A rich, moist pumpkin loaf made with nutty brown butter, warm fall spices, and plenty of chocolate chips. The brown butter adds a deep caramel-like flavor that makes this pumpkin bread extra special.
⏱️ Preparation & Cooking
- Prep time: 20 minutes
- Brown butter: 8–10 minutes
- Bake time: 50–65 minutes
- Cooling time: 1 hour
- Total time: Approximately 2 hours
- Servings: 10–12 slices
- Difficulty: Easy
🛒 Ingredients
For the Brown Butter
- ½ cup (113 g) unsalted butter
For the Pumpkin Loaf
- 1½ cups (190 g) all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1½ teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon ground ginger
- ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- ⅛ teaspoon ground cloves
- ½ cup (100 g) granulated sugar
- ½ cup (100 g) light brown sugar, packed
- 2 large eggs, room temperature
- 1 cup (225 g) pure pumpkin purée
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ¾ cup (130 g) semi-sweet chocolate chips
- 2 tablespoons milk, if needed
Optional Topping
- 2–3 tablespoons chocolate chips
- 1 tablespoon pumpkin seeds
- A light sprinkle of flaky sea salt
👩🍳 Instructions
1. Brown the butter
Place the butter in a small saucepan over medium heat.
Allow it to melt completely. Continue cooking, stirring or swirling the pan frequently.
The butter will begin to foam. After a few minutes, you will see golden-brown milk solids forming at the bottom of the pan and the butter will smell nutty and caramel-like.
Once the butter is amber-brown, immediately remove it from the heat.
Pour it into a heatproof bowl, including the browned bits from the bottom of the pan.
Let it cool for approximately 10–15 minutes.
Important: Brown butter can go from perfectly browned to burnt very quickly. Remove it from the heat as soon as it reaches a deep golden/amber color.
2. Prepare the oven and pan
Preheat your oven to 175°C / 350°F.
Grease a 9 × 5-inch (23 × 13 cm) loaf pan and line it with parchment paper, leaving some overhang on the sides to make the loaf easier to remove.
3. Mix the dry ingredients
In a medium bowl, whisk together:
- Flour
- Baking soda
- Baking powder
- Salt
- Cinnamon
- Ginger
- Nutmeg
- Cloves
Set aside.
4. Mix the wet ingredients
In a large bowl, whisk together the cooled brown butter, granulated sugar, and brown sugar.
Add the eggs one at a time, whisking after each addition.
Add the pumpkin purée and vanilla extract.
Whisk until smooth and completely combined.
5. Combine the batter
Gradually add the dry ingredients to the pumpkin mixture.
Use a spatula or wooden spoon to gently mix until just combined.
Do not overmix.
A few small streaks of flour are fine.
If the batter seems unusually thick, add 1–2 tablespoons of milk.
6. Add the chocolate chips
Fold approximately ½ cup of the chocolate chips into the batter.
Reserve the remaining chocolate chips for the top.
For an especially chocolatey loaf, you can use up to 1 cup (175 g) of chocolate chips total.
7. Fill the loaf pan
Pour the batter into the prepared loaf pan.
Smooth the surface with a spatula.
Sprinkle the remaining chocolate chips over the top.
For extra texture, add pumpkin seeds and a very small pinch of flaky sea salt.
🔥 8. Bake
Place the loaf in the center of the preheated oven.
Bake at 175°C / 350°F for approximately 50–65 minutes.
Start checking around the 50-minute mark.
The loaf is ready when:
- The top is golden brown.
- The center is set.
- A toothpick inserted into the center comes out with a few moist crumbs.
- The toothpick should not have wet batter on it.
If the top becomes dark before the center is cooked, loosely cover the loaf with aluminum foil for the final 15–20 minutes.
❄️ 9. Cool
Allow the loaf to cool in the pan for approximately 15–20 minutes.
Carefully lift it out using the parchment paper.
Transfer it to a wire rack and allow it to cool for at least 40 minutes before slicing.
For the cleanest slices, let it cool completely.
🍫 Serving
Slice the loaf and serve at room temperature.
For an indulgent serving, warm a slice for 10–15 seconds in the microwave and serve with:
- Butter
- Whipped cream
- Vanilla ice cream
- A drizzle of maple syrup
- Extra chocolate chips
- A sprinkle of flaky sea salt
⭐ Tips for the Perfect Pumpkin Loaf
Use pure pumpkin purée
Use 100% pumpkin purée, not pumpkin pie filling. Pumpkin pie filling already contains sugar and spices.
Don’t skip the brown butter
Brown butter is what gives this loaf its distinctive nutty, toasted flavor.
Make sure to scrape the browned milk solids into the batter — that’s where much of the flavor is.
Don’t overmix
Overmixing develops gluten and can make the loaf dense or chewy.
Mix only until the flour disappears.
Don’t overbake
Pumpkin bread should be moist and tender.
A toothpick should come out with a few moist crumbs rather than completely dry.
Let it cool
The loaf continues to set as it cools. Cutting it while it’s extremely hot can make the center appear undercooked even when it is properly baked.
🔄 Ingredient Substitutions
Butter
Unsalted butter is recommended because it gives you better control over the salt.
Salted butter can be used; reduce the added salt slightly.
Chocolate chips
You can substitute:
- Dark chocolate chips
- Milk chocolate chips
- White chocolate chips
- Chocolate chunks
- Chopped chocolate
Pumpkin purée
Homemade pumpkin purée can be used as long as it isn’t excessively watery.
Brown sugar
If you don’t have brown sugar, use additional granulated sugar, although the loaf will have slightly less caramel flavor.
Spices
You can adjust the spice mixture to taste.
For a stronger pumpkin-spice flavor, increase the cinnamon and ginger slightly.
🥜 Optional Additions
Make the loaf your own by adding:
- ½ cup chopped pecans
- ½ cup chopped walnuts
- Pumpkin seeds
- Dried cranberries
- Toasted hazelnuts
- White chocolate chips
- A little orange zest
Chocolate + toasted pecans is an especially good combination.
🍁 Optional Maple Glaze
For an even more indulgent loaf, make a simple maple glaze.
Ingredients
- ½ cup (60 g) powdered sugar
- 1–2 tablespoons maple syrup
- 1 teaspoon milk
- Pinch of salt
Method
Whisk everything together until smooth.
Drizzle over the completely cooled loaf.
Allow the glaze to set for approximately 15–20 minutes before slicing.
🧊 Storage
Room temperature
Store the cooled loaf in an airtight container for up to 3 days.
Refrigerator
Keep refrigerated in an airtight container for up to 5–6 days.
Bring slices to room temperature or warm them slightly before serving.
Freezer
The loaf freezes very well.
Wrap the whole loaf or individual slices tightly in plastic wrap, followed by aluminum foil or a freezer-safe bag.
Freeze for up to 3 months.
To serve, thaw overnight in the refrigerator or for several hours at room temperature.
📊 Approximate Nutrition
Nutrition will vary depending on the exact brands and quantities used.
Per slice, assuming 12 slices:
- Calories: ~300 kcal
- Protein: ~4 g
- Carbohydrates: ~42 g
- Fat: ~14 g
- Saturated fat: ~8 g
- Fiber: ~2 g
- Sugar: ~25 g
Adding nuts, extra chocolate, or glaze will increase the calories.
📝 Recipe at a Glance
Brown Butter Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Loaf
Yield: 1 loaf / 10–12 slices
Oven: 175°C / 350°F
Bake: 50–65 minutes
Main ingredients: Pumpkin purée, brown butter, flour, eggs, brown sugar, warm spices and chocolate chips.
Texture: Moist, soft and tender with slightly crisp edges.
Flavor: Buttery, nutty, warmly spiced, pumpkin-rich and chocolatey.
💡 Chef’s Note
For the best flavor, make the brown butter slightly darker than you might normally brown it, but stop before the milk solids become dark brown or black.
The combination of deeply browned butter + pumpkin + brown sugar + cinnamon + chocolate gives this loaf its signature caramelized, autumn-inspired flavor.