This Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Bread is easy to make from scratch and so delicious. Studded with melted chocolate chips, this will be the best pumpkin bread you’ve ever had and is one of our favorite Fall treats!
When it’s pumpkin season, some of our other favorite treats to make are Pumpkin Juice, Pumpkin Ice Cream, and Pumpkin Cookies with Cream Cheese Frosting!
I love the combo of pumpkin and chocolate. Especially in bread form like this Pumpkin Chocolate Babka that I shared two years ago! But making a babka can be intimidating and time-consuming, so honestly, I make this easier chocolate chip pumpkin bread much more frequently during pumpkin season.
It’s an easy quick bread recipe that belongs in the hall of fame category next to classic zucchini bread, double chocolate zucchini bread, and coconut lime glazed banana bread. We make it every Fall and it’s probably my kids favorite type of quick bread.
So I was surprised when I realized I hadn’t shared this on the blog in previous years!
Instead of a crumble topping, when making chocolate chip pumpkin bread I like to just sprinkle some extra chocolate chips right on top of the bread. Not only does it make the moist pumpkin bread look pretty, but it lets you know that there is something special inside.
The warming pumpkin spices of cinnamon, allspice, nutmeg, and cloves are all here and they make a fantastic pumpkin spice bread base that is delicious all on it’s own. But I just love those melty chocolate chips that are in every slice of this pumpkin bread.
Did you know? Libby’s is based in Illinois, which produces more canned pumpkin puree than the other top five pumpkin-producing states combined! According to the USDA Economic Research Service, almost 80% of the Illinois pumpkin crop is devoted to pie filling and Illinois produces more than 3x the amount of pumpkins as the next leading state.
Pumpkin bread recipe with canned pumpkin
This recipe is written for two loaves for a couple of reasons. The first is that my family of four can easily polish off a loaf of chocolate chip pumpkin bread in one afternoon and then beg me to make another one the very next day. Or it seems like there is always a friend who could use a fresh, warm loaf of chocolate chip pumpkin bread and I love to share my baking with others.
The other reason though is that this recipe uses up an entire can of pumpkin puree rather than just part of it. That way I’m not left looking for a way to use up just a small amount of extra canned pumpkin puree.
Can you use fresh pumpkin in this recipe? Absolutely! I’m a huge fan of homemade pumpkin puree over canned pumpkin.
But since pumpkins are seasonal they can be hard to come by and I never freeze enough pumpkin puree to last through the year.
So when I want pumpkin treats I will absolutely use canned pumpkin. One 15 ounce can of pumpkin puree (not pumpkin pie filling, which comes pre-spiced) is a little less than two cups of pumpkin puree, if you are lucky enough to have some when making this pumpkin bread.
How to Make Chocolate Chip Pumpkin Bread
- Whisk together the dry ingredients. You don’t want to end up with a clump of spices in one bite of bread, so whisking the flour, salt, baking soda, baking powder, and spices is a good idea for even distribution in the finished pumpkin bread.
- Beat the oil and sugars until light. The oil is important because it really helps the bread stay tender and moist. I prefer it over butter for this recipe.
- Add the eggs, canned pumpkin, and water and beat to combine.
- Stir the pumpkin mixture into the dry ingredients just until combined. Like most quick breads, you don’t want to overmix the batter here. Gently stir in the chocolate chips.
- Divide the batter between two greased loaf pans. A parchment paper sling is helpful for easily getting the loaves out of the pans after they are done baking.
- Bake for 55 to 65 minutes until done. This might seem like a big window, but this is because oven temperatures can differ pretty significantly, pan sizes can affect the cooking time, altitude might be playing a factor, and even different brands of canned pumpkin or homemade pumpkin puree have slightly different water content. All of which makes this bread sound fussier than it really is. Just look for a skewer inserted into the middle of a loaf to come out with just a few crumbs so you know the bread is done.
Tips for Making the Best Pumpkin Bread
- If you happen to have pumpkin spice on hand, you could absolutely use 1 ½ tablespoons of that in place of the spices listed in the recipe.
- You can easily halve this recipe if you happen to only have half a can of pumpkin left over from something else and are trying to figure out how to use it up. But the loaves freeze so well that I think it’s just easiest to make two at a time and save one for later.
- Test the chocolate chip pumpkin bread around the 50 minute mark to see if it is done, but know that it will likely need to cook for at least another 5-15 minutes beyond that for reasons I explained in the previous section.
- While I really do think this pumpkin bread is best with chocolate chips, you could change it up by using cinnamon chips, caramel chips, cinnamon chips, chopped candy bars, or walnuts or pecans. Any of those would be delicious if you are feeling adventurous!
More Quick Bread and Muffin Recipes
- Best Easy Banana Bread Recipe
- Coconut Lime Glazed Banana Bread
- Double Chocolate Zucchini Bread
- Passion Fruit Lemon Loaf Cake
- Homemade Blueberry Muffins with Crumb Topping
- Twice Glazed Pumpkin Scones
- Zucchini Bread with Walnuts
- Raspberry Streusel Muffins
- Blackberry Scones
Did you make this recipe?
Let me know what you thought with a comment and rating below. You can also take a picture and tag me on Instagram @houseofnasheats or share it on the Pinterest pin so I can see.
Chocolate Chip Pumpkin Bread
Ingredients
- 3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
- 1/2 teaspoon allspice
- 1/2 teaspoon cloves
- 2 teaspoons baking soda
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
- 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
- 1 cup light brown sugar
- 1 cup vegetable oil
- 4 large eggs
- 1 15 ounce can pumpkin puree (a little less than 2 cups if using fresh pumpkin puree)
- 2/3 cup water
- 1 cup chocolate chips
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line two loaf pans with a parchment paper sling.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice, cloves, baking soda, baking powder, and salt to combine.3 ½ cups all-purpose flour, 1 teaspoon cinnamon, ½ teaspoon nutmeg, ½ teaspoon allspice, ½ teaspoon cloves, 2 teaspoons baking soda, 1 teaspoon baking powder, 1 ½ teaspoons salt
- In a separate bowl, beat the granulated sugar, brown sugar, and oil until light, then add the eggs, pumpkin puree, and water, and mix well to combine.1 ½ cups granulated sugar, 1 cup light brown sugar, 1 cup vegetable oil, 4 large eggs, 1 15 ounce can pumpkin puree (a little less than 2 cups if using fresh pumpkin puree), 2/3 cup water
- Pour the liquid mixture into the flour mixture, stirring just until combined, then fold in the chocolate chips. Pour the batter into the prepared loaf pans, then bake for 55 to 65 minutes, or until a skewer stuck into the middle of the loaves comes out clean with just a few crumbs sticking to it.1 cup chocolate chips
- Cool for 30 minutes in the pans before removing and slicing. Store in an airtight container. This bread also freezes well.
Love the addition of chocolate chips to this bread.
Yum! My family would devour this very quickly! Good call with the extra sprinkling of chocolate chips on the top, never enough melty chocolate!
I added some orange zest and wow it really takes this to another level
That sounds amazing!
I halved the recipe and it turned out great! Classic pumpkin bread recipe and very tasty!
Thank you, Meagan! So glad you liked it!
Really nice recipe! I loved being able to use the whole can of pumpkin instead of the usual partial. I made one regular sized loaf for now and six mini loaves that will be in the freezer for snacks over the coming weeks
This recipe is fabulous. The loaves are light with a very tender crumb as opposed to heavy with oil—as so many quick breads of this variety can be— and I think the balance of spices is perfect! I baked the (two) loaves for 65 minutes, which was just right for my oven. They came out absolutely perfectly, baked throughout, with no sinking in the middle as a result. I left one with friends and am freezing the second for future snacking. I’ll definitely make this again!
Wow thank you! Sounds like they turned out great!