Pumpkin Bread with Chocolate Chips

This pumpkin bread with chocolate chips is soft, moist, and full of warm fall flavor. Canned pumpkin keeps every slice tender, while cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves give it that cozy spice taste. Melty chocolate chips are folded through the batter so every bite has a little chocolate. It bakes up tall with a golden top and stays fresh for days. If you want an easy fall treat, this pumpkin bread with chocolate chips is ready in about 70 minutes.

Why You’ll Love It

• Super moist. Canned pumpkin keeps the bread soft and tender for days.
• Chocolate in every bite. Chocolate chips melt into little pockets throughout the loaf.
• One bowl. The batter mixes up in a single bowl with no fancy tools.
• Smells amazing. Warm spices fill your whole kitchen while it bakes.
• Freezer friendly. Bake two loaves and freeze one for later.

Why Pumpkin Bread with Chocolate Chips Works So Well

Canned pumpkin is the key to the texture. It adds a huge amount of moisture without making the bread heavy or wet. The natural sugars in pumpkin also help the loaf brown beautifully and stay soft for days after baking. Because canned pumpkin is already smooth, the batter comes together fast with no lumps.

Oil — not butter — is what keeps this bread tender. Oil coats the flour proteins and stops too much gluten from forming, which is what makes quick breads tough. Butter tastes great, but it firms up as it cools and can make the bread feel dry the next day. Oil stays liquid at room temperature, so every slice stays soft.

The spice balance matters. Cinnamon leads, with smaller amounts of nutmeg, cloves, and ginger backing it up. Too much clove can taste bitter, so this recipe keeps it in check. Tossing the chocolate chips in a spoonful of flour before folding them in stops them from sinking to the bottom of the loaf.

Key Ingredients Explained

• Canned pumpkin: One 15-ounce can of pure pumpkin puree (not pumpkin pie filling). It gives the bread moisture, color, and mild pumpkin flavor.
• All-purpose flour: Two cups of all-purpose flour. It gives the bread its structure.
• Sugar: One and a half cups of granulated sugar, plus a little brown sugar for depth. Sugar keeps the bread tender and helps it brown.
• Vegetable oil: Three-quarters cup of vegetable oil. Oil is the secret to a moist loaf that stays soft for days.
• Eggs: Two large eggs at room temperature. They bind the batter and help the bread rise.
• Baking soda: One teaspoon of baking soda. It reacts with the pumpkin’s acidity to lift the loaf.
• Cinnamon: Two teaspoons of ground cinnamon. The main warm spice — do not skip it.
• Nutmeg, cloves, ginger: Small amounts of each for classic pumpkin spice flavor.
• Chocolate chips: One cup of semi-sweet chocolate chips. They melt into gooey pockets throughout the bread.
• Vanilla extract: One teaspoon of vanilla. It rounds out the spices and chocolate.

Ingredients

• 1 can (15 oz) pure pumpkin puree
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 1/4 cups granulated sugar
• 1/4 cup packed brown sugar
• 3/4 cup vegetable oil
• 2 large eggs, room temperature
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
• 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips, plus extra for the top

How to Make Pumpkin Bread with Chocolate Chips

Step 1: Heat the oven and prepare the pan.

Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C). Grease a 9×5-inch loaf pan with oil or cooking spray, then line it with parchment paper leaving overhang on the sides.

Tip: The parchment overhang lets you lift the whole loaf out cleanly.

Step 2: Mix the wet ingredients.

In a large bowl, whisk together the pumpkin puree, granulated sugar, brown sugar, oil, eggs, and vanilla until smooth and well combined.

Tip: Room-temperature eggs mix in more easily and help the bread rise evenly.

Step 3: Add the dry ingredients.

Sprinkle the flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, and ginger over the wet mixture. Stir gently with a spatula just until no dry flour remains.

Tip: Stop stirring as soon as the flour disappears — overmixing makes the bread tough.

Step 4: Fold in the chocolate chips.

Toss the chocolate chips with 1 teaspoon of flour in a small bowl, then fold them into the batter. Save a small handful to press on top.

Tip: The flour coating keeps the chips from sinking to the bottom.

Step 5: Fill the pan and bake.

Pour the batter into the prepared loaf pan and smooth the top. Press the reserved chocolate chips on top. Bake for 60 to 70 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out with a few moist crumbs.

Tip: If the top browns too fast, tent it loosely with foil for the last 15 minutes.

Step 6: Cool completely.

Let the bread cool in the pan for 15 minutes, then lift it out using the parchment and cool fully on a wire rack before slicing.

Tip: Slicing warm bread makes it crumble — wait until it is fully cool for clean slices.

Recipe Tips

• Use pure pumpkin, not pie filling. Pie filling has added sugar and spices that throw off the recipe.
• Do not overmix. Stir just until combined. A few small lumps are fine.
• Check early. Every oven is different — start checking at 55 minutes.
• Cool fully before slicing. Warm quick bread falls apart. Patience gives you perfect slices.
• Measure flour correctly. Spoon flour into the cup and level it off. Scooping packs in too much and makes dry bread.
• Room-temperature eggs matter. Cold eggs can make the batter lumpy and the bread dense.

Variations

• Cream cheese swirl: Beat 4 ounces of softened cream cheese with 1/4 cup sugar and 1 egg. Swirl it through the batter before baking.
• Nutty version: Swap half the chocolate chips for chopped walnuts or pecans.
• Pumpkin muffins: Divide the batter among 18 muffin cups and bake for 20 to 24 minutes.
• Double chocolate: Replace 1/4 cup of flour with cocoa powder for a chocolate-pumpkin loaf.
• Streusel topping: Mix 1/3 cup flour, 1/3 cup brown sugar, and 3 tablespoons cold butter into crumbs. Sprinkle over the batter before baking.

What to Serve With

• Hot coffee — the classic fall pairing
• A glass of cold milk — perfect with the melty chocolate
• Salted butter — spread on a warm slice for extra richness
• Cream cheese — a tangy contrast to the sweet bread
• Vanilla ice cream — turn a slice into dessert

Storage & Reheating

To store: Wrap the cooled loaf tightly in plastic wrap or keep it in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 4 days. The flavor actually deepens by day two.

To reheat: Warm individual slices in the microwave for 10 to 15 seconds to re-melt the chocolate chips. You can also toast slices lightly in a toaster oven.

To freeze: Wrap the whole loaf (or slices) tightly in plastic wrap, then foil. Freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight at room temperature.

Make ahead: Bake the loaf a day before you need it. The spices meld overnight and it slices more cleanly the next day.

FAQs

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Pumpkin Bread with Chocolate Chips

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 15 minutes mins

Cook Time 1 hour hr

Servings: 10 slices

Ingredients Method

Ingredients

  

• 1 can 15 oz pure pumpkin puree
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 1/4 cups granulated sugar
• 1/4 cup packed brown sugar
• 3/4 cup vegetable oil
• 2 large eggs room temperature
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
• 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips plus extra for the top

Method

 

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C). Grease a 9×5-inch loaf pan with oil or cooking spray, then line it with parchment paper leaving overhang on the sides.
2. In a large bowl, whisk together the pumpkin puree, granulated sugar, brown sugar, oil, eggs, and vanilla until smooth and well combined.
3. Sprinkle the flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, and ginger over the wet mixture. Stir gently with a spatula just until no dry flour remains.
4. Toss the chocolate chips with 1 teaspoon of flour in a small bowl, then fold them into the batter. Save a small handful to press on top.
5. Pour the batter into the prepared loaf pan and smooth the top. Press the reserved chocolate chips on top. Bake for 60 to 70 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out with a few moist crumbs.
6. Let the bread cool in the pan for 15 minutes, then lift it out using the parchment and cool fully on a wire rack before slicing.