This Chocolate Pumpkin Bread is rich, fudgy, and packed with chocolate chips in every bite. One bowl, one loaf pan, and it’s ready in about an hour.

This Chocolate Pumpkin Bread is what happens when classic pumpkin bread and a good box of brownies decide to team up. It’s soft, moist, and loaded with melty chocolate chips in every slice, with just enough warm spice in the background to remind you it’s still pumpkin bread. One bowl, no mixer, and about an hour in the oven is all it takes.

 

I make this one on repeat every fall, and it’s become one of my go-to recipes for gifting. Wrap a cooled loaf in parchment and twine and it looks like you fussed over it, even though it really only takes about 15 minutes of hands-on time. It’s also just as good sliced up for an afternoon snack with coffee, or, let’s be honest, still warm from the oven with a fork instead of a knife.

Ingredient Notes

• Pumpkin puree — use plain canned pumpkin puree, not pumpkin pie filling, which already has sugar and spices added.
• Pumpkin pie spice — gives the bread its warm, fall flavor. If you only have individual spices, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, and cloves are what you need to make your own Homemade Pumpkin Pie Spice.
• Butter — melted butter keeps this a simple one-bowl-per-mixture recipe. Let it cool slightly before whisking it in with the eggs.
• Chocolate chips — semi-sweet is my go-to, but dark chocolate chips work well too if you want it a little less sweet.

How to Make Chocolate Pumpkin Bread

• Preheat and prep. Preheat your oven to 350°F and grease a 9×5 inch loaf pan, or line it with parchment paper for easy removal.
• Mix the dry ingredients. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, pumpkin pie spice, baking soda, baking powder, and salt.
• Mix the wet ingredients. In a separate large bowl, whisk together the pumpkin puree, sugar, melted butter, eggs, and vanilla extract until smooth.
• Combine. Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and stir just until the flour starts to disappear — it’s okay if it’s not fully combined yet. Add 3/4 cup of the chocolate chips and mix until just combined. Don’t overmix, or the bread will turn out dense.
• Bake. Pour the batter into the prepared pan and sprinkle the remaining chocolate chips over the top. Bake for 55-65 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean (a little melted chocolate on the toothpick is fine).
• Cool. Let the bread cool in the pan for 10 minutes, then turn it out onto a wire rack to cool completely before slicing.

Recipe Tips

• Don’t overmix the batter once you add the wet ingredients to the dry — mix just until the flour disappears, or the bread will bake up dense instead of tender.
• Let the butter cool slightly before whisking it into the eggs so you don’t accidentally scramble them.
• Check for doneness at the 55-minute mark, then every few minutes after — a toothpick should come out clean, though a streak of melted chocolate is fine.
• Let the loaf cool for the full 10 minutes in the pan before turning it out; pumpkin breads are delicate and can break apart if unmolded too soon.

Recipe Variations

• Chocolate ganache topping — pour a simple chocolate ganache over the cooled loaf for a more dessert-worthy version.
• Add nuts — fold in a handful of chopped walnuts or pecans along with the chocolate chips for some crunch.

Storage & Freezing

Store the bread tightly wrapped or in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 4 days. For longer storage, refrigerate for up to a week.

To freeze, wrap the cooled loaf (whole or sliced) tightly in plastic wrap, then foil, and freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw at room temperature before serving.

More Tasty Pumpkin Recipes

• Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Muffins
• Pumpkin Bars
• Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cake
• Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Pancakes
• Pumpkin Crisp