Chocolate Banana Bread

Bake a loaf of tender, chocolatey chocolate banana bread! Double chocolate with cocoa and chocolate chips, it's sure to vanish.

By
Elise Bauer
Elise Bauer
Elise Bauer
Elise founded Simply Recipes in 2003 and led the site until 2019. She has an MA in Food Research from Stanford University.
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Updated August 29, 2022
Elise Bauer
Chocolate Banana Bread
Elise Bauer

One of the most loved recipes on the site is our banana bread, and one thing people seem to like to do to change it up is to add chocolate chips to it. That's sort of a no-brainer, right?

A Rich, Chocolatey Banana Bread

Dear banana bread lovers, putting chocolate chips in your banana bread is like having your bananas and chocolate go on a date. Lovely and sweet, yet still separate and distinct. After a while both want something more—a merging of wills, a commitment!

Well, if chocolate and banana were to marry, this would be the result—a richly chocolate banana bread, infused with cocoa, speckled with chocolate chips, with warm hints of butter, vanilla, and allspice.

Chocolate banana bread loaf with slices
Elise Bauer

Video: How to Make Chocolate Banana Bread

1:36

Chocolate Banana Bread

Using Frozen Bananas

Thawed frozen bananas are a dream in this recipe, since they emerge from the peel nearly pureed to begin with.

When a bunch of bananas on your counter gets really speckled and threatens to be a magnet for fruit flies, toss them—peel and all—in the freezer. Thaw them overnight in the fridge, or for a few hours on the counter; set them in a bowl first to catch the brown liquid that will ooze out.

Then, come baking time, just squeeze the flesh right out of the peel.

Dutch-Process Vs. Natural Cocoa in This Recipe

This recipe calls for unsweetened natural cocoa powder and not Dutch-process. What's the difference? It's a question of color, flavor, and pH level.

Natural (non-Dutched) cocoa is naturally a bit acidic and slightly fruitier tasting because of the way cacao beans are fermented before processing (cacao, remember, is a fruit). For the color and leavening in this recipe to be optimal, you want an acid/base reaction with the baking soda, which is basic.

Dutch-process cocoa is treated with alkaline salts to darken its color and create a milder flavor. The nearly black color of Oreos is an extreme example of Dutching (it's called that because the process was developed by Coenraad van Houten, who was Dutch). Unlike natural cocoa powder, it is basic (alkaline). The baking soda in this recipe is, too. The leavening in recipe is designed for a little boost of an acidic ingredient (in this case, natural cocoa powder) to react with the basic baking soda.

Natural cocoa in this recipe is preferable, but not a requirement. We're not tried it ourselves, but readers have reported success with Dutch-process cocoa in their comments. It will be darker, with more of a fudgy flavor versus a purer chocolate flavor. You may want to reduce the salt, too, as Dutch cocoa powder can have residual salts from the alkalizing process.

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From the Editors Of Simply Recipes

Chocolate Banana Bread

Prep Time 15 mins
Cook Time 60 mins
Total Time 75 mins
Servings 12 servings
Yield 1 loaf

Use very ripe or over-ripe bananas. The peels should be at least half browned, and the bananas inside squishy and browning.

Melted coconut oil can be used in place of the butter. The flavor will change a little and you may get a hint of coconut in the result.

Ingredients

  • 3 large ripe bananas (ripe and easily mashable)

  • 1/3 cup (76g) melted butter

  • 3/4 cup (161g) brown sugar (packed, light or dark)

  • 1 teaspoon salt (1/2 teaspoon if using salted butter)

  • 1 large egg

  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

  • 1 1/4 cups (175g) all-purpose flour

  • 1/4 cup (21g) natural unsweetened cocoa powder

  • 1/2 teaspoon baking soda

  • 1/4 teaspoon ground allspice

  • 1/2 cup (100g) semi-sweet chocolate chips

Method

  1. Prepare the pan and preheat oven:

    Butter or spray with cooking spray the inside of a 5 x 9-inch loaf pan. Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C) with a rack in the middle.

    Simple Tip!

    Line your pan with parchment for easy removal of this especially moist banana bread.

    We find it works just as well baked in an 8 x 4 or 8 1/2 x 4 1/2-inch loaf pan.

  2. Puree the bananas:

    Using a blender, food processor, or a fork, puree the peeled ripe bananas until smooth. You should have 1 1/2 to 1 3/4 cups of banana puree.

  3. Mix the wet ingredients and sugar:

    Place the banana puree into a large mixing bowl. Stir the melted butter. Stir in the brown sugar, salt, egg, and vanilla extract. Whisk to break up any clumps of brown sugar.

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    Elise Bauer
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    Elise Bauer
  4. Mix the dry ingredients:

    In a separate bowl, vigorously whisk together the flour, cocoa, baking soda, and allspice.

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    Elise Bauer
  5. Add the flour mixture to the banana mixture:

    Stir until just incorporated, then stir in the chocolate chips.

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    Elise Bauer
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    Elise Bauer
  6. Bake:

    Pour the batter into the greased pan. Place in a 350°F (175°C) oven and bake for 1 hour, until the loaf feels relatively firm and bounces back when you gently push the center top of the bread down with your finger. If the loaf still has some give, keep baking it.

    Simple Tip!

    Note that because of the chocolate chips that melt in the bread as it cooks, it's hard to check for doneness using a tester that you insert.

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    Elise Bauer
  7. Cool completely:

    Remove the bread from the oven, set it on a cooling rack, and let it cool for 10 minutes in the pan.

    Gently remove the loaf from the pan and place on the rack to cool completely.

    Slice with a serrated bread knife to serve.

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    Elise Bauer

    Simple Tip!

    Well wrapped, the bread will stay fresh at room temperature for 2 to 3 days. To keep it fresh a few days longer, keep it in the refrigerator. It also freezes well.

Nutrition Facts (per serving)
215 Calories
8g Fat
35g Carbs
3g Protein
Show Full Nutrition Label Hide Full Nutrition Label
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Nutrition Facts
Servings: 12
Amount per serving
Calories 215
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 8g 10%
Saturated Fat 5g 23%
Cholesterol 29mg 10%
Sodium 349mg 15%
Total Carbohydrate 35g 13%
Dietary Fiber 2g 7%
Total Sugars 19g
Protein 3g
Vitamin C 3mg 15%
Calcium 20mg 2%
Iron 2mg 9%
Potassium 186mg 4%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.
Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate. In cases where multiple ingredient alternatives are given, the first listed is calculated for nutrition. Garnishes and optional ingredients are not included.