Chocolate Chip Banana Bread

5 from 4 votes

This easy and moist chocolate chip banana bread will soon become a staple in your kitchen! Simple ingredients come together in a well-tested recipe, ensuring the end result will be the best version of banana bread you've ever had.

Course bread, Breakfast, Dessert, Side Dish

Cuisine American

Keyword banana bread, banana bread with chocolate chips, banana chocolate chip bread, chocolate chip banana bread

Prep Time 15

Cook Time 55

Cooling Time 2

Total Time 3 10

Servings servings

Calories 301kcal

Author Blair Lonergan

Ingredients

1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
¼ teaspoon salt
1 ½ cups mashed banana (about 3 large or 4 medium very ripe bananas)
6 tablespoons salted butter melted and slightly cooled
¾ cup sugar
1 large egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup miniature semi-sweet chocolate chips (or other chocolate chips of choice)

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease a loaf pan and set aside.
In a medium bowl, sift or whisk together flour, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.
1 ½ cups all-purpose flour, 1 teaspoon baking soda, ¼ teaspoon salt
In a separate large bowl, whisk together mashed banana, melted butter, sugar, egg, and vanilla extract.
1 ½ cups mashed banana, 6 tablespoons salted butter, ¾ cup sugar, 1 large egg, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Gradually add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients, stirring just until combined. Fold in the chocolate chips.
1 cup miniature semi-sweet chocolate chips
Pour batter into the prepared loaf pan. Bake until the bread is golden brown and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, about 55-65 minutes. Do not overbake.
Remove from the oven, unmold from the pan, and cool completely on a wire rack before slicing and serving.

Notes

Use over-ripe bananas for maximum flavor and sweetness. You want them to look quite speckled and brown! Mash them in a bowl with a fork, or place them in a large Ziploc bag and squeeze them with your hands until they're perfectly mashed.
Be careful not to over-mix the batter. Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients just until they're combined. Too much mixing and the bread will come out tough, dense, or dry. The key to keeping quick breads moist is NOT over-mixing.
The total baking time will vary depending on the type of pan that you use (and on your individual oven). I prefer light-colored pans (or gold pans), which cook the bread more evenly. Dark metal pans tend to cause the outside to burn before the inside cooks through. You'll know that the bread is done when a toothpick inserted in the middle of the loaf comes out clean.
If the top of the bread starts to get too dark before it's cooked through, tent loosely with aluminum foil.
Avoid your banana bread sticking or falling apart by using a greased loaf pan, or line the bread pan with parchment paper (this also allows for quick removal and easy clean-up!).
Do not overbake the bread or it will become dry. My loaves are typically done by the 55-minute mark, so check it early.
Unsalted Butter. I always keep salted butter in my fridge, so that's what I use in my recipes. If you prefer unsalted butter, that's fine -- just increase the amount of salt in the recipe to ½ teaspoon.
Add nuts instead of chocolate chips. Pecans or walnuts are both good options. I recommend following this banana nut bread recipe to include some additional spices as well.
For a more subtle touch of chocolate, use just ½ cup of the mini chocolate chips instead of 1 full cup.
For a more intense touch of chocolate, turn this into chocolate banana bread by adding unsweetened cocoa powder.
Sprinkle extra chocolate chips on top of the batter before baking.
Add whole grains by swapping out half of the all-purpose flour and replacing it with ¾ cup of whole wheat flour.
Turn this batter into chocolate chip banana bread muffins by dividing the mixture between 12 standard-size muffin cups that have been greased with cooking spray or lined with paper. Bake in a 375°F oven for 15-20 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

Nutrition