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Pumpkin bread gets an upgrade with the addition of LOTS of chocolate! It’s moist, perfectly dense, loaded with pumpkin puree and pumpkin pie spice, and packed with melty chocolate chips.

Homemade Pumpkin Bread with Chocolate Chips

Hear that? That is the sound of my clicking my heels and twirling like Maria in The Sound of Music, because it is finally fall! Fall means crisp leaves, cozy nights in front of the fire, and ALL the pumpkin recipes, all the time! You can pretty much count on me to be on my way to the store to buy some pumpkin puree as soon as the first leaf hits the ground.

The only thing better than pumpkin desserts are pumpkin chocolate chip desserts. True story! I’ve made pumpkin chocolate chip cookies, pumpkin chocolate chip cake, and pumpkin chocolate chip bars, so I figured it was about time I made pumpkin chocolate chip bread! Why? Because pumpkin and chocolate is ALWAYS a good idea.

If you love quick breads (and who doesn’t!) don’t miss some of my other favorites: Easy Zucchini Bread, Banana Coconut Macadamia Nut Bread, and The Best Banana Bread.

What You’ll Need

Ingredients

Here are a few ingredient notes to keep in mind for this pumpkin bread recipe: (Links are affiliate links and I earn a small commission from qualifying purchases.)

• Pumpkin puree: be sure you’re using plain pumpkin puree, not pumpkin pie filling. They are not the same thing! Canned pumpkin pie filling has a lot of additional sugar (and other ingredients) that will mess up this recipe.
• Pumpkin pie spice: Pumpkin pie spice is a mix of common spices used in pumpkin pie. It’s an easy way to infuse your fall baking with those classic cozy autumn flavors, without having to buy lots of individual spices. You can swap it out for an equal amount of ground cinnamon if that’s all you have on hand, or check the FAQ below for tips on making your own pumpkin pie spice.
• Chocolate chips: I use semi-sweet chocolate chips, but feel free to use another type of baking chips if preferred. You can use milk chocolate, dark chocolate, white chocolate, butterscotch, or cinnamon chips.

Equipment

• Loaf pan: you’ll need an 8.5 x 4.5-inch loaf pan for this pumpkin bread recipe. This is the one I use and recommend! A 9″ pan will also work, but the loaf will be more squat, and you might need to shorten the baking time.
• Mixer: you’ll need either a hand mixer or a stand mixer to make this.

Instructions

This pumpkin bread is a simple, easy-to-make recipe that comes together in no time at all! You can find easily printable instructions in the recipe card right here.

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
• In a medium bowl, use an electric hand mixer or stand mixer to beat the eggs until they’re well blended and foamy.

• Mix in the pumpkin puree.
• Add the sugar and vegetable oil, and beat until well combined.

• In a separate bowl, mix together flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and pumpkin pie spice.
• Gradually add the dry ingredients to the pumpkin mixture, then beat until well blended.

• Add in the chocolate chips and hand mix until they’re distributed throughout the batter. Transfer the batter to a greased loaf pan.
• Place the loaf pan in the oven and bake at 350ºF for 50-60 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean.

Variations

This chocolate chip pumpkin bread recipe is pretty darn great as it is, but feel free to give it your own twist with any of these variations!

• Add nuts. Sprinkle chopped nuts on top of the bread or mix them straight into the batter for some extra crunch. Pecans or walnuts would be delicious!
• Swap the baking chips. Swap out the chocolate chips out for butterscotch chips, white chocolate chips, or cinnamon chips to give the bread a different flavor.
• Frost it. Slather on your favorite frosting for some added sweetness. I’m sure it would be delicious with my pumpkin butterscotch frosting, or cream cheese frosting.
• Add cinnamon and sugar. For an even sweeter flavor with a slight crunch, coat the inside of the pan with a mixture of cinnamon and granulated sugar before adding the batter. 
• Make muffins. If you’d prefer to make pumpkin muffins instead of pumpkin bread, use a standard sized muffin tin lined with muffin liners and bake for 15-25 minutes.
• Add glaze. Make a quick homemade glaze using milk and powdered sugar. Start with 1 cup of powdered sugar, then whisk in a dash of milk at a time until it reaches your desired texture. Once it’s ready you can drizzle it over the bread.

Tips and FAQs

Here are a few of my tips for making the best pumpkin bread!

• Use pumpkin puree. Be sure you get canned pumpkin puree, not pumpkin pie filling. They are not the same thing. Pumpkin pie filling has added ingredients while the only ingredient in pumpkin puree is pumpkin. 
• Want a more mild pumpkin pie spice flavor? Use just 1 teaspoon of pumpkin pie spice. Prefer a stronger pumpkin spice flavor? Use 2 ½ teaspoons. 
• If you want chocolate chips on top of the bread like I do in the photos, wait until after the bread is baked to add them, otherwise they will melt. Once the loaf is removed from the oven, immediately place the chocolate chips on top. They will melt a little from the heat but should maintain their shape.

Don’t miss the step-by-step tutorial showing how to make Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Bread – check out the web story here!

Editor’s Note