Chocolate Banana Bread
Soft and moist Chocolate Banana Bread with chocolate chips inside and out for double the chocolate. There’s no butter or oil in this recipe, and no mixer needed. Easy and delicious!
Love banana bread? Make it with a cinnamon swirl, blueberries, chocolate chips, or crumb streusel topping.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Full of Chocolate: This chocolate banana bread is loaded with cocoa powder, plus regular and mini chocolate chips for maximum chocolatey goodness.
- No Butter or Oil: All of the moisture comes from the bananas and unsweetened applesauce for a healthier take on classic banana bread. And when combined with the chocolate, it’s irresistibly moist and fudgy.
- No Mixer Needed: Just a bowl (or two) and a fork is all you need to mix up the batter for this chocolate banana bread. So easy!
- Freezer Friendly: You can freeze the whole loaf or individual slices. Perfect to store for later.
Ingredients You’ll Need
NOTE: Full ingredient amounts and instructions are in the printable recipe card at the end of the post.
JumpIf you’re an avid baker, you probably have everything you need to make this delicious double chocolate banana bread. Here’s the ingredients you’ll need and why, plus a few tips.
- All-Purpose Flour – Make sure to stir, spoon, and level when measuring with cups or use a scale to weigh it. It’s important to use the proper amount of flour for baking.
- Cocoa Powder – Unsweetened natural or Dutch-process cocoa powder is fine. I actually used half of each.
- Baking Soda – To leaven the quick bread and make it rise. Make sure your baking soda is somewhat fresh. It is best if used within 6 months of opening.
- Salt – To enhance the flavors.
- Ripe Bananas – The riper they are, the more banana flavor you will get.
- Light Brown Sugar – For added sweetness, and a rich flavor.
- Unsweetened Applesauce – Replaces the fat, and adds moisture.
- Egg – To bind and add structure to the loaf.
- Vanilla Extract – To enhance the flavors.
- Chocolate Chips – I used semi-sweet chocolate chips. Regular sized chips to fold into the batter, and mini sized chips to sprinkle on top. If you only have one or the other, just use what you have.
Now that you have everything you need, let me show you how easy it is to make. No mixer required.
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How to Make Chocolate Banana Bread
NOTE: Full ingredient amounts and instructions are in the printable recipe card at the end of the post.
Jump- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Lightly grease an 8×4-inch (1 pound) loaf pan with cooking spray or line with parchment paper, leaving a couple inches of overhang to lift the bread out of the pan and lightly grease any exposed sides. (I use metal clips to hold my paper in place, but that’s optional.)
- Stir together the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda and salt in a bowl. Set aside.
- In a separate bowl, mash the bananas well with a fork. Add the brown sugar, applesauce, egg and vanilla. Mix to combine.
- Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and mix until incorporated. Then fold in the semi-sweet chocolate chips.
- Pour batter into the prepared loaf pan and sprinkle the top with mini chocolate chips.
- Bake at 350˚F for 55-60 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out mostly clean, with only a few moist crumbs. Test in several places, so you don’t confuse a melted chocolate chip with the batter.
- Allow the chocolate banana bread to cool in the pan for 10 minutes before removing, then cool on a wire rack.
Serving and Storage
- This double chocolate banana bread is best eaten warm with the melty chocolate chips inside. Go ahead and let it cool just enough to handle it, then slice and serve while still warm.
- TO STORE: Store slices in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 4 days or in the refrigerator for up to 1 week.
- TO FREEZE: Double-wrap the full loaf or individual slices with plastic wrap and then place inside of a freezer-safe zip-top bag. Freeze for up to 3 months.
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Recipe Notes
- Use a metal pan over a glass pan. Metal heats up faster and conducts heat more evenly. Using a glass or ceramic pan may cause the edges to be overdone while the center is still underbaked. I use and recommend this USA 1 pound loaf pan. (affiliate)
- Measure the bananas. Preferably with a kitchen scale (affiliate), but measuring cups work too. While it would be nice to just throw 3 bananas in a bowl and bake with them, bananas come in many sizes, and to have a well-baked product, accurate amounts is key.
- No Banana Chunks – Use a potato ricer (affiliate) or hand mixer to mash the bananas completely if you want to avoid any chunks.
More Banana Recipes You’ll Love
Chocolate Banana Bread
Soft and moist Chocolate Banana Bread with chocolate chips inside and out for double the chocolate. There’s no butter or oil in this recipe, and no mixer needed. Easy and delicious!
Yields slices
Ingredients
- 1 cup (125 g) all-purpose flour, (stir, spoon & level)
- ½ cup (40 g) unsweetened cocoa powder, natural or Dutch-process (or half of each)
- 1 tsp baking soda
- ½ tsp salt
- 1 ⅓ cups (315 g) mashed bananas, (about 3 small ripe bananas)
- ¾ cup (150 g) light brown sugar, gently packed
- ½ cup (122 g) unsweetened applesauce*
- 1 large egg, room temperature
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 cup (170 g) semi-sweet chocolate chips
- 1 Tbsp (14 g) mini chocolate chips, for topping (optional)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Lightly grease an 8×4-inch (1 pound) loaf pan with cooking spray or line with parchment paper, leaving a couple inches of overhang to lift the bread out of the pan and lightly grease any exposed sides. (I use metal clips to hold my paper in place, but that’s optional.)
- Stir together the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda and salt in a bowl. Set aside.
- In a separate bowl, mash the bananas well with a fork. Add the brown sugar, applesauce, egg and vanilla. Mix to combine.
- Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and mix until incorporated. Then fold in the semi-sweet chocolate chips.
- Pour batter into the prepared loaf pan and sprinkle the top with mini chocolate chips.
- Bake at 350˚F for 55-60 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out mostly clean, with only a few moist crumbs. Test in several places, so you don't confuse a melted chocolate chip with the batter.
- Allow the chocolate banana bread to cool in the pan for 10 minutes before removing, then cool on a wire rack. This chocolate banana bread is best eaten warm with the melty chocolate chips inside. Go ahead and let it cool just enough to handle it, then slice and serve while still warm.
Notes
- Applesauce Substitute: You can substitute the applesauce with any neutral tasting oil (canola/vegetable). You can also use sour cream or plain Greek yogurt. But don’t just leave it out.
- TO STORE: Store slices in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 4 days or in the refrigerator for up to 1 week.
- TO FREEZE: Double-wrap the full loaf or individual slices with plastic wrap and then place inside of a freezer-safe zip-top bag. Freeze for up to 3 months.
Nutrition
Serving: 1 slice | Calories: 224kcal | Carbohydrates: 39g | Protein: 4g | Fat: 7g | Saturated Fat: 4g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.3g | Monounsaturated Fat: 2g | Trans Fat: 0.02g | Cholesterol: 15mg | Sodium: 201mg | Potassium: 272mg | Fiber: 4g | Sugar: 24g | Vitamin A: 49IU | Vitamin C: 2mg | Calcium: 32mg | Iron: 2mg
Disclaimer: Nutritional values were calculated using a third-party tool and are provided as an estimation only.
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