Pumpkin chocolate chip bread takes homemade pumpkin bread to the next level. Fall flavors pair so well with melted dark chocolate chunks to create two beautiful pumpkin loaves. One for you, and one to share! It can even be made into pumpkin chocolate chip muffins and topped with a delicious cream cheese frosting.
This easy pumpkin chocolate chip bread recipe comes together in a snap. Each slice is deliciously moist and can be eaten for dessert, or even breakfast! Your friends and family will love the warm pumpkin pie spice flavors and melty chocolate chips.
Table of contents
Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Bread Ingredients
When I was testing this recipe, I had some trouble with a sunken and soggy center. It's formulated very specifically with the perfect ratio between the wet and dry ingredients, so I wouldn't recommend making any substitutions.
Buttermilk is easy to find at the store, but if you want to make your own you can follow my buttermilk substitute blog post.
Dark chocolate chips pair SO well with pumpkin flavors. It may sound a bit strange if you haven't had these two flavors together before, but I promise it's worth it. I actually like chopping up bars of dark chocolate instead of using chocolate chips, but either will work great.
Pumpkin puree is the main ingredient in this recipe, so it's important to have a good quality puree. I have tested a lot of brands and find that Libby’s has the best flavor and is not too watery. During pumpkin season I like to make homemade pumpkin puree and freeze it.
Making Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Bread
- Bring the buttermilk and eggs to room temperature and preheat your oven to 350°F.
- Prepare a 9-inch by 5-inch loaf pan with cake goop or your preferred pan release. Don't forget to grease the sides and corners if you're not using parchment paper. This recipe makes two loaves of bread, so make sure to prepare two pans or half the recipe to make one. You can refrigerate half the batter while baking if you only have one pan.
- Chop your chocolate into small chunks and set it aside. You can use chocolate chips of course, but I love the look and gooey-ness of chocolate chunks.
- Add the flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, and ginger to a large bowl and whisk it together to combine, then set aside.
- Whisk together the oil, vanilla, and eggs in a measuring cup and set it aside.
- Pour the pumpkin puree, granulated sugar, and brown sugar into the bowl of your stand mixer with the paddle attachment. Mix on low speed until the ingredients are smooth and combined, then scrape the bowl. I'm using a stand mixer, but a large mixing bowl and electric mixer or whisk will work too.
- Pour in the egg mixture and mix on low until fully combined.
- Add half of the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients while mixing on low, then add half of the buttermilk and mix until combined.
- Alternate adding the rest of the flour mixture and buttermilk and mix on low until your pumpkin batter is smooth and lump-free.
- Gently fold in the chocolate chunks with a spatula.
- Pour half the pumpkin batter into your prepared loaf pan and spread out the top. Repeat with the second pan.
- Bake the loaves at 350°F for 50-60 minutes until a skewer comes out clean. It's dense so the center will take a while to bake. Add more chocolate chips to the top of the bread about halfway through baking so they don’t sink in.
- Cool the pumpkin loaves on a wire rack for about 10 minutes.
- Carefully flip the pumpkin loaves out of the pans and cool them completely.
- This pumpkin chocolate chip bread will last for 3-5 days. Wrap it in aluminum foil and store it in an airtight container at room temperature. Or wrap it in plastic wrap to refrigerate for a week, or freeze it for a month.
Making Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Muffins
This pumpkin bread recipe can also be made into muffins. Line and fill your muffin tins about ⅔ of the way full and bake at 350°F for 15 to 20 minutes until the centers are set. It can make about 24 muffins and 1 loaf, or 48 muffins.
FAQ
Pumpkin puree and canned pumpkin are the same things, cooked and pureed pumpkin. The terms are often used interchangeably in baking and cooking. You don't want to use pumpkin pie filling though, as that often has other spices mixed in.
This pumpkin chocolate chip bread will last for 3-5 days. Wrap it in aluminum foil and store it in an airtight container at room temperature. Or wrap it in plastic wrap to refrigerate for a week, or freeze it for a month. Chilling it will extend the life of the bread, but it's best eaten at room temperature.
Overbaking, over-mixing, too much flour, or too hot of an oven could all contribute to your pumpkin bread drying out. It's best to store your baked pumpkin bread in plastic wrap or aluminum foil and put that in an airtight container. Freezing it can also help lock in moisture.
This chocolate chip pumpkin bread recipe is moist, soft, and great for the holiday season. The pumpkin flavor is subtle and not overwhelming, and the warm spices pair perfectly with the dark chocolate chunks.
More Pumpkin Recipes
Recipe
Equipment
- Two 9" x 5" loaf pans or muffin tins
Ingredients
- 3 cups all purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons baking soda
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 3 teaspoons cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon nutmeg
- ½ teaspoon ginger
- ¼ teaspoon cloves
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 4 large eggs room temperature
- ¼ cup vegetable oil
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract optional
- 2 cups pumpkin purée one, 15 oz can
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1 cup dark brown sugar
- 1 ½ cups buttermilk room temperature
- 1 ½ cups dark chocolate chips
Instructions
- Bring the buttermilk and eggs to room temperature and preheat your oven to 350°F.
- Prepare a 9-inch by 5-inch loaf pan with cake goop or your preferred pan release. Don’t forget to grease the sides and corners if you’re not using parchment paper. This recipe makes two loaves of bread, so make sure to prepare two pans or half the recipe to make one. You can refrigerate half the batter while baking if you only have one pan.
- Chop your chocolate into small chunks and set it aside. You can use chocolate chips of course, but I love the look and gooey-ness of chocolate chunks.
- Add the flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, and ginger to a large bowl and whisk it together to combine, then set aside.
- Whisk together the oil, vanilla, and eggs in a measuring cup and set it aside.
- Pour the pumpkin puree, granulated sugar, and brown sugar into the bowl of your stand mixer with the paddle attachment. Mix on low speed until the ingredients are smooth and combined, then scrape the bowl. I’m using a stand mixer, but a large mixing bowl and electric mixer or whisk will work too.
- Pour in the egg mixture and mix on low until fully combined.
- Add half of the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients while mixing on low, then add half of the buttermilk and mix until combined.
- Alternate adding the rest of the flour mixture and buttermilk and mix on low until your pumpkin batter is smooth and lump-free.
- Gently fold in the chocolate chunks with a spatula.
- Pour half the pumpkin batter into your prepared loaf pan and spread out the top. Repeat with the second pan.
- Bake the loaves at 350°F for 50-60 minutes until a skewer comes out clean. It’s dense so the center will take a while to bake. Pro-Tip: Add more chocolate chips to the top of the bread about halfway through baking so they don’t sink in.
- Cool the pumpkin loaves on a wire rack for about 10 minutes.
- Carefully flip the pumpkin loaves out of the pans and cool them completely.
- This pumpkin chocolate chip bread will last for 3-5 days. Wrap it in aluminum foil and store it in an airtight container at room temperature. Or wrap it in plastic wrap to refrigerate for a week, or freeze it for a month.
Notes
- The best investment you can make when you’re getting started with baking is a digital kitchen scale! Weighing your ingredients will help you avoid baking failure. Using a kitchen scale for baking is super easy and gives you the best results every single time.
- Practice Mise en Place (everything in its place). Measure out your ingredients ahead of time and have them ready before you start mixing to reduce the chances of accidentally leaving something out.
- Make sure all of your cold ingredients (e.g. butter, eggs, milk) are at room temperature or a little warm. Why? Because we want to create an emulsion and allow the ingredients to fully mix together.
- Make your own pan release (cake goop!) The best pan release ever!
- This pumpkin bread recipe can also be made into muffins. Line and fill your muffin tins about ⅔ of the way full and bake at 350°F for 15 to 20 minutes until the centers are set. It can make about 24 muffins and 1 loaf, or 48 muffins.
- Use canned pumpkin or make your own pumpkin puree!
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