Chocolate Chip Banana Bread

Published on February 22, 2024

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Quick Summary

This Chocolate Chip Banana Bread is moist and tender, with gooey pieces of chocolate melting throughout. It’s a straightforward, fast recipe, and the perfect way to use up those browning bananas on your counter!

Overhead view of a loaf of chocolate chip banana bread on a wire cooling rack, next to an overly ripe banana and a bowl of chocolate chips.

I LOVE baking banana bread. I make it all the time! I love classic banana bread, but I also love my chocolate banana bread, peanut butter banana bread, healthy banana bread, and MORE!

I REALLY love my Chocolate Chip Banana Bread recipe. It is a favorite in our family. Bananas and chocolate are a perfect pair, and this loaf is the ideal blend. The chocolate chips aren’t overpowering so the banana flavor still shines!

This loaf has all the traditional flavors of a tender, moist banana bread, but with an extra kick from the chocolate chips. The chocolate chips warm up as the banana bread bakes, and start to melt into the bread a little bit.

I can’t imagine a better treat. I love to eat a piece of this chocolate chip banana bread for breakfast, but it is also great as an afternoon snack with a cup of coffee, or enjoy a slice for dessert!

Table of Contents

Ingredients
How to Make Chocolate Chip Banana Bread
Recipe Tips
How to Serve
How to Store
How to Freeze
Can I Make Muffins?
More Banana Bread Recipes
Chocolate Chip Banana Bread Recipe

Close up of a slice of chocolate chip banana bread with melted chocolate chips.

Ingredients

Here’s everything you need to make this chocolate chip banana bread recipe. Be sure to scroll to the recipe card at the bottom of the article for the specific amounts of each ingredient.

All-purpose flour– spoon and level when measuring. Don’t pack the flour into the measuring cup.
Baking powder & Baking soda– check the dates and make sure they are fresh!
Ground cinnamon– a hint of cinnamon pairs nicely with the bananas and chocolate.
Kosher salt– to enhance the flavors!
Mashed ripe bananas– make sure the bananas are overripe. You want them to be DARK brown or black for the ultimate banana flavor and sweetness.
Brown sugar – You can use light or dark brown sugar for this recipe. Light brown sugar will give a milder caramel flavor, similar to chocolate chip cookies. Dark brown sugar will give a richer molasses flavor.
Eggs – You should use eggs that are at room temperature.
Butter – Use unsalted butter that has been melted and cooled down to room temperature.
Vanilla extract – Make sure you use pure vanilla extract, rather than something with artificial flavors.
Chocolate chips– I use semisweet chocolate chips, but dark chocolate or milk chocolate are fine too. Guittard is my favorite brand.
Turbinado sugar– sprinkle on top before baking for a sugary crunch!

What is Turbinado Sugar?

Turbinado sugar is a type of sugar that has been minimally processed. It comes in larger, coarser crystals than granulated sugar, and it doesn’t dissolve when heated. Because of this, you don’t want to use it as a sugar replacement in baking. In this recipe, turbinado sugar is sprinkled on top of the chocolate chip banana bread to add a sugary crunch.

How to Make Chocolate Chip Banana Bread

This is an easy recipe to make, and it only has a few steps.

Prep. Preheat the oven to 350F, and grease a 9×5-inch baking pan.
Mix the dry ingredients. Add the flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt to a bowl. Stir until combined.
Make the banana mixture. Add the mashed bananas and the brown sugar to a bowl, and mix until smooth.
Add the wet ingredients. Add the butter, eggs, and vanilla to the banana mixture, and stir until well combined.
Combine the wet and dry ingredients. Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients, and stir until combined. Then fold in some of the chocolate chips.
Bake. Pour the banana bread batter into the baking pan. Sprinkle turbinado sugar over the top, and cover with the rest of the chocolate chips. Bake until a toothpick inserted into the center of the banana bread comes out clean, and the bread is golden brown. This should take 50-60 minutes.
Cool. Remove the chocolate chip banana bread from the oven, and let it rest for 10 minutes. Then remove the bread from the pan, and cool on a wire rack until it reaches room temperature.

Recipe Tips

Here are a few things you can do to make sure that your chocolate chip banana bread is soft, moist, and packed with flavor.

Use brown bananas. One of the keys to getting a strong banana flavor, and a soft texture is to use brown bananas. You don’t want to use ripe bananas, or yellow bananas that have some brown spots. No, you want to use bananas that are actually brown. These bananas have a stronger banana flavor, a higher sugar content, and will mix better with the batter to create a moist and tender bread.
Use a light colored loaf pan. It’s important to not use a dark cake pan for this recipe. Dark pans retain more heat, which can lead to burning. Because this recipe is pretty high in sugar, from the brown sugar and the bananas, it’s susceptible to browning too quickly. Use a light loaf pan to keep that from happening. I like this one or this one!
Don’t over mix the batter. When you add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients, make sure you don’t over mix the batter. Stir until all the ingredients are combined, and then stop. If you mix the batter too much, it will become dense, rather than airy and light.
Tent if you need to. Keep an eye on the banana bread when it’s in the oven. If you notice that it’s golden brown before it’s baked all the way through, then cover it with aluminum foil to keep it from burning.
Cool all the way. This chocolate chip banana bread smells so good, and the moment you take it out of the oven you’ll want to devour it. But resist that temptation! For best results, let the banana bread cool all the way before eating. This will allow the dough to firm up, so that the banana bread isn’t crumbly or mushy.

A loaf of chocolate chip banana bread, with three pieces cut at the end of the loaf, but still in line with the loaf.

How to Serve

This chocolate chip banana bread is perfect on its own, but sometimes I like to serve it with some toppings, too. Here are a few options.

Add a pat of butter for a richer banana bread.
Spread a layer of jam for added sweetness.
Top with your favorite nut butter for a heartier snack. Peanut butter and banana bread are a match made in heaven!
Serve with ice cream or whipped cream for a decadent dessert.

How to Store

You can store banana bread at room temperature for up to 4 days. Just wait until the bread is fully cooled, then place it in an airtight plastic bag, or cover it in plastic wrap. You can also store it this way in the fridge for up to 1 week, but note that refrigerating might dry it out a little. I prefer to store it on the counter. It never lasts longer than 4 days at our house, ha!
Banana bread is great at room temperature, but you can reheat it in the toaster on a low setting or in the microwave for 10 to 15 seconds if you want to enjoy a warm slice.

How to Freeze

Let the bread cool completely. Wrap in plastic wrap and then aluminum foil, and store in the freezer for up to 3 months. Thaw at room temperature before serving.
Pro tip! I like to cut my banana bread before freezing it, so that I can take one or two slices out at a time. You can heat those up directly in the toaster for a quick snack.

Can I Make Muffins?

I have a few banana muffin recipes: banana muffins, banana oatmeal muffins, and healthy banana muffins that you can add chocolate chips to, but if you want to use this chocolate banana bread recipe to make muffins, you certainly can!

Line a muffin tin with paper liners.
Use a scoop to fill the muffin cups.
Sprinkle the tops with turbinado sugar.
Bake the muffins for 18 to 24 minutes until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean! Check early to be safe, every oven is different.

Half a loaf of chocolate chip banana bread next to a stack of three pieces of banana bread, with chocolate chips surrounding them.

More Banana Bread Recipes

Like I mentioned before, I love all things banana bread! If you enjoyed this chocolate chip banana bread recipe, then check out some of my other favorite banana breads.

Breakfast/Brunch

Chocolate Chip Banana Bread

This chocolate chip banana bread combines two ingredients that were made for each other: bananas, and chocolate. It's easy to make, full of rich, sweet flavors, and the perfect use for aging bananas.

4.73 from 139 votes

Print Save Recipe Review

Prep Time 15

Cook Time 50

Total Time 1 5

Cuisine American

Servings 12

Ingredients

1 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1 cup mashed bananas (3 medium ripe bananas)
3/4 cup packed brown sugar
2 large eggs at room temperature
1/2 cup unsalted butter melted and slightly cooled
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 cup chocolate chips divided
1 tablespoon turbinado sugar for sprinkling on bread

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease a 9×5-inch loaf pan with nonstick cooking spray and set aside.
In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt. Set aside.
In a large bowl, combine the mashed bananas with the brown sugar and mix until smooth. Stir in the eggs until well combined. Pour in the melted butter and vanilla extract and mix until combined.
Add the dry ingredients and mix until just combined, don’t over mix. Gently fold in ¾ cup of the chocolate chips.
Pour the batter into the prepared loaf pan and sprinkle turbinado sugar over the top. Top with the remaining ¼ cup of chocolate chips. Bake until golden brown and a toothpick or cake tester comes out clean, about 50 to 60 minutes.
Remove the bread from the oven and let sit in pan for 10 minutes. Loosen with a bread knife around the edges and carefully remove the bread from the pan. Cool completely on a cooling rack before slicing.

Notes

Store the banana bread at room temperature for 4 days, in the fridge for 1 week, or in the freezer for 3 months. Cover tightly in plastic wrap when storing, and serve at room temperature or reheat in the toaster.

Nutrition

Calories: 295kcal, Carbohydrates: 43g, Protein: 3g, Fat: 12g, Saturated Fat: 7g, Cholesterol: 49mg, Sodium: 169mg, Potassium: 168mg, Fiber: 1g, Sugar: 26g, Vitamin A: 320IU, Vitamin C: 1.8mg, Calcium: 61mg, Iron: 1.4mg

Keywords best banana bread recipe, easy banana bread recipe, how to make banana bread, moist banana bread recipe

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Maria

I'm Maria and my husband is Josh. We share a love of cooking, baking, and entertaining. We enjoy creating recipes that are simple, fresh, and family friendly. We love sitting around the table with good food, good conversation, and good friends and family! Our kitchen is always open!
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4.73 from 139 votes (67 ratings without comment)

Chocolate Chip Banana Bread