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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So yummy. Moist and just the right amount of sweetness. Only substitution I made was to use low fat in place of regular sour cream and 1/3 cup (instead of half cup) chocolate chips. Husband loved it as much as I did. I recently discovered your website and this is the third of your recipes I’ve made. All have really turned out wonderfully. Thanks!
I have made this recipe several times and it always comes out perfect. I have yet to find anyone that doesn’t like the yummy bread.
This is my favorite way to use up the mounds of over-ripe bananas that seem to accumulate in my freezer! It tastes just like a moist chocolate cake with a hint of banana, and it’s perfect warmed with a scoop of vanilla ice cream on top. Yum! I always make several small loaves to give away to friends.
Thanks for the recipe, I just made it and it’s divine, I just had to write how good it is. I changed it a bit, cause I usually use whole wheat – I used it here as well (I used only 1 cup cause it absorbs more liquid), and I think I put 3/4 cup of chocolate chunks. I will make it again, definitely. I’m writing a list of desserts to include for holidays, and this one just made it 🙂
I loved this recipe and so did my husband!. He has already requested it again! I added toasted pecans and omitted the semi-sweet chocolate chips. Definitely a keeper.
Made this and it came out perfect. Loved it. Wanted to make this again with frozen bananas I had. When I thawed the bananas, they are now almost liquified, though still smell super sweet. Ok to use them?
Hi Eve, That’s normal and, yes, they are fine to use.
Hi Jenn!
This looks Scrumptous!
Can’t wait to try — 3 questions so I’m sure I’ll be giving 5 stars!
1 – can I make in cup cake papers & do I need to adjust anything to do so?
2 – can I freeze?
3 – do you have a suggestion for ripening bananas quickly
thanks so much!
Kim
Hi Kim, 1) You can make in cupcake papers with no adjustments; 2) you can definitely freeze; and 3) and bananas will ripen quickly if placed in a brown paper bag. Hope that helps!
absolutely wonderful. Except I add more chocolate chips. Half cup didn’t seem like enough. I’ll be making this again. That is for sure. I always have frozen bananas.
The chocolate banana is amazing.. so moist and delicious / can’t wait to try some of the breads 🙂
This is a great idea from the classic banana bread. I have never tried chocolate banana bread and this one is a winner. I’ve made this twice already. I also make them in mini loaves and freeze them so that I have them always in the freezer. Because of all your banana recipes, I now make sure I buy extra bananas to ripen to make your recipes