Breakfast
Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Bread
Prep
15 minutes
Yield
8 -10, 1 loaf
🎃 This pumpkin chocolate chip bread is moist, dairy-free, and loaded with chocolate! No mixer needed for this easy fall favorite that tastes like autumn bliss!
Okay, it may sound basic, but when fall rolls around, I’m all over the pumpkin trend because I genuinely love everything about pumpkin season. Not only is pumpkin incredibly healthy and packed with nutrients, but it’s also wonderfully versatile for both cooking and baking. In this pumpkin chocolate chip bread recipe, the combination of warm spices, creamy pumpkin puree, and rich chocolate chips takes this loaf to a whole new level of deliciousness.
❤️ Why You’ll Love This Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Bread
- Short Prep Time: Prep this pumpkin chocolate chip bread in only 15 minutes with no mixer required, then enjoy the delicious smells filling your house.
- Dairy-Free Friendly: This recipe is naturally dairy-free for anyone with dairy sensitivities or allergies while still being incredibly rich and flavorful.
- Perfectly Moist: The pumpkin puree keeps this bread tender and moist for days without becoming gummy or dense.
- Freezer-Friendly: Make ahead and freeze slices for quick grab-and-go breakfasts or snacks all season long.
🍲 Ingredients
Pumpkin Puree – Pure pumpkin puree (not pumpkin pie filling) is the star of this bread, providing incredible moisture, natural sweetness, and a beautiful orange color. Pumpkin is especially rich in vitamin A and beta-carotene for eye health and immune support, plus antioxidants that may help reduce inflammation. It’s loaded with fiber that aids digestion and keeps you satisfied longer. Always use 100% pure pumpkin puree, not pumpkin pie filling, which contains added sugars and spices that will throw off the recipe.
Chocolate Chips – Dark chocolate chips are ideal for this pumpkin chocolate chip bread recipe because they provide the most intense chocolate flavor while keeping the recipe dairy-free. Dark chocolate contains antioxidants and less sugar than milk chocolate, plus it creates beautiful pockets of melted chocolate throughout every slice. You can also use semi-sweet chocolate chips or chopped chocolate bars for larger chocolate chunks that create dramatic pools of melted chocolate.
👩🍳 How to Make Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Bread
Prepare Your Pan:
1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Line an 8.5×4.5-inch or 9×5-inch loaf pan with parchment paper and lightly grease with cooking oil spray. Note: An 8.5×4.5-inch pan creates a taller, more dramatic loaf but requires 5-10 minutes longer baking time than a 9×5-inch pan.
Mix the Dry Ingredients:
2. In a large bowl, combine the all-purpose flour (measure by spooning into the measuring cup and leveling off—don’t pack it), baking soda, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, and any other pumpkin pie spices. Whisk together to evenly distribute the leavening agents and spices.
Mix the Wet Ingredients:
3. In a medium-sized bowl, add the pumpkin puree. Whisk in the melted coconut oil or melted butter (cooled slightly), brown sugar, egg replacement or room temperature eggs, vanilla extract, and almond milk or any dairy-free milk. Whisk just until combined and smooth—no need to overmix.
Combine and Add Chocolate:
4. Add the flour mixture to the pumpkin mixture. Using a wooden spoon or rubber spatula, gently fold and stir just until combined with no visible flour streaks. Don’t overmix or the bread will be dense and tough—a few small lumps are okay.
5. Roughly chop a dark chocolate bar into chunks or use chocolate chips. Reserve a handful for topping, then gently fold the rest into the batter with just a few strokes to distribute evenly.
Bake:
6. Transfer the batter to the prepared loaf pan and smooth the top with a spatula. Sprinkle the reserved chocolate chips on top for a bakery-style appearance.
7. Bake for 50-60 minutes, tenting loosely with aluminum foil after 35-40 minutes if the top is browning too quickly. The bread is done when:
- A deep crack forms along the top
- A toothpick inserted in the center comes out mostly clean with just a few moist crumbs (not wet batter)
- The internal temperature reaches about 200-205°F on an instant-read thermometer
- The edges pull slightly away from the pan
8. Cool in the bread pan for 10 minutes, then carefully remove and transfer to a wire rack to cool completely. Don’t skip this cooling time or the bread will be gummy in the center.
Optional Chocolate Ganache Topping:
9. For the ganache, melt ½ cup dark chocolate chips in the microwave in 15-20 second intervals, stirring between each, until smooth. Heat ¼ cup plant-based milk in a small pot until it just comes to a gentle simmer (not a rolling boil). Pour the hot milk over the melted chocolate and stir until silky and combined. Let cool for 2-3 minutes to thicken slightly, then drizzle over the completely cooled loaf.
🪄 Tips and Tricks
- No Mixer Needed: This is a simple one-bowl recipe that comes together with just a whisk and spoon—no stand mixer required.
- Measure Flour Properly: Spoon flour into your measuring cup and level off with a knife rather than scooping directly, which packs in too much flour and creates dense bread.
- Don’t Overmix: Mix just until the flour disappears—overmixing develops gluten and makes the bread tough and dense.
- Room Temperature: Use room-temperature eggs (if using) for better incorporation and an even texture throughout the loaf.
🗒 Variations
- Muffin Variation: Line a 12-cup muffin tin with paper liners. Fill each cup about ¾ full. Bake at 350°F for 18-22 minutes until a toothpick comes out clean. Makes 12 standard muffins.
- Mini Loaf Variation: Divide batter among 3 mini loaf pans (approximately 5.75×3-inch). Bake at 350°F for 30-35 minutes until a toothpick comes out clean.
- Add Nuts: Fold in ½ cup chopped walnuts, pecans, or pepitas for extra crunch and nutrition.
- Vegan Version: Use flax eggs (1 tablespoon ground flaxseed mixed with 3 tablespoons water per egg, let sit 5 minutes) or your favorite egg replacer, and use coconut oil instead of butter.
- Spice It Up: Add ½ teaspoon ground ginger, ¼ teaspoon ground cloves, or use 2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice instead of individual spices.
- Chocolate Swirl: Reserve ¼ cup of batter, mix with 2 tablespoons cocoa powder, and swirl into the plain batter with a knife before baking.
🗒 Substitutions
- Pumpkin: You can use canned 100% pure pumpkin puree or homemade pumpkin puree, but never use pumpkin pie filling which contains added sugars and spices.
- Oil vs Butter: Coconut oil or any neutral oil keeps this dairy-free and creates a more tender, moist crumb. Melted butter adds richer flavor but makes it dairy-containing and creates a slightly denser texture.
- Milk: Any dairy-free milk works—almond, oat, soy, or coconut milk all work perfectly to keep this recipe dairy-free.
- Chocolate: Use dark chocolate chips (dairy-free), semi-sweet chocolate chips, milk chocolate chips (contains dairy), or chopped chocolate bars for larger chunks.
👩🍳 Best served with
- Barista Blend Oat Milk
- Fresh Fruit Salad
- How To Make Greek Yogurt
- Vegan Fried Banana Recipe + 5 Ways to Use Bananas
👝 How to Store Leftovers
Let the pumpkin chocolate chip bread cool completely before storing—wrapping while warm creates condensation that makes the top soggy. Wrap tightly in plastic wrap or store in an airtight container at room temperature for 2-3 days, or refrigerate for up to 1 week. For more extended storage, wrap individual slices tightly in plastic wrap, then place in a freezer bag and freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw slices at room temperature for 30 minutes or warm in the microwave for 15-20 seconds for a fresh-baked taste.
🤔 Common Questions
Absolutely! Canned 100% pure pumpkin puree is actually preferred and more convenient than making your own from fresh pumpkins. Just make sure you’re buying pure pumpkin puree, NOT pumpkin pie filling, which contains added sugars and spices that will throw off the recipe.
Both sizes work! An 8.5×4.5-inch pan creates a taller, more dramatic loaf but requires 55-65 minutes of baking time. A 9×5-inch pan makes a shorter, wider loaf that bakes in 50-55 minutes. Check for doneness with a toothpick and internal temperature rather than relying solely on time.
Use the correct amount of pumpkin puree (don’t add extra), don’t overmix the batter, bake until the internal temperature reaches 200-205°F, and most importantly, let it cool completely in the pan for 10 minutes then on a wire rack before slicing. Cutting into warm bread releases steam, which can create gumminess.
Yes! Oil creates a more tender, moist crumb and keeps the bread dairy-free, while melted butter adds richer flavor but creates a slightly denser, more cake-like texture. Use equal amounts when swapping (½ cup oil = ½ cup melted butter). Both are delicious, just slightly different.
Dark chocolate chips provide the most intense chocolate flavor and keep the recipe dairy-free. Semi-sweet chips offer a balance of sweetness and chocolate flavor. Mini chips distribute more evenly throughout, while regular-sized chips create bigger pockets of melted chocolate. All work beautifully—choose based on your preference!
Yes! Replace the eggs with flax eggs (1 tablespoon ground flaxseed + 3 tablespoons water per egg, let sit 5 minutes) or your favorite commercial egg replacer, and use coconut oil instead of butter. The texture will be slightly different, but it will still be delicious.
This usually means the bread was underbaked. Even if the top looks done, the center needs to reach 200-205°F internally. Bake until a toothpick comes out mostly clean and tent with foil if the top browns too quickly.
Absolutely! Double all ingredients and make 2 loaves, or bake in a 9×13-inch pan (bake time will be 35-45 minutes). You can also make one loaf and 12 muffins with a double batch.
Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Bread
Ingredients
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1 1/2 tsp cinnamon
- 3/4 tsp nutmeg
- 1/2 tsp ginger spice
- dash of cloves spice
- 1 1/4 cup pumpkin puree
- 1/3 cup butter or coconut oil room temperature, then melted
- 1 cup brown sugar
- 2 eggs
- 1 tsp vanilla
- 6 tbsp. almond milk
- 3/4 cup dark chocolate
For Ganache:
- 3/4 cup dark chocolate
- 2/3 cup plant-based milk
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350F and line a bread tin with parchment paper and lightly grease with cooking oil spray.
- Into a large bowl, combine the flours, baking soda, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg.
- In a medium-sized bowl add in the pumpkin puree and whisk in the melted oil or butter, brown sugar, egg replacement, vanilla, and almond milk. Whisk just till combined.
- Add the flour mixture to the pumpkin mixture and stir with a wooden spoon to well combine.
- Roughly chop the dark chocolate bar and fold it into the batter.
- Transfer to the baking tin and bake for 50-55 minutes.
- Cool for 5 minutes in the bread tin and remove and cool completely on the wire rack.
- For the ganache, melt dark chocolate in the microwave, stir every 10-20 seconds. Set aside. Heat plant-based milk in a pot until it comes to a gentle boil. Pour over the melted dark chocolate, stirring until combined. Directly pour onto pumpkin loaf.
- Enjoy!
Love it!
Can I substitute APF for oat flour? Do I need to make any other modifications on amounts for other ingredients if so?
Hey Dali!
You won’t be able to do 100% substitution with oat flour because it needs “gluten” to bring it together BUT you can use oat flour and part of a GF blend.
Usually, with gluten-free flours, you can use a bit less, so try 1 3/4 cup instead! And mix until just combined! DO NOT over-mix lol ☺️
Do 1 1/4 cup OAT FLOUR and 1/2cup GF Flour, just to give enough strength to combine it. The starches in the blend will help it stay together 🙂
I hope this helps!
Insanely good! I was craving chocolate at the start of autumn and my goodness does this deliver! The bread itself it moist and delicious, and with the added chips and ganache it is just decadent! Thanks Maria!
OH MY GOODNESS!!! DELICIOUS!!!