Chocolate Chip Banana Bread
What’s better than a chocolate chip bread and banana bread separately? Its this Chocolate Chip Banana Bread which combines the deliciousness of both these amazing ingredients. This sweet bread has a soft and moist crumb with gooey chocolate chips in each bite. This recipe is also egg free, vegan and quite a delight to have. You’re surely going to love it!
About Chocolate Chip Banana Bread
When it comes to baked goodies, they usually are made with all purpose flour/refined flour, dairy milk, eggs and the likes. How about a gorgeous Chocolate Chip Banana Bread that has none of these? In fact, it is eggless and has almond milk and whole wheat flour.
Thus, a completely vegan sweet bread recipe too. Vanilla goes as another flavor and this Chocolate Chip Banana Bread also has a hint of earthy cinnamon. All this makes it an absolute yummy-in-your-tummy snack.
I have adapted this no fuss, one bowl recipe from my eggless and vegan Banana Bread recipe. The best thing would be to use overripe bananas. But its just as good even with ripe and frozen bananas too.
Since it is my continuous effort to create and formulate recipes that can be easily replicated at home by one and all, most of my baking recipes too are simple and utilize ingredients that are readily available in any pantry.
Chocolate Chip Banana Bread recipe is a similar one. The aim is to make more and more people take to baking, and not be stressed with the laborious procedures that it may involve otherwise.
What I’m also giving out here is a compilation of FAQs (scroll down for the list) that I often get on my YouTube Channel regarding this recipe as well as the Banana Cake recipe video posts. I’m sure you’ll be clearer in your head after going through all of it, and try the Chocolate Chip Banana Bread for sure.
How to make Chocolate Chip Banana Bread
Mash Bananas
1. Peel and chop 2 large bananas and add them with 6 tablespoons raw unrefined sugar in a mixing bowl.
2. Mash bananas very well with a potato masher or a fork. You can even mash the bananas and sugar in a blender.
Mix Wet Ingredients
3. Next, add ¼ cup oil, ¼ cup almond milk and 1 teaspoon vanilla extract in the mashed bananas.
4. Mix well to form a homogenous mixture.
Mix Dry Ingredients
5. Sift 1.25 cups whole wheat flour (150 grams) with a pinch of salt, ¼ teaspoon cinnamon powder, ¼ teaspoon baking soda and 1 teaspoon baking powder.
You can also sift the ingredients directly in the bowl containing the mashed bananas. Also, preheat oven for 15 to 20 minutes at 180 degrees C or 356 degrees F.
Grease with oil or line a loaf pan (8 x 4 x 2.5 inches) or round cake pan (7.5 or 8 x 2 inches) with parchment paper.
6. Below is a picture of the sifted dry ingredients.
Make Batter
7. Now, add the sifted dry ingredients to the wet banana mixture. Also, add 6 tablespoons semi sweet vegan chocolate chips. Substitute with chopped nuts if you do not have chocolate chips.
8. Using the cut and fold technique, fold the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients gently. Fold with light pressure from your hands and do not over fold.
9. The batter should not look gluey or doughy. It should have volume and look like a cake batter.
10. Pour the batter in the prepared loaf pan. Level neatly on the top with a spatula. Tap the pan lightly a couple of times on the kitchen countertop.
11. Bake in a preheated oven at 180 degrees C or 356 degrees F for 35 to 45 minutes or till the top crust is golden.
The timing varies from oven to oven. So, it can take less or more time for baking. You can use only the bottom heating element or both the heating elements if using a regular oven.
12. Check the doneness of the bread with a fork or bamboo skewer. It should come out clean.
13. Keep the bread on a wired rack to cool to room temperature.
14. When completely cooled to room temperature, gently unmold the bread from the pan.
15. Slice the Chocolate Chip Banana Bread and serve as a sweet snack or dessert. You can keep the bread in an air tight box and refrigerate to store for a few weeks.
Expert Tips
- Flour: While I would always recommend you to use the whole wheat flour which makes this Chocolate Chip Banana Cake healthier; if you feel like using all-purpose flour, you can do that too.
- Skipping Baking Powder: If you want to skip the baking powder, add only a total of ½ teaspoon baking soda, and not ¼ teaspoon as mentioned in the recipe. Additionally, add 1 teaspoon lemon juice and vinegar that will help in slightly reducing the soapy aroma of the soda. You can add 1 teaspoon fruit salt (Eno) too.
- Omitting Baking Soda: If you want to skip the baking soda, add only a total of 1.5 teaspoons baking powder, and not 1 teaspoon as mentioned in the recipe.
- Using Fruit Salt: If you want to skip both the baking powder and baking soda, add only 1.5 teaspoons fruit salt (Eno).
- Chocolate Chips: The variety of chocolate chips that can be used in this recipe range from vegan semi sweet and dark to cacao nibs. Vegetarians can use milk or white chocolate chips.
- Nuts & Dried Fruits: Make it fancier by adding some chopped nuts, dried fruits or berries in place of chocolate chips. Almonds, cashews, pecans, walnuts, pistachios, dried berries, etc. work just fine.
- Plant based milks: Other vegan milk choices in place of almond milk are cashew milk, soy milk (GMO free), rice milk, oats milk, thin or medium consistency light coconut milk or any other plant-based milk. For vegetarians, dairy milk can be considered.
- Aromatic Ingredients: No vanilla, no issues. Use from a range of other aromatic spices like nutmeg powder, cardamom powder, pumpkin spice powder, ginger powder, etc.
- Sugar swaps: Sugar substitutes are maple syrup, jaggery, coconut sugar, palm sugar or any other sweetener. Avoid the use of honey as it becomes toxic when subjected to heat.
- Folding method: Over mixing or excess folding of the batter will make the Chocolate Chip Banana Bread dense and hard. So, go easy while folding and do that with a light pressure from the hands. Don’t over fold.
FAQs
Can I add all-purpose flour?
Yes, you can do that.
Can I add coffee?
Yes, you can. Sift 1 tablespoon coffee with the flour.
Can I add cocoa powder?
Of course. Sift 2 to 3 tablespoons cocoa powder with the flour. Note that you might have to add an extra ¼ cup almond milk if using cocoa powder.
Can I make it in the microwave?
You can do so only if your microwave has a convection mode. The recipe doesn’t work in a pure microwave mode.
What should be the temperature or time when baking in convection mode or convection ovens (oven with fan)?
For convection baking, bake at 165 or 170 degrees C. You can reduce the baking time by 15 to 20 minutes.
Why has my Chocolate Chip Banana Bread turned hard?
Most of the times eggless breads or cakes become hard due to excess of mixing or folding of the batter. Make sure you are folding with light hands and not over doing it.
Why did the bread crack or sink?
The cracking can be due to very high temperature in the oven. The sinking can be due to uneven heat in the oven. This happens when you open the oven door many times, as cool air from the room enters the oven. So, open the door only when the bread is ¾ done.
Step by Step Photo Guide Above
Ingredients
Wet Ingredients
- 2 large bananas or 1 and ⅓ cup chopped bananas or 280 to 290 grams bananas (with peels)
- 6 tablespoons unrefined sugar – 60 grams, can also use white granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract or ½ teaspoon vanilla essence
- ¼ cup Almond Milk or preferred plant based milk
- ¼ cup sunflower oil or any neutral tasting oil
Dry Ingredients
- 1.25 cups whole wheat flour – 150 grams, leveled
- 1 teaspoon baking powder – leveled
- ¼ teaspoon baking soda – leveled
- ¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1 pinch salt
- 6 tablespoons semi sweet chocolate chips (vegan), 60 grams
Instructions
Preparation & Mashing Bananas
- Grease with oil or line a loaf pan ( 8 x 4 x 2.5 inches) or round cake pan (8 x 2 inches) with parchment paper.
- In a bowl mash chopped bananas with sugar very well.
Sifting Dry Ingredients
- Add oil, almond milk, vanilla and mix very well till the mixture is homogenous.
- Sift whole wheat flour with salt, cinnamon powder, baking soda and baking powder in a tray or plate.
- Add the sifted ingredients to the wet banana mixture.
- Add chocolate chips. Substitute with nuts if you do not have chocolate chips.
Folding Batter & Baking
- Fold gently. Do not over do this step.
- Pour in the greased loaf pan. Level neatly from the top with a spatula. Tap the pan lightly a couple of times on the kitchen countertop.
- Bake in a preheated oven at 180 degrees Celsius for 35 to 45 minutes or till a fork or bamboo skewer comes out clean.
- Keep the sweet bread on a wired rack to cool at room temperature.
- When completely cooled at room temperature, gently remove the bread from the pan. Serve or store in an air-tight box and refrigerate. The bread keeps well for a couple of weeks in the fridge. You can even freeze the bread.
- Slice chocolate chip banana bread and serve as a dessert or as a sweet snack.
Notes
- All purpose flour (maida) can be added instead of whole wheat flour.
- To skip baking powder add an overall total of ½ teaspoon of baking soda. So do not add the extra ¼ teaspoon of baking soda mentioned in the recipe. Also add 1 teaspoon lemon juice and vinegar which will reduce the soapy aroma of the soda a bit. You can even add 1 teaspoon of Eno (fruit salt).
- To skip baking soda add a total of 1.5 teaspoons baking powder.
- To skip both baking powder and baking soda add 1.5 teaspoon of Eno (fruit salt).
- Instead of chocolate chips add some chopped nuts & dried fruits or berries like cashews, almonds, pistachios, pecans, walnuts, dried berries etc.
- For replacing almond milk substitute with soy milk, cashew milk, rice milk, oats milk, light coconut milk (thin or medium consistency) or any vegan milk. If you are a vegetarian, you can add dairy milk.
- Chocolate chips can range vegan semi sweet chocolate chips to dark chocolate chips (if you don’t mind a slight bitter taste) and cacao nibs. For a vegetarian version, add milk chocolate chips or white chocolate chips.
- No Vanilla, no problem. Add aromatic spices instead – ground ginger powder, cinnamon powder, cardamom powder, nutmeg powder & ground pumpkin spice.
- To skip sugar replace it with maple syrup, jaggery (Indian unrefined cane sugar), coconut sugar, palm sugar or any sweetener. Just do not add honey as it becomes toxic when heated.
- If the chocolate chip banana bread has become dense or hard then it is due to over mixing or too much folding of the batter. So fold with light pressure from the hands and go easy. Do not overdo the folding part.
- Note that one loaf of this bread, yields about 10 slices. The approximate nutrition info is for 1 slice of this sweet bread.
Nutrition
This Chocolate Chip Banana Bread from the archives was first published in April 2020. It has been updated and republished in February 2024.
What gluten-free flours would you suggest I use for this recipe?
You can try making with Bob’s Red Mill Gluten-free Baking Flours.
loved this recipe, turned out perfect and delicious!
Thank you.
Hi,
Can we skip sugar totally?
You can but the bread will not have enough sweetness.
Hi Mam,
I tried the rawmango murabba it turned to a one string consistency and is hard.. Could you please share tips to alter it.
Thanks
Hi Anita, Just add some boiling hot water in the murabba and mix very well. The consistency will change and become soft. Add water in parts and continue to mix till you get the right consistency. Alternatively, you can take some water (at room temperature) and murabba in a pan. Keep on a low or medium-low flame. Stir and mix and you will see the murabba softening. Add more water if required.
Thanks for this recipe. Some queries – how much quantity of cinnamom/cardamom powder to be used if I want to avoid vanilla essence(which is artificial). Also, can I increase the quantity of bananas to make it more healthy? Please share the brands of vanilla essence and chocolate chips and buying links, if possible.
Welcome. You can add an overall half a teaspoon of cinnamon powder if using only it. In combination with cardamom powder, you can add one-fourth teaspoon cinnamon powder and half a teaspoon cardamom powder. If you increase the quantity of bananas, the texture may change and become softer. I use homemade vanilla extract. The method is already shared on the blog. For chocolate chips, I had got some from a supermarket some months back. If possible buy couverture chocolate chips.
Hi Dassana!!
You are AWESOME!!
I have so far made good amount of recipes from your website and have always followed the exact measurements and have read the whole description for each recipe. You just perfectly detail everything. You are like a star to me now!
Thank you so much for the time and effort you have put into this so people like me can enjoy them. ?
Thanks again!!
Vidya
Thank you so much Vidya. So glad to read your lovely feedback and good to know that the details are helpful. Thanks again.
Can I include cocoa powder? if yes how many tbsp?
Thank you for this delicious recipe.
Hi Ria, I have mentioned in the Frequently Asked Questions listed in the post that cocoa powder can be added. You can add 2 to 3 tablespoons of cocoa powder and sift it with flour. Note that you may need to add ¼ cup almond milk more in this case. Welcome and Happy Baking.