This chocolate banana bread is packed with melty chocolate chunks and ripe bananas, creating the perfect level of moisture and a rich, fudgy bite in every slice.
If you love quick-bread recipes, check out our apple bread, healthy banana bread, or banana zucchini bread.
Why you’ll love this quick bread…
This chocolate banana bread shattered all records in our kitchen. It lasted exactly… well… 27 minutes 🚨.
That’s 12 slices gone in less than half an hour. Me? 3 slices. Louise? 2. Dad? 2. Mom? 1. And the two contractors fixing our kitchen? They polished off the rest, despite swearing they don’t even like cakes with bananas. Imagine if they did!
So, do yourself a favor; don’t make it. It’s dangerously good, and your New Year’s resolutions don’t stand a chance. Or… make it and enjoy the best two minutes of your life. Your call. 😏🍫🍌
Deliciousness disclaimer: this chocolate and banana loaf is incredibly moist and tender, packed with gooey, melty chocolate goodness, and perfect at any time for a treat from breakfast to dessert.
Ingredients
Find complete ingredient list, quantities, and substitutions in the recipe box at the bottom of the page.
- Ripe bananas: As you can see from the pictures, our bananas were way passed their use-by date. The bread turned out deliciously sweet and moist!
- Dark chocolate: For the perfect bittersweet balance, we recommend using a 50% to 70% dark chocolate bar, chopped into big, indulgent chunks. This ensures rich, melty, fudgy pockets in every bite. You can substitute with dark chocolate chips, but trust us; nothing beats those gooey chocolate puddles! 🍫🔥
- Cocoa powder: Best if dutch processed. Natural cocoa powder works too.
- Olive oil: We recommend a light olive oil as it’s healthy and pairs well with chocolate. Good substitutes include canola oil, sunflower oil, or avocado oil, all of which provide a more neutral flavor profile. Avoid extra virgin olive oil as its flavor can be overpowering.
For the perfect chocolate banana bread, we recommend using:
- 8 x 4-inch (20 x 10 cm) loaf pan. This tall and narrow pan creates a beautifully domed loaf, just like the one in our photos. It’s our favorite for the prettiest presentation!
- 8.5 x 4.5-inch (21.5 x 11.5 cm) loaf pan. Slightly wider, this gives you a loaf that’s a bit shorter but still well-formed.
- 9 x 5-inch (23 x 12.5 cm) loaf pan. For a shorter, wider loaf with the same delicious flavor, just with a different shape.
How to make chocolate banana bread
Step 1: Whisk wet ingredients.
Preheat oven to 350°F (180°C). Line your loaf pan with parchment paper. Chop the chocolate bar into large chunks.
Mash the over-ripe bananas in a large mixing bowl. Add olive oil, sugar, egg, vanilla extract, and whisk until well combined.
Step 2: Add dry ingredients.
Sift in all-purpose flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
Whisk until just combined without over-mixing, then stir in the chocolate chunks.
Step 3: Bake and enjoy!
Pour the batter into the prepared loaf pan and top with more chocolate chunks.
Bake at 350°F (180°C) for 60 minutes. Let cool down for at least 1 hour before slicing with a bread knife and it’s ready to enjoy.
Tips
- Use the ripest bananas: The blacker, the better! Overripe bananas add extra moisture and natural sweetness, making your bread irresistibly soft and flavorful.
- Sift your dry ingredients: Including the cocoa powder! This removes lumps and creates a lighter, airier batter for a perfectly tender loaf.
- Mix gently: Overmixing can develop gluten, leading to a tougher texture. Stir just until combined for the softest, fluffiest bread.
- Go big with the chocolate chunks: Chop your chocolate into large, uneven pieces for gooey, melty puddles of fudgy goodness in every bite 🍫🤤.
Frequently Asked Questions
Sure you can! Make sure to thaw them completely and discard excess liquid (if any) before mashing.
Yes. You can substitute the egg with 3 tablespoons of all-purpose flour for structure.
Yes you can. But chocolate chips are smaller and don’t melt as well as chocolate chunks resulting in a dryer loaf. If using chocolate chips we recommend using dark and giant ones.
Yes please! Chocolate banana muffins are our favorite. Divide the batter into a 12-muffin tin, add extra chocolate chunks on top, and bake for 20 to 25 minutes at 350°F (180°C).
To keep your chocolate banana bread extra moist, store it in a plastic bag. It will stay fresh at room temperature for up to 3 days, in the fridge for 1 week, or 3 months in the freezer.
It’s best frozen in individual slices separated with parchment paper.
If it feels a bit firm after refrigerating, just pop a slice in the microwave for 30 seconds to bring back that soft, gooey texture!
More Easy Bake Recipes
If you tried this chocolate banana bread recipe or any other recipe on our blog, please leave a 🌟 star rating and let us know how it goes in the comments. We love hearing from you!
Chocolate Banana Bread
Equipment
- 8 x 4-inch (20 x 10 cm) loaf pan. This tall and narrow pan creates a beautifully domed loaf, just like the one in our photos. It’s our favorite for the prettiest presentation! Alternatively, you can use a 8.5 x 4.5-inch (21.5 x 11.5 cm) loaf pan or a 9 x 5-inch (23 x 12.5 cm) loaf pan.
Ingredients
- 4 ripe bananas
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- ½ cup cocoa powder
- 7 ounces dark chocolate + 1½ oz (50 g) for topping (optional)
- ¼ cup olive oil or canola oil
- ¾ cup sugar you can go as low as ½ cup
- 1 large egg
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- 3 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 pinch salt
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F (180°C). Line your loaf pan with parchment paper. Chop 7 ounces dark chocolate into large chunks.Mash 4 ripe bananass in a large mixing bowl. Add ¼ cup olive oil, ¾ cup sugar, 1 large egg, 1 tablespoon vanilla extract, and whisk until well combined.
- Sift in 1 cup all-purpose flour, ½ cup cocoa powder, 3 teaspoons baking powder, 1 teaspoon baking soda, and 1 pinch salt.Whisk until just combined without over-mixing, then stir in the chocolate chunks.
- Pour the batter into the prepared loaf pan and top with more chocolate chunks.Bake at 350°F (180°C) for 60 minutes. Let cool down for at least 1 hour before slicing with a bread knife and it’s ready to enjoy.
Video
Notes
- Dark chocolate bar: For the perfect bittersweet balance, we recommend using a 50% to 70% dark chocolate bar, chopped into big, indulgent chunks. This ensures rich, melty, fudgy pockets in every bite. You can substitute with dark chocolate chips, but trust us; nothing beats those gooey chocolate puddles!
- Dutch processed cocoa powder: Substitute natural cocoa powder.
- Olive oil: substitute avocado oil, canola oil, or sunflower oil.
- White sugar: substitute brown sugar.
- Egg: Substitute 3 tbsp of flour for the egg to make the recipe vegan.
- Use the ripest bananas: The blacker, the better! Overripe bananas add extra moisture and natural sweetness, making your bread irresistibly soft and flavorful.
- Sift your dry ingredients: Including the cocoa powder! This removes lumps and creates a lighter, airier batter for a perfectly tender loaf.
- Mix gently: Overmixing can develop gluten, leading to a tougher texture. Stir just until combined for the softest, fluffiest bread.
- Go big with the chocolate chunks: Chop your chocolate into large, uneven pieces for gooey, melty puddles of fudgy goodness in every bite 🍫🤤.
Nutrition
Hi! We are Nico & Louise
We’re here to share delicious, easy, and healthy plant-based recipes (vegetarian & vegan) 🌿✨.
Welcome to our blog, we are glad you are here.
Simplemente deliciosa!!
DELICIOUS! I used 3 bananas, 1/2 cup sugar and no eggs. WONDERFUL!!!! Thank you for including the vegan and reduced sugar options!!!!!
DELICIOUS!! I only had 3 ripe bananas and I made the vegan version! This chocolate banana bread is still AMAZING! THANK YOU!
Omg guys! This recipe is incredible. I think my husband and I broker your record…it really didn’t last that long it was too good. I love that you taste the banana and the chocolate. The texture reminds me of something in between a brownie and fudge, yet it stays light and moist. We really loved this! Thanks for sharing.
Thank you for your kind message Janine…ahaha Im so happy you guys enjoyed it. I know it never lasts more than a day in hour home.
Everyone in our building wants a slice!
Have the best weekend.
Nico
I made the chocolate vegan pound cake with some adjustments. Turned out delicious! First change was making it gluten free. Though I used a cup for cup replacement for white flour, I weighed the GF flour. Turned out to be a cup less flour, which was the right call. Batter was quite stiff. Second change was using one cup of hot coffee instead of hot water to deepen the chocolate flavor. Since I didn’t have dark chocolate chips. I chopped up half a bitter sweet baking chocolate. Turned out delicious!! Thank you for this recipe
Wonderful, Laurie, I’m happy that you enjoyed it. Thanks so much for taking valuable time to leave your substitutions and feedback.
And a happy weekend to you when you get there ☀️