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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Hi can I use yogurt instead of sour cream ?
Sure, that will work. Enjoy!
Thank you, it came out so wonderful with that substitution! My 17 month old loved it too:)
So glad — thanks for reporting back!
This is amazing I made this today for the first time and it came out absolutely perfect. I am good at cooking but lack baking skills and this came out fabulous, I love the way the pictures are listed so you know what the consistency should look like thank you Jen super Fan of all of your recipes and love your cooking book!
Dawn
I have already made this a few times – never lasts long around our house. Turned out perfectly each time.
Holy macaroni this is so good! Super simple to make and I had most of the ingredients already. I cut out the added granulated sugar and used oil instead of butter- so good! You feel like you are still indulging without the sugar. Wahoo keep posting more recipes
This was so good! I made it in a sheet pan that could fit in my toaster oven instead of the loaf pan it cooked in less time. I also had dutch process cocoa on hand so I goggled that you can substitute by using double the amount of baking powder for the amount of baking soda it calls for and it turned out great. It was like a moist cake. I topped mine with nuts and didn’t have chocolate chips. So good this will be a favorite in our home for sure.
Can I substitute something else in chocolate banana bread than sour cream
Hi Wendy, plain yogurt is a good substitute for the sour cream. Hope that helps!
The chocolate banana bread is, as my family says, devilishly delicious! Super easy to make. When I ran out of semisweet chocolate chips, I substituted dark chocolate chips. They’re somewhat larger and sunk to the bottom. However, once the bread was completely cooled, they lent a crunchy bite that my family liked. The dark chocolate also cut down on the sweetness which meant we could eat more it in one sitting.
Hi Jen,
I love your recipes, and I am looking forward to trying this one as well.
Quick question though: the classic banana bread has both baking soda as well as baking powder. This one has only baking soda. Why the difference, and is it supposed to be like that? I am a little surprised, since cocoa and chocolate chips are heavier, and theoretically need more oomph to rise and bake. Can I add raisins, and if ok, would you possibly guide as to how much quantity? I try to bake very precisely and I use metric system for measurements.
Thank you again,
Hi Loretta, so glad you like the recipes! I developed the two banana breads pretty far apart so honestly, I’m not sure why one includes baking soda and one does not (but I do know that they both rise nicely)! And yes, it would be fine for you to add raisins to this; I’d suggest about 1/2 cup. Hope you enjoy!
This tastes delicious. Unfortunately, mine didn’t rise and I noticed afterwards that my baking powder had expired….doh.
I cant wait to make it again, properly this time!
Love the recipe! I have made this a bunch of times. I usually bake using a scale. I was a little short on bananas this time and subbed some unsweetened apple sauce for 30 g of banana. It turned out just as beautiful and delicious as usual. Unsweetened applesauce is a great sub by weight for banana.