This past summer, as well as much of September, I packed an overnight bag and headed out of town nearly every weekend. Although most of my trips were short two-hour drives, one spanned eight hours while we sped through hundreds of miles of flat yellow fields, and a couple required airplane flights instead.
Even though I usually prefer driving, mainly so I can stand up and stretch my legs whenever I want rather than being at the mercy of turbulence and stewardesses, I enjoyed those few flights because I could pull out my laptop and work, close my eyes for a nap, or read a novel instead of manning the steering wheel of my car. Thank you, airline pilots!
But before I boarded the airplanes, I had a little pre-flight routine. I’d arrive at least an hour early to the airport—you never know how long security lines will be!—and after passing through that screening, I’d start off towards my gate, glancing at the various restaurants and food stalls lining the walkways.
Because of the expensive price tags, I rarely stopped for meals or snacks, but I almost always purchased a bottle of water to stay hydrated. I usually picked one up from a coffee stall, and while I waited in line, I looked at all of the baked goodies in their display cases. Blueberry muffins, chocolate croissants, streusel-topped coffee cake, chocolate chip cookies, fudgy brownies, marshmallow cereal treats… They tempted my sweet tooth every time!
And when I spotted thick slices of pumpkin loaf cake, I immediately knew I wanted to create a healthier version of that at home. So here it is: Chocolate Chip Pumpkin Bread! It’s supremely moist and full of cozy fall flavors. It practically disappeared in the blink of an eye, and my mom even gave it three thumbs up!
To make this pumpkin bread healthier than the coffee shop varieties, you’ll use only wholesome, clean eating ingredients. Nothing artificial, nothing refined… Just lots of real, better-for-you stuff!
The recipe starts with whole wheat flour mixed with leaveners, salt, and lots of spices. In my book, pumpkin baked goodies always require them! You’ll use cinnamon, nutmeg, and ginger—the perfect trio of cozy spices.
This healthier quick bread only contains 1 tablespoon of coconut oil. Yes, that’s it! The rest of the moisture comes from two things: Greek yogurt and pumpkin purée. Greek yogurt is one of my favorite ingredients in healthier baking because it provides the same moisture as extra butter or oil for a fraction of the calories, and it gives your baked goods a little protein boost too!
Make sure you use plain ol’ pumpkin purée, not pumpkin pie filling! The latter contains extra spices and refined sugar, which we’re avoiding for this clean eating recipe. You’ll use 1 full cup of pumpkin purée, which adds to the loaf’s tender texture and really makes the fall flavors shine.
Don’t forget the chocolate chips! I prefer mini chocolate chips because their smaller size ensures that every bite contains a morsel of chocolate. Remember to save some to press into the top of the batter right before baking! Those create a pretty presentation and make the bread look even more enticing…
Although all of my taste testers agreed: this is the BEST pumpkin bread they’ve ever had! One friend even texted me that her coworkers raved about it in the break room after their very first bite.
I should probably bake two loaves next time!
| Chocolate Chip Pumpkin Bread | | Print |
- 2 cups (240g) whole wheat or gluten-free* flour (measured correctly)
- 1 tsp baking powder
- ½ tsp baking soda
- 2 tsp ground cinnamon
- ½ tsp ground nutmeg
- ½ tsp ground ginger
- ½ tsp salt
- 1 tbsp (14g) coconut oil or unsalted butter, melted and cooled slightly
- 2 large egg whites, room temperature
- 1 ½ tsp vanilla extract
- 1 cup (244g) pumpkin purée
- ¼ cup (60g) plain nonfat Greek yogurt
- ⅓ cup (80mL) pure maple syrup
- ¼ cup (60mL) nonfat milk
- 3 tbsp (42g) miniature chocolate chips
- Preheat the oven to 350°F, and coat a 9x5” loaf pan with nonstick cooking spray.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, and salt. In a separate bowl, whisk together the coconut oil, egg whites, and vanilla. Stir in the pumpkin purée and Greek yogurt, mixing until no large lumps remain. Stir in the maple syrup. Alternate between adding the flour mixture and milk, beginning and ending with the flour mixture, and stirring just until incorporated. (For best results, add the flour mixture in 3 equal parts.) Fold in 2 ½ tablespoons of chocolate chips.
- Spread the batter into the prepared pan, and gently press the remaining chocolate chips into the top of the batter. Bake at 350°F for 35-40 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Cool in the pan for 10 minutes before carefully transferring onto a wire rack.
Any milk may be substituted for the nonfat milk.
Honey or agave may be substituted for the pure maple syrup. Alternatively, the same amount of brown sugar plus an additional 3 tablespoons of milk may be substituted for the pure maple syrup, but the loaf would no longer be clean eating friendly.
{gluten-free, clean eating, low fat, low calorie}
This bread looks divine and I can’t wait to try! Can you sub the yogurt for anything to make it dairy free?? Thanks!
Thanks DJ! Any non-dairy yogurt alternative will work, such as soy-, coconut-, or almond-based ones. I generally use Silk’s soy yogurts as substitutes for friends who are lactose-intolerant, and they work perfectly! 🙂 I hope you enjoy the pumpkin bread!
Ah this looks so good!! I’m going to try using a gluten-free blend (homemade from meaningfuleats.com) and non-dairy yogurt. Could I just use whole eggs as well? I never know what to do with the leftover yolks! Thanks, can’t wait to try it! 🙂
Yes, whole eggs would be fine AnnaMarie! 🙂 I’m excited to hear what you think of the pumpkin bread!
I made this a few days ago and it was amazing!! So happy it turned out SO beautifully even with the changes I made!! I used gluten-free flour blend and made the following changes: I added an extra egg for structure, 2 tsp lemon juice for extra rise, and finally added a little pure stevia extract for some extra sweetness (equivalent of 2 T. of sugar) 🙂 Thanks so much for the awesome recipe I will definitely make it again! 😀
I’m so glad you enjoyed the pumpkin bread AnnaMarie! 🙂
Hi! I just loved the recipe, def. will try! But, seeing as I live in Brasil and maple syrup is really expensive here… is there any substitution i can make for that? Honey maybe? or just plain sugar? Thanks a lot!!
I answer that in the Notes section beneath the Instructions! 🙂 I can’t wait to hear what you think of the pumpkin bread Mara!
How do I turn this recipe into muffins? Just modify the cooking time?
Yes, that should work Kelly! I also have a pumpkin chocolate chip muffin recipe here (or a bran version here), if you’re interested in either of those. They taste very similar to this pumpkin bread! 🙂 I can’t wait to hear what you think of the muffins!
I spent a lot of time and money making this recipe, and I ended up throwing away two loaves….. NO ONE would eat it – it was disgusting!!!
That sounds really disappointing Rose. I’d like to work together to figure out what happened. Can you describe what made it disgusting?
If I were to add a scoop or two of Quest multipurpose protein powder to this recipe, do you think I would need to adjust any of the other liquid ingredients to account for it? I’m always looking for ways to get more protein in my diet. Thanks!
Yes, you would definitely need to adjust the liquid ingredients. Because all protein powders absorb different amounts of liquid, I can’t predict how much or whether that modification would actually turn out. I’d love to hear what you try and how the pumpkin bread tastes Kelly!
I was really excited to try this and spent a lot of money on ingredients. I even made my own pumpkin purée from scratch. I did not have wheat flour though, I thought I could get away with using white flour, but so far the bread is still in the oven and the center is not cooking :/ bummer. I might have to count it as a loss. ‘Maybe the liquids were too much for white flour and the wheat flour would have thickened it up a bit?
That sounds frustrating River. Let’s work together to figure out what happened so it doesn’t happen again! 🙂 Wheat flour is generally slightly more absorbent than white flour, but I actually think it may have more to do with your homemade pumpkin purée. Often, homemade pumpkin purée is slightly more liquidy than the canned version sold in grocery stores. If that was the case with yours, that would probably be the cause. You can strain some of that liquid by adding the homemade pumpkin purée to a bowl, pressing it down firmly with a spatula, and tilting the bowl to let some of the liquid that’s released pour out into the sink. Also, in the future, if your loaf looks done on the outsides but still wet in the center, then make a “tent” out of foil to cover the top, and gently press it down to seal around the edges of the pan. This allows the center to continue baking but prevents the outsides from turning too dark or burning. Hopefully those tips help!
Hi Amy. Do you have a recipe for this using homemade pumpkin purée instead of canned?
I don’t have one yet Janet, but it’s been on my to do list for a while! I have a food blog friend that does, however, and I completely trust her recipes. Here’s Gina’s recipe. I’d love to hear what you think if you try this pumpkin bread!
Hello,
Can I use white whole wheat flour? Would it be the same amount? Thank you! I’m loving all your recipes!
Rachel
Yes — to both! I can’t wait to hear what you think of this pumpkin bread Rachel! 🙂
Would sugar free syrup work?
I really appreciate your interest in my recipe James! I typically don’t recommend that substitution because it’ll affect the texture of the loaf. However, I have a sugar-free chocolate chip pumpkin cake recipe here that might be better for you! 🙂 I’d love to hear what you think if you try either recipe!