A slice of moist banana bread is never a bad idea, and when it’s chocolate flavored that’s even better! Super quick to prep, it comes out so perfectly and it’s one of my favorite treats!
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There is never a bad time for banana bread, and it is hands down the best way to use up over ripe bananas!
This chocolate banana bread recipe is perfectly rich and full of flavor. Enjoy it for breakfast, dessert or as a snack with a piping hot cup of coffee. Enjoy it whenever you want!
If you love banana bread as much as I do, be sure to check out my Brown Butter Banana Bread and Easy Banana Bread Recipe with Peanut Butter Glaze.
Why you will love this chocolate banana bread recipe!
- Quick to prep: It takes about 15 minutes to make the batter for this bread and then into the oven it goes – all you have to do is wait!
- Made for sharing: This is such a great baked good to make to share with family and friends during the holidays. It makes for a great homemade edible gift too!
- Perfectly chocolatey: Chocolate and bananas together just work. The results are a not to sweet but decadently rich loaf.
How to make chocolate banana bread
- Sift together the fry ingredients.
- Mash the banana and combine with the melted butter.
- Mix in the sugar, egg, vanilla and sour cream.
- Add dry ingredients to the wet.
- Fold in the chocolate chips.
- Bake.
Be sure to see the recipe card below for full ingredients & instructions!
Should you use ripe bananas for the bread?
One million times yes, in fact the riper, or overripe, the better! Use bananas that have specks of brown or even nearly black. There is no such thing as a too ripe banana when it comes to bread.
The riper the banana, the more naturally sweetness it has. It also contains more antioxidants, so win win!
How long does it keep?
Once the bread loaf has cooled, place it in an air tight container. It will keep for up to 4 days. It will still be good to eat after that, but it will start to lose some of it’s moistness.
You can store the bread in the fridge and it will last a couple of days longer.
Can you freeze it?
Yes, banana bread freezes really well! You can freeze the whole loaf or individual slices. Wrap the loaf (or slices) securly in plastic wrap before placing in a freezer bag or safe container. It will stay fresh for up to 4 months.
Thaw frozen banana bread at room temperature. It will take about 30 minutes to an hour for slices to thaw and about 2 hours for a whole loaf.
Tips!
- Use very ripe bananas for the richest and sweetest flavor.
- Bake the bread in a pre-heated oven so that it cooks evenly all the way through.
- Be careful to not over-bake your banana bread. It’s done when a tester inserted into the center of the loaf comes out with a few moist crumbs attached.
More Chocolate Recipes
Double Chocolate Banana Bread Recipe
Equipment
- Kitchen Scale (optional)
Ingredients
- 1 cup all-purpose flour 120 grams
- ½ cup unsweetened Dutch-process cocoa powder 42 grams
- 1 teaspoon baking soda 3 grams
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- 3 ripe bananas mashed
- ½ cup unsalted butter 113 grams, melted (1 stick)
- 1 cup brown sugar 213 grams
- 2 large eggs 100 grams
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract 4 grams
- ½ cup sour cream 114 grams
- 1 cup bittersweet chocolate chips 170 grams, divided
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F, grease 9×5-inch loaf pan with nonstick spray, and set aside.
- In a medium bowl, sift together the flour, cocoa, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.1 cup all-purpose flour, ½ cup unsweetened Dutch-process cocoa powder, 1 teaspoon baking soda, ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- In a large bowl, combine the mashed bananas with the melted butter. Stir to combine.3 ripe bananas, ½ cup unsalted butter
- Add the brown sugar, egg, vanilla, and sour cream. Mix well.1 cup brown sugar, 2 large eggs, 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract, ½ cup sour cream
- Gradually add dried ingredients to the large bowl of wet ingredients. Do not overmix.
- Fold in the chocolate chips, reserving ¼ cup for the top of the bread.1 cup bittersweet chocolate chips
- Pour the batter into the prepared pan and sprinkle with the remaining chocolate chips.
- Bake for 60 minutes. Oven times may vary. Check for doneness at 50 minutes, and every 5-10 minutes after that until a toothpick comes out batter free.
- Allow to nearly completely cool to room temperature before removing from pan.
Video
Becky’s Tips
- Use very ripe bananas for the richest and sweetest flavor.
- Bake the bread in a pre-heated oven so that it cooks evenly all the way through.
- Be careful to not over-bake your banana bread. It’s done when a tester inserted into the center of the loaf comes out with a few moist crumbs attached.
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Did you make this? Leave a comment!
I usually make a plain ole walnut banana bread, but wanted something new. This was amazing! Especially if you like chocolate which we do, it was perfect. I didn’t use Hershey’s cocoa powder and mini chocolate chips. Turned out perfect.
Thanks for sharing, Sabrina!!
Thank you for this amazing recipe. It looked so good, I doubled it and baked in a 9×13 pan until it was done, but I’m not really sure how long it took. I used my frozen bananas that I throw in the freeze when I have extras that are getting very ripe. Since I didn’t have sour cream, I substituted whole milk plain Greek yogurt. To cut down on the sugar a bit since the bananas as a great natural sweetener, I I didn’t pack down the brown sugar as was a little stingy with measuring. Also, I cut down on the chocolate chips, using 1/2 the amount of mini semi-sweet chips because that’s what I had on hand. This recipe is a definite keeper. I love that the outside edges got a little crispy and tasted caramelized!
Thanks for sharing, Karen!!
My son-in-law loves chocolate so when I saw your recipe I had to try it. My oven tends to run hot so I shortened the time to 45 minutes and added more minutes after the toothpick test. Because it is so moist I know now that it needs all the time listed and maybe more. This bread is better than the chocolate muffin recipe I have! I could eat a whole loaf by myself ;oP BTW my SIL loved it!
Thanks for sharing!! So happy to hear it was loved!
We love anything with bananas. The 1st time I made this, I used a loaf pan, but my son suggested to use mini loaf pans, I doubled the recipe, I only have 2 pans and the rest I put them in muffin cups/liners. No turning back, will use the loaf mini pans again. This is so deliciously moist. Thanks you Cookie Rookie/Becky.
Thanks for sharing with us, Lin!
I’ve made this before and it’s amazing!
Thanks for sharing, Catie!
Absolutely delicious.
I have made 3 in the space of two days.
That looks amazing, Mike!
This was sooooo good! My family loves banana bread but adding the cocoa and chocolate chips take it up a notch. I even doubled the recipe and shared a loaf with the neighbors. It was great for a dessert. I only had 5 bananas (needed 6 for doubling) and it was still super moist.
That looks amazing, thanks for sharing. He is so cute and this is the best comment ever!
I wanted to make this again but I don’t have sour cream. 🤷🏼♀️ Can I leave it out? Or can I substitute with something else?
Thank you!
You can try plain greek yogurt!
Can I use regular (natural) cocoa powder, like Hershey’s, instead of a dutch processed cocoa powder? Thank you.
You can definitely try it out!
I really liked this recipe, it turned out lovely and is really tasty, but I think next time I make it I will try and use 4 or 5 bananas and hope it turns out as well. It didn’t have a lot of banana flavor and we love that in this house.
Let us know how it goes Cheryl!
Is there a way to substitute another flour for the white one? I would like to try almond, pecan or rice flour?? Has anyone tried that?
You can give it a shot!