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!
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 the food traditions. At Thansgiving 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.
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 unless I promise to bake him my Chocolate Chip Pumpkin Bread (aka Pumpkin Chocolate Chip loaf), and that’s upwards of 30 years now!
Jump to:
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.
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
Step 1: Mix the batter
This is an easy Chocolate Chip Pumpkin Bread recipe to make. And only uses one bowl!
Just Whisk the dry ingredients together in a large mixing bowl, then add the sugar, oil, eggs, pumpkin purée and water. Stir until the batter just comes together, then fold in the chocolate chips.
Easy peasy!
Step 2: Bake the bread
Pour the batter into a baking pan sprayed with baking spray. If you'd like, you can also line the baking pan 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.
Questions asked and answered
Here are some questions you might have...
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.
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 bundt cakes, and vice versa.
The secret is if the recipe makes one loaf in a standard loaf pan, use a small 6-cup bundt pan. If the recipe makes two loaves (or one extra large loaf), use a standard 10- to 12-cup bundt pan.
Other options using a recipe that makes one loaf in a standard loaf pan 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!
You can also adjust the recipe you're using (doubling or halving it) to fit the pan you'd like to use. Don't be limited to one shape 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
Equipment
- parchment paper
Ingredients
- 3 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons baking soda
- 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- ½ teaspoon ground cloves
- ½ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- ½ teaspoon ground allspice
- 2 cups granulated sugar
- 1 cup canola oil
- 4 large eggs, at room temperature
- 1 can pumpkin purée, canned, NOT pumpkin pie filling
- ¾ cup water
- 2 cups chocolate chips, 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, oil, eggs, pumpkin purée, and water, only until just incorporated. Fold in the chocolate chips.
- Pour the batter into 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 to cool in the pan for 15 mintues, 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
