Easy Cranberry Pumpkin Bread with Chocolate Chips and Walnuts

This easy cranberry pumpkin bread is a moist, cinnamon-spiced loaf filled with dried cranberries, semisweet chocolate chips, and crunchy walnuts. The pumpkin keeps it soft, the cranberries add a little tartness, and the chocolate chips do what chocolate chips always do: make everything better.

It’s also a no-mixer pumpkin bread. You only need a couple of bowls, a whisk, and a loaf pan. I love making it in the fall, but canned pumpkin exists year-round, so there’s really no reason to wait for October.

Serve it for breakfast, have a slice with coffee, or call it dessert and add a little butter while it’s still warm. Honestly, all three options work.

Jump to:

• Why You’ll Love This Recipe
• What Makes Pumpkin Bread Moist?
• Cranberry Pumpkin Bread Ingredients
• How to Make Cranberry Pumpkin Bread
• Top Tip
• Substitutions
• Cranberry Pumpkin Bread Variations
• What to Serve with Cranberry Pumpkin Bread
• Make Ahead
• How to Store Pumpkin Cranberry Bread
• Frequently Asked Questions About Cranberry Pumpkin Bread
• Equipment
• Easy Cranberry Pumpkin Bread with Chocolate Chips and Walnuts
• Food safety

Why You’ll Love This Recipe

• No mixer needed: Everything comes together with a whisk and spatula. Less equipment and fewer things to clean.
• Moist without being heavy: Pumpkin purée and melted butter keep the loaf soft, but it still slices cleanly once it has cooled.
• Sweet, tart, and crunchy: Dried cranberries, chocolate chips, and walnuts give you something different in every bite.
• Easy to make ahead: The flavor and texture are actually even better the next day. This is a good one to bake before brunch or a holiday morning.
• Freezer-friendly: You can freeze the entire loaf or individual slices and pull them out whenever you need something sweet with your coffee.

What Makes Pumpkin Bread Moist?

Pumpkin purée adds moisture without making the batter overly thin. Brown sugar helps too because it holds onto moisture better than granulated sugar alone. Melted butter adds richness, while the eggs give the loaf enough structure to hold all those cranberries, walnuts, and chocolate chips.

The other important part is not overmixing. Once the flour goes into the wet ingredients, fold the batter just until everything is combined. Mixing it aggressively can make a quick bread dense or tough. This is pumpkin bread, not an arm workout.

Cranberry Pumpkin Bread Ingredients

You’ll only need simple baking ingredients to make this recipe. The exact measurements are listed in the recipe card below. Here’s what matters:

• All-purpose flour: Spoon the flour into the measuring cup and level it off. Scooping directly from the bag can pack in too much flour and leave you with a dry loaf.
• Baking powder and baking soda: I use both to give the bread a good rise without making it overly airy.
• Cinnamon: This gives the loaf that warm pumpkin-bread flavor. You can add nutmeg or pumpkin pie spice if you want more spice.
• Kosher salt: A little salt keeps the loaf from tasting flat and balances the chocolate and sugar.
• Pumpkin purée: Use canned pure pumpkin, not pumpkin pie filling. Pumpkin pie filling already contains sugar and spices and will change the recipe.
• Unsalted butter: Melt it and let it cool slightly before adding it to the eggs. It gives the bread a richer flavor than oil.
• Granulated and brown sugar: Granulated sugar provides sweetness, while brown sugar adds moisture and a subtle caramel flavor.
• Eggs: Let them come to room temperature if you have time. They will combine more easily with the melted butter and other wet ingredients.
• Milk: Just two tablespoons loosen the batter and help everything mix evenly.
• Vanilla extract: One teaspoon is enough to bring out the pumpkin, cinnamon, and chocolate.
• Dried cranberries: These add a chewy texture and tart flavor. If yours are very dry, soak them in warm water for 10 minutes, then drain and pat them completely dry.
• Walnuts: Roughly chop them so they are evenly distributed. Toasting them first is optional, but really good.
• Chocolate chips: Semisweet chocolate chips keep the bread from becoming too sweet. I save a few for the top because obviously.

See recipe card for quantities.

How to Make Cranberry Pumpkin Bread

Top Tip

Start checking the bread at 55 minutes, but don’t rely on the timer alone. Insert a toothpick into the thickest part of the loaf, making sure you aren’t testing through a melted chocolate chip. A few moist crumbs are fine; wet batter means it needs more time.

If you have an instant-read thermometer, the center should be approximately 200–205°F.

Substitutions

• Walnuts: Pecans are the easiest substitute and work really well with pumpkin and cranberries. You can also leave the nuts out.
• Dried cranberries: Dried cherries or raisins will work, although the flavor will be different. I would not use fresh cranberries in the same amount because they release more moisture and are much more tart.
• Chocolate chips: Use milk, dark, or white chocolate chips. White chocolate is sweeter, so I would keep the amount modest.
• Butter: You can substitute the same amount of a neutral oil, such as vegetable or avocado oil. The loaf will still be moist, but you’ll lose some of the buttery flavor.
• Milk: Any plain dairy or unsweetened nondairy milk should work.
• Cinnamon: Replace it with pumpkin pie spice if you want more noticeable clove, ginger, and nutmeg flavors.

Cranberry Pumpkin Bread Variations

Add orange

Add 1 tablespoon of finely grated orange zest to the wet ingredients. Orange and cranberry make sense together, especially around Thanksgiving.

Make it extra nutty

Toast the walnuts for 5–7 minutes before adding them to the batter. Let them cool first. Toasting brings out much more flavor and takes very little effort.

Skip the chocolate

Leave out the chocolate chips and increase the dried cranberries or walnuts slightly. You’ll have a more traditional pumpkin and cranberry bread that is a little less sweet.

Add more spice

Add ¼ teaspoon of nutmeg and a pinch of ground cloves. You can also replace the cinnamon with 2 teaspoons of pumpkin pie spice.

Make muffins

Divide the batter among lined muffin cups, filling each approximately three-quarters full. Begin checking them after 18 minutes. If you want a tested muffin recipe made specifically for that format, try my pumpkin chocolate chip muffins.

What to Serve with Cranberry Pumpkin Bread

I usually serve this bread on its own with coffee or tea. A little salted butter is never a bad idea either.

For a fall breakfast, pair it with my Instant Pot apple oatmeal. The apple and cinnamon flavors work really well with the pumpkin loaf.

If you’re serving it around the holidays, make my easy homemade cranberry sauce for dinner and keep the cranberry theme going. For drinks, a cranberry whiskey sour makes sense for Thanksgiving or a fall brunch.

This bread is also a good recipe to save and make again. If you like keeping handwritten favorites in the kitchen, my Cilantro Parsley Recipe Card Box Set gives you a physical place to keep them instead of trusting yourself to remember which browser tab had the recipe. I have learned that lesson.

Make Ahead

You can bake this cranberry pumpkin bread one day before serving it. Let it cool completely, then wrap it tightly and keep it at room temperature. The moisture redistributes as it rests, so the loaf slices especially well the next day.

You can also measure and combine the dry ingredients ahead of time. Keep them covered at room temperature, then mix the batter when you’re ready to bake. Once the wet and dry ingredients are combined, the loaf should go into the oven promptly.

How to Store Pumpkin Cranberry Bread

At room temperature

Let the bread cool completely, then store it in an airtight container or wrap it tightly. It will stay fresh at room temperature for up to 3 days.

In the refrigerator

Refrigerate the loaf for up to 1 week. Wrap it well so it doesn’t dry out. Let individual slices return to room temperature before eating, or warm them briefly.

In the freezer

This bread freezes really well. Wrap the whole loaf or individual slices tightly, then place them in a freezer-safe bag. Freeze for up to 3 months.

Thaw the loaf overnight in the refrigerator or let individual slices thaw at room temperature. You can also warm a slice in the microwave in short intervals.

Frequently Asked Questions About Cranberry Pumpkin Bread

Can I use fresh cranberries instead of dried cranberries?

Not as a direct substitution. Fresh cranberries contain much more water and are significantly more tart. This recipe was developed with dried cranberries, which give the loaf chewy cranberry pieces without changing the moisture of the batter.

Can I use pumpkin pie filling?

No. Use canned pure pumpkin purée. Pumpkin pie filling contains added sugar and spices, so it will change both the sweetness and texture of the bread.

Why is my pumpkin bread gummy in the center?

It may be underbaked, sliced before it cooled, or made with too much pumpkin. Measure one level cup of pumpkin and bake until a toothpick inserted into the center no longer has wet batter attached.

Why did my pumpkin bread turn out dry?

The most common reasons are too much flour or overbaking. Spoon and level the flour rather than packing it into the measuring cup, and begin checking the loaf at 55 minutes.

Can I leave out the walnuts?

Absolutely. Leave them out without making any other changes, or replace them with pecans. If you need a nut-free loaf, make sure your chocolate chips and dried cranberries are also processed in a nut-free facility.

Can I make this recipe in a 9 × 5-inch pan?

Yes. The loaf will be slightly shorter and may bake more quickly. Begin checking it at approximately 50 minutes.

Equipment

An 8½ × 4½-inch metal loaf pan gives this bread a nice rise. A 9 × 5-inch pan works too, but the loaf will be wider and a little shorter.

Parchment paper with an overhang makes it much easier to remove the loaf without damaging the chocolate-chip top. A wire cooling rack also helps air circulate underneath the bread so the bottom doesn’t become damp.

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• 8½ × 4½-inch metal loaf pan
• Precut parchment-paper sheets
• Instant-read thermometer

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Food safety

• Cook to a minimum temperature of 165 °F (74 °C)
• Do not use the same utensils on cooked food, that previously touched raw meat
• Wash hands after touching raw meat
• Don't leave food sitting out at room temperature for extended periods
• Never leave cooking food unattended
• Use oils with high smoking point to avoid harmful compounds
• Always have good ventilation when using a gas stove

See more guidelines at USDA.gov.