumpkin Bread with Crumble Topping

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Bread

5 Stars 4 Stars 3 Stars 2 Stars 1 Star

No reviews

Print Recipe

Pin Recipe

Moist, warmly spiced, and loaded with melty chocolate chips and a crusty sugar top.

• Total Time: 0 hours
• Yield: 8 servings 1x

Ingredients

Units USM Scale 1x2x3x

2 large eggs, room temperature

1 (15-ounce) can pumpkin puree (about 2 cups)

3/4 cup packed light or dark brown sugar

1/2 cup granulated sugar

1/3 cup neutral oil, such as vegetable or canola

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour

2–3 teaspoons ground cinnamon

1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon ground ginger

1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg

1/4 teaspoon ground cloves

1/4 teaspoon ground cardamom

1/8 teaspoon ground allspice

1 cup plus 2 tablespoons semisweet chocolate chips, divided

Instructions

Before you start the recipe, set 2 large eggs sit on the counter until they are room temperature, about 30 minutes.

Pre-heat the oven to 350 degrees F. Spray a 9×5-inch loaf pan with non-stick cooking spray, then line with parchment paper, leaving an d overhang for easy removal from your pan.

Place the room temperature eggs, pumpkin puree, brown sugar, granulated sugar, vanilla extract and oil in a large bowl. Whisk until smooth. These are your wet ingredients.

In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, cinnamon, kosher salt, baking soda, ginger, nutmeg, cloves, allspice and cardamom to combine the dry ingredients.

Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and fold together with a spatula until the flour mixture is almost completely incorporated. It’s ok if there are a few streaks of flour.

Add 1 cup of the chocolate chips or chocolate chunks and fold until no streaks of flour remain and the chips are evenly distributed. Do not overmix the batter. Pour the batter into the prepared loaf pan and smooth the top. Sprinkle the remaining 2 tablespoons of chocolate chips over the top and sprinkle with granulated sugar for a crunchy top.

Bake the loaf for 35 minutes. Then loosely tent the loaf pan with aluminum foil. Bake until a cake tester, skewer or tooth pick inserted in the center of the loaf comes out mostly clean with a few moist crumbs attached, about 25 to 45 minutes more.

Let cool in the pan for 10 minutes. Using the parchment overhang, remove the bread to a wire rack and let cool completely before slicing. Enjoy.

Notes

Storage: Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days, or refrigerate for up to 7 days. Wrap tightly in plastic wrap and foil and freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw in the refrigerator overnight.

Chocolate variations: Dark chocolate chips, milk chocolate chips, or roughly chopped chocolate bars all work well here. White chocolate chips are a sweeter option worth trying at least once.

Oil substitutions: Melted butter or coconut oil can be used in place of vegetable oil. A tablespoon of sour cream or Greek yogurt stirred in adds extra moisture.

Muffin option: Divide batter among lined muffin tins and reduce bake time. Begin checking for doneness at 20 to 22 minutes.

Mini loaves: Bake in two 5-inch loaf pans and reduce bake time accordingly.

Recipe adapted from The Kitchn. I have cooked from their site for years and trust their testing completely.

• Author: Elizabeth
• Prep Time: 15 minutes
• Cook Time: 60-80 minutes
• Category: Bread
• Method: Baked
• Cuisine: American