Chocolate Banana Bread
11
Published Feb 07, 2024, Updated Feb 16, 2024
This post may include affiliate links. Thank you for your support.
This chocolate banana bread is rich, tender, perfectly moist and packed with lots of chocolatey goodness. It’s easy to make and is sure to satisfy your sweet tooth!
I LOVE banana bread! Whenever I have ripe bananas on hand my go-to recipe is always some form of banana bread and this chocolate banana bread has been my latest obsession.
It’s so rich and chocolatey, while also being perfectly moist and tender. This loaf is truly a chocolate lover’s dream and I can’t wait for you to try it!
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Easy to make – This recipe is straight forward and made with simple ingredients that you probably already have in your kitchen.
- Chocolatey – It has double the chocolate thanks to the cocoa powder and chocolate chips!
- Moist and fluffy – The loaf comes out perfectly fluffy and super moist thanks to the addition of Greek yogurt.
- Versatile – It’s healthy enough to enjoy for breakfast or a mid-day snack, but is also decadent enough to have for dessert.
Chocolate Banana Bread Ingredients
As I mentioned above, you don’t need any fancy ingredients. You probably already have everything you need to make this recipe in your kitchen right now!
- all-purpose flour – provides the base structure for the bread. You can also use whole wheat pastry flour if you prefer.
- cocoa powder – what gives this bread its rich, chocolatey flavor.
- baking soda – helps the bread rise and become light and fluffy.
- sea salt – enhances the flavors of all the other ingredients.
- coconut sugar – adds a deep, caramel-like sweetness to this loaf. If you don’t have coconut sugar I recommend using cane sugar as it’s less processed than white granulated sugar, but if you only have granulated sugar on hand use that!
- coconut oil – helps to keep this loaf moist. If you don’t have coconut oil you can use melted butter or another neutral oil instead.
- eggs – helps to bind the ingredients together and gives the loaf structure.
- ripe bananas – the star ingredient, offering natural sweetness and moisture. Make sure you’re using ripe bananas with brown spots for the best results. The riper the better! Many times I’ll freeze bananas when they’re perfectly ripe so I can use them for banana bread later. Just thaw and use!
- Greek yogurt – this adds a little protein and helps to keep the bread moist without the need for more oil. I used full-fat Greek yogurt, but low-fat yogurt will also work.
- vanilla extract – a dash of vanilla complements the chocolate and banana flavors nicely.
- chocolate chips – you can’t forget about the chocolate chips! I really like Lily’s chocolate chips because they’re dairy-free, lower in sugar and still have a great flavor. I also like the Enjoy Life dark chocolate chips which are vegan + allergen-friendly.
Dietary Substitutions
- Gluten-Free: I haven’t tested this recipe with a gluten-free all-purpose flour option, but if you try it let me know how it turns out in the comments below. You could also try my coconut flour banana bread or almond flour banana bread which aren’t chocolate, but they’re both gluten-free.
- Dairy-free: To make this banana bread dairy-free swap the Greek yogurt with a dairy-free yogurt.
- Vegan: I also haven’t tested a vegan version of this recipe, but you could use a vegan yogurt and try using flax eggs in place of the regular eggs. Again, I haven’t tried it, so I’m not sure how it’ll turn out, but if you do try it let me know how it turns out for you. You can also just make my vegan banana bread instead. That might be your best bet!
How to Make Chocolate Banana Bread
Step 1: Mix together your flour, cocoa powder, baking soda and salt in a medium mixing bowl. In a large bowl, whisk together your eggs, coconut sugar, coconut oil, bananas, Greek yogurt and vanilla until smooth and combined.
Step 2: Gently add your dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and stir until just combined. Don’t over-mix! Once the batter is combined add in your chocolate chips.
Step 3: Pour the batter into your prepared loaf pan and top with remaining chocolate chips. Place in a preheated oven and bake for 50-60 minutes or until a toothpick or butter knife inserted in the center comes out clean or with a few crumbs. After removing the loaf from the oven, let it cool for about 10 minutes in the pan. Then, transfer it onto a wire rack to cool completely before slicing.
Recipe Tips
- Use ripe bananas: Make sure you’re using ripe bananas for the best results. The more brown spots, the better!
- Don’t over-mix: When combining the wet and dry ingredients, mix until just combined. It’s okay if there are a few streaks of flour still visible. Over-mixing can result in a banana bread that’s dense.
- Line loaf pan: Don’t forget to coat your loaf pan with cooking spray or line it with parchment paper to prevent the bread from sticking to the pan and to make removal easier.
- Check for doneness: Use a toothpick or butter knife to check if the bread is done. It should come out clean or with a few moist crumbs.
- Let cool: Let the bread cool completely before slicing. This helps the bread to set properly and makes it easier to slice.
Ways to Serve Banana Bread
Few things are better than fresh, warm banana bread! I love eating a slice for breakfast toasted with butter or nut butter. Here are some ideas:
- Enjoy a slice for breakfast alongside your morning coffee with a little butter and a dash of cinnamon. Or spread on some jam (this strawberry chia jam would be delish) and nut butter.
- For a more protein-packed breakfast serve a slice alongside two hardboiled eggs, baked egg cups and/or a protein shake.
- Serve this banana bread for brunch alongside my spinach quiche, fruit salad and mimosas. So yummy!
How to Store
- At room temperature: Wrap the banana bread in foil or plastic wrap or store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days.
- In the fridge: For longer storage, refrigerate in an airtight container for up to a week. This helps maintain freshness and prevents mold.
- In the freezer: Banana bread stores wonderfully in the freezer. Wrap the loaf or individual slices in plastic wrap and then aluminum foil or place them in a freezer-safe bag. Freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator or at room temperature.
More Quick Bread Recipes
- Strawberry Banana Bread
- Tahini Banana Bread
- Zucchini Banana Bread
- Protein Banana Bread
- Healthy Zucchini Bread
Be sure to check out all of the banana recipes and quick bread recipes on EBF!
If you enjoyed this recipe, please consider leaving a ⭐ star rating and let me know how it went in the 📝 comments below.
Chocolate Banana Bread
Ingredients
- 1 cup all-purpose flour or whole wheat pastry flour
- ½ cup cocoa powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon sea salt
- ¾ cup coconut sugar
- ¼ cup melted coconut oil
- 2 large eggs
- 1 ½ cups mashed ripe bananas, 3 large or 4 medium
- ⅓ cup plain full-fat Greek yogurt
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ⅓ cup chocolate chips, plus more for topping
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F and grease a 9″x5″ loaf pan or line with parchment paper.
- In a medium bowl, stir together flour, cocoa powder, baking soda and salt.
- In a large bowl, whisk together eggs, coconut sugar, oil, mashed bananas, greek yogurt and vanilla.
- Add dry ingredients into the bowl with the wet ingredients and stir together until just combined, making sure to not over-mix!
- Gently stir in the chocolate chips.
- Pour the batter into the prepared loaf pan and top with extra chocolate chips.
- Bake for 50-60 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean.
- Let cool in pan for 10-15 minutes, then remove and let cool completely on a wire rack before slicing.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Brittany, I was so happy to find this recipe! I typically will end up with one or two bananas that get too ripe for my liking and this is such a nice way to use those. The only thing I did different was to make them as cupcakes because my husband and I both love digging around in the freezer for a small snack…..as a matter of fact, just “found” one myself and enjoyed a cup of coffee with it! It’s another
#eatingbirdfood keeper!
WOO! Sounds delicious. I am so glad you are loving this recipe and it turns out great for you as muffins too! Thanks so much for sharing your review + star rating, I really appreciate it!
I see baking powder in the directions but it doesn’t say how much in the ingredients. How much baking powder should be used?
Hi Rosemarie, Apologies, there is no baking powder in the recipe, just baking soda! Just edited the recipe. Thanks for noticing that!
CAN I USE SOUR CREAM INSTEAD OF YOGHURT?
Hi Pat – I haven’t tested this recipe with sour cream so I am not sure how it would turn out. Let me know if you give it a try!
There are a couple of omissions in the recipe: baking powder is mentioned in the directions but not the ingredients, and cocoa powder is mentioned in the ingredients but not the directions.
That being said, it was easy enough to figure out how to correct, and the loaf was delicious! Very moist and chocolate-y! I will be making this again.
Hi Maryl! Thanks so much for catching that, I will get that updated. Baking powder (mentioned in step 2) and cocoa power (also to be added in step 2). I am so glad you enjoyed this banana bread. Thanks so much for sharing your review + star rating, I appreciate it!
How much baking powder did you use?
going to make this it looks mouth watering
Yay! I hope you love it, Mark. Can’t wait to hear how it turns out for you!