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    You are here: Home / Breads / Chocolate Banana Bread

    Chocolate Banana Bread

    June 30, 2022 By Sam 19 Comments

    This post may contain affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. Please read my disclosure policy.
    Jump to Recipe Jump to Video Print Recipe

    Chocolate Banana Bread is the darker, richer cousin to classic banana bread. My version is supremely moist and tender, and it takes just 20 minutes to prepare. Recipe includes a how-to video!

    overhead view of a chocolate banana bread studded with chocolate chips in a metal loaf pan

    Rich & Flavorful Chocolate Banana Bread

    There’s banana bread, and then there’s this chocolate banana bread. The darker, richer cousin to the classic, my chocolate version is loaded with rich chocolate banana flavor and studded with copious cupfuls of chocolate chips. Perhaps a bit too indulgent for breakfast and too tame for dessert, this bread makes for a wonderful snack (although I honestly love it anytime!).

    This recipe is a cross between my popular banana bread and my double chocolate muffins. It’s super moist, intensely flavorful, and ultra chocolatey. The crumb is very soft and tender (much like my banana cake), and it beautifully contrasts the rich flavors from the bananas and chocolate. It’s a stunner!

    Why You Should Try It:

    • Comes together quickly in just 20 minutes (though you’ll need a tad more patience for it to bake).
    • Easy to make with no fancy techniques or tools (and no mixer needed!).
    • Makes a super moist bread, thanks to overripe bananas and sour cream.
    • It can be sliced, wrapped, and frozen for grab-and-go snacking.

    What You Need

    overhead view of ingredients including ripe bananas, oil, sour cream, cocoa powder, and more

    These key ingredients give this bread its rich flavor and perfectly moist crumb:

    • Ripe bananas. The browner the better! The more ripe your bananas are, the more flavorful your banana bread will be.
    • Sour cream. This adds moisture and richness. Plain, full-fat Greek yogurt could be substituted here.
    • Brown sugar. A combination of light brown and granulated sugar lends flavor and moisture. I don’t recommend using dark brown sugar, as it could make the bread too rich or too heavy.
    • Cocoa powder. I use natural cocoa powder, but Dutch process could be substituted.

    SAM’S TIP: Toasted pecans or walnuts would taste amazing in this chocolate banana bread! I’d recommend using a smidge less chocolate chips if you do add them, though.

    Remember, this is just an overview of the ingredients I used and why. For the full recipe please scroll down to the bottom of the post!

    How to Make It

    collage of four photos showing chocolate batter being prepared and baked in a loaf pan
    1. Combine the mashed bananas, sugars, oil, and sour cream until well combined, then stir in the eggs and vanilla.
    2. Combine the dry ingredients in a separate bowl, then add them to the wet ingredients, pausing when everything is about halfway combined.
    3. Add your chocolate chips, then continue gently stirring until everything is incorporated.
    4. Pour your batter into a greased and floured loaf pan and top with additional chocolate chips if desired. Bake for 65-75 minutes, let cool, and enjoy!

    SAM’S TIP: If you’d like to nudge your chocolate banana bread a little further into dessert territory, you can drizzle it with chocolate ganache. A half batch would be more than enough for this loaf!

    chocolate loaf bread with two slices that have been cut

    Frequently Asked Questions

    Why is my banana bread not moist enough?

    This banana bread is SUPER moist, so if yours isn’t, something definitely went awry. Overmixing the batter can result in a dense, dry loaf. Be gentle with your batter as you would with any quick bread, banana muffins or, pancakes and don’t use an electric mixer.

    Overbaking can also cause this, so be sure to remove your bread from the oven when a skewer inserted in the center comes out with a few moist crumbs; a completely clean skewer can indicate an overbaked loaf.

    Can this recipe be made in a muffin tin?

    Yes! They’ll likely need to bake for about 20-25 minutes.

    Can I use Dutch process cocoa?

    Dutch Process cocoa powder should work just fine, but it will give your banana bread a more intense chocolate flavor and darker color. 

    head-on view of slices of chocolate chip studded chocolate loaf bread stacked on top of each other

    Banana recipes are quite a hit around here, so I really think you’re going to like this one 😊

    Enjoy!

    Let’s bake together! I’ll be walking you through all the steps in my written recipe and video below! If you try this recipe, be sure to tag me on Instagram, and you can also find me on YouTube and Facebook

    overhead view of a chocolate banana bread studded with chocolate chips in a metal loaf pan

    Chocolate Banana Bread

    Chocolate banana bread is the darker, richer cousin to classic banana bread. My version is supremely moist and tender, and it takes just 20 minutes to prepare.
    Recipe includes a how-to video!
    4.91 from 10 votes
    Print Pin Rate
    Course: Bread, quick bread
    Cuisine: American
    Prep Time: 20 minutes
    Cook Time: 1 hour
    Total Time: 1 hour 20 minutes
    Servings: 10 slices
    Calories: 392kcal
    Author: Sam Merritt

    Ingredients

    • 1 ½ cups mashed over-ripe bananas (this is typically 3 large or 4 small bananas for me) (395g)
    • ½ cup canola or vegetable oil
    • ½ cup granulated sugar (100g)
    • ½ cup light brown sugar firmly packed (100g)
    • ⅔ cup full-fat sour cream (150g)
    • 2 large eggs lightly beaten, room temperature preferred
    • 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
    • 2 cups all-purpose flour (250g)
    • ½ cup natural unsweetened cocoa powder (50g)
    • 1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
    • ½ teaspoon baking soda
    • ¾ teaspoon table salt
    • 1 ½ cups semisweet chocolate chips plus additional for sprinkling on top, if desired (170g)

    Recommended Equipment

    • 9×5" bread pan
    • Mixing bowls
    Prevent your screen from going dark

    Instructions

    • Arrange oven rack to center of oven and preheat oven to 350F (175C) and grease a 9×5 bread pan with baking spray or grease and flour (tap out excess flour). Set aside.
    • In a large mixing bowl, combine mashed bananas, oil, sugars and sour cream and stir until well-combined.
      1 ½ cups mashed, ½ cup canola or vegetable oil, ½ cup granulated sugar, ½ cup light brown sugar, ⅔ cup full-fat sour cream
    • Add eggs and vanilla extract and stir well.
      2 large eggs, 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
    • In a separate, medium-sized bowl whisk together flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda, and salt until well-combined.
      2 cups all-purpose flour, ½ cup natural unsweetened cocoa powder, 1 ½ teaspoons baking powder, ½ teaspoon baking soda, ¾ teaspoon table salt
    • Add flour mixture to banana mixture and stir gently by hand until ingredients are about 50% combined. Add chocolate chips and continue to stir until ingredients are completely combined (don’t over-mix).
      1 ½ cups semisweet chocolate chips
    • Pour batter into prepared bread pan and scatter additional chocolate chips over the surface, if desired.
    • Transfer to center rack of 350F (175C) oven and bake for 65-75 minutes or until top of cake springs back when touched or a wooden skewer inserted into the center of the bread comes out clean or with a few moist crumbs (no wet batter).
    • Allow to cool in pan for 10-15 minutes, then carefully (pan will still be hot!) turn out onto a cooling rack to cool completely before slicing and serving. Enjoy!

    Notes

    Sour Cream

    May substitute full-fat plain Greek yogurt instead.

    Storing

    Store covered with foil or in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days. Chocolate banana bread will keep longer in the refrigerator (up to 1 week) but note that the refrigerator tends to dry out the bread. You may also tightly wrap and freeze for up to 3 months.

    Nutrition

    Serving: 1slice | Calories: 392kcal | Carbohydrates: 60g | Protein: 7g | Fat: 15g | Saturated Fat: 8g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 4g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 43mg | Sodium: 310mg | Potassium: 385mg | Fiber: 5g | Sugar: 32g | Vitamin A: 158IU | Vitamin C: 7mg | Calcium: 102mg | Iron: 4mg

    Nutritional information is based on third-party calculations and should be considered an estimate only. Actual nutritional content will vary based upon brands used, measuring methods, cooking method, portion sizes, and more.

    Tried this recipe? Show me on Instagram!Mention @SugarSpun_Sam or tag #sugarspunrun!

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    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Karen

      December 08, 2022 at 3:21 am

      Has anyone tried turning this into muffin? Would it also yield 12 muffins?

      Reply
      • Sam

        December 08, 2022 at 9:28 pm

        Hi Karen! I haven’t tried it as muffins, but I would think you would probably end up with about 30.

        Reply
    2. Michelle

      August 11, 2022 at 9:51 am

      5 stars
      My oh my, decadent and chocolatey! Huge hit!

      Reply
      • Emily @ Sugar Spun Run

        August 11, 2022 at 9:57 am

        So happy you loved it, Michelle!! 🥰

        Reply
    3. Tracy

      July 27, 2022 at 7:02 pm

      5 stars
      This was amazing! So easy to put together and beyond delicious. Thank you! 🙂

      Reply
      • Sam

        July 28, 2022 at 8:46 am

        I’m so glad you enjoyed it so much, Tracy! 🙂

        Reply
    4. Kev

      July 08, 2022 at 7:51 am

      5 stars
      Heavenly, banana, chocolate cake, the essentials of life. Yet another fantastic recipe from Sam, thank you. My only slight problem was it rose too much so had wrapped around the top of the tin but the crust it created was really tasty.

      Reply
      • Sam

        July 08, 2022 at 8:43 am

        I’m so glad you enjoyed it so much, Kev! 🙂

        Reply
    5. Esther

      July 05, 2022 at 1:10 am

      Hi Sam, I noticed for the flour you have it as 1 1/2 c flour at 250g but isn’t 250g 2 c flour?

      Reply
      • Sam

        July 05, 2022 at 2:26 pm

        Hi Esther! I am so sorry for the confusion. I have updated the recipe. The gram measurement was correct. Thank you for catching that. 🙂

        Reply
    6. Cheryl

      July 03, 2022 at 8:26 pm

      4 stars
      Amazingly the banana flavor almost dominates the flavor over the chocolate. It is nice and light texture. I except that when I see sour cream in a recipe. Used both regular and mini chocolate chips. It made 4 mini loaves and baked about 40 min.
      I think I may try your chocolate muffins and chocolate chip banana bread.

      Reply
      • Sam

        July 04, 2022 at 10:01 pm

        I’m so glad you enjoyed it so much, Cheryl! 🙂

        Reply
    7. Amanda

      July 03, 2022 at 7:22 pm

      5 stars
      Delicious! I k my had non fat geek yogurt in the fridge so I subbed that for the sour cream and it was still amazing! Thanks!

      Reply
      • Sam

        July 04, 2022 at 10:02 pm

        I’m so glad you enjoyed it so much, Amanda! 🙂

        Reply
    8. Olivia

      July 01, 2022 at 8:28 pm

      Way too much batter for my 9×5 bread pan! It came out over the top and the edges burned before the middle was done. What is the capacity in quarts of your 9×5 bread pan?

      Reply
      • Sam

        July 07, 2022 at 10:14 am

        Hi Olivia! I actually have a link to the exact one I use in the recommended equipment section. I’m not sure of the exact volume on it, but you could pull it up to compare it to your pan. I hope that helps. 🙂

        Reply
    9. Dave

      July 01, 2022 at 5:17 pm

      Awesome,it was soooo good thank you

      Reply
    10. Melody

      June 30, 2022 at 9:33 am

      5 stars
      I’ve made this 2 times already and made it a double batch both times. It was so delicious that we had to mentally talk ourselves out of eating all of it right out of the oven! It lasted 2 days each time!
      Thank you for this recipe. Our family absolutely loves it!!

      Reply
      • Sam

        July 07, 2022 at 10:05 am

        I’m so glad everyone enjoyed it so much, Melody! 🙂

        Reply

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    The author (Sam) in blue shirt holding donut Hi, I'm Sam! I'm dedicated to bringing you sweet, simple, and from-scratch dessert recipes. My life may or may not be controlled by my sweet tooth. Send help (or chocolate). Read more about me.

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