Healthy chocolate chip pumpkin bread is made without refined sugar, is moist and full of pumpkin flavor.
It’s like the bat signal gets sent out in November. Calling all pumpkin lovers! Although, truly, pumpkin season starts long before November.
It seems this year pumpkin season started even earlier than usual. Maybe it’s because 2020 has been a sh*t show of a year. So, we’re all just hanging on to what we know and love each season.
Fall loves include cozy sweaters and blankets. Going apple picking or to a pumpkin patch. Then of course, anything pumpkin!
When I was in college, the Iowa State University library had a small café that would serve pumpkin bread around this time of year.
I lived for this thick slice of autumn spiced bread. It was moist and tender, with the perfect crust.
That was my goal with this healthy chocolate chip pumpkin bread. To be just as good, if not better, than I remember it from college.
Goal accomplished!
Bonus points that Burken was super on board with this melt-in-your-mouth pumpkin bread. Even more bonus points that it’s so easy to whip up!
How to make healthy chocolate chip pumpkin bread
The pumpkin bread batter
As I mentioned, this bread is super easy to make. It only requires two bowls {which you could honestly probably get down to one}. Plus 15 minutes of your time to prep.
What I love about this bread is that it’s a mix of whole wheat flour and almond flour. Sometimes going with all whole wheat flour can make breads quite dense.
The addition of almond flour adds a nice lighter crumb to the bread.
As mentioned, there’s no refined sugar in the batter. It’s a mix of raw cane sugar and pure maple syrup. Two of my favorites!
What makes this pumpkin bread so moist is the combination of banana, pumpkin puree and Greek yogurt. The yogurt adds the right amount of fat so that it contains no butter.
My old college staple did not contain chocolate chips, but I felt like it was a must for this bread. I love using dark chocolate chips to add depth of flavor and more natural sweetness.
Baking and storing chocolate chip pumpkin bread
Since there’s so much moisture in this bread, it will need to bake for about an hour.
With this long baking time, the crust will tend to get quite dark. It’s best to cover the bread with foil after about 50 minutes. This will allow the bread to continue baking on the inside and maintain a beautiful crust on the outside.
Once done, remove from the over and allow the sweet steam to wash over you. While it might be tempting to slice right into this warm loaf, I’m going to request you hold off for a moment.
Slicing into very warm bread is difficult and doesn’t allow the crumb to set up to the best of its ability.
Wait about 10 minutes for this perfect fall flavored bread to cool and then slice into it with a bread knife.
If you can eat the whole loaf in less than a week, keep it in an airtight container on the counter.
If not, it’s best to slice the bread and freeze what you’re not going to eat. With so much moisture in this chocolate chip pumpkin bread, it can turn pretty quickly.
I love saving this healthy pumpkin bread in the freezer because I can then enjoy it any time I’d like. Which excuse me, I think is now!
Looking for more fantastic fall recipes? Check these out:
Healthy chocolate chip pumpkin bread is made without refined sugar, is moist and full of pumpkin flavor.
- 2 cups white whole wheat flour
- ½ cup almond flour
- ¼ cup natural sugar
- 1 tsp. baking soda
- ¼ tsp. salt
- 1 large ripe banana
- 1 {15 oz} can pumpkin puree
- ½ cup plain Greek yogurt
- ⅓ cup pure maple syrup
- 2 eggs
- 1 tsp. vanilla
- ¾ cup dark chocolate chips
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Preheat oven to 350°F and grease a loaf pan.
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In a large bowl, whisk together the flours, sugar, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.
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In a medium-sized bowl, mash the banana with a fork. Stir in the pumpkin puree, yogurt and pure maple syrup. Add the eggs, one at a time, and stir to combine. Add in the vanilla and stir to incorporate.
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Add half of the dry ingredients into the wet and stir until combined. Repeat with remaining dry ingredients.
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Stir in the chocolate chips. Pour the bread batter into the prepared loaf pan.
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Bake for 50 minutes, cover bread with foil and continue baking for an additional 10 minutes until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
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Move the loaf pan to a wire rack and let cool for 10 minutes before slicing.
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Store in an airtight container on the counter for less than a week.
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Or slice and place in an airtight container in the freezer.
