Pumpkin puree, chocolate chips, and a warm pumpkin spice blend team up in this easy Chocolate Chip Pumpkin Bread. Sweet and spicy, it's an updated fall classic recipe that's sure to please!
[October, 2021: I've reworked the recipe and updated this post with all new pictures. Enjoy!]
Why this recipe works
- Easy, one bowl recipe that doesn't need a hand mixer
- Rich pumpkin flavor complemented with bursts of chocolate
- Can be adapted for different sizes and presentations
Ah, traditions…
They lend comfortable predictability to life, like a snuggly blanket on a chilly day.
I love food traditions at Thanksgiving. The menu must include roast turkey and stuffing, mashed potatoes with gravy, cranberry sauce, and all the desserts (those are my specialty, as you might expect).
I tweak tradition a little bit with my desserts, like Black Bottom Maple Bourbon Pecan Pie, Glazed Orange Cranberry Bread, and Southern Brown Sugar Pie, although Apple Pie is still a welcome classic.
Yummm... (pausing to wipe the drool off my keyboard)
One tradition I don’t touch is that my Father-in-Law won’t let me in the door for our family's Thanksgiving get-together unless I promise to bake him my Chocolate Chip Pumpkin Bread (aka Pumpkin Chocolate Chip loaf). That’s upwards of 30 years now!
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A time-tested (and tweaked) recipe
This is the Pumpkin Bread recipe, given to me by a work friend years ago. You can see how well loved it is, and how I've adapted it over the years.
There was one year when I accidentally bought a large 29-ounce can of pumpkin purée, so I made Pumpkin Gingerbread Loaves. I couldn’t let that extra pumpkin go to waste!
What you need
This pumpkin chocolate chip bread recipe starts out with pure pumpkin purée (not pumpkin pie filling). One 15-ounce can of pumpkin is sufficient. Also included are flour, sugar, eggs, baking soda, oil, and the ubiquitous pumpkin spice blend.
Adding the chocolate chips takes a good pumpkin bread recipe and makes it great. You can substitute chopped nuts or dried fruit for the chocolate chips, if desired (but my Father-in-Law wouldn’t approve).
A pumpkin spice blend of cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg, and allspice gives the pumpkin loaf recipe a distinctive flavor without overwhelming the sweetness from the sugar and chocolate.
How to make pumpkin bread
This is an easy Chocolate Chip Pumpkin Bread recipe to make. And only uses one bowl!
Step 1: Combine flour and spices
Whisk the flour, baking soda, salt, and spices together in a large mixing bowl (photo 1).
Step 2: Add wet ingredients
Stir in the sugar, eggs, canola oil, pumpkin purée, and water to the flour mixture, only until just incorporated (photo 2).
Step 3: Finish the batter
Add the chocolate chips (photo 3).
Step 4: Bake the bread
Pour the batter into two standard loaf pans sprayed with baking spray (photo 4). If you'd like, you can also line the pans with parchment paper, leaving an overhang on the long sides.
Bake at 350°F for 55 to 65 minutes, checking for doneness after 45 minutes. The loaves are done when center springs back when touched and a cake tester inserted into the center of the loaf comes out clean.
Allow the bread to cool in the pan for 15 minutes, then remove from pan and cool completely on a wire rack.
Canned pumpkin purée doesn't have any additives, just pure pumpkin. Canned pumpkin pie filling contains sugar and spices like cinnamon, clove, allspice, and ginger. Since you want to be able to control the amount of sugar and spices you use, it's best to avoid the pie filling for this recipe.
It's a scant 2 cups of pumpkin purée. A 29 ounce can of pumpkin purée contains about 3½ cups.
Pumpkin bread will keep on the counter at room temperature in an airtight container for several days. You can refrigerate it after about 3 days, but not for too long or it will dry out. For longer storage, freeze it wrapped with plastic wrap and sealed in an airtight bag.
Pro Tip: Choose your size and presentation
Since a Chocolate Chip Pumpkin Loaf is considered a quick bread, you can change the size and presentation depending on which baking pan you use.
My recipe makes two loaves in a standard loaf pan or a glass baking dish (photo 2). You can halve the recipe to make one standard loaf, four mini loaves, 12 muffins, or 24 mini muffins (especially if you use mini chocolate chips.
Would you prefer to serve this as a cake instead of a loaf? Use a bundt pan, or halve the recipe and use a small bundt pan (like with this Sourdough Pumpkin Cake).
Check the Recipe Notes to see the baking times for the different pan sizes. And as with most quick bread recipes, don’t fill pans higher than ⅔ full or the batter can spill over.
Pumpkin and chocolate are well matched
A combination of pumpkin, chocolate, and warm baking spices team up to create a moist, flavorful, sweet, and spicy pumpkin loaf with chocolate chips.
These pumpkin chocolate chip loaves also make great gifts and ship well.
This is truly the best Chocolate Chip Pumpkin Bread recipe around, and it's sure to please your family!
Slainté! L’chaim! Cheers!
Tammy
Related Recipes
Most quick bread & muffin recipes can be made as loaves or bundt cakes.
For a recipe that makes one loaf, you can use a standard loaf pan or a small (6-cup) bundt pan. You can also double the recipe if you want to use a full-sized (10-12 cup) bundt pan.
Other presentation options for a one-loaf quick bread are 4 mini breads in mini loaf pans, 12 muffins in a standard muffin pan, or 24 muffin bites in a mini muffin pan. Great for breakfast or gift giving.
Remember, you aren't limited to one type of presentation for a recipe!
Love this recipe? Please leave a 5-star ⭐️ rating in the recipe card below ⬇️ and/or a comment further down the page.
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Recipe
The Best Chocolate Chip Pumpkin Bread
Ingredients
- 3 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons baking soda
- 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- ½ teaspoon ground cloves
- ½ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- ½ teaspoon ground allspice
- 2 cups granulated sugar
- 4 large eggs, at room temperature
- 1 cup canola oil
- 1 15-ounce can pumpkin purée, NOT pumpkin pie filling
- ¾ cup water
- 12 ounces chocolate chips, (2 cups), see Recipe Notes
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 °F Spray two standard loaf pans with a baking spray. If desired, line the baking pan with parchment paper, leaving an overhang on the long sides.
- Whisk the flour, baking soda, salt, and spices together in a large mixing bowl.
- Stir in the sugar, eggs, canola oil, pumpkin purée, and water to the flour mixture, only until just incorporated. Fold in the chocolate chips.
- Pour the batter into the prepared pans. Don’t fill pans higher than ⅔ full, or the batter can spill over.
- Bake for 55 to 65 minutes, checking for doneness after 45 minutes. The loaves are done when center springs back when touched and a cake tester inserted into the center of the loaf comes out clean.
- Allow the bread to cool in the pan for 15 minutes, then remove from pan and cool completely on a wire rack. Serve and enjoy!
- Pumpkin Bread will keep on the counter at room temperature in an airtight container for several days. For longer storage, freeze wrapped with plastic wrap and sealed in an airtight bag.
Notes
- Full recipe
- One extra large loaf in a standard loaf pan. Bake for 45 to 55 minutes
- One large loaf in a standard loaf pan and two mini loaves using mini loaf pans. Bake the large loaf for 35 to 40 minutes and the mini loaves for 25 to 30 minutes.
- Twelve full-size muffins in a standard muffin pan. Bake for 18 to 23 minutes
- One large bundt cake in a 10- to 12-cup bundt pan. Bake for 55 to 65 minutes
- Half recipe
- One large loaf in a standard loaf pan. Bake for 35 to 40 minutes
- Two mini loaves using mini loaf pans. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes
- One small bundt cake in a 6-cup bundt pan. Bake for 35 to 45 minutes
Lilly says
I adore the flavour of pumpkin but can’t stand the texture, this perfectly hits the spot! I think I’ve just found my new go-to fall recipe! ????????