Chocolate Chip Banana Bread

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I really only make one banana bread recipe.

This is the recipe you’ll ever need. Over the years, I’ve made it so many times with different variations using homemade Nutella, soy-free chocolate chunks, plain, you name it!

It freezes amazingly (tastes even better from the freezer)!

We like it best with freshly milled flour as a healthier way to indulge in this treat (I’ll include all the conversions for that in the recipe card).

Not only that, but I’ve tested this recipe with healthier sweeteners with great success!

This chocolate chip banana recipe is made entirely with easily available ingredients. Anyone can make it!

If you’re on a health journey you can find my healthier swaps in the ingredients section.

It’s everything a chocolate chip banana bread should be. Rich and tender. Brown caramelized exterior and soft interior. Perfectly moist and sweet (but not too sweet).

The chocolate chips harden if you take the banana bread out of the freezer or fridge and if you leave this at room temperature (if it will last that long) the banana bread stays so incredibly soft and at high moisture!

I’m obsessed with this banana-flavored tender crumb and hope you can give it a try! The texture is truly like it came from a bakery!

Scaling the recipe

I got this banana bread recipe from a Mennonite lady who makes a big batch of this sweet bread.

The original recipe made three standard-sized loaf pans or 10 mini loaves.

Because not everyone wants to bake such a massive batch, I’ve scaled the recipe down to one banana loaf. This recipe fits exactly into an 8×4 and I will include notes to make it fit into a larger 9×5 bread pan if that’s all you have as far as bakeware.

I’ve tested both single loaf pan recipes to ensure the very best results!

How To Make Chocolate Chip Banana Bread

I’m going to explain how to make chocolate chip banana bread step-by-step and don’t forget to watch the video on my Instagram.

Use Over-ripe bananas

You want to make sure your bananas have spotted or turned black in some areas. Over-ripe bananas are sweeter and way easier to mash. If your bananas are not ripe enough, place them in a cool dark spot for a couple days and just plan on another baking day. I’ve tried some of the “speedy” hacks and prefer my bananas to ripen the slower more natural way (it just yields the best results).

Mash the Bananas

The first step to making chocolate chip banana bread is to mash the bananas in a medium-sized mixing bowl.

I use a potato masher (way easier than a fork) and keep smashing the bananas for a couple of minutes to break down their cell walls. This releases more moisture and makes a sticky paste (trust me the banana bread turns out moist)! It will look lumpy and resemble a wet paste.

Set aside the mashed bananas.

Make the Banana Bread

To a larger bowl add the egg and sugar. Using a hand blender mix them together until slightly creamy (about 30 seconds). Add in the oil, milk, and vanilla. Beat well. Then beat in the salt, baking soda, and baking powder and beat well.

Mix in the bananas and then add the flour and mix slowly, over low speed (so, that the flour doesn’t fly everywhere). Mix well.

Next, stir in the chocolate chips. You can fold them in or just beat them in if you wish.

Alternately, you can just add the ingredients in the order given to a Bosch mixer and have that running as you measure and add each ingredient.

Add lots of Chocolate Chips

You want gooey chocolate chips in every slice! I like to add 1/2 cup of chocolate chips directly into the batter then reserve 1/4 cup for the top. Banana bread looks 10x better with chocolate chips melted on top!

The chocolate chip banana bread batter should look lumpy and glide off the rubber spatula easily. It should not be too wet or too thick. See photo below for the optimal texture.

I usually have the oven preheating as I start making the batter, because this entire process is pretty quick.

Prepare the Loaf Pan

Once the batter is finished it’s time to prepare the bread pan.

I like to use parchment paper for easy clean-up and handling. I’ve also noticed that banana bread just cooks more evenly for me with parchment paper.

Line an 8×4 loaf pan with parchment paper. I usually just take a parchment sheet and mold it into the pan (the lazy way). This works but can leave wrinkled edges on your banana bread.

So to avoid wrinkly edges, you can either snip the corners of your paper to slip into the pan or cut a 4 inch strip off the side of a 16″ sheet. Place the bigger piece across the pan, then top it with the 4″inch strip lengthwise.

Pour the banana bread batter into the lined loaf pan. I use a rubber spatula to clean out the bowl and make sure every bit is in the pan. Sprinkle the top with more chocolate chips.

Bake until the bread has a deep dark brown exterior

The dark brown crust is usually an indicator that the bread is done.

I bake my banana bread at a low oven temperature of 300°F (148°C). This yields a perfectly brown banana bread and doesn’t scorch the chocolate chips.

You’ll need to bake it for 1 hour and 10 minutes (longer if you scale up and use a bigger loaf pan).

The exterior will be dark brown and the middle crack should look golden yellow.

Cool

Cool the chocolate chip banana bread in the loaf pan for 5 minutes before removing to a wire rack to cool completely. It’s hard for us not to eat it warm at this point 😊

Store

Store this chocolate chip banana bread in a bread bag at room temperature for up to 5 days, or in the freezer for up to 2 months. I love making a big batch and freezing a few loaves for traveling or unexpected guests! Freezing baked goods is so handy for lots of hosting (you don’t have to think about what to make for dessert)!

Freezing:

To freeze banana bread, cool the bread completely on a cooling rack (it’s a good idea to take it out of the pans when its still warm, so the bottoms don’t sweat and get soggy). Then wrap in plastic wrap and place into a freezer gallon bag. Freeze for up to 2 months for the best results.

If you wrap banana bread in ceramic wrap you can assemble multiple loaves in a single Jumbo freezer bag (they won’t stick together)!

I honestly, think the banana bread gets more moist after the freezer. I also prefer the chocolate chips to be firmer and that’s how they stay from the freezer.