Easy Chocolate Marble Pumpkin Bread

Pumpkin bread, but make it fancy with chocolate swirls that look like you tried harder than you did. This Easy Chocolate Marble Pumpkin Bread is cozy, soft, and totally fall-in-a-loaf with warm spices and little ribbons of cocoa running through every slice. It’s the kind of bake that perfumes the whole kitchen and makes people wander in asking if there’s coffee. There is. There should be.

My husband calls this “the good bread,” which is adorable because it’s just my lazy Saturday loaf with a tiny marble party. The kids try to hunt the chocolatey parts like treasure, and I keep pretending I’m saving it for breakfast… and then we eat half the pan while it’s still warm. It’s become our first-cold-day tradition: sweaters, a loaf pan, and a slice that basically counts as dessert but also breakfast because pumpkin. Don’t fight me on that.

How to Make It

We’re doing a classic quick-bread base: whisk the wet stuff, fold in the dry, then steal a cup of batter and turn it chocolatey. Preheat the oven to 350°F and butter a 9×5 loaf pan (or line with parchment if you’re on Team Easy Cleanup). In a big bowl, whisk pumpkin puree, eggs, oil, milk, sugars, and vanilla until it looks smooth and glossy. Sprinkle the flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, and spices right over the top and fold just until the flour disappears—no overmixing unless you like sad, tough bread.

Now scoop about 1 cup of that batter into a small bowl, stir in unsweetened cocoa powder, a splash more milk, and a pinch of sugar to balance the bitter cocoa. Scrape half the pumpkin batter into the pan, dollop the chocolate batter around, then the rest of the pumpkin, and a few more chocolate puddles on top. Swirl with a knife—one or two figure-eights is plenty. Bake until a toothpick comes out mostly clean (a few moist crumbs are great), usually 55–65 minutes. Cool in the pan 10–15 minutes, then finish cooling on a rack… or don’t, and smear warm slices with salted butter like a rebel.

✔Ingredient Notes

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– Pumpkin Purée: Use 100% pumpkin, not pumpkin pie filling. If it’s watery, blot it a bit with paper towels so the loaf isn’t gummy.
– All-Purpose Flour: Spoon-and-level so you don’t pack it. Too much flour = dry loaf. Been there.
– Neutral Oil: Canola, vegetable, or light olive oil. Oil keeps it plush for days—don’t swap all of it for butter unless you like a firmer crumb.
– Brown + Granulated Sugar: The mix gives moisture and that cozy flavor. Cut back a little if you like, but not too much or it won’t brown nicely.
– Spices (Cinnamon, Ginger, Nutmeg, Clove): The pumpkin’s best friends. You can use pumpkin pie spice if that’s what you’ve got.
– Unsweetened Cocoa Powder: Natural or Dutch-process both work here in the swirl. Add a touch of milk so it blends smoothly.
– Chocolate Chips (optional): Mini chips melt into little pockets. Toss in a handful if you want extra chocolate drama.
– Baking Soda + Baking Powder: The lift team. Make sure they aren’t ancient—flat leaveners make flat loaves.

✔Recipe Steps

1. Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C) and grease or parchment-line a 9×5-inch loaf pan.
2. Whisk 1 cup pumpkin purée, 2 large eggs, 1/2 cup neutral oil, 1/4 cup milk, 3/4 cup granulated sugar, 1/4 cup brown sugar, and 2 teaspoons vanilla until smooth.
3. Fold in 1 3/4 cups flour, 1 teaspoon baking soda, 1/2 teaspoon baking powder, 3/4 teaspoon fine salt, 2 teaspoons cinnamon, 1/2 teaspoon ginger, 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg, and a pinch of clove just until combined; add 1/2 cup mini chips if using.
4. Scoop about 1 cup batter into a small bowl and stir in 3 tablespoons cocoa powder, 1–2 teaspoons milk, and 1 teaspoon sugar until glossy.
5. Layer and swirl: spread half the pumpkin batter in the pan, dollop half the chocolate, add remaining pumpkin, then remaining chocolate; swirl a couple times with a knife.
6. Bake 55–65 minutes until a toothpick near the center comes out with a few moist crumbs; cool 10–15 minutes in pan, then transfer to a rack.

What to Serve It With

– Hot coffee or a chai latte if you’re leaning into the fall mood.
– A smear of salted butter or cream cheese (trust me).
– Vanilla yogurt and berries for breakfast vibes.
– A scoop of vanilla ice cream for dessert because… balance.

✔Tips & Mistakes

– Don’t overmix. Stir just until the flour vanishes or the crumb gets tough.
– If the top browns too fast, tent loosely with foil at the 40-minute mark.
– Use room-temp eggs and milk—helps everything blend and rise evenly.
– Swirl lightly. Too much and you lose the marble and get a muddy loaf.
– Sunken middle? It’s usually underbaked. Give it the full time and test deep in the center.

✔Storage Tips

Wrap the cooled loaf tight and keep it at room temp 2–3 days, or in the fridge up to a week. It’s surprisingly great cold—chewy edges, fudgy swirl. For breakfast, toast a slice and hit it with butter or maple. Freeze slices (or the whole loaf) up to 3 months; thaw on the counter or microwave a slice for 20–30 seconds and pretend you just baked it.

✔Variations and Substitutions

– Gluten-free: A 1:1 GF flour blend works. Add 1 extra tablespoon milk if the batter feels thick.
– Dairy-free: Use almond or oat milk; dairy-free chips if adding chocolate bits.
– Less sweet: Drop granulated sugar to 1/2 cup and keep the brown sugar for moisture.
– Spice swap: Use 2 1/2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice if that’s what’s in the cupboard.
– Chocolate boost: Stir 1 teaspoon espresso powder into the cocoa batter. It deepens chocolate flavor without tasting like coffee.
– Oil swap: Melted butter works but the loaf will be slightly drier on day two; half butter/half oil is a happy medium.
– Muffins: Bake at 375°F for 18–22 minutes, swirling a spoonful of chocolate batter on top of each.

Frequently Asked Questions

Easy Chocolate Marble Pumpkin Bread

Moist, warmly spiced pumpkin bread swirled with a rich chocolate ribbon. Simple to make, beautifully marbled, and perfect for fall baking.

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Prep Time: 15 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 55 minutes minutes

Total Time: 1 hour hour 10 minutes minutes

Servings: 10

Calories: 120kcal

Ingredients

 

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Main Ingredients

• ▢ 1.75 cup all-purpose flour
• ▢ 0.75 cup granulated sugar
• ▢ 0.5 cup light brown sugar, packed
• ▢ 1 tsp baking soda
• ▢ 0.5 tsp baking powder
• ▢ 0.5 tsp fine salt
• ▢ 2 tsp pumpkin pie spice
• ▢ 2 large eggs room temperature if possible
• ▢ 1 cup pumpkin puree 100% pumpkin, not pie filling
• ▢ 0.5 cup vegetable oil or melted coconut oil
• ▢ 2 tsp vanilla extract
• ▢ 0.25 cup milk any milk works
• ▢ 0.33 cup unsweetened cocoa powder natural or Dutch-process
• ▢ 0.5 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips optional but delicious
• ▢ 1 tbsp milk optional, to loosen chocolate batter if needed
• ▢ 0.25 tsp ground cinnamon optional boost of spice

Instructions

Preparation Steps

• Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease a 9x5-inch loaf pan and line with a parchment sling for easy removal.
• In a large bowl, whisk flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, pumpkin pie spice, and cinnamon until evenly combined.
• In a separate bowl, whisk eggs, granulated sugar, brown sugar, pumpkin puree, vegetable oil, vanilla, and milk until smooth.
• Pour the wet mixture into the dry ingredients and gently fold with a spatula until just combined. Do not overmix.
• Divide the batter evenly into two bowls. To one bowl, add cocoa powder and stir until smooth. If the chocolate batter seems thicker, stir in up to 1 tbsp additional milk to match consistency.
• Fold chocolate chips into the chocolate batter.
• Spoon alternating scoops of pumpkin batter and chocolate batter into the prepared pan. Use a butter knife to gently swirl the batters 3 to 4 times to create a marble effect (avoid over-swirling).
• Bake for 50 to 60 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out with a few moist crumbs (no wet batter).
• Cool in the pan for 10 minutes, then lift out using the parchment and transfer to a wire rack. Cool completely before slicing for clean marbling.

Notes

For bakery-style tops, sprinkle 1 tbsp coarse sugar over the batter before baking. Store airtight at room temperature for 2 days or refrigerate up to 5 days. Freezes well for up to 2 months.