Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Bread

By Maria Lichty

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Quick Summary

This Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Bread recipe is a fall favorite! The pumpkin bread is moist, tender, filled with warm spices, and dotted with rich chocolate chips. It is easy to make and perfect for breakfast, a sweet snack, or even dessert.

pumpkin chocolate chip bread cut in slices.

I love fall for many reasons, but Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Bread is at the top of the list, along with Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies and Pumpkin Pancakes. There is nothing better than pumpkin AND chocolate! 

This homemade pumpkin bread is easy to whip up and tastes better than any pumpkin bread you can get at a bakery. And the best part? It makes TWO large loaves (9×5-inch size), so you can share one with a friend, stash it in the freezer for later, or enjoy it all by yourself because one loaf never lasts long. It is SO good! 

This bread is great for breakfast, brunch, snack time, dessert, Halloween, Thanksgiving, or anytime! Obviously, it is extra delicious during the fall months, but I do make it year-round and no one complains. 

pumpkin chocolate chip bread cut in slices with bottle of milk.

How to Make Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Bread

  • Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease two 9×5-inch loaf pans with cooking spray and set aside.
dry ingredients in mixing bowl to make pumpkin chocolate chip bread.
  • In a medium bowl whisk together the flour, spices, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.
pumpkin bread batter being mixed with spatula in mixing bowl.
  • In a large bowl, combine the sugars, pumpkin, oil, buttermilk, eggs, and vanilla. Mix until smooth.
  • Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and mix until just combined, being careful to not over mix.
pumpkin chocolate chip bread batter in bowl with spatula.
  • Fold in 1 ½ cups chocolate chips, reserving ¼ cup for the tops of the loaves.
pumpkin chocolate chip bread batter in two loaf pans.
  • Evenly divide batter between the prepared pans. Sprinkle the loaves with remaining chocolate chips and sprinkle evenly with turbinado sugar.
  • Bake for 50 to 65 minutes, or until browned and a toothpick comes out clean when inserted in the center of the loaf. If the loaves are browning too quickly, you can loosely tent them with foil so the middle can keep baking.
  • Remove loaves from oven and cool in pans on a wire rack for 15 minutes. With a knife, go around the bread and loosen the loaves. Remove from pan and cool completely before slicing.

Variations

I love using semi-sweet chocolate chips in my pumpkin bread, but you can also use the following! It’s fun to mix it up! 

  • Milk chocolate chips
  • Dark chocolate chunks or chips
  • White chocolate chips
  • Butterscotch chips
  • Cinnamon chips
  • Walnuts, pecans, or even candied pecans
slices of pumpkin chocolate chip bread

Recipe Tips

  • Have your buttermilk and eggs at room temperature. Pull them out before you begin baking so they can rest for a bit. You can run your eggs under warm water to speed this process or set them in a bowl of warm water. If you don’t have buttermilk, use regular milk with a teaspoon of lemon juice or vinegar. Let it sit for a few minutes before mixing it in.
  • There are a couple ingredients that give this pumpkin bread the perfect, moist texture: pumpkin (of course!), buttermilk, brown sugar, and eggs. 
  • If you have pre-made pumpkin pie spice, you can use 2 tablespoons instead of the mix of spices, but personally I like adding the spices individually because I think the flavor is better. 
  • Don’t overmix the batter! Mix by hand and just until everything is incorporated and no more. Gently fold in the chocolate chips, again making sure you’re only mixing as much as absolutely necessary.
  • Grease your loaf pans really well. You want each baked loaf to easily come out of the pan.
  • Reserve some of the chocolate chips for the tops of your loaves. The chocolate chips make the bread extra beautiful and you can’t go wrong with more chocolate.  
  • I also like to sprinkle turbinado sugar on top of each loaf. This gives each slice of pumpkin bread a sugary-sweet crunch. Don’t skip this step. It’s SO yummy!
  • If the top of your bread is browning too quickly, tent a piece of aluminum foil on top. This will let the middle continue to cook while slowing the browning on top!
  • Let the bread cool in the pan for 15 minutes and then carefully remove it. Let it cool completely before slicing. I know it is hard to wait, but worth it! 

How to Store & Freeze

  • Once baked and cooled, you can wrap the loaf in plastic wrap or place in an airtight container and store on the counter at room temperature for 3 to 5 days
  • You can also freeze the bread, which is so nice since this recipe makes two loaves. I love having one in the freezer for a rainy day. 
  • To freeze, wrap the cooled loaf in plastic wrap AND aluminum foil and freeze for up to three months. I always label and date my bread so I know what it is. Defrost before slicing and serving. 
  • You can also freeze individual slices if you want a quick grab and go pumpkin treat from the freezer. 
pumpkin chocolate chip bread slices stacked with bottle of milk.

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Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Bread

The best pumpkin chocolate chip bread recipe! You are going to love this fall pumpkin bread.
4.76 from 61 votes

Ingredients
  

Instructions
 

  • Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease two 9×5-inch loaf pans with cooking spray and set aside.
  • In a medium bowl whisk together the flour, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, cloves, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.
  • In a large bowl, combine the sugars, pumpkin, oil, buttermilk, eggs, and vanilla. Mix until smooth.
  • Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and mix until just combined, being careful to not over mix.
  • Fold in 1 ½ cups chocolate chips, reserving ¼ cup for the tops of the loaves.
  • Evenly divide batter between the prepared pans. Sprinkle the loaves with remaining chocolate chips and sprinkle evenly with turbinado sugar.
  • Bake for 50 to 65 minutes, or until browned and a toothpick comes out clean when inserted in the center of the loaf. If the loaves are browning too quickly, you can loosely tent them with foil so the middle can keep baking.
  • Remove loaves from oven and cool in pans on a wire rack for 15 minutes. With a knife, go around the bread and loosen the loaves. Remove from pan and cool completely before slicing.

Notes

Updated the original recipe from 2009. They are similar, but I like the updated version better. If you want the original, here are the ingredients: 3 ½ cups all-purpose flour, 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon, 1 tablespoon ground nutmeg, 2 teaspoons baking soda, 1 ½ teaspoons salt, 3 cups granulated sugar, 15 ounces pure pumpkin, 1 cup canola oil, 2/3 cup water, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract, 4 large eggs, 1 cup semisweet chocolate chips. Follow the same instructions.

Nutrition

Calories: 338kcal, Carbohydrates: 52g, Protein: 4g, Fat: 13g, Saturated Fat: 10g, Cholesterol: 30mg, Sodium: 267mg, Potassium: 90mg, Fiber: 2g, Sugar: 36g, Vitamin A: 2838IU, Vitamin C: 1mg, Calcium: 45mg, Iron: 2mg
Keywords bread, chocolate chip, pumpkin

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Maria

I'm Maria and my husband is Josh. We share a love of cooking, baking, and entertaining. We enjoy creating recipes that are simple, fresh, and family friendly. We love sitting around the table with good food, good conversation, and good friends and family! Our kitchen is always open!
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4.76 from 61 votes (31 ratings without comment)

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  1. 5 stars
    I came to this recipe in 2023 after it was updated, and it was a huge success. I don’t like pumpkin pie and am not a huge pumpkin person, but I saw this recipe on Instagram and my pregnancy brain just got attached to it. Fortunately, I love it! I think it’s a great balance of spices, it’s nice and moist, and I of course increased the chocolate chip ratio a bit. I wasn’t sure I really needed 2 loaves… but made the recipe as instructed anyway… and I have already gone through one loaf (with the help of my parents) and started in on my frozen slice stash today.
    Planning to make another batch soon!

  2. 5 stars
    Love this recipe. Making it for the third time in two weeks to keep up with the demand of my children and grandchildren. Thank you!!

  3. 4 stars
    This was a really good recipe. I cooked the loaves for the full 65 minutes which may have been a little too long. Next time I’m going to try cooking for less time and maybe use 1/4 cup less flour so it’s not so dense. But overall, very delcious pumpkin bread!

  4. 5 stars
    Just made this and itโ€™s amazing! Delicious! I love that it makes 2 loaves because just one would be gone way too fast!!

  5. I canโ€™t wait to try this recipe, it sounds so good. I love the combo of pumpkin and chocolate chips together. Is there a Nutella bread recipe on your site?

  6. 5 stars
    Itโ€™s been many years since Iโ€™ve made such a super, crowd pleasing recipe! I did dbl spices, except for cinnamon. Chocolate did not overwhelm the pumpkin and spices. True perfection and so easy to make. I am grateful for your culinary talents!!

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