The Ultimate Chocolate Chip Banana Bread

Zoha Malik

by Zoha Malik

Updated:

Rated 4.90 out of 5

178 Comments
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This is the Ultimate Chocolate Chip Banana Bread, a classic recipe honed to perfection. It is a no fuss, one-bowl recipe requiring only 15 minutes of work and makes the most delicious banana bread: soft and moist without being dense or stodgy, with a nutty banana flavor that isn’t too sweet, and a generous amount of chocolate.

close up of a slice of banana bread. the bread looks soft and moist with lots of chocolate chips

Want even more chocolate? You might love my Fudgy Double Chocolate Banana Bread!

What makes this banana bread special?

👩‍🍳A quick and easy, no fuss recipe. It comes together in one bowl with just about 15 minutes of work. No fancy ingredients, no complicated steps

✨ A crispy, golden crust. When it comes to banana bread, I am all about the crispy edges – they make you appreciate the soft interior more!

🍯 A soft and moist interior without being dense or stodgy. It is incredibly tender and moist with a velvety, melt-in-the-mouth feel while still being light enough to enjoy a slice or two (or three)

🍌 The perfectly balanced banana flavor. The banana flavor shines without being overly sweet, which is a trap many recipes fall into!

🧈 Nutty caramel goodness from brown butter. Once you make banana bread with brown butter, you’re never going back

☕️ A beautiful hint of coffee. If you’ve ever paired a slice of banana bread with a cup of coffee, you know this combination is heavenly

🍫 The *right* amount of chocolate. AKA a lot of chocolate measured with your heart

🍞 The perfect size. This banana bread is a proper loaf with height, giving way to the perfect slices

Want even more chocolate? You might love my Fudgy Double Chocolate Banana Bread!

4 slices of banana bread stacked on top of each other with chocolate chips visible on them, pictured from an angle

Step by step photos

Let’s quickly go over the steps with photos to help you visualize this banana bread recipe:

Whisk the brown butter and brown sugar:

brown butter and brown sugar in a wooden bowl
brown sugar and butter whisked together in a wooden bowl

Add the eggs, vanilla and coffee. Whisk until smooth:

eggs, vanilla and coffee added to butter and sugar mixture
wet ingredients for banana bread mixed together

Mash the bananas:

Tip: If you’re using an electric hand mixer instead of a whisk, you can add the bananas whole to the batter and whisk them in. They will automatically get mashed!

5 spotty bananas
mashed bananas in a glass bowl

Add the bananas and yogurt to the batter and whisk until combined:

mashed bananas and sour cream added to wet ingredients
mashed bananas whisked into the ingredients

Sift in the dry ingredients and whisk until just combined:

dry ingredients added to wet ingredients in wooden bowl
thick and gooey banana bread batter in a wooden bowl

Fold in the chocolate chips:

chocolate chips added to banana bread batter in a wooden bowl
thick and gooey banana bread batter with chocolate chips in a wooden bowl

Bake, rest, and enjoy!

fork taking a bite out of a slice of soft and moist banana bread

The perfect loaf pan

Using the right size and shape of a loaf pan is important in achieving the perfect banana bread (or any loaf cake). I use this exact loaf pan from USA Pan, and highly recommend it. It is 8.5″ x 4.5″ with perfectly straight edges, and makes banana bread with the right height. It is also a light colored pan, which prevents the edges of the banana bread from darkening too quickly.

loaf of banana bread with some slices cut laying next to it

Tips to perfect this chocolate chip banana bread

This recipe is simple, but a few key tips can make all the difference between good and amazing:

Measure with a weighing scale for accuracy. This is especially important for flour, as measuring cups can easily over-measure flour resulting in a dense and dry bread, and for the bananas

Make sure your bananas are extra ripe! The more brown spots, the stronger the flavor. If in a pinch, bake the bananas at 350F for 5-8 minutes to caramelize them before use

Use dark or semi-sweet chocolate. This will help balance the sweetness of the banana bread. Milk chocolate instead will tip things too far

Use a light colored loaf pan. A dark pan will brown and cook the edges too fast

Be cautious of the amount of batter. This recipe makes a generous amount of batter that will almost fill the loaf pan to the top. If you’re worried about overflow (and especially if your loaf pan is less than 2.75″ in height), bake 1/2 cup to 1 cup of the batter separately as a muffin

Get the baking time right. Use a toothpick inserted in the middle to test for doneness, it should have light crumbs but no wet batter. Underbaking will cause the bread to sink!

Let it fully cool down. This banana bread will fall apart if you try to slice it while it’s warm. Let it fully cool down at room temperature before slicing in

Print
loaf of banana bread with some slices cut laying next to it

Brown Butter Chocolate Chip Banana Bread

by Zoha Malik

5 Stars 4 Stars 3 Stars 2 Stars 1 Star 4.90 stars from 53 reviews

A soft, moist and easy banana bread made with brown butter, a hint of coffee, and lots of chocolate for a beautifully balanced flavor

Yield:8-10 servings

Prep Time:
15 mins
Cook Time:
75 mins
Total Time:
90 mins

Ingredients

  • 1/2 cup unsalted butter (113g)
  • 2 tbsp vegetable oil (25g)
  • ¾ cup light brown sugar, packed (150g)
  • 2 large eggs
  • 1 tsp vanilla
  • 1 tsp instant coffee + 1 teaspoon hot water
  • 4 extra ripe bananas, mashed (about 440g)
  • ½ cup Greek yogurt (120g)
  • 1 ¾ cups all purpose flour (227g)
  • 1 tsp baking powder
  • ½ tsp baking soda
  • ½ tsp salt
  • 1 1/2 cup chocolate chips or chopped chocolate of choice (300g); I recommend semi-sweet or dark

Instructions

  1. Pre-heat oven to 340F and line a 8.5 x 4.5 or 9 x 4 loaf pan with parchment paper 
  2. Add the cubed butter to a saucepan. Place on medium low heat, and cook and stir for ~5-8 minutes until the butter has browned. It will melt first, then become bubbly and foamy before you see brown specks on the bottom and smell a lovely caramel-y scent. Be sure not to overcook, as it can burn quickly after browning
  3. Add the brown butter to a large bowl. Add the oil and brown sugar, and whisk for 1-2 minutes. If the mixture feels too hot, wait 5 minutes before proceeding
  4. Add the eggs, vanilla, and coffee dissolved in water. Whisk for 1-2 minutes until the mixture becomes smooth and lighter in color
  5. Add the mashed bananas and greek yogurt, and whisk until combined
  6. Sift in the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Gently whisk until the dry ingredients are combined and no lumps or streaks of flour remain
  7. Lastly, fold in the chocolate chips. Do not overmix
  8. Pour the batter into the prepared loaf pan. It is a generous amount of batter – so if you are worried it will overflow, you can remove ~1/2 cup and bake it separately as a muffin. Optionally, you can sprinkle more chocolate chips on top
  9. Bake for 65 to 75 minutes until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out with light crumbs but no wet batter
  10. Remove from the oven and let the banana bread rest in the loaf until it fully cools down. This can take a while, try not to rush!  Once cooled, remove from the pan, serve & enjoy!

Video Tutorial

Notes

  • Sugar: Brown sugar gives this recipe an extra moist and caramely flavor! However, if in a pinch, you may replace it with white granulated sugar
  • Making banana bread without chocolate: You can easily remove the chocolate chips to turn this into plain banana bread, or replace them with other mix ins like walnuts or peanut butter chips
  • Make ahead & storing: You can make this bread beforehand and store it in an airtight container at room temperature for 1-2 days (or in the fridge for up to 5 days). I recommend reheating each slice in the microwave before serving

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Comments

  1. Sanober Aziz

    I tried this today. Taste was good but quantity of chocolate was too much. I would suggest to use less chocolate . Idk why my bread turned out lil bit chewy. I used exact measurements with scale. Idk what fid i do wrong

    1. KdL4

      You probably mixed the batter too much after adding flour and the gluten formed more than it should have.

    2. urooj zaki

      This is my third time making this cake and it never goes wrong!!!! too good I just use half the amount of sugar in it instead of full tastes better:)

    3. Fara

      Superb!!!! First time I tried this recipe the bread disappeared in minutes. Now it’s the second time I’m making it and I had just put the bread in the oven and I’m sure it will turn out superb like the first time. Thank you Zoha for this excellent recipe. JizakAllah.

      1. Zoha

        Aw thank you SO much, Fara!

    4. Zoha

      Hi Sanober! Thanks for your feedback. I suppose everyone has different preferences when it comes to the amount of chocolate. As for the chewiness, it could be from overmixing the batter

      1. Zaineb Haris

        I never liked banana bread but I gave this recipe a go but made a few changes as I didn’t have some of the ingredients. I substituted butter for oil and didn’t add any chocolate chips and slightly reduced the amount of bananas and I have to say this Zoha, the cake turned out so so good. The taste was amazing soft, moist and oh so delicious. The only recipe that I would use to make banana bread. I will make this again with all the ingredients and i believe the recipe will be a hit.

      2. pavithra ravishankar

        Hi zoha,

        I have got a new convention oven and was trying to bake ur brownie. I would say that was the amazing one I tasted m it was better than the shop. I used exactly the same measurement. the brownie melted in my mouth. I would say ur baking incredibly.Thank you so much for these recipies . I am going to try banan bread. will let u know how it came out

        1. Zoha

          Aww thank you so much Pavitha! I am glad you liked the brownies!

          1. Sakthi R

            Hi Zoha,
            can you mention the alternative option for greek yoghurt pls

          2. Zoha

            Sour cream! 🙂

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