This pumpkin chocolate chip bread is probably our most requested recipe. It’s almost a guarantee that whenever we make it, someone asks us for the recipe. It’s so tender, full of pumpkin flavor, and dotted with mini chocolate chips. The little loaves are one of our favorite things about the fall. Every year, right when we start seeing pumpkins line the entryways of stores, pumpkin bread is the first thing we make. We have made this recipe annually since we were kids. It’s always as good as we remember, and we look forward to making it as soon as it turns September.
We can’t take credit for this amazing chocolate chip pumpkin loaf. Growing up, it was our mom who made this delicious recipe year in and year out. Since it was so beloved, we’d usually make 5x the recipe until our kitchen was covered in loaves of pumpkin bread to give away to family and friends. She would sift all the flour and spices into a bowl, add in the wet ingredients, and mix in the chocolate chips. It’s that easy. They are called quick breads for a reason. All you need is a big bowl, whisk, and your ingredients – and you can have the best pumpkin bread in no time. This bread is moist, scattered with chocolate chips, and one of our favorite bites all year.
Ingredient Notes:
- Flour: All-purpose flour is used in this recipe. Be sure to measure it accurately using the spoon-and-level method or by weighing with a scale for best results.
- Spices: The combination of cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, cloves, allspice, and cardamom adds warmth and depth of flavor to the bread. Make sure your spices are fresh for the best taste.
- Chocolate chips: Mini chocolate chips are recommended for even distribution in the batter, but regular-sized chocolate chips can also be used if desired. You can also adjust the amount of chocolate chips to your preference.
Recipe Adjustment Notes:
- Spices: if you don’t have all the spices we list out, it’s not a problem. As long as there is cinnamon and nutmeg in the batter, it will be delicious.
- Pumpkin: we really like Libby’s pumpkin for this. It’s the best one we have found and the one our mom and grandma always used. You can make your own but this is the exception to the rule–store bought pumpkin puree is better.
- Number of loaves: this is a recipe for 2 medium loaves. If you want to make 3-4, we have the adjusted ingredients in the notes below.
Tips for the best chocolate chip pumpkin bread
- Use canned pumpkin puree: While fresh pumpkin puree can be used, we find that the canned version works best in this recipe. It’s a rarity that we prefer the canned version of something, but this is one of those instances!
- Weight dry ingredients: Weighing the ingredients (mainly the flour) helps to ensure they are the right amount. Weighting results in a better texture and flavor in the finished bread.
- Don’t overmix: When mixing the wet and dry ingredients together, be careful not to overmix. Overmixing can result in a tougher texture in the bread. Mix until just combined for a tender and moist crumb.
- Use mini chocolate chips: Mini chocolate chips are recommended in this recipe as they distribute more evenly throughout the batter, providing a burst of chocolate in every bite. Regular-sized chocolate chips can also be used if desired.
- Adjust baking time for pan size: The baking time may vary depending on the size of the loaf pans used. For a 4×8 inch metal pan, it may take around 1 hour 25 minutes, but if using a larger or smaller loaf pan, the bake time may need to be adjusted accordingly. Use a toothpick to test for doneness.
FAQ
Can I use canned pumpkin puree?
Yes, you can use canned pumpkin puree in this recipe. It is actually our preferred pumpkin for this bread (versus a fresh made pumpkin puree).
Can I use regular-sized chocolate chips instead of mini chocolate chips?
Yes, you can use regular-sized chocolate chips if you prefer. However, mini chocolate chips are recommended as they distribute more evenly in the batter.
Can I freeze the pumpkin chocolate chip bread?
Yes, this bread can be frozen. Simply wrap tightly in plastic wrap or aluminum foil and store in an airtight container in the freezer for up to 3 months. Thaw in the refrigerator before serving.
Recipe:
Chocolate Chip Pumpkin Bread
Ingredients
- 3 1/2 cups flour all purpose
- 2 cups sugar granulated
- 1.5 tablespoons cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon nutmeg ground
- 3/4 teaspoon ginger ground
- 1/4 teaspoon cloves ground
- 1/4 teaspoon allspice ground
- 1/2 teaspoon cardamom ground
- 2 teaspoon baking soda
- 2 teaspoons salt diamond kosher, if using morton half
- 1 cup vegetable oil
- 3/4 cup water
- 4 eggs
- 1 bag mini chocolate chips 10 oz, plus more for topping if desired
- 2 cups pumpkin puree
Instructions
- Sift all your dry ingredients and sugar into a bowl (flour, sugar, spices, baking soda, and salt)
- Whisk in the eggs, oil, and water to the dry ingredients (until just combined and evenly distributed)
- Fold in the pumpkin puree (until just combined and evenly distributed)
- Add in the chocolate chips and mix
- Pour into 2 greased medium loaf pans (4 inches x 8 inches). The pans should be almost full, we leave about a half an inch of space.
- If you are adding extra chocolate chips on top, sprinkle them on before baking
- Bake at 300 F for ~1 hour 15 minutes (or until a toothpick comes out clean – oven temperatures vary so be sure to check with a toothpick starting at the hour mark)Note: Bake time varies by pan size but for our 4×8 inch metal pan it takes 1 hour 25 minutes. We recommend using medium size loaf pan for the best result but if using a larger loaf pan the bake time will need to be increased (or smaller decrease).
- Let cool before slicing. This can be stored at room temperature for ~3 days. Keep tightly wrapped in plastic or freeze
Notes
- 5 ¼ cups flour
- 3 cups sugar
- 1.5 tablespoons cinnamon
- 1.5 teaspoon nutmeg
- 1 teaspoon ginger
- 1/2 teaspoon clove
- 1/2 teaspoon allspice
- 1/2 teaspoon cardamom
- 1 tablespoon baking soda
- 1 tablespoon salt (diamond kosher, if using morton half)
- 1.5 cups oil
- 1 cup and 2 tablespoons water
- 6 eggs
- 1 bag mini chocolate chips
- 1 large can pumpkin (29 oz)
Enjoy the delicious flavors of pumpkin and chocolate in this moist and flavorful Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Bread! Whether you’re making it as a breakfast treat, afternoon snack, or dessert, this bread is sure to be a hit with family and friends. It is truly one of our favorites. Happy baking!
Entertainer’s Note
These make the perfect gift! Wrap them in cellophane with a ribbon for a beautiful fall gift to share with family and friends.
This is a recipe with a lot of potential. In middle school the teachers had us do a project where we wrote instructions on how to make a PB&J Sandwich. Most kids just wrote “take out pb and jelly and smear on bread”. The teachers read it out loud and followed the instructions. The problem was they didn’t instruct them to go to the store and buy the ingredients and to then open the ingredients. I’m not saying you have to go into that level of detail but the lesson still stands. 5.5 cups of flour? What kind? It says you can use a larger loaf pan, which I did, but not that you’d need to up the cook time or that it would rise substantially. This caused a raw center and a hard, too brown outer crust. This is an Ingredient dense recipe with a large yield, which means you should do everything you can to protect the people who try to follow it from potentially wasting expensive Ingredients. I ended up with 1 semi decent loaf after I tried the first 1 in a large loaf pan and then one in a medium. I ended up using g a 9×13 and it turned out, at least in the sense it wasn’t raw in the center.
Hi JB – thank you for your note! We are so sorry it didn’t turn out. We recommend using medium loaf pans for this but if a larger size is used, the bake time will need to be increased. After your thoughtful feedback, we have added details on the exact loaf pan size, flour, and other details. We are grateful for your feedback and thank you for making our recipes!
Happy Baking,
Maddie & Jules
Easy 1 bowl pumpkin bread. Love the chocolate chip addition–perfect for Fall!
Thank you, JJ! We are so glad you loved this. It is one of our favorites that our mom made every year growing up!
Happy baking,
Maddie & Jules
Best Pumpkin Bread ever! Easy and scrumptious.
Thank you for trying our recipe! We are grateful for your feedback and so glad you enjoyed it. Happy Baking!
Hey! I did you recipe few weeks ago but i noticed you changed it! Water instead of buttermilk, all those spices instead of pumpkin spices, younremoved some visuals, could we have the old recipe back?
Hi Camille – Thank you for reaching out! this particular recipe never had buttermilk or additional visuals – you can use pumpkin pie spice instead of the other spices listed. Just substitute them 1:1. Happy baking!
This is the best pumpkin bread I have ever made. Thank you for sharing!!
Texture was perfect, but I was underwhelmed with the flavor. This time, I made a spicy glaze to compensate for the blandness. Next time, I will up the spices 👍🏻
I just made this bread today. Now her me out, I have made pumpkin bread for years..This is my new recipe!!! I put mine in 2 big loaf pans and cooked for 1 hr and 20 minutes. I took 1 loaf to my husband’s workplace and everyone loved it!! Came home and sliced me a big piece…I drifted into heaven!!!