This Moist Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Bread is an easy fall quick bread with 10 minutes of prep and no mixer! I made it with pumpkin purée, brown sugar, sour cream, and warm pumpkin spices, plus a little orange zest. Perfect for breakfast, snacks, or Fall holiday gifting.
My Go-To Fall Pumpkin Bread With Chocolate Chips
I bake lots of pumpkin recipes every November, like my pumpkin chocolate chip muffins and baked pumpkin donuts with maple glaze. But a simple loaf of chocolate chip pumpkin bread is easily my favorite! It takes only 10 minutes of prep and comes out gorgeous every time. Then your whole kitchen smells like cinnamon and chocolate for the next hour.
It's a quick bread, so there's no yeast and no mixer. I line the pan with parchment, so the loaf lifts right out. Slice it for breakfast, pack it for lunchboxes, or wrap a loaf as a gift. If you love pumpkin season as much as I do, try my stunning pumpkin shaped cake, easy pumpkin bundt cake, or fan-favorite no-bake pumpkin tiramisu next. I encourage you to add this easy quick bread to your fall baking list!
Why You'll Love It
- Only 10 minutes of hands-on prep
- No mixer needed, just two bowls and a whisk
- Super moist thanks to oil and sour cream
- Warmly spiced with cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, and cloves
- A touch of orange zest brightens the pumpkin
- Stays soft for days and freezes beautifully
- Perfect for fall breakfasts, Halloween parties, and Thanksgiving guests
My Favorite Add-In: Orange Zest
Pumpkin and orange are a classic pair, and 2 teaspoons of zest is all you need. You won't taste orange outright. It lifts the warm spices and keeps the loaf from tasting heavy. I zest the orange right over the bowl so the fragrant oils land straight in the batter.
I also use two sugars. Brown sugar keeps the bread moist and adds a light caramel note. A little granulated sugar helps the loaf rise with a nice domed top.
If you love that warm brown sugar flavor, try the brown sugar glaze on my Pumpkin Bundt Cake. (So good!)
Ingredients You Need
- Flour: I use 1 ¾ cups of all-purpose flour. Spoon it into the cup and level it off. Packing the flour adds extra and dries out the loaf.
- Baking soda and baking powder: I add both. Baking soda reacts with the brown sugar and sour cream, and baking powder gives the loaf extra lift.
- Spices: I mix cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, and cloves for a classic pumpkin spice flavor. You can swap all four for about 2 ½ teaspoons of pumpkin pie spice.
- Pumpkin purée: I stir in 1 cup of canned 100% pumpkin purée. Do not use pumpkin pie filling. It is already sweetened and spiced, so it throws off the flavor.
- Eggs: Two large room-temperature eggs whisk in smoothly and help the bread rise evenly. In a hurry? Set them in a bowl of warm water for 5 minutes.
- Brown sugar and granulated sugar: I pack in ¾ cup of light brown sugar for moisture, plus ¼ cup of granulated sugar. Dark brown sugar works too and gives a deeper molasses taste.
- Vegetable oil: Oil keeps the loaf soft for days, even straight from the fridge. Canola, avocado, or light olive oil all work.
- Sour cream: I whisk in ¼ cup for a tender, moist crumb. Plain Greek yogurt is an easy 1:1 swap.
- Vanilla and orange zest: I add 2 teaspoons of each. Fresh zest is best here, so skip dried orange peel.
- Chocolate chips: I fold 1 cup of semi-sweet chips into the batter and save ¼ cup for the top. Mini chips, dark chocolate chips, or chopped chocolate all work.
How to Make Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Bread (Step-by-Step)
This is a recipe overview. Scroll down for complete instructions and ingredient amounts in the recipe card below.
- Prep the pan. Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C). Grease a 9x5-inch loaf pan and line it with parchment, leaving an overhang on the two long sides. The overhang lets you lift the loaf out in one piece.
- Mix the dry ingredients. Whisk the flour, baking soda, baking powder, spices, and salt in a medium bowl.
- Mix the wet ingredients. In a large bowl, whisk the pumpkin, eggs, both sugars, oil, sour cream, vanilla, and orange zest until smooth.
- Fold it together. Use a spatula to fold the dry ingredients into the pumpkin mixture until a few streaks of flour remain. Fold in 1 cup of chocolate chips. Stop as soon as they are mixed in, because overmixing makes a dense loaf.
- Top and bake. Smooth the top and sprinkle on the remaining chips. Bake for 55 to 65 minutes, until a toothpick in the center comes out clean or with a few moist crumbs. If the toothpick hits a melted chip, test another spot.
- Cool. Let the bread rest in the pan for 15 minutes, then lift it onto a wire rack. Let it cool completely before slicing for clean, neat slices.
- Serve. I love a thick slice with my morning coffee, or warmed with a pat of butter. For a fall brunch, serve it alongside my fluffy Homemade Belgian Waffles.
Use Up the Rest of the Can
This loaf uses 1 cup of pumpkin, so you will have a little left over from a standard can. Use it in my creamy, no-bake Pumpkin Tiramisu, my fan-favorite Pumpkin Turtle Pie, or my stunning Pumpkin Shaped Cake. For dinner, my 30-minute Creamy Pumpkin Gnocchi with Spinach and Sausage is a weeknight favorite.
Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Bread (10 Minutes of Prep)
Ingredients
- 1 ¾ cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- 1 ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon ground ginger
- ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- ⅛ teaspoon ground cloves
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 cup pumpkin purée
- 2 large eggs room temperature
- ¾ cup light brown sugar packed
- ¼ cup granulated sugar
- ½ cup vegetable oil
- ¼ cup sour cream
- 2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 teaspoon orange zest
- 1 ¼ cup semi-sweet chocolate chips divided
Instructions
- Prepare the pan: Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C). Grease a 9x5-inch loaf pan with non-stick cooking spray and line it with parchment paper, leaving some overhang on the two long sides. This will help you remove the bread from the pan after baking.
- Dry ingredients: In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, cloves, and salt. Set aside.
- Wet ingredients: In a large bowl, whisk together the pumpkin purée, eggs, light brown sugar, granulated sugar, vegetable oil, sour cream, vanilla extract, and orange zest until smooth.
- Combine: Using a spatula, gently fold the dry ingredients into the pumpkin mixture until just a few streaks of flour remain. Fold in 1 cup of chocolate chips until evenly distributed. Don't overmix the batter.
- Bake: Transfer the batter to the prepared loaf pan and smooth the top. Sprinkle the remaining ¼ cup chocolate chips over the top. Bake for about 55 to 65 minutes, or until the bread is well risen and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean or with a few moist crumbs.
- Cool: Let the bread cool in the pan for about 15 minutes, then use the parchment to lift it onto a wire rack to cool completely. Slice and serve.
Notes
- Measure the flour correctly: Spoon the flour into the measuring cup and level it off. Too much flour makes the bread dry and dense.
- Pumpkin pie spice: You can replace the cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, and cloves with about 2 ½ teaspoon pumpkin pie spice.
- Pumpkin purée: Use 100% canned pumpkin purée, not pumpkin pie filling.
- Muffins: Divide the batter among 12 lined muffin cups and bake at 350°F (175°C) for 20 to 25 minutes.
- Check Early: Ovens vary. I start checking at 55 minutes. If the top browns too fast, tent it loosely with foil for the last 10-15 minutes.
- Let It Cool: Slice only after the loaf cools completely. Warm pumpkin bread is very soft and can crumble.
- Make Ahead: The bread tastes even better on day two. Bake it, cool it completely, wrap it tightly, and store at room temperature or in the fridge.
- Storage: Keep covered at room temperature up to 2 days, in the fridge up to 5 days, or freeze up to 3 months
- Special Tools: 9x5-inch Loaf Pan | Parchment Paper | Mixing Bowls | Whisk | Silicone Spatula | Microplane Zester | Wire Cooling Rack
Nutrition
Nutrition Disclaimer:
The nutritional information on this website is only an estimate and is provided for convenience and as a courtesy only. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed. It should not be used as a substitute for a professional nutritionist's advice.
FAQs
- How do I keep the chocolate chips from sinking? A thick batter like this one holds the chips well. For extra insurance, toss the chips with 1 teaspoon of the flour mixture before folding them in.
- Can I make muffins with this batter? Yes! Fill 12 lined muffin cups about ¾ full and bake at 350°F (175°C) for 20 to 25 minutes. You can also try my Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Muffins, which are written just for a muffin pan and bake up with tall tops.
- Can I skip the chocolate chips? Yes, absolutely. Leave them out for a classic pumpkin bread, or swap in 1 cup of chopped toasted pecans or walnuts. Dried cranberries are delicious here too.
- Why did my pumpkin bread sink in the middle? The loaf was most likely underbaked, or the oven door was opened too early. Every oven is a little different, so start checking at 55 minutes and bake until a toothpick in the center comes out clean or with just a few moist crumbs (not wet batter). Old baking soda can also cause sinking, so check the date on the box.
- Can I use fresh pumpkin instead of canned? Yes. Fresh purée is often more watery, so blot it with paper towels or drain it in a fine mesh strainer first. Too much moisture makes the loaf gummy.
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