Chocolate Banana Bread Recipe (2024)

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This easy Chocolate Banana Bread is moist, tender, and a chocolate lovers dream! It is the BEST banana bread recipe.

Chocolate Banana Bread Recipe (1)

I am super excited to share this Chocolate Banana Bread recipe with you today. I have been testing the recipe for a few weeks and it is finally perfection. It is probably the best banana bread in the history of all banana breads…if you like chocolate. But who doesn’t like chocolate? If you don’t, I am not sure we can be friends. Just kidding, we can be friends because that means I can eat your slice of Chocolate Chocolate Chip Banana Bread:)

Chocolate Banana Bread Recipe (2)

It has taken me a few weeks to get this recipe absolutely perfect because we keep running out of bananas. Our boys are little monkeys and I can’t keep enough bananas in the house to bake banana bread. Last week, I hid some bananas in the back of the pantry so the boys wouldn’t find them. The bananas turned brown and I used them to make this EPIC loaf of Chocolate Banana Bread. I nailed the cocoa banana bread recipe this time. It is absolutely perfect!

Chocolate Banana Bread Recipe (3)

So what makes this banana breadso special?

  • Well, first the chocolate, duh. Chocolate makes everything better. It is made with Dutch process cocoa and chocolate chips. I use Dutch process cocoa because the chocolate flavor is so intense. The bread has chocolate chips in the loaf and on top. YES!
  • Next, the bananas. Obviously, it is banana bread. Overripe bananas are the key. If you have to hide bananas to get them to turn brown, do it. When I first made the recipe, I only used one cup of mashed bananas and the bread was good, but not great. I increased the bananas to 1 ½ cups mashed bananas and BINGO! It is the perfect banana/chocolate ratio. The bananas make the bread super moist and you can still taste the bananas. I like chocolate, but it is chocolate BANANA bread so I wanted to be able to taste the bananas too. 1 ½ cups mashed bananas is the magic number.
Chocolate Banana Bread Recipe (4)
  • This recipe also calls for melted unsalted butter AND oil. The butter gives the bread a nice flavor and the oil keeps the bread extra moist. The combo produces a tender crumb with great flavor.
  • I used brown sugar and only brown sugar in this recipe because again, I wanted the bread to be super moist and brown sugar keeps baked goods more moist because of the molasses content. And I know, I have used the word moist a million times in this post and I am sorry, but the bread is really moist and I promise that is a really good thing.
Chocolate Banana Bread Recipe (5)
  • Another key ingredient is sea salt. I tried the recipe with regular salt and again, it was good, but not great. I used sea salt this last time and it was the kicker, literally. I loved getting little kicks of salt with the chocolate. Sweet and salty is my jam!
  • Make sure you don’t overbake the bread. Take it out of the oven when a toothpick comes out clean or cleanish. If you hit a chocolate chip, there will be melted chocolate on the toothpick. Don’t let that fool you for the batter. You don’t want to overbake the loaf. You might need to test the bread in a few spots.
  • Let the bread cool in the pan for 15 minutes and then let it cool on a wire rack until warm. Slice and enjoy every last crumb.

This Chocolate Chocolate Chip Banana Bread is the ultimate banana bread. It is SO rich and divine. And it is bread so it is totally acceptable to eat a slice for breakfast. Or you can eat a slice as a 3 p.m. for a chocolate pick me up. Or you can eat a slice after dinner for dessert. Or you can eat a slice topped with ice cream at midnight. It is the BEST banana bread and I think you should make a loaf TODAY. I hope you have brown bananas handy.

Oh, and if you want to really impress your sweetheart on Valentine’s Day, make a loaf of this Chocolate Banana Bread. It is chocolate heaven and better than store bought chocolates or flowers because it is baked with LOVE! And I promise it is easy to make. And if you are a peanut butter fan, check out my Chocolate Peanut Butter Banana Bread. You will FLIP over this recipe!

If you like this Chocolate Banana Bread, you might also like:

  • Best Banana Bread
  • Chocolate Chip Banana Bread
  • Chocolate Zucchini Bread
  • Salted Caramel Cashew Banana Bread
  • Buttermilk Banana Bread
  • Zucchini Banana Bread
  • Biscoff Banana Bread with Biscoff Cookie Streusel Topping
Chocolate Banana Bread Recipe (6)

Chocolate Banana Bread Recipe (7)

Quick Breads

Chocolate Banana Bread

The ULTIMATE banana bread! Chocolate lovers will instantly fall in love with this easy quick bread.

4.73 from 1222 votes

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Cook Time 50 minutes mins

Total Time 1 hour hr

Cuisine American

Servings 1 loaf

Equipment

Ingredients

Instructions

  • Heat your oven to 350°F. Grease a 9-by-5-inch loaf pan with nonstick cooking sprayand set aside.

  • In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, and sea salt. Set aside.

  • In a large bowl, mash the ripe bananas with a fork. Add the melted butter and oil and stir until combined. Stir in the brown sugar, egg, and vanilla extract. Stir until smooth.

  • Stir the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients, don't overmix. Stir in¾ cup of the chocolate chips.

  • Pour batter into prepared pan. Sprinkle the remaining ¼ cup of chocolate chips over the top of the bread. Bake for 50-65 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the breadcomes out mostly clean, you might have some melted chocolate chips on the toothpick and that is fine. You just don't want a lot of gooey batter. Check at 50 minutes, just to be safe. Oven times vary.

  • Remove the pan from the oven and set on a wire cooling rack. Let the bread cool in the pan for 15 minutes.Run a knife around the edges of the bread and carefully remove from the pan. Let the bread cool on the wire cooling rack until slightly warm. Cut into slices and serve.

  • Note-the bread will keep on the counter, wrapped in plastic wrap, for up to 4 days. This bread also freezes well. To freeze, cool the bread completely and wrap in plastic wrap and aluminum foil. Freeze for up to 1 month. Defrost before slicing.

Have you tried this recipe?

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Chocolate Banana Bread Recipe (2024)

FAQs

Can you put too much banana in banana bread? ›

Fight the urge to use more banana than called for in your recipe. Using too much banana could make your bread heavy and damp in the center, causing it to appear undercooked and unappealing. If you have bananas leftover, you can always freeze them for later use.

What happens if you put too many eggs in banana bread? ›

Adding more eggs makes for a spongy, less flavorful banana bread. Doubling the number of eggs I was using resulted in a spongy cake with a moist texture.

Why is my banana bread dense and not fluffy? ›

An overmixed banana bread batter will result in a dense, rubbery loaf. As you're prepping your batter, heed the advice of "stir until just moistened" and "no more than 10 seconds."

Why use mushy bananas for banana bread? ›

Ripe bananas are not only softer and easier to mash and blend into a batter, but they are also sweeter, which is why baking recipes specifically call for ripe bananas in ingredient lists. As the bananas ripen, the fruit converts starches to sugars, making them sweeter and more flavorful.

How many bananas is 2 cups? ›

2 bananas: 1-1/3 cups chopped | 1 cup mashed. 3 bananas: 2 cups chopped | 1-1/2 cups mashed. 4 bananas: 2-2/3 cups chopped | 2 cups mashed.

Is it bad to use overripe bananas for banana bread? ›

Brown, overripe bananas are sweeter because in the ripening process the starches in the banana are converted to sugar. You can even use super-soft, black bananas that have a really strong smell and are oozy inside. As long as they're not moldy, there's no such thing as too-ripe bananas for banana bread.

What happens if I use 1 egg instead of 2? ›

Half the recipe and make half as much. Eggs are important in adding “loft” and lightness to the finished product. As they batter cooks, the eggs heat up and release steam, and the steam is what makes the air bubbles in the final product. Half as many eggs as the recipe calls for CAN make a dense unpleasant product.

How many eggs does 1 banana substitute? ›

Banana. Use ripe bananas to add moisture. One mashed banana can replace one egg in cakes and pancakes. Since it will add a bit of flavor, make sure that it's compatible with the other ingredients of the recipe.

How much banana equals one egg in baking? ›

Mashed Banana

For this swap, use 1/4 cup of mashed ripe banana per egg. Note that riper bananas have more sugar and moisture, so consider reducing other sweeteners and liquids in the recipe.

What happens if you put too much flour in banana bread? ›

If you use too much flour, you'll end up with really dry banana bread, and If you don't use enough flour, your banana bread will be way too wet. The secret lies in how you measure the flour. The scoop out of the bag method could be packing way too much flour.

Can I let banana bread cool overnight? ›

Banana bread retains heat, especially in the center of the loaf. If the loaf is still warm once it's wrapped for storage, condensation can form, which can lead to mold. Ensuring the whole loaf has fully cooled, one to two hours, will aid in better storage for longer-lasting banana bread.

How ripe should banana be for banana bread? ›

The bananas need to be mostly or completely brown, with a mushy, almost pudding-like texture. If your bananas are too ripe to eat, chances are they'd be perfect for this recipe. How can you ripen bananas faster?

Can dogs eat bananas? ›

Bananas are safe for dogs, but moderation is key. Bananas are high in sugar, so too much of it can put your dog at risk of developing medical conditions. You should give your dog only a few thin slices of banana once in a while. At least 90% of your dog's food should be regular dog food.

What can you do with old bananas? ›

What to Do with Overripe Bananas
  1. Mash Into Oatmeal. Breakfast is a great time to take advantage of the energy boost that comes from eating the natural sugars in bananas. ...
  2. Blend Into Waffle or Pancake Batter. ...
  3. Make Banana Muffins. ...
  4. Bake Banana Cookies. ...
  5. Add to a Smoothie. ...
  6. Turn Into Ice Cream. ...
  7. Whip Up Beignets.
Mar 12, 2024

What to do if banana bread is too mushy? ›

Using a lot of bananas adds excess moisture, and there are two ways to get rid of it. You could either add more flour or increase the baking time. Add a tablespoon of extra flour at a time into the batter and give it a good whisk until its consistency starts to look right: thick but runny enough to fall off a spoon.

How do you fix too moist banana bread? ›

leave it in the oven to cool down with the oven slightly open so that most of the moisture can escape.

How many bananas is too many at a time? ›

While there's no blanket rule, sticking to one to two bananas per day shouldn't cause issues for most people. With that said, remember that they are relatively high in carbohydrates, so eating them along with protein or fat is also advisable to support stable energy levels.

How full should banana bread pan be? ›

Fill the pan until it's two-thirds full, and if there is any remaining batter, fill up a muffin tin. This ensures you get a beautifully risen loaf instead of a potentially flat loaf in a 9×5. Now that you know the importance of pan sizes, it's time to make a loaf of the Best-Ever Banana Bread!

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