Chocolate Chip Pumpkin Bread

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? Try Vegan Pumpkin Muffins and Vegan Pumpkin Biscuits with Maple Butter.

2020 update: This recipe was originally published on December 5, 2012. The post, recipes and images were updated and republished on September 28, 2020. I have included a LOT more tips and tricks.

After making Michelle’s Pumpkin Spice Pancakes, I had some leftover pumpkin puree.

And as someone who has always been a little wary of pumpkin — because of a bad pumpkin pie experience due to my dislike of jarred nutmeg — it was a struggle to figure out what needed to be done with the remainder.

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

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Why I love this recipe:

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

Also, you wouldn’t necessarily think that this unassuming bread would be super flavorful, but the ground cinnamon sings when paired with the other ingredients.

To me, this is the BEST pumpkin bread recipe if you like the combination of pumpkin and chocolate without a bunch of spices getting in the way.

It keeps well in the fridge when covered for as long as you have it. (Chances are, it won’t last more than a few days.)

We like to slice this Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Bread in the mornings and toast it in the toaster oven for an ooey, gooey pumpkin-y breakfast.

I like it by itself, but if you’re feeling decadent, you could add a little Cream Cheese Frosting on top!

Other breakfast recipes with pumpkin puree: Easy Pumpkin Spice Bread | 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.

What you need to make this recipe:

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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

Here’s what you’ll need:

• Pumpkin puree — not pumpkin pie filling. Pumpkin pie filling is already sweetened and spiced, and we don’t need that.
• Granulated sugar — also known as white sugar, this is the sweetener we’re adding to the bread.
• Unsweetened applesauce — since we’re adding in sugar, we don’t need our applesauce to make this bread sweeter. This takes the place of vegetable oil, which you find in many quick bread recipes.
• All-purpose flour — I prefer to use unbleached, but if you’ve got the regular kind, that works!
• Baking soda and baking powder — these are the leaveners we’re adding to our batter, and they will cause the dough to rise. Make sure yours are fresh.
• Ground cinnamon — a little goes a long way! There is no substitute for this, though, so I do not recommend leaving it out. You could replace this with the same amount of pumpkin pie spice.
• Kosher salt — I like to use a medium grain kosher salt in baking recipes. You may also use a fine grain sea salt if you have that on hand.
• Bittersweet or dark chocolate chips — I particularly love Ghirardelli Bittersweet Chocolate Baking Chips, but you do you! Milk chocolate chips or even semisweet chocolate chips would be lovely. 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.

A note on the spices:

I chose to use cinnamon here, but you can use a pumpkin pie spice blend, which includes a mixture of cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg, ginger and more, if desired.

How do I make Chocolate Chip Pumpkin Bread?

This pumpkin bread recipe is actually surprisingly simple!

Prepare.

• Preheat the oven.
• Spray a loaf pan with nonstick baking spray. This will ensure that your homemade pumpkin bread comes out of the pan. (You could make a parchment paper sling to fit into the loaf pan.)
• Get out a smaller bowl and a larger bowl. You’ll need them both.

Combine the dry ingredients. Sift the flour, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon and salt into the smaller bowl. Stir until incorporated and set aside.

Mix the wet ingredients. Measure in the pumpkin, sugar and applesauce into the large bowl.

Crack in the eggs, too. Whisk ’em together until combined.

Combine the wet and dry ingredients. 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, so don’t feel like you need to stir until it’s smooth.

Add the chocolate chips. Fold those in using the same rubber spatula.

Pour the batter into the prepared loaf pan. Use the spatula to even out the batter, then sprinkle some more chocolate chips on top.

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

Let the Chocolate Chip Pumpkin Bread cool completely on a wire rack before carefully removing from the loaf pan and slicing!

How to store:

Store leftover and completely cooled pumpkin bread in an airtight container in the refrigerator. Slice whenever you want a slice.

You can also wrap it in plastic wrap and refrigerate.

Frequently Asked Questions

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 because 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.

Other pumpkin baked goods to try:

Need pumpkin muffin inspiration? Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Muffins would be lovely. And these Pumpkin Cream Cheese Streusel Muffins sound like a fun twist on a classic.

Love pumpkin breakfasts? Pumpkin Overnight French Toast Casserole is great for sharing. Baked Pumpkin Donuts with Cream Cheese Glaze and Toasted Pecans are never a bad idea.

Want a dessert? Praline Pumpkin Upside Down Cake and Spiced Pumpkin Sugar Cookies are two family favorites

Let’s bake, friends!