This Chocolate Chip Pumpkin Bread recipe is everything I love about fall baked into one delicious loaf. The crumb is perfectly moist, the texture is silky smooth, and the flavor is pumpkin spice and everything nice. It’s truly a staple recipe for any home baker, and it’s one that I’m honestly baking all year long.
Chocolate Chip Pumpkin Bread
If there’s one thing I think about when fall rolls around, it’s pumpkins. They’re everywhere. In the grocery store, at the mall, on people’s doorsteps, and even on people’s cars??? People all over the country, and all over the world, go crazy for this vegetable as soon as the first autumn crisp hits the air. I can’t complain though, I’m happy to admit that I’m the first to hop on the bandwagon!
Pumpkins can be used for so many delicious things, and pure pumpkin puree creates baking magic in the oven, but more on that later. I think we can all agree that few things hit the spot more than a Pumpkin Spice Latte (<—grab that recipe!!!) and a delicious slice of chocolate chip pumpkin bread in the fall.
So that, friends, is why I’ve created the ultimate chocolate chip pumpkin bread recipe. This is a loaf packed with all the warm spices of the season, tons of moisture, and my favorite ingredient: chocolate. This is the perfect thing to bring to a friend, a new mom, or to share with your friends in the neighborhood. Tuck this recipe away as a fall staple – you won’t regret it!
What is Chocolate Chip Pumpkin Bread?
All pumpkin breads fall under the “quick bread” category. A quick bread is pretty much any bread you can think of that’s leavened (leavening is what gives the bread “rise”) with a chemical leavening agent rather than a biological leavening agent. Chemical leaveners include things like baking soda and baking powder, while biological includes things like yeast and sourdough starter.
This is why they’re labeled as “quick,” because you don’t have to wait for the yeast to feed on the sugars in the recipe (which then creates CO2, which makes something rise) or the sourdough starter to…. do its thing. Another one of my favorite quick breads is this Toasted Walnut Banana Bread. If you have any old bananas sitting on your counter, now’s your cue to use them up!
Because of this, pumpkin breads like this chocolate chip pumpkin bread come together in only a few minutes. Near instant satisfaction – that’s my kind of bread 🙂
Why Pumpkin?
Ok, chocolate chip pumpkin bread obviously makes the most sense in the fall because that’s when pumpkins are in season. But did you know that pumpkin is actually an incredible ingredient in baking in general? Ask my Secret Ingredient Triple Chocolate Muffins, which are spiked with pumpkin as a secret ingredient!
Pumpkin is an ingredient that packs tons of moisture. It might be a simple vegetable, but when you add it to any baked good, it becomes a moisture superhero. That’s why I added it to my chocolate muffins, and that’s why I love adding it to anything and everything when fall rolls around.
Equipment you may need…
The beauty of this chocolate chip pumpkin bread, and all quick breads for that matter, is that for the most part they can be made without a mixer. However, you may want to pick up these things if you don’t have them on hand already:
- Loaf pan: you’ll need a loaf pan that’s 9×5-inches. I love this one because it’s light in color and nonstick!
- Mixing bowls: I love these glass mixing bowls from Amazon. They’re especially perfect for food photography.
- Wooden spoon: I only use wooden spoons and rubber spatulas when I’m baking, and I love these!
- Measuring cups/spoons: I’ve been linking these in all of my posts because I love them SO much! They are beautiful and look just like some other expensive ones on the market (but wayyy cheaper).
Ingredients for Chocolate Chip Pumpkin Bread
- All-purpose flour – I almost always use King Arthur flours, because I think consistency is important when developing recipes. Protein content can vary between brands, so I’d recommend sticking with King Arthur as well!
- Pumpkin pie spice – you can make your own by hand or you can just buy pumpkin pie spice from the store.
- Baking soda – like I said, this is a quick bread, so we’re using chemical leavening agents here.
- Kosher salt – Diamond crystal kosher salt is the brand I always use in my recipes!
- Baking powder – another chemical leavening agent
- Dark brown sugar – if you don’t have dark brown sugar on hand, feel free to use an equal amount of light brown sugar
- Granulated sugar – for that pumpkin bread sweetness 🙂
- Sour cream – this will add lots of moisture to our bread, happily.
- Vegetable oil – I decided to use oil instead of butter as my fat because I truly wanted this to be an extremely moist bread. If you only have butter on hand, use an equal amount of melted butter, but be warned that it may not be as moist on the inside.
- Large eggs
- Pumpkin puree – the big thing here is to make extra sure you’re using pure pumpkin puree. It’s easy to grab pumpkin pie filling off the shelf on accident, and that will not result in the yummiest chocolate chip pumpkin bread
- Semisweet chocolate chips – for the inside of the bread. You can use chocolate chunks or chopped bittersweet chocolate if you’d like, but I really do love regular old chocolate chips for this chocolate chip pumpkin bread recipe
- Miniature semisweet chocolate chips (optional) – these are for sprinkling on the top of your chocolate chip pumpkin bread. They’re totally optional, but I think they make the presentation really nice
My Kitchen Tips…
- Double the recipe for a Bundt cake. We all love a recipe that can serve a big crowd. If you’re wanting to bring your chocolate chip pumpkin bread to a more upscale dinner party, double the recipe and bake it in a fancy bundt cake pan. It will be the perfect size! You can also just double the recipe and make 2 chocolate chip pumpkin bread loaves, so it’s totally up to you.
- Make your own pumpkin pie spice, if desired. If your grocery store is like mine and the minute September rolls around the pumpkin pie spice disappears from the aisles, don’t worry. You can make your own! Simply combine 3 Tbsp ground cinnamon, 2 tsp ground ginger, 2 tsp ground nutmeg, 1 1/2 tsp ground allspice, and 1 1/2 tsp ground cloves. This will make around 1/3 cup pumpkin pie spice, so you’ll be set for the whole season!
- Trader Joe’s always seems to have plenty of canned pumpkin. Another thing that can be hard to find is pumpkin puree. It disappears so quickly when fall rolls around! I’ve found that Trader Joes almost always carries an abundance of pumpkin puree, so if you don’t have luck at any other stores, check there.
How to Store Chocolate Chip Pumpkin Bread
This chocolate chip pumpkin bread recipe stores great. Sometimes I almost think I prefer day-old pumpkin bread. Maybe the flavors mend together the longer it sits. Whatever the case, I like to let my pumpkin bread cool completely in the pan before transferring it to a cutting board. I then slice it crosswise into 1/2- to 1-inch-thick slices, and store the slices in an airtight container in the refrigerator. It will keep for about 5 to 7 days in the refrigerator.
When I’m ready for a slice, I’ll usually just warm it up for about 15 seconds or so. It doesn’t take long. Then I happily enjoy it with a homemade pumpkin spice latte.
You can also freeze the entire pumpkin bread loaf, wrapped tightly in plastic wrap, for up to 2 months. Then when you’re ready to serve it, set it out on the counter for a few hours while it comes back to room temperature.
Can I make this ahead?
Yes! You can absolutely make an entire loaf of pumpkin bread ahead. I’d just let it cool completely when it comes out of the oven, then wrap it (still in the pan) tightly in plastic wrap, and when you’re ready to serve it just let it sit at room temperature for a few hours to it can come back to temperature. You can also pop it in the oven for just a couple minutes to warm it back up in a pinch.
You can also freeze the entire chocolate chip pumpkin bread loaf, wrapped tightly in plastic wrap, for up to 2 months. Then when you’re ready to serve it, set it out on the counter for a few hours while it comes back to room temperature.
I hope this chocolate chip pumpkin bread recipe becomes a staple in your home like it has in mine! If you bake this, make sure you leave a comment down below, and always feel free to email me at sarah@sarahsdayoff.com if you have any questions about anything! Happy baking 🙂
Love,
Sarah
“The Lord is close to the brokenhearted; he rescues those whose spirits are crushed.” -Psalm 34:18-
Chocolate Chip Pumpkin Bread
Ingredients
- 1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 tsp pumpkin pie spice
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 3/4 tsp kosher salt
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 1/2 cup packed dark brown sugar
- 1/2 cup sour cream at room temperature
- 1/3 cup vegetable oil
- 2 large eggs at room temperature
- 1 cup pure pumpkin puree
- 1 1/2 cups semisweet chocolate chips
- miniature chocolate chips (optional)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease a 9x5-inch loaf pan with cooking spray. Then, line the pan with parchment paper, leaving a 2-inch overhang on each side so you can remove the bread easily from the pan.
- Combine the flour, pumpkin pie spice, baking soda, baking powder, and salt in a large bowl. Set aside.
- In a separate bowl whisk granulated sugar, brown sugar, sour cream, vegetable oil, and eggs until smooth. Whisk in pumpkin until smooth.
- Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients, and fold with a rubber spatula or wooden spoon until only a few streaks of flour remain. Fold in chocolate chips (only the regular-sized ones) until just combined.
- Pour the batter into your prepared (greased and lined) loaf pan, spreading into an even layer if needed. Sprinkle a desired amount of miniature chocolate chips over the top of the batter.
- Bake for 45 to 50 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the loaf comes out clean. The center should spring back when you press on it gently.
- Cool completely in the pan before transferring to a rack, slicing and serving.
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