Chocolate Chip Pumpkin Bread makes a tasty fall breakfast OR dessert! This dairy free pumpkin bread recipe is full of pumpkin flavor and studded with dark chocolate chips. Makes 1 loaf.

Love pumpkin baked goods? You’re gonna adore Vegan Pumpkin Muffins, Praline Pumpkin Upside Down Cake and Spiced Pumpkin Sugar Cookies!

The photos and recipe for this recipe were originally published on December 5, 2012. The photographs, along with the text and recipe, were updated on September 28, 2020.

After making Michelle’s Pumpkin Spice Pancakes, I had a little pumpkin leftover and no idea what to do with it.

And as someone who has always been a little wary of pumpkin—not on purpose, of course—but because of bad pumpkin pie experience due to my dislike of copious (or even small) amounts of nutmeg, it was a struggle to figure out what needed to be done with the rest of the tasty gourd.

Long story short: I got several sugar pumpkins from our CSA, decided to roast them, did some internet research, was inspired to create a pumpkin bread recipe… and the rest is history.

Why I love this recipe:

For starters, this Chocolate Chip Pumpkin Bread is wonderfully moist, fluffy and flavorful. We have the pumpkin puree and the applesauce in the recipe to thank for that.

Also, you wouldn’t necessarily think that this bread would be super flavorful, considering you’ve just got a little bit of cinnamon in the recipe, but is sings when paired with the other ingredients.

It keeps well in the fridge when covered, and we like to slice it in the mornings and toast it in our toaster oven for an ooey, gooey pumpkin-y breakfast.

Other breakfast recipes with pumpkin puree: Easy Pumpkin Muffins with Cream Cheese Nutella Swirl | Cranberry Pumpkin Cold Brew Coffee Drink | Mini Pumpkin Muffins with Chocolate Chips | Vegan Pumpkin Biscuits with Maple Butter

Need fall flavor inspiration? I’ve got you covered! My Fall Recipe Index has all my favorite fall recipes in one place.

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What do I need to make Chocolate Chip Pumpkin Bread?

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• Loaf pan (mine is 8″ x 4 ½” x 2 ¾” high)
• A large mixing bowl and a smaller bowl
• Whisk
• Rubber spatula

In addition to these tools to make this bread, you’re also going to need some ingredients.

Everyone stocks their pantry and fridge differently, so I wanted to list these out here for you so you can know what you’ve got on hand (and what you need to get the next time you’re at the store:

• Pumpkin puree—not pumpkin pie filling, as that’s pre-sweetened and spiced
• Granulated sugar
• Unsweetened applesauce—since we’re adding in sugar, we don’t need our applesauce to make this bread sweeter
• All-purpose flour—I prefer to use unbleached, but if you’ve got the regular kind, that works!
• Baking soda and baking powder
• Ground cinnamon
• Kosher salt
• Bittersweet or dark chocolate chips. (I particularly love Ghirardelli Bittersweet Chocolate Baking Chips, but you do you! However, if you’re serving this to someone who does not eat dairy, read the ingredients on your chocolate chip bag to ensure there is no dairy in them.)

How do I make Chocolate Chip Pumpkin Bread?

This pumpkin bread recipe is actually surprisingly simple!

First and foremost, preheat your oven. Also, spray a loaf pan with nonstick baking spray, and set aside. This will ensure that your homemade pumpkin bread comes out of the pan without issue. (You could also line your loaf pan with parchment paper, but I’m a lazy baker and go the nonstick spray route.)

Now get out a smaller bowl and a large bowl. You’re going to eventually mix everything into the larger one.

First up, sift the flour, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon and salt into the smaller bowl. Stir them together until incorporated so the ingredients will be evenly spread throughout our Chocolate Chip Pumpkin Bread. Set these aside for later.

Next, measure in the pumpkin, sugar and applesauce into the large bowl. Crack the eggs in, too. Whisk ’em all together until combined.

Sprinkle the flour mixture on top of the wet ingredients. Use a rubber spatula to stir them until just combined. It’s OK if there are a few lumps in it, though, so don’t feel like you need to stir until it’s smooth.

Lastly, measure in the chocolate chips. Fold those in using the same rubber spatula, then pour the batter into the prepared loaf pan. Use the spatula to even out the batter, then sprinkle some more chocolate chips on top of the batter, if you’re feeling fancy.

Bake for 45-55 minutes, or until the loaf is baked through.

Let the Chocolate Chip Pumpkin Bread cool for 15 or so minutes before carefully removing from the loaf pan and slicing!

Quick Tips and Tricks for the best Chocolate Chip Pumpkin Bread

• Bake it on a Sunday afternoon to have pumpkin bread throughout the week!
• To store, wrap a completely cooled loaf in plastic wrap. Alternately, you can place it onto a plate and wrap that. Keep it in the fridge. (The loaf is really moist and will keep longer if you have it in the refrigerator.)
• Slice the loaf into individual slices when you want to eat it instead of ahead of time. Reheat/toast in the toaster oven for an especially epic breakfast.

Let’s bake, friends!

Continue to Content

Yield: 1 loaf

Chocolate Chip Pumpkin Bread

Prep Time: 5 minutes

Cook Time: 50 minutes

Total Time: 55 minutes

Chocolate Chip Pumpkin Bread makes a tasty fall breakfast OR dessert! This dairy free pumpkin bread recipe is full of pumpkin flavor and studded with dark chocolate chips.

Print

Ingredients

• 1 ½ cups unbleached all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• ¾ teaspoon ground cinnamon
• ½ teaspoon kosher salt
• ¾ cup pumpkin puree
• 2 eggs
• ¾ cup granulated sugar
• ¾ cup unsweetened applesauce
• 1 cup dark chocolate chips, plus a little extra for the top of the bread

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 375°F. Spray a loaf pan with nonstick baking spray, and set aside.
2. In a small mixing bowl, sift together the flour, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon and salt. Whisk, and set aside.
3. In a separate large mixing bowl, whisk the pumpkin, eggs, sugar and applesauce together until smooth.
4. Sprinkle the dry ingredients on top of the wet ingredients. Stir until just combined using a rubber spatula.
5. Measure in the chocolate chips, and fold into the batter gently using a rubber spatula.
6. Pour the batter into the prepared bread pan. Sprinkle additional chocolate chips on top, if desired.
7. Transfer the pan into the oven. Bake for 50 minutes or until an inserted toothpick comes out clean.
8. Let cool for 15 minutes, slice and then enjoy!

Notes

If you plan to make this dairy free, read the ingredients on your chocolate chip bag to ensure there was no dairy used in their creation.

Chocolate Chip Substitutions: Bittersweet chocolate chips work in this recipe, too! I advise against semisweet and milk chocolate ones because I feel like they make the bread too sweet. However, if you like it sweeter, give it a go. Also consider using ¾ cup of those instead of a full cup.

Store this loaf of bread covered in the refrigerator. (We generally remove ours from its pan, and wrap it in plastic wrap when completely cooled.) Why?It's super moist, and I've had it mold when sitting out on the countertop after a few days.

Recommended Products

As an Amazon Associate and member of other affiliate programs, I earn from qualifying purchases.

• 
  Chosen Foods 100% Pure Avocado Oil Spray
• 
  USA Pan Loaf Pan (8.5" x 4.5" x 3")
• 
  Duralex Glass Bowl Set
• 
  OXO Good Grips Wire Whisk (11-Inch)

Nutrition Information:

Yield:

8 slices

Serving Size:

1 slice
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 231Total Fat: 4gSaturated Fat: 1gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 3gCholesterol: 47mgSodium: 407mgCarbohydrates: 45gFiber: 2gSugar: 22gProtein: 5g

Nutrition facts are an estimate and not guaranteed to be accurate.

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