Pumpkin Bread with Chocolate Chips

Name: Pumpkin Bread with Chocolate Chips Recipe
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 60 min
Total time: 75 min
Ingredients: ½ cup salted butter (softened); ½ cup light brown sugar (packed); ½ cup granulated sugar; 2 tsp vanilla extract; ½ cup buttermilk; 1 cup pumpkin puree; 2 large eggs; 2 cups all-purpose flour; ½ tsp salt; 2 tsp pumpkin pie seasoning; 2 tsp baking powder; ½ tsp baking soda; 1 cup mini chocolate chips

Delicious chocolate chip pumpkin bread is made with buttermilk and butter to make it light and moist. This is the best way to make pumpkin bread.

Jump to Recipe

sliced pumpkin bread with chocolate chips

Everyone will love this moist and fluffy pumpkin bread with chocolate chips. It is easy to make! Simply combine the wet ingredients in one bowl, the dry ingredients in another, combine them, add chocolate chips and you are ready to bake. You can serve this chocolate chip pumpkin bread for dessert, breakfast, brunch or as a snack in between meals. We love spreading some creamy butter on top or drizzling some maple syrup over it. This scrumptious combination of fall flavors and chocolate will soon be a family favorite.

Table of Contents

pumpkin bread with chocolate chips, two slices cut off

What is Pumpkin Bread?

Even though this pumpkin bread is called “bread” it is technically a cake. Pumpkin bread is not as sweet as pumpkin cake but very similar to pumpkin muffins that are baked in a loaf pan. This scrumptious pumpkin loaf can be served with butter and maple syrup and tastes great for breakfast, brunch, dessert or as a snack in between meals.

Why You’ll Love This

Notable: delicious combination of fragrant pumpkin bread with melty chocolate chips
Main Ingredients: salted butter, light brown sugar, granulated sugar, vanilla extract, buttermilk, pumpkin puree, eggs, all-purpose flour, salt, pumpkin pie seasoning, baking powder, baking soda, chocolate chips
Cooking Method: oven baked
Cooking Time: 60 minutes. Cooking times may vary by 5-10 minutes.
Diets: vegetarian
Special Equipment Needed: electric mixer, 9×5-inch loaf pan

baked pumpkin bread with chocolate in a baking tin

Ingredients

You may have all of these chocolate chip pumpkin bread ingredients in your refrigerator or pantry and not need to make a trip to the grocery store. See recipe card below for ingredient amounts and print the recipe.

Pantry Ingredients: light brown sugar, granulated sugar, vanilla extract, pumpkin puree, all-purpose flour, baking powder, baking soda, chocolate chips
Refrigerated/Frozen Ingredients: salted butter, buttermilk, eggs
Spices: pumpkin pie seasoning, salt

ingredients for pumpkin bread with chocolate chips

WHAT TO MAKE NEXT: If you love this delicious pumpkin quick bread, try our amazing Pumpkin Spice Pancake Recipe. You’ll love these pancakes because they are thick, fluffy and packed with pumpkin and warm spices.

Instructions

This section shows how to make pumpkin bread with chocolate chips in the oven, with step-by-step photos and details about the technique. For full step-by-step instructions, photos and nutritional information see the recipe in the recipe card below. You can print the recipe with or without photos.

PREPARE: Firstly, preheat the oven to 350ºF and then line a loaf pan with parchment paper.

wet ingredients for pumpkin bread with chocolate chips in a bowl

mixed up wet ingredients for chocolate chip pumpkin bread

MAKE BATTER: Add butter, sugars, vanilla, buttermilk, pumpkin and eggs to a large mixing bowl and cream together with an electric mixer. Combine all dry ingredients in a separate bowl and add the flour mixture to the wet ingredients. Mix just until combined. Finally, fold in the chocolate chips.

dry ingredients added to wet ingredients

adding chocolate chips to pumpkin bread batter

BAKE: Pour the batter into the prepared loaf pan and bake on the center rack for 60 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean or with a few moist crumbs on it.

raw pumpkin batter in baking tin topped with chocolate chips

SERVE: Let the loaf cake cool on a wire rack for a couple of minutes before removing it from the pan and cooling it completely. Serve with butter and maple syrup.

Stef says….

I’m over the heat of summer and ready for fall. Number one thing to love about this coming season? Everything pumpkin!! I’ve put together a list of my 20 favorite pumpkin dessert recipes from around the web. I’m sure you’ll find some great ideas to try!

WHAT TO MAKE NEXT: If you love the warm and spicy flavor of pumpkin bread then you’ll love Stef’s Pumpkin Cinnamon Rolls. The soft sweet pumpkin dough, covered in cream cheese frosting is just to die for.

Recommended Tools

Electric Mixer – This recipe requires an electric mixer in order to beat the butter and other wet ingredients together. However, in case you don’t have a mixer it is also possible to hand whisk the batter.

Recipe Tips

Follow these tips to make the best pumpkin quick bread with chocolate chips.

Tip: Measure your flour correctly. We recommend spooning the flour into a measuring cup and leveling it with the back of a knife. If you scoop the flour out of the bag you might add more than the recipe requires.
Tip: Use canned or homemade pumpkin puree. We do not recommend using pumpkin pie filling for this recipe.
Tip: Give your pumpkin loaf time to cool. Bread will slice better after it has cooled down completely.

Andrea says….

Pumpkin and chocolate are such a match made in heaven. I even made this most delicious Chocolate Chunk Pumpkin Cake as a birthday cake for my daughter. It was a huge hit! You can even make it gluten free!

How To Store

Counter: Pumpkin bread can be stored at room temperature in an airtight container or zip top bag for 2-3 days.

Freeze: Pumpkin loaf leftovers can be frozen in a Ziploc freezer bag or a freezer safe container for up to 3 months.

Defrosting: Let the chocolate chip pumpkin quick bread sit at room temperature for a couple of hours or overnight.

half loaf of chocolate chip pumpkin bread

Common Questions

Is it possible to use pumpkin pie filling instead of pumpkin puree?

Unfortunately you cannot substitute pumpkin pie filling for the pumpkin puree. The pie filling already has spices and sugar added and would therefore add too much spice and sweetness to the cake. Moreover, other pie filling additives might cause the bread to not bake evenly.

What is pumpkin pie spice?

Most popular pumpkin pie spice brands are a blend of ground cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, ground cloves and ground allspice. Pumpkin pie spice combines all your favorite fall dessert flavors into one spice mix.

Is it better to use a metal loaf pan or a glass baking dish?

Both kinds of pans should work equally well with this recipe. However, don’t forget to line the baking dish with parchment paper for easy removal after baking.