Chocolate Banana Bread
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Rich, chocolaty, and loaded with banana flavor, this chocolate banana bread is as delicious as it is easy to whip up! Enjoy it as a breakfast treat, afternoon snack, or dessert—it’s perfect any time of day.
I usually think of banana bread as a breakfast treat (or, let’s be honest, something you grab a little slice of every time you pass through the kitchen). But this chocolate banana bread is so rich and decadent, you could easily top it with a scoop of vanilla ice cream and call it dessert. With chocolate chips and cocoa powder for a double dose of chocolate and sour cream to keep it irresistibly moist, this quick bread is always a family favorite.
“Exquisite, fabulous, hands down the most beautiful, moist, decadent, delicious, cake-like, chocolaty, awesome banana bread I’ve ever had.”
What You’ll Need To Make Chocolate Banana Bread
- All-Purpose Flour: The base of your chocolate banana bread. Measure it by spooning it into the measuring cup and leveling it off to ensure accuracy.
- Natural Unsweetened Cocoa Powder: Adds a rich chocolate flavor. It’s important not to substitute this with Dutch-process cocoa powder due to differences in acidity.
- Baking Soda: Acts as a leavening agent, helping the banana bread rise.
- Unsalted Butter: Provides moisture and richness. Using it at room temperature ensures it creams well with sugar.
- Sugar: Adds sweetness and contributes to the bread’s tender texture.
- Large Eggs: Bind the ingredients together and add structure.
- Mashed Bananas: The star ingredient for moisture and flavor. Use very ripe, brown bananas for the best taste. To quickly ripen bananas, store them in a loosely sealed brown paper bag. (Overripe bananas can be frozen—simply peel and store them in a resealable bag in the freezer, ideally 2 to 3 bananas per bag, as this is the common amount used in recipes.)
- Sour Cream: Adds richness and ensures the banana bread is moist.
- Vanilla Extract: Enhances the overall flavor of the bread.
- Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips: Add gooey, chocolatey pockets to the bread. If you’d like, you can also add a handful of chopped nuts, like walnuts or pecans for extra texture and flavor. You can also substitute some of the chocolate chips with white chocolate or peanut butter chips for a different twist.
- Jump to the printable recipe for precise measurements
Step-by Step Instructions
To begin, combine the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt in a large bowl. Whisk well and set aside.
In another bowl, cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy.
Add the eggs one at a time, making sure to mix well after each addition.
Next, add the dry ingredients to the butter and egg mixture.
Beat gently until just combined, then mix in the mashed bananas, sour cream and vanilla.
Add the chocolate chips and fold with a rubber spatula until evenly incorporated. Be sure not to overmix the batter.
Pour the chocolate banana bread batter into a greased loaf pan and spread evenly.
Bake until done, about 1 hour and 10 minutes.
Let the chocolate banana bread rest in the pan for about 10 minutes, then turn out onto a rack to cool completely. The bread is best enjoyed fresh, but it can be stored at room temperature for up to 3 days or frozen for longer storage.
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Chocolate Banana Bread
Ingredients
- 1¼ cups all-purpose flour, spooned into measuring cup and leveled-off
- ¼ cup natural unsweetened cocoa powder, such as Hershey's (see note)
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, at room temperature
- 1 cup sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 1 cup mashed very ripe bananas, from 2 to 3 brown bananas
- ½ cup sour cream
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- ½ cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C) and set a rack in the middle position. Grease a 9 x 5-in (23 x 13-cm) loaf pan with non-stick cooking spray.
- In a medium bowl, combine the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda and salt. Whisk until there are no more lumps in the cocoa powder and the mixture is well combined. Set aside.
- In a large bowl or electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment or beaters, beat the butter and sugar until light and fluffy, 2 to 3 minutes. Add the eggs one at a time, incorporating well after each addition. Add the dry ingredients and beat gently until just combined. Add the bananas, sour cream and vanilla and mix on low speed to combine. Fold in the chocolate chips. Do not overmix.
- Pour the batter into the prepared loaf pan and spread evenly with a spatula. Bake until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out with a few moist crumbs attached, about 1 hour and 10 minutes. Let the loaf rest in the pan for about 10 minutes, run a blunt knife around the edges to loosen, then turn it out onto a rack to cool completely.
Notes
Nutrition Information
This website is written and produced for informational purposes only. I am not a certified nutritionist and the nutritional data on this site has not been evaluated or approved by a nutritionist or the Food and Drug Administration. Nutritional information is offered as a courtesy and should not be construed as a guarantee. The data is calculated through an online nutritional calculator, Edamam.com. Although I do my best to provide accurate nutritional information, these figures should be considered estimates only. Varying factors such as product types or brands purchased, natural fluctuations in fresh produce, and the way ingredients are processed change the effective nutritional information in any given recipe. Furthermore, different online calculators provide different results depending on their own nutrition fact sources and algorithms. To obtain the most accurate nutritional information in a given recipe, you should calculate the nutritional information with the actual ingredients used in your recipe, using your preferred nutrition calculator.
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Would it be possible to make this in a 9 inch cake pan instead of a loaf pan (which I do not have)…and perhaps double and make two — one for now one for freezing?
Hi Diane, Yes and yes 🙂 You’ll probably need to reduce the baking time; I’d start checking around 35 minutes.
Great news and so helpful! Really appreciate this info!
I just made it in a 9 inch cake pan, thanks to your suggestion. In my oven it took about 40 minutes and is divine! We served it with salted caramel ice cream. Another hit! Thanks Jenn!!!
This recipe is definitely a keeper! What a delight. This cake was easy to bake, had a lovely texture, as well as being moist and oh-so chocolatey, just how I like ’em. I topped it off with a chocolate/cream ganache. Mmmmmm.
Thankyou Jenn, you are truly an inspiration.
Made this chocolate banana bread today. Wow – it was delicious. I initially made it for my 5 year old son to add to his school lunches for a little treat since he loves chocolate. When I told my hubby I was making this treat he thought it sounded too rich & didn’t think he would like it & I kind of agreed with him. Wow were we both surprised. The batter was light & it baked into the most moist & delicious cake like banana bread. I think the addition of the sour cream helped make it so moist & cut the sweetness of the chocolate. I used very ripe bananas & the bread was really out of this world. You won’t be disappointed with this recipe. My whole family LOVES it!!! The only change I made was to use “mini” semi-sweet chocolate chips because that’s all I had on hand & it was perfect!!!
This is so good!! I’ve made it 3 times and this last time I noticed the metric measurements and it made it so much easier for me to make. Thank you for sharing your recipes.
I made this recipe as muffins. I substituted chocolate bitters for vanilla and added some espresso powder and chopped pecans. They were a hit at a recent gathering and I received several requests for the recipe!
Have made this chocolate banana bread many times, it’s a hit every time. Last time I made 2 and I froze one for upcoming company. It was perfect.!!
Everyone raved over this and there was nothing left on the serving plate but the crumbs. EXCELLENT!!
This is the best banana bread and period! I never liked banana cakes too much but this one is in my favorite-quick to make-leftover ingredients book! Even fed it to my “banana hater” son.
I am going to make this recipe, it looks yummy!!! Can’t wait to taste it…. I would like to know if I can use coconut oil instead of butter. If so, do i need to melt it first? And will the batter become curdle? Thank you in advance for your help and sharing the recipes!!! Love your recipe!
Hi Hosuni, I don’t often use coconut oil, but I believe you can use it in a solid or melted form. (It may be a tiny bit easier to combine with the other ingredients if it’s melted.) Heat it only briefly (10-second increments in the microwave) so it melts but doesn’t get hot. Hope you enjoy!
Delicious! I have made this bread twice this week. Thank you for the tip about the difference in the unsweetened chocolate.