Chocolate Chip Pumpkin Bread

This chocolate chip pumpkin bread is made in one bowl with no mixer using healthier ingredients like olive oil, Greek yogurt, and of course, pumpkin puree and plenty of chocolate chips! It features a cozy blend of fall spices like cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, and cloves.

We’re talking pumpkin bread today! One of my favorite culinary delights of fall, besides baked apple cider donuts and caramel apple galettes, of course. Pumpkin bread is nostalgic, homey, and comforting.

If you’re looking for more pumpkin recipes, consider my easy pumpkin spice muffins or pumpkin bars with cream cheese frosting.

The texture of this chocolate chip pumpkin bread is totally plush, the crumb is dense, and the sweetness is just right. I’ve reduced the sugar vs a typical recipe, which allows the pumpkin itself and the spices to shine through. You’ll also notice that I went heavier on the cloves than most recipes do, and that’s because 1. I love the scent and taste of cloves and 2. it’s distinctive. If you don’t like cloves, you can reduce or eliminate and it will be just fine.

The Recipe Development Process

When doing research on the various incarnations of pumpkin bread recipes in the world, one thing became abundantly clear: most rely on a virtual mountain of sugar for flavor. And I get it, because pumpkin puree on its own is not sweet — it’s a squash, not a fruit — but there is no need for 1.5 cups of sugar in ONE loaf. I knew I could do better.

This was a similar problem to the one I encountered when developing my recipe for the easiest banana bread, so I had some tricks up my sleeve that I thought might work for pumpkin bread too.

In that recipe, I used a combination of only 1/3 cup each of brown and granulated sugar for sweetness, combined with the bananas. The issue is that when you reduce the sugar in a recipe, you also lose some moisture and flavor. You have to compensate for that, and I did so with yogurt and melted butter in that recipe.

For this chocolate chip pumpkin bread recipe, I knew I needed slightly more sugar than banana bread because of the squash’s lack of sweetness, but not much more. A hefty dose of yogurt, olive oil, and spices (modeled after the ratios in my spiced pumpkin bundt cake) would provide flavor and moisture, and chocolate chips would provide sweetness on their own.

Ingredients

So after a few (tasty) tests, here’s what it came down to:

• Pumpkin puree. 1 cup of the totally unsweetened, NOT pumpkin pie filling canned variety. Many people say you can only use Libby’s because it’s thicker and less watery but I used Trader Joe’s, Whole Foods, and a random store brand in my tests, all to equal effectiveness.
• Brown sugar. 3/4 of a cup will do it. Did you know brown sugar is just granulated sugar mixed with molasses? The molasses provides moisture and flavor, and we need that in this pumpkin bread!
• Greek yogurt. 1/2 cup provides moisture, flavor, and protein.
• Olive oil. Just 1/3 cup. I decided to use olive oil because most pumpkin breads call for oil rather than butter. Oil lends itself to a beautifully moist crumb. You can use extra virgin or a refined variety, and you won’t notice the flavor. If you prefer, melted butter or coconut oil would work too.
• Egg. Just one, for structure.
• The good spices: vanilla, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, and cloves. You could use 2 teaspoons of pumpkin pie spice instead, but I like controlling the ratios.
• Chocolate chips: I prefer to use dark chocolate chips, but use what you like!
• A sprinkle of turbinado or coarse sugar (and more chocolate chips) on top. This creates an epic, crackly crust that shatters when you bite into it! Just look!

I mean, that crust. It’s unreal. Might be my favorite part of this entire affair, though the spices and the combination of pumpkin + chocolate are hard to beat.

When you bake this chocolate chip pumpkin bread, prepare for your house to smell like fall and for everyone to come running to the kitchen. If I could make this smell into a candle, I would – but it still wouldn’t compare.

How to Make Chocolate Chip Pumpkin Bread: Step by Step

There won’t be many steps here because this recipe is designed to be streamlined and quick! Only one bowl needed, hallelujah.

1. Whisk together your wet ingredients (pumpkin, brown sugar, oil, Greek yogurt, egg, vanilla) in a large bowl.
2. Whisk in the spices, baking soda, and salt until well-combined, then add the flour and stir gently just until a batter forms and there are no longer flour pockets.
3. Stir in the chocolate chips (best part)…then scrape into a greased or lined loaf pan and top with a sprinkle of turbinado or regular granulated sugar (for that shattery crust) and more chocolate chips.
4. BAKE! This loaf requires 45-55 minutes, depending on the size of your pan. If you’re using a 9×5″ pan it will be on the shorter side, and for an 8×4″ pan, it will be on the longer side.

Recipe Tips and Substitutions

• Measuring flour: make sure to either weigh your flour for most accurate results or use the spoon and level method. Don’t just scoop flour directly from the bag – this compacts the flour and you will have more than you’re supposed to, leading to dry, sad pumpkin bread.
• Flour substitution: you can substitute an equal amount of all-purpose GF mix with xanthan gum, or can replace up to 1/2 cup of the flour with finely ground oat flour for a bit more chew to the bread.
• Spices: you can substitute 2 teaspoons of pumpkin pie spice in place of the individual spices if you prefer.
• Greek yogurt: I used 2%, but 0%, whole, or a thick plant-based yogurt will also work.  You could also substitute with sour cream if desired.
• Olive oil: can substitute with an equal amount of another oil or melted butter if desired.

Storage

This chocolate chip pumpkin bread keeps very well at room temperature for up to 4 days, or in the refrigerator for up to a week. Simply microwave individual slices for 10-15 seconds to reheat. The bread can be frozen, well wrapped, for up to 3 months. Allow to come to room temperature for 1-2 hours before serving or microwave individual slices for 30 seconds to reheat.

More Pumpkin Recipes

• Easy Pumpkin Spice Muffins
• Pumpkin Bars with Cream Cheese Frosting
• Baked Pumpkin Donuts with Maple Glaze
• Pumpkin Pancakes
• Pumpkin Oatmeal Cookies

What I need, what WE need, is this chocolate chip pumpkin bread on repeat every day for the rest of the fall season. It tastes like, as my friend Colleen put it, “fall in my mouth. Truly heavenly.”

Can’t argue with that.

Like this chocolate chip pumpkin bread recipe?  Please rate it and leave a comment or tag me on Instagram @katiebirdbakes, and sign up for my email list to receive my recipes straight to your inbox every time I post!