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If you’ve ever baked pumpkin bread and ended up with a dense, dry loaf or worse, one that sticks to the pan, you’ll probably appreciate this version. It leans moist and tender, the kind of bread that slices without crumbling, stays soft for days, and fills your kitchen with that unmistakable autumn smell. The trick seems to come down to balance: a good ratio of oil to eggs, just enough yogurt to keep the crumb light, and a recipe that doesn’t punish you if your pumpkin purée comes out a little watery (because let’s be honest, canned pumpkin isn’t always consistent).

One little extra touch: if you fold in some melted chocolate right before baking, you get these streaky, fudgy ripples rather than clumps of chips. Not necessary, but very worth it.

(By Sarah at Bake My Sweet, where I obsess over small-batch cakes and freezer-friendly bakes.)

Why This Recipe Works

Pumpkin chocolate chip bread isn’t quite cake but not just bread either it hangs out in the middle. The success of the loaf comes down to how you manage moisture. Pumpkin brings both water and starch, which is helpful but can also leave you with a soggy brick if you’re not careful. That’s why my recipe sneaks in a little more flour than most.

Oil does the heavy lifting for tenderness. Butter would give flavor, sure, but it tends to dry out once refrigerated. Yogurt, on the other hand, pulls double duty: a hint of tang and just enough acidity to activate the baking soda gently, so you get a steady rise instead of a dramatic volcano top. Brown sugar is here for both depth and moisture retention it clings to water molecules, so the bread doesn’t stale as fast.

And yes, preheating your oven matters. Go in too cold, and you’ll see the consequences: collapsed center, raw streaks, or a top that splits awkwardly because the middle couldn’t keep up.

Ingredients (with purpose)

• All-purpose flour, 210 g (1 ¾ cups) — the backbone of the crumb. (I sometimes use White Lily; in India, chakki atta works, but keep an eye on how much liquid it absorbs.)
• Granulated sugar, 100 g (½ cup) — sweetness and that faint golden crust.
• Brown sugar, 100 g (½ cup, packed) — chewiness and deep caramel notes.
• Neutral oil (sunflower, rice bran, or mild olive), 80 g (⅓ cup) — tenderness, moisture.
• Eggs, 2 large (100 g total) — structure and rise.
• Canned pumpkin purée (not pie filling), 245 g (1 cup) — moisture and color.
• Plain yogurt, 60 g (¼ cup) — soft crumb, balanced acidity.
• Baking soda, 5 g (1 tsp) — helps it lift.
• Salt, 3 g (½ tsp) — flavor control.
• Pumpkin pie spice, 6 g (1 tbsp) — warmth; if you don’t have it, a mix of cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg will get you there.
• Chocolate chips, 150 g (¾ cup) — dark or semi-sweet; I’d avoid milk chocolate (a bit too sweet here).
• Vanilla extract, 5 ml (1 tsp) — small but mighty.

Equipment

You don’t need a professional setup. A 9×5-inch loaf pan, whisk, spatula, and a halfway decent oven will get you there. A digital scale is the only thing I’ll strongly recommend—it saves bakes from inconsistency. If you’ve ever had a loaf flop on you, there’s a good chance it was from “close enough” measuring.

Step-by-Step Instructions

Step 1: Prep
Preheat the oven to 175°C (350°F), middle rack. Grease your pan or line with parchment. Don’t skip this unless you enjoy chiseling bread out of pans.

Step 2: Dry Mix
Flour, soda, salt, and spice get whisked together. Looks uniform, smells like fall.

Step 3: Wet Mix
In a big bowl, whisk eggs, both sugars, oil, yogurt, pumpkin, and vanilla. Smooth and shiny is the goal.

Step 4: Combine
Gently fold the dries into the wets. When it’s almost there, fold in two-thirds of the chocolate chips. Batter should be scoopable but not stiff. Too thick? A splash of milk fixes it.

Step 5: Bake
Pour into the pan, sprinkle the rest of the chocolate chips on top. Bake 55–65 minutes. Start checking around 50 minutes—your bread should split gracefully on top, not explode. Internal temp? Around 93–96°C (200–205°F).

Step 6: Cool
Cool in the pan for 15 minutes before turning out. Patience matters; pull it too soon and your loaf may collapse.

Troubleshooting (from my experiments)

• Soggy bottom: Pumpkin wasn’t drained or it needed a few more minutes.
• Dense crumb: Batter overmixed. I’ve made this mistake, and the bread turns gummy.
• Cracked top: Oven too hot, or the mix too aerated.
• Dry edges: Usually from overbaking—foil tent it when it browns too early.

Variations

• Egg-free: Applesauce plus a little extra soda works, just gives a denser, moister loaf.
• Dairy-free: Coconut yogurt is surprisingly nice here.
• Nuts: 75 g of chopped toasted pecans change the whole personality of this loaf.

Storage

On the counter, it lasts about three days (wrap it or it will dry out). In the fridge, up to five (slice only what you need, trust me). Freezes beautifully, but wrap well and let thaw undisturbed on the counter.

as usual, Notes From My Kitchen

• The all-brown sugar version cracked badly, so I switched to a blend.
• The no-yogurt trial was… not good. Cold slices were dry and bland.
• Once I accidentally overmixed, and the center turned stretchy and gummy. Lesson learned.
• Oil + butter mix tasted nice but lost its moisture after day two.

The final formula oil, yogurt, pumpkin gives me the best combination of tender texture, clean slices, and a loaf that still tastes good on day four. If you melt a third of those chocolate chips before folding them in, you’ll get hidden fudgy swirls. Not traditional, but addictive.

How to Bake Fluffy Pumpkin Chocolate Loaf

Course: DessertCuisine: AmericanDifficulty: Easy

Servings

10

servings

Prep time

15

minutes

Cooking time

55

minutes

Calories

250

kcal

Total time

1

hour 

20

minutes

Moist, tender pumpkin bread with melty chocolate chips—no mixer needed. Beginner-friendly, with tested substitutions for egg-free and dairy-free diets. Stays soft for days.

Ingredients

• 210 grams (1¾ cups) all-purpose flour

• 100 grams (½ cup) granulated sugar

• 100 grams (½ cup, packed) brown sugar

• 80 grams (⅓ cup) neutral oil (sunflower, rice bran, or mild olive)

• 2 large eggs (100 grams total, room temperature)

• 245 grams (1 cup) canned pumpkin purée (not pie filling)

• 60 grams (¼ cup) plain yogurt

• 5 grams (1 teaspoon) baking soda

• 3 grams (½ teaspoon) salt

• 6 grams (1 tablespoon) pumpkin pie spice (or mix 4:2:1 cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg)

• 150 grams (¾ cup) semi-sweet or dark chocolate chips

• 5 ml (1 teaspoon) vanilla extract

Directions

• Prep: Preheat oven to 175°C (350°F), middle rack. Grease a 9×5 inch (23×13 cm) loaf pan (or line with parchment sling).
• Mix dry ingredients: In a bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, salt, and pumpkin pie spice.
• Mix wet ingredients: In another bowl, whisk eggs, both sugars, oil, yogurt, pumpkin purée, and vanilla until smooth.
• Combine: Add dry ingredients to wet, folding gently until just mixed. Stir in chocolate chips.
• Bake: Scrape batter into prepared pan. Bake 55–65 minutes, until a tester comes out with moist crumbs and top is golden. If top browns too quickly, cover with foil.
• Cool: Let bread cool in pan 15 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely. Slice when fully cooled.

Notes

• Substitutions & Variations:
  Egg-free: Replace each egg with 60 ml thick applesauce + ½ teaspoon extra baking soda (expect a denser loaf).
  Dairy-free: Use coconut yogurt or skip yogurt, add 15 ml lemon juice for tang.
  Gluten-free: Use 210 grams gluten-free 1:1 baking flour (add 30 ml milk if batter is too thick).
  Flavor swaps: Add orange zest, swap chocolate chips for nuts, or use white chocolate.
• Baker’s Notes:
  Overmixing causes a dense, gummy crumb—fold until just combined.
  If your pumpkin purée is watery, reduce by 10% or drain overnight.
  Toss chocolate chips with 1 tbsp flour to prevent sinking.
  For extra gooey chips, melt ⅓ of the chocolate before adding to batter.
  Nutrition values are estimates; adjust for brands and portion sizes.
  Recipe tested for small-batch, beginner-friendly, and freezer-friendly results.