One of the best ways to celebrate fall is by making (and eating) pumpkin bread! This super easy quick bread is loaded with flavor from pumpkin pie spice, cinnamon, apple cider, and chocolate chips and topped with pumpkin seeds for added texture. This bread is great for breakfast or brunch, but is so good you may just eat it for dessert!
It’s always sad to see summer end, but enjoying fall food, like pumpkin bread, baked butternut squash pasta, and apple cinnamon pork chops makes the transition a little easier!
I’ve been making pumpkin bread for over 20 years and each time I add something different, like walnuts, white chocolate chips, chia seeds, or coconut.
Topped with pumpkin seeds (similar to Starbucks) and filled with chocolate chips is our family’s favorite way, so that’s the version we’re bringing to you here.
This chocolate chip pumpkin bread is great on its own, but we also love it with the same cream cheese frosting we use for our zucchini bread.
And if you’re a pumpkin lover, check out our amaretto pumpkin pie and pumpkin spice martini!
Table of Contents
Recipe Ingredients
All ingredients for this recipe are shown in the pic below and special notes are made in this bulleted list to assist you.
- Pumpkin. We used canned pumpkin for this recipe because it’s easy and widely available. While you certainly can use homemade puree, it will often contain excess moisture and may yield different results.
- Butter. We love the flavor butter adds to pumpkin bread. If you prefer to use oil, you can replace 1:1 with vegetable oil.
- Apple cider. The combination of apple cider and pumpkin gives this bread just the right fall feel. You can also use apple juice or any milk of your choice in its place.
- Spices. We used cinnamon and pumpkin pie spice because it adds great fall flavor to the pumpkin bread and compliments the pumpkin puree nicely. If you don’t have pumpkin pie spice, you can add in its place a 1/4 teaspoon of ground ginger, 1/4 teaspoon of ground cloves, 1/4 teaspoon of ground nutmeg, and 1/4 teaspoon of allspice.
See the recipe card for full information on ingredients and quantities.
How to make it
Each number corresponds to the numbered written steps below.
- Preheat the oven to 350f and set a rack to the middle level. Prepare a 9×5 inch loaf pan with cooking spray, or line with parchment paper. Melt 1/2 cup (113g) of unsalted butter and set aside to cool to room temperature. In a large bowl combine 1 3/4 cups (192g) of all-purpose flour, 1 teaspoon baking soda, 1 tablespoon of cinnamon, 1 teaspoon of pumpkin pie spice, and 1 teaspoon of salt (Photo #1).
- In a separate large bowl, whisk together 2 large room-temperature eggs, 2 teaspoons of vanilla extract, 3/4 cup of granulated sugar, and 1/2 cup of light or dark brown sugar until combined (Photo #2).
- Add 1 1/2 cups (340g) of pumpkin puree, the melted cooled butter, and 1/4 cup (70g) of apple cider and whisk again until smooth and combined (Photo #3).
- Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and gently mix together just until combined taking care to not overmix. Fold in 1/2 cup of chocolate chips, if including, just until combined (Photo #4).
- Pour the batter into the prepared loaf pan and sprinkle 2-3 tablespoons (~12g) to the top, if including. Bake on the middle rack of the oven for 55-65 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center and multiple spots comes out clean (Photo #5).
- Allow the pumpkin bread to cool completely on a wire rack before slicing and serving (Photo #6). Enjoy!
Top tips
- Don’t overmix. As with any quick bread or muffin recipe, the batter shouldn’t be overmixed. Mix just until the dry ingredients are incorporated, then gently fold in the chocolate chips.
- Be creative with add-ins! Chocolate chips and pumpkin seeds are our favorite pumpkin bread add-ins, but you can really add anything you’d like, or you can omit any add-ins and make plain pumpkin bread using this recipe. The choice is yours. Other great add-ins include chopped walnuts, white chocolate chips, and coconut.
- Let it cool. Be sure to let the pumpkin bread cool completely before slicing for optimal results.
- Frosting. If you’re in the mood for a little something extra on your pumpkin bread, add some cream cheese frosting! Our recipe for cream cheese frosting can be found with our zucchini bread recipe. If frosting, forego the pumpkin seed topping for easier spreading.
Frequently Asked Questions
Canned pumpkin puree is 100% pumpkin while canned pumpkin pie filling usually contains other ingredients such as spices, sugar, and other additives. We do not recommend using pumpkin pie filling for pumpkin bread.
Homemade pumpkin bread can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for 3-5 days. If using cream cheese frosting, the frosted pumpkin bread should be stored in the refrigerator.
More easy-to-make goodies
In addition to our zucchini bread recipe, here are some of our favorite easy-to-make treats!
- Banana bread – loaded with white and dark chocolate chips and coconut.
- Olive oil cake – citrus and olive oil pair perfectly in this super moist cake.
- Peach blueberry crisp – way easier than pie!
If you’ve enjoyed this chocolate chip pumpkin bread recipe or any recipe on this site, give it a 5-star rating and tell us about it in the comments below.
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Pumpkin Bread
Ingredients
- 1 3/4 cups (192g) all purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 tablespoon cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 3/4 cup (148g) granulated sugar
- 1/2 cup (107g) light or dark brown sugar packed
- 2 large eggs room temperature
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1/2 cup (113g) butter melted and cooled
- 1 1/2 cups (340g) pumpkin puree
- 1/4 cup (70g) apple cider
- 1/2 cup (85g) dark or semi-sweet chocolate chips optional
- 2-3 tablespoons (12g) pepitas (pumpkin seeds) optional, for topping
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350f and set a rack to the middle level. Grease or line a 9×5 loaf pan with parchment paper.
- In a large bowl combine the flour, baking soda, cinnamon, pumpkin pie spice, and salt.
- In a separate large bowl whisk together the eggs, vanilla, and both sugars until combined, then add the pumpkin, butter, and apple cider and whisk again until combined.
- Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and gently mix together just until combined taking care to not overmix.
- Using a spatula, gently fold in the chocolate chips.
- Add the batter to the loaf pan and sprinkle the pepitas on top, if including. Bake on the middle rack in the oven for 55-65 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
- Allow the pumpkin bread to cool completely on a wire rack before slicing and serving. Enjoy!
Notes
- Take care to not overmix the batter once the dry ingredients have been added.
- The chocolate chips and pumpkin seeds (pepitas) are optional but add great texture and flavor. Other add-ins can include chopped walnuts, white chocolate chips, or coconut.
- This recipe was written for a conventional oven. For convection ovens, reduce the temperature by 25 degrees and begin checking for doneness at the 75% mark.
- Pumpkin bread can be stored at room temperature for 3-5 days.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Hi Jim and Tara,
I’m excited to make this pumpkin bread to have over Thanksgiving with coffee in the morning. My question is in reference to the pumpkin seeds… should they be raw or roasted? I have seen both at the store and don’t know which one to buy. Thank you for your help.
Hi Lisa, you can definitely use roasted if you’d like but we prefer the raw ones for this recipe. We hope you enjoy and have a great Thanksgiving!
Sounds great! Thank you for the recipe.
Hi Ellen, thanks for the comment and hope you enjoy it!