Easy Pumpkin Bread with Chocolate Chips

This Easy Pumpkin Bread will become your go-to quick bread recipe for fall. Just one bowl, a handful of ingredients and the perfect loaf every time. Customize with your favorite mix-ins or try baking two mini loaves and giving one for a friend!

*Originally published Oct 2014. Updated in 2018 & 2023*

Hi Friends!

Everyone needs a pumpkin bread recipe easy enough to make quickly in one bowl. I first created this recipe when I was almost 41 weeks pregnant with my son because believe me, if there’s ever a time you need easy recipes, that is it.

How do I make chocolate chip pumpkin bread?

This recipe uses basic ingredients and comes out great every time. You need:

Melted butter – You can experiment with swapping some of the butter for oil or Greek yogurt.

Pumpkin puree – Be sure to use 100% pumpkin, not pumpkin pie filling

Eggs

Brown sugar – White sugar would also work

Cinnamon and vanilla – for flavor! You can also add some ground ginger if you like the taste.

White Whole Wheat Flour – you can sub a 1:1 gluten-free blend if needed

Just mix the wet ingredients in a bowl, add the dry ingredients until just mixed and bake!

What size loaf pan is recommended?

A standard loaf pan is typically 9x5x2 inches. Or slightly smaller at 8.5×4.5×2 inches. However, I personally like making mini loaves because they’re just so much more fun to eat. You can also give the second one away to a friend or stick it in the freezer! A standard mini loaf size is 5 x 3 inches. You can also use this bread batter and bake it as muffins for about 17-18 minutes at 375.

Easy Pumpkin Bread with Chocolate Chips

Are chocolate chip good in pumpkin bread?

Chocolate chips are always a great mix-in option but if you want to change things up, you could try fresh cranberries! Or if you’re looking for a fall recipe that’s a bit more unique, be sure to try my Pumpkin Gingerbread Muffins!

But let’s get back to this bread shall we? Whip up a batch today and enjoy some with your morning coffee all week!

Here’s how you make it:

Pumpkin Bread Healthy Recipe

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So there you have it, pumpkin bread quick and easy? One bowl, minimal effort, delicious result! Here are a few questions I get:

Easy Pumpkin Bread FAQs

How do you store pumpkin bread?

Let it cool completely before transferring to any sort of storage container. I store mine in a Ziploc bag but you can also wrap it in plastic wrap. Store on the counter for up to 5 days. However, since this bread is moist, I typically move mine to the fridge after about 3 days (if there’s any left!)

Can you freeze pumpkin bread?

Yes! It freezes great. You could easily double the recipe and freeze one for later. Let cool completely before freezing. I like to slice mine before freezing so I can pull out just a couple of slices at a time, but you can also freeze the full loaf intact. Cool, then wrap in plastic wrap and place in a freezer-safe bag to freeze.

What spices are in pumpkin bread?

I typically just use cinnamon but ginger also pairs really well. Or try adding some pre-mixed pumpkin pie spice!

Why did my pumpkin bread fall in the middle after baking?

Typically this is either from filling your pan too full or letting your batter sit too long after mixing before you bake it. Make sure you wait to mix your ingredients until you can put the loaf in the oven right away!

Best Pumpkin Bread Variations

Pumpkin Bread Cream Cheese

The pumpkin bread cream cheese pairing seems to be very popular. While I haven’t tried this myself, I’d imagine this is the perfect recipe to add a cream cheese swirl to! Just take a packaged of room temperature cream cheese and beat until smooth, then add 1/2 cup powdered sugar and beat again. Swirl into loaf before baking. Or try these Pumpkin Cream Cheese Swirl Muffins from The Novice Chef.

Pumpkin Bread Vegan

This is likely not the best recipe to try to make vegan. If you really wanted to try, you could swap the butter for oil  or an oil/applesuace combo and use flax eggs but I think it would make it much denser. If you’re looking for a pumpkin bread vegan recipe, I would try this Vegan Pumpkin Bread from Well Plated.

Pumpkin Bread Gluten Free

You could easily make this recipe gluten-free by swapping King Arthur’s Measure for Measure Gluten-Free mix for the white whole wheat flour. I’ve done it myself and it’s great! OR you could try my other favorite pumpkin bread recipe: Gluten-Free Pumpkin Bean Bread or make these Gluten-Free Pumpkin Yogurt Bars.

Pumpkin Bread Healthy

This may not be the very best pumpkin bread healthy recipe you can find, it’s certainly not the worst. When I make it, I reduce the sugar from 2/3 cup to 1/2 cup. You can also experiment with replacing some of the butter with oil or Greek yogurt. I also always use white whole wheat flour vs regular white flour.

Pumpkin Bread Dairy Free

To make this bread dairy-free just swap the melted butter for 1/3 cup oil. Or try these Dairy-Free Pumpkin Bars!

Recipe for Pumpkin Bread Pudding

I don’t have a recipe for pumpkin bread pudding specifically, but I do have this Instant Pot Gingerbread Bread Pudding (with an oven option) and you could easily add some pumpkin and take away the molasses and ginger!

Now, who wants a slice?

Enjoy!
–Lindsay–