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The best pumpkin bread for fall baking! Healthy and light Chocolate Pumpkin Bread is made using whole wheat flour and yogurt, packed with wonderful pumpkin flavor and warm spices, plus delectable chocolate chips!
Easy Chocolate Pumpkin Bread Recipe
Fall is just the best season for baking. All my favorite ingredients come out to play – pumpkin, cinnamon, chocolate – and this Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Bread has all three! This is a simple bread recipe that really packs in the pumpkin flavor, while some easy ingredient substitutes keep things nutritious and light! This recipe uses whole wheat flour and yogurt for a moist and healthy pumpkin bread that’s super hearty and great for breakfast or a light snack!
Like my Olive Oil Pumpkin Bread and this Zucchini Bread, it’s a light, guilt-free recipe I’ve come back to time and time again. With or without chocolate chips, I love the soft, chocolatey texture and moreish fall flavors – it’s truly the best healthy-ish pumpkin bread, ever!
Why You Should Make This Pumpkin Bread
- Healthy and Nutritious: Made with whole wheat flour and yogurt, this bread provides added nutrients, protein, and fiber without compromising on taste.
- Satisfy Your Chocolate Cravings: Who can resist the rich and semi-sweet flavor of dark chocolate chips? They add a fantastic contrast to the pumpkin.
- Simple to Make: No need for complicated kitchen tools. With one pan, a bowl, a whisk, and a few pantry ingredients, you’re on your way to baking this delicious chocolate pumpkin bread.
- Versatility: Mix things up and add crushed nuts, raisins, banana slices, or cranberries.
Ingredients You’ll Need
This pumpkin bread recipe is not only super easy to make, but it also uses a handful of pantry staples. Perfect for a quick and delicious treat!
- Plain Yogurt: Yogurt keeps this recipe light and gives the pumpkin bread extra moisture and tanginess.
- Pumpkin Puree: Fresh or canned pure pumpkin puree, and not pumpkin pie filling! You can even make your own slow cooker pumpkin puree.
- Eggs: You’ll need 3 large eggs for this recipe.
- Sugar: You can use either a sweetener or regular granulated sugar.
- Vanilla: Use pure vanilla extract for the best, most natural flavor.
- Ground Spices: You’ll need cinnamon and nutmeg, either freshly ground or pre-ground, for those warm fall flavors! Pumpkin Pie Spice will also do the trick if you have some handy.
- Whole Wheat Flour: Healthier and high in nutrients, whole grains are a source of protein, fiber, vitamins, and minerals.
- All-purpose Flour: Balancing all-purpose flour with whole wheat flour means the best bread texture, without losing nutritional value!
- Chocolate Chips: Dark chocolate (70% cocoa) has a great semi-sweet flavor plus extra antioxidants!
How to Make Chocolate Pumpkin Bread
I’m a huge fan of quick bread. This recipe will make one decent-sized, chocolatey loaf of pumpkin bread or two smaller loaves (perfect for freezing and saving!) in little to no time. All you need is one pan, a bowl, a whisk, some pantry ingredients, and these easy steps to make the magic happen:
- Combine the Batter Ingredients: Gather your wet ingredients like the yogurt, pumpkin, eggs, and vanilla, and whisk these together in a bowl. Then cream in the sugar (or sweetener), cinnamon, nutmeg, baking soda and salt until everything is well mixed.
- Add the Flour: In the same bowl, add both the all-purpose and whole wheat flours to the mixture and stir until the dough is thoroughly combined. Going half and half means extra nutrition from whole grains, while still getting that great lightness from the regular white flour.
- Add the Chocolate Chips: Fold in the chocolate chips, or if you prefer, you can use dark baking chocolate chopped into chip-sized chunks! Save a handful of chips to add on top.
- Transfer to a Pan and Bake: Pour the batter into a loaf pan greased with cooking spray and sprinkle the remaining chocolate chips over top. Bake in the oven until a toothpick inserted in the center of the bread comes out clean, about 40 minutes. Once the pumpkin bread is fully baked and out of the oven, let the loaf cool in the pan for 10 minutes, and then invert it on a rack to cool completely.
- Pour yourself a cup of coffee, forget about the laundry, and enjoy a slice (or 2 or 3…) with a slathering of butter and a drizzle of honey.
Recipe Tips
- Line the Pan with Parchment Paper: For easy removal after baking, line the bottom of the pan and longer sides with parchment paper trimmed to the correct size. Give it a spritz with cooking oil before pouring in the raw bread dough!
- Don’t Confuse the Pumpkin Puree: I can’t stress this enough! You’ll need 100% pure pumpkin puree, and not pumpkin pie filling for that great pumpkin flavor.
- Chocolate Variety: While the recipe calls for dark chocolate chips, you can also use a combination of semi-sweet, white, or milk chocolate chips for different flavor profiles.
- Do Not Overmix: When combining the dry and wet ingredients, mix just until they’re incorporated. Overmixing can lead to denser pumpkin bread.
- Baking Time: Ovens can vary, so start checking the bread a few minutes before the recommended time. A toothpick or skewer should come out with a few moist crumbs but not wet batter.
- Cooling is Key: Allow the chocolate pumpkin bread to cool in the pan for the suggested time. This makes it easier to remove and ensures the bread continues to set while cooling.
Quick Bread Mix Ins
Let your creativity shine, sugar! Try out these ingredient suggestions for mixing into the bread dough, either alone or in addition to the chocolate chips:
- Crushed pecans, walnuts, macadamias, etc.
- Dried cranberries
- Raisins
- Banana slices
- Toasted coconut
- Orange zest
- A crumble topping for added texture and flavor.
How to Store
- To store this pumpkin bread will need to cool completely first, and then keep it in an airtight container for up to 5 days outside of the fridge or an additional week or so inside the fridge.
- To freeze this quick bread, wrap the loaf tightly in plastic wrap or seal it in a freezer bag (or other freezer-safe container) and store it in the freezer for up to 3 months. Thaw the bread overnight before you plan to serve it.
More Pumpkin Recipes to Try
- Best Ever Pumpkin Muffins
- Healthy Homemade Pumpkin Pie
- Chocolate Pumpkin Peanut Butter Fudge
- Pumpkin Pie Cinnamon Rolls
- Pumpkin Fluff Dip
- Pumpkin French Toast
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Chocolate Pumpkin Bread
This delicious and easy chocolate pumpkin bread is packed with rich pumpkin flavor, warm spices, and dark chocolate chips!
Ingredients
- ¼ cup plain yogurt
- ½ cup canned pumpkin puree
- 2 large eggs
- ⅓ cup sweetener of your choice, or granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ½ cup whole wheat flour
- ¾ cup all purpose flour
- ½ cup dark chocolate chips, divided
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350˚F. Lightly grease a 9×5 loaf pan with cooking spray and set aside.
- In a large mixing bowl, combine yogurt, pumpkin, eggs, sweetener, vanilla, cinnamon, nutmeg, baking soda, and salt; whisk until completely incorporated. Add flours and stir until thoroughly combined. Fold in 1/3 cup of the chocolate chips.
- Pour the batter into the loaf pan.
- Add the remaining chocolate chips over the top and bake for 35 to 40 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center of the bread comes out clean.
- Remove from oven and let cool in the pan for 10 minutes.
- Remove the bread from the loaf pan and set it over a cooling rack to cool completely.
- Cut and serve.
Notes
- Pumpkin Puree: Use 100% pumpkin puree, not pumpkin pie filling. And, if you’re making your own pumpkin puree, ensure it’s well-drained so your bread doesn’t turn out too wet.
- Chocolate: The recipe calls for dark chocolate chips, but you can also use whatever you have on hand: semi-sweet, white, or milk chocolate chips for different flavors.
- Do Not Overmix: Overmixing can lead to a tough loaf. When combining the dry and wet ingredients, mix just until they’re incorporated.
- Baking Time: Ovens can vary, so check the bread a few minutes before the recommended time. A toothpick inserted in the center of the bread should come out with a few moist crumbs but not wet batter.
- Cooling is Key: Allow the bread to cool in the pan for 10 minutes. This makes removing it easier and ensures the bread continues to set while cooling.
- Customize: Consider adding ingredients like dried cranberries, toasted coconut, orange zest, nuts, and so on for added texture and flavor.
- Parchment Paper: Lining the loaf pan with parchment paper can ensure easy removal and prevent sticking.
- Storing and Freezing: If you plan to freeze the bread, consider slicing it first and then freezing the individual slices. This way, you can grab a slice whenever you crave it without defrosting the entire loaf.
- Serving Suggestion: Warm slices slightly before serving and consider adding a light spread of cream cheese, nut butter, or a drizzle of caramel sauce to enhance the flavors.
Nutrition
Serving: 1slice | Calories: 94kcal | Carbohydrates: 20g | Protein: 2g | Fat: 2g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Sodium: 150mg | Potassium: 102mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 3g | Vitamin A: 1595IU | Vitamin C: 0.4mg | Calcium: 36mg | Iron: 0.8mg
Nutritional info is an estimate and provided as courtesy. Values may vary according to the ingredients and tools used. Please use your preferred nutritional calculator for more detailed info.
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My favorite thing to eat and make this time of year! Especially with a hot cup of coffee. YUM!
Yum….so delicious! Those chocolate chips on top look divine!
I love the combination of pumpkin and chocolate. And for breakfast sounds so decadent!
Yummy, I want to sink my teeth into a big fat slice right now!
I love the addition of chocolate to pumpkin! This bread look incredible!
I just can’t wait to make this chocolate pumpkin bread. It looks so delicious in those images. My kids going to love making it with me:)
I appreciate this lightened up version but I am also interested in the original recipe. I’ve tried to find it within the archives but it doesn’t seem to exist. Can you help? Thanks!
Nice chocolate twist, most pumpkin recipes start and end with pumpkin, so love this choc-addition! Thank you for this recipe!
can i use coconut flour instead of whole wheat flour?
Hi! I have never tried this recipe with coconut flour, but what I do know is that you have to use less coconut flour…something around 1/3 cup coconut flour for 1 cup all purpose flour. You will also need more eggs. I am not sure if one more is good enough for this bread, but you’ll have to play around with the recipe to get the right texture and taste. I hope this helps. 🙂