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Embracing the cozy autumn days with this Cinnamon Swirl Chocolate Chip Pumpkin Butter Bread. Moist pumpkin bread made with spiced pumpkin butter, studded with chocolate chips, and swirled with sweet cinnamon sugar. Perfect for all of the autumn weekends ahead, and best enjoyed warm right out of the oven with a generous smear of salted butter.
Tuesdays can often be a bit boring, but we can make them a little more exciting (and delicious) with this delicious swirled pumpkin bread. Promise you, this is the best pumpkin bread recipe.
I know there are about a million and one pumpkin bread recipes out there. So before I began testing this recipe, I definitely asked myself, do we really need yet another pumpkin bread recipe? Questionable, but the bottom line…the sound of this bread just excited me too much. And when little Asher picked out this recipe over a handful of others (all of which involved chocolate), well I knew it needed to be made.
She even chose this bread over a Harry Potter themed dessert. I was shocked.
I took this as a sign and blocked out all of my other “but this” or “but that’s” and dove into the recipe. And you know something? I’m pretty happy I did because I can confidently say, that this is one of the best loaves of pumpkin bread I’ve ever created.
And yes, I still very much love last year’s cream cheese swirled pumpkin bread. But this bread? It is so different, and both breads are delicious in their own way.
The history.
This is yet another recipe concept I’ve had now for over a year. It all started a year ago last September when I shared my cream cheese swirled pumpkin bread. I shared a set of Instagram story frames showing a few different pumpkin bread variations. I was testing different flavors. In the end, I decided to go with a cream cheese pumpkin bread.
Ever since that day though, I’ve had this concept in the back of my head. I knew it needed chocolate chips, and I knew it needed thick cinnamon swirls throughout. I tested something similar(ish) a year ago but knew I couldn’t share two pumpkin bread recipes in the same season. So I waited. And now here we are, a little over a year later. I really feel this bread is even more amazing than what I had pictured…thanks to just a few tweaks.
This pumpkin bread is easy, here are the details.
This is a “quick bread” meaning it doesn’t require the use of yeast or anything fancy. That said, it does have one key ingredient that makes all the difference…see secret #1 below.
Now, in a large bowl, mix all the wet ingredients with the dry ingredients, add chocolate chips, then swirl the batter with cinnamon sugar.
Tip: If you love baking with pumpkin during the fall, stock up now with this 12-pack of organic pumpkin. This is not an ad, it’s just what (and how) I buy my pumpkin purée. Plus, I love that I never run out…even when the grocery store has a shortage.
Two little secrets to creating the best pumpkin bread.
Secret #1, use spiced pumpkin butter, not pumpkin purèe. This IS KEY. Pumpkin butter is more reduced down than pumpkin purèe. It contains less moisture, so it has much more of a concentrated pumpkin flavor. You can use my homemade pumpkin butter or pick some up at Trader Joe’s, Whole Foods, your local market, or via Amazon…though I am partial to my homemade recipe. Just make sure your pumpkin butter is spiced for the very best flavor.
Secret #2, a thick swirl of cinnamon sugar throughout…and a sprinkle on top too for a nice crunch.
Oh, and all you chocolate lovers out there, be sure to add the chocolate chips…a must as well. For very obvious reasons.
Simple, right? But the true key to this bread really does lie within the pumpkin butter.
Ever since I made my pumpkin butter chocolate chip cookies, I’ve been curious to find out what a pumpkin bread made with pumpkin butter would turn out like. I’m excited to report back that it’s so. darn. good! The pumpkin butter makes all the difference.
To recap, this pumpkin bread is…
…easy to make, requires nothing fancy, and is simple to prep.
…full of actual pumpkin flavor – and actual pumpkin.
…swirled with cinnamon sugar, so kind of like a snickerdoodle pumpkin bread.
…studded with chocolate chips.
…perfectly crisp on the top, but soft, moist, sweet, and so delicious inside.
The very best thing you can bake up this week. Because it’s always a good idea to do some mid-week fall baking, especially when pumpkin butter and cinnamon sugar are all involved.
All the very best ingredients….all together.
Just one more thing, make sure you enjoy this warm, with a smear of salted butter. Promise, it’s so good.
Looking for other pumpkin recipes? Here are a few ideas:
Gooey Chocolate Chip Cookie Pumpkin Pie
Pumpkin Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies
Cheese Swirled Pumpkin Bread with Salted Maple Butter
Chai Pumpkin Cake with Maple Browned Butter Frosting
Lastly, if you make this Cinnamon Swirl Chocolate Chip Pumpkin Butter Bread be sure to leave a comment and/or give this recipe a rating! Above all, I love to hear from you guys and always do my best to respond to each and every comment. And of course, if you do make this recipe, don’t forget to tag me on Instagram! Looking through the photos of recipes you all have made is my favorite!
Cinnamon Swirl Chocolate Chip Pumpkin Butter Bread
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup pumpkin butter, (see note for substitute)
- 1/2 cup pumpkin puree
- 1/2 cup melted salted butter
- 1/2 cup pure maple syrup
- 2 large eggs, at room temperature
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon plus 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/2 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
Instructions
- 1. Preheat the oven to 350° F. Grease a (9x5 inch) bread pan.2. In a large mixing bowl, stir together the pumpkin butter, pumpkin puree, melted butter, maple syrup, eggs, and vanilla until combined. Add the flour, baking powder, baking soda, 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, cloves, and salt, mix until just combined. Fold in the chocolate chips. 3. In a bowl, combine the granulated sugar with the remaining 1 tablespoon of cinnamon.4. Spoon half the pumpkin batter into the prepared pan. Sprinkle with the cinnamon sugar, reserving 2 tablespoons of sugar for topping the loaf. Add the remaining batter over the sugar. Run a knife down the center of the loaf 1-2 times to gently swirl the sugar. Sprinkle the remaining cinnamon sugar over top of the batter.5. Transfer to the oven and bake for 55-65 minutes, or until the center is just set. I usually cover the bread with foil at the 30 minute mark to prevent the top from burning. 6. Remove the bread and let cool for at least 30 minutes before cutting...or just eat it warm with a smear of butter (you should do this!). Enjoy!
Notes
Nutrition
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
Did you make this recipe? Please rate & comment below.
Hello!
Really excited to make this recipe. My husband is gluten free. Is there a good flower substitute you would recommend? And would I just substitute it 1:1?
Hey Shannon,
I would recommend using an equal amount of gluten free flour like Bob’s Red Mill. I hope this recipe turns out well for you, please let me know if you give it a try! xx
I made this for a group of nurse’s at my hospital that have had a lot of loss lately. They absolutely loved it and were so thankful. Great recipe that warms hearts and bellies.
Hey Aliza,
Awesome! So glad to hear this recipe turned out tasty for you, thanks so much for making it! xT
I didn’t even follow the recipe exactly…and it was a big hit! Fresh out of the oven it’s amazing. I like that it has a good amount of real pumkin in it!
Hi Raquelle,
Happy Sunday!!🎃 I am delighted to hear that this recipe was enjoyed, thanks for making it and sharing your feedback! xx
what about making this as brownie bars/cake pan? What should I do differently with the ingredients or time? Or temp?
Hi Teresa,
I would keep the temp the same, just keep an eye on them starting at 30 minutes. I hope you love this recipe! xT
Made it perfectly according to directions. Very very un-sweet… should’ve known since this only uses maple syrup. I don’t even like overly-sweet foods, but this has almost no flavor. It also crumbles apart when cut. Very disappointed in how unflavored this is. It should have a substitute for maple syrup or the syrup should be used in addition to sugar.
Hi Sev,
Thanks for giving this recipe a try and sharing your feedback, sorry to hear it was not enjoyed! xT
So good!! Made this today and everybody in the family loves it! I didn’t have pumpkin butter, but the suggested swap worked great. Will definitely be making this again. Another winner!
Hey Janet,
Happy Sunday!!🎃 I truly appreciate you making this recipe and sharing your feedback, I am so glad to hear it was enjoyed!
Would this recipe work for muffins instead of bread?
Hi Ivy,
Totally, just reduce your bake time and start checking for doneness at 25 minutes. I hope this recipe turns out tasty for you! xT
Wowwww. Unbelievably moist, perfectly dense, so flavorful. Had to add some extra chocolate chips but that’s just me 🙂
Hey Chloe,
Happy Sunday! I am delighted to hear that this recipe was enjoyed, thanks so much for making it! xTieghan
Just wanted to share that the metric conversion doesn’t seem to work correctly. I am American but I prefer to cook using weights and not only are some of the conversions inconsistent- 1/2 C of pumpkin butter is converted to 140 g but 1/2 C of pumpkin puree isn’t. But the conversion of 1 1/2 C flour is 218.75 g, and should be 180 (assuming AP flour @ 120 g per cup). Your recipes are always incredible, figured you’d want this on your radar. Thanks for all you do!!
Hi Elizabeth,
Thanks for sharing your feedback and letting me know! Unfortunately, the conversion calculator is automatic and controlled by google. It’s not something we’d prefer to be using. We are required to. I’m sorry for the trouble, we do our best! Thanks for making the recipe! xT
Hey Tieghan,
I’m currently dairy free. Would this work out substituting coconut oil for butter?
Thanks,
Emily xoxo
Hi Emily,
Yes, that should work well for you! I hope this recipe turns out amazing, please let me know if you give it a try! xT
Delicious! The addition of pumpkin butter definitely added a nice depth of flavor, more so than recipes I’ve tried with just pumpkin puree. I used TJ’s pumpkin butter 🙂
Hey Ellie,
I truly appreciate you making this recipe and sharing your feedback, so glad to hear it turned out well for you! xx
This bread is perfection! It’s not too sweet which I like, but the cinnamon sugar makes it just sweet enough, making it a great compromise for my husband who likes sweet foods more than I do. I did not have it warm from the oven but heated slices it in the microwave for 20 seconds at half power then spread softened butter on them. Literally can’t get better than this!!!
Hi Sarah,
Happy Wednesday! I am thrilled to hear that this recipe was a winner, thanks a bunch for making it! xT
Hi, I am the one who is obsessed with your recipe from Japan!
It’s getting a cozy autumn season so I’ve been thinking to make this pumpkin bread. And I have a few questions. Can I use banana instead of pumpkin butter and also I’d like to use some oats instead of using only all purpose flour. If you have some suggestions.
I can’t wait to make it!!! Thank you!
Hi Madoka,
Thanks for trying the recipes! I would try this banana bread recipe:
I wouldn’t add oats, just stick with the flour: https://www.halfbakedharvest.com/chai-banana-bread/
Please let me know if you have any other questions! xx
My family is gluten free. What would you use as a flour substitute- a regular GF flour or a almond flour? Suggestion appreciated
Hey Ilene,
I would recommend using gluten free flour for this recipe! Please let me know if you give them a try, I hope they are delish! xx
Hi, I have made this once and it was amazing. I am wanting to make it again, but I was wondering, what do you think if I add sourdough discard?
Hey there,
Happy Friday🍁 I appreciate you making this recipe and love to hear that it turned out well for you! I wouldn’t recommend the sourdough discard, there’s no need for it:) xT
I used 1/4 cup sourdough discard and cut the flour down to 1 1/4 cup. Worked great. I love finding ways to use discard instead of throwing it even if ‘there’s no need’ 😉
Hey Dominique,
Wonderful!🤩 I love to hear that this recipe was a winner, thanks so much for making it! xT
I took the time to make homemade pumpkin butter and… it wasn’t worth the extra effort :/ The pumpkin bread was delicious, don’t get me wrong, but I think it would have been just as good (maybe better?) with just pure pumpkin. Overall a yummy bread just time consuming if you make homemade pumpkin butter.
Hi Lexy,
Thanks so much for making this bread! So sorry to hear the pumpkin butter was so time consuming! Hope you’re off to a great day! xx