WAIT! Don’t do it! Don’t throw those ripe bananas away!
Ripe bananas are the secret to sweet, moist chocolate chip banana bread!
The secret to making deliciously moist, sweet, and flavorful banana bread is to use very ripe, almost-ready-to-trash bananas.
I love making homemade banana bread with frozen bananas. It keeps banana bread moist and helps them taste extra sweet. Once you start seeing black spots on the banana peels, that’s when bananas are at their sweetest.
Ingredients You’ll Need
- Unsalted butter – I prefer to use butter over oil for banana bread recipes because it provides a richer flavor and when combined with brown sugar, it results in a softer, lighter quick bread. That’s what we want!
- Brown sugar – The molasses in brown sugar provides a deliciously rich nutty flavor.
- Egg – Aside from butter, the egg is another source of fat that provides structure and moisture for making the perfect banana bread.
- Very ripe medium bananas – Black bananas are welcomed here! They are much sweeter than unripe bananas and, like the egg, they provide the moisture needed for soft, fluffy quick bread.
- Vanilla extract + salt – These two are flavor enhancers that are perfect for elevating all the flavors in this banana bread.
- All-purpose flour + baking powder + baking soda – These are the only dry ingredients needed which when combined with the wet ingredients work together as leaveners to strengthen the structure of the bread. Make sure not to overmix though or you run the risk of the bread being too dense.
- Dark chocolate chips – Feel free to use any mix-ins! I like using dark chocolate chips but you can also use milk chocolate chips, small dried fruit, or any nuts.
- Equipment needed – I recommend using this loaf pan, these mixing bowls, this whisk, and this silicone spatula.
How To Make Chocolate Chip Banana Bread
I like to make this banana bread in one bowl! It’s so easy. Here’s how you make it.
- Prepare your loaf pan. Preheat oven to 350ºF. Grease and line a 9×5 loaf pan with parchment paper, making sure the parchment is hanging over the sides of the loaf pan. This will help you easily remove the whole loaf after baking. Spray with nonstick spray and set aside.
- Combine the wet ingredients. In a large bowl, cream butter and sugar together for about 2 minutes until smooth. Mash the bananas with a fork then stir them into the batter. Whisk in the egg and add in the vanilla. Mix, scraping down the sides of the bowl, until well combined.
- Whisk in the dry ingredients. Add the flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Make sure the flour is not clumpy. Mix until just combined. Careful not to over mix the wet with the dry ingredients. Using a spatula, fold in the chocolate chips and/or walnuts. Feel free to add other mix-ins too!
- Bake the banana bread. Pour the batter into the loaf pan and sprinkle a handful of chocolate chips on top. Bake for 55-65 minutes until a toothpick inserted in the center of the loaf comes out clean. Let cool for at least 30 minutes before serving. Get ready for the softest, most moist banana bread you’ve ever had.
Common Questions about Chocolate Chip Banana Bread
Yes, you can freeze whole bananas. I recommend peeling them before you freeze them and place them in a freezer bag. They last about 6 months in the freezer.
Not at all! You can use very ripe (almost black!) bananas for this chocolate chip banana bread.
To make sure banana bread stays moist, make sure to use very ripe bananas. They provide the perfect amount of moisture for this chocolate chip banana bread recipe. Also, wrap the freshly baked bread in plastic wrap or aluminum foil before placing it in the fridge. Doing this will prevent it from drying out.
Aside from chocolate chips, you can also add nuts (walnuts, almonds, hazelnuts) to banana bread.
I recommend cooling the banana bread in the loaf pan for 30 minutes before serving.
The banana bread will keep for about 1 week in the fridge once it’s wrapped in plastic wrap or aluminum foil.
Yes! To freeze the baked banana bread, wrap the loaf or slices tightly in plastic wrap and place in the freezer for up to 3 months.
This is my favorite banana bread recipe! My mom loves it too except she likes to add walnuts. You can replace the chocolate chips for any nut, add both, or not include any add-ins at all. Choose your own adventure. ;)
Now if you’ll excuse me, I’m off to have another slice. It’s just SO GOOD!
You may also like:
- Healthy Banana Chocolate Chip Muffins
- Super Moist Nutella Stuffed Banana Muffins
- Healthy Double Chocolate Banana Muffins
- Chewy Brown Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies
Super Moist Chocolate Chip Banana Bread
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter room temperature (1 stick)
- 1 cup brown sugar packed
- 1 large egg
- 3-4 medium ripe bananas mashed (frozen bananas are best)
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup dark chocolate chips (you can also add walnuts)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350ºF. Grease and line a 9×5 loaf pan with parchment paper, making sure the parchment is hanging over the sides of the loaf pan. This will help you easily remove the loaf after baking.
- In a large bowl, cream butter and sugar together for about 2 minutes until smooth. Mash the bananas with a fork then stir them into the batter. Whisk in the egg and add in the vanilla. Mix, scraping down the sides of the bowl, until well combined.
- Add the flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Make sure the flour is not clumpy. Mix until just combined. Careful not to over mix the wet with the dry ingredients. Using a spatula, fold in the chocolate chips and/or walnuts. Feel free to add other mix-ins too!
- Pour the batter into the loaf pan and sprinkle a handful of chocolate chips on top. Bake for 55-65 minutes until a toothpick inserted in the center of the loaf comes out clean.
- Let the banana bread cool for at least 30 minutes before serving. Slice and enjoy!
Notes
Nutrition
Originally posted in August 2016. Updated photos in January 2018.
Debbie says
Excellent taste and so fluffy. Very easy recipe and looks fantasticly good.
Jennsmith says
I’ve used this recipe several times now :) I do a few subs though, which is using half almond meal and half plain flour, and I also use only half of the sugar especially if I’m using frozen super ripe bananas. I play around with chocolate and/or walnuts for the final mix-in. Delicious!!
Soha says
Followed your recipe without baking powder (didn’t realize I ran out of it until when I needed it:)) Turned out super comfortingly soft. Thank you for sharing!
Heather jones says
Good morning, I live in England could someone let me know what weight is a stick of butter is also what is all purpose flour. I also notice it says vanilla is that a vanilla pod or liquid?. Thank you can’t wait to try this out.
Kelsey says
Great recipe! This will be my new go to for banana bread. My husband that usually hates banana bread, tried this and actually said that it was really good. Shocked! hahah!
Jamie Silva says
Love to hear it! Glad you and your husband enjoyed it!
Olivia says
This is my absolute favorite go-to recipe! Thank you so much :)
Dave says
Been using this B bread recipe for years now and finally commenting today to express my gratitude for posting the recipe. I’ve tried a few variations of this recipe just to see how it comes out and I can now produce a version that I prefer, one that my wife prefers, and one that my daughter prefers.
To share, I prefer one that’s very moist with thick streaks of bananas running through the bread and dense chocolate. So my version I dump in about half a cup of almond milk in with the flour and i use bananas that are still somewhat frozen so while the bananas are mashed the bits of them are large when going into the pan, also I use all dark chocolate morsels. Probably best served cold with no butter
My wife prefers more typical bread you found find at a bakery, no extra wet ingredients, all milk chocolate kisses that have been smashed up a bit so the chocolate is consistent and the bananas fully thawed and at room temperature. The end result being a very consistent bread that tastes good with butter on it and served hot.
My daughter prefers a hybrid of the two, she doesn’t like the super wet and gamey flavors that I do (i like intense flavor) but she doesn’t like it dry and crumbling with butter so maybe a small dash of almond milk and mostly thawed bananas but still cold, half and half dark and milk chocolate morsels
Katie says
Keeping this recipe! Found it after discovering that there was only one egg left in the fridge and I could not use the recipe I had. For the first loaf I made, I only had semi-sweet chocolate chips on hand so I used them. The bread was good, but I thought that 1 cup of the standard-sized chocolate chips made for more chocolate than I wanted. For the second loaf, I used a 1/2 cup of mini semi-sweet chocolate chips, and that was the right amount for me. My family liked the 1/2 cup cup of mini chips also.. Thanks for posting this recipe!
Nell says
🤤🤤🤤🤤🤤 such an easy DELISH recipe! We are lucky if this last 2 days in our house.
JD says
So moist and delicious! Love this recipe 💕
Jamie Silva says
Thank you!
CHRISTINE E. NEVILLE-SMITH says
Just found the recipe! It was amazing and so moist!
Allik says
Love this recipe! the best breakfast for me is the peace of banana bread and coffee!)
Jessica Thomas says
I have made this recipe so many times and it is just my absolute favorite banana bread ever! So moist and chocolate chip-y and beautiful! My husband begs me to make this every time we let a banana get overripe. Definitely a recipe to keep and make all the time!!
Teddy says
All time favorite banana bread recipe!
Yanna Sayevskiy says
Is it ok if I cut this recipe in half? I only have 2 1/2 bananas and I don’t really want to go to the store to buy more if you know what I mean.
Jamie Silva says
Hi! You can actually use the same recipe with the 2 1/2 bananas. The only difference may be a slightly less banana-y flavor but it will still be delicious! :)
Brenda Jo Nanik says
This bread is amazing. I use mini loaf pans (makes 3) definitely a fav in our house. So moist and sweet. I use frz bananas, then cut up an “almost” over ripe one so there’s some small chunks in batter.
Jessica says
I’ve made this as a large loaf but never mini – how long did you cook the mini loafs for?
Eva says
um can i make this into cake? like maybe a 9 inch round tin?
diana says
loveddddd this recipe, best banana bread ever
Mikaela | wyldflour says
Hellooooo! This was delicious and had a nice browned crust right out of the oven! Works great as a high altitude banana bread recipe too and doesn’t require any substitutions!
Jamie Silva says
So happy you loved it, Mikaela! :)
nora vickery says
ong This bread was the bomb dot com!
Natalie says
Hey there, just wondering if you use a fan forced (convection) oven or conventional? I couldn’t find this info on your FAQs etc. I’m in Australia where most ovens are fan forced. Currently 20 mins into baking this but I’ve lowered the temp from 180°C (350°F) to 160°C as I presume you used a conventional oven :) thank you!! :)
Eileen says
There is a mistake in the blog post. This will not keep for a week. You will eat this in a day. Soooo good.
Jamie Silva says
Hahaha! LOVE TO HEAR IT!
Azilea says
Great recipe! Made this yesterday and the kids loved it. Looks just like your picture too! Thank you so much
Alicia says
I put this in muffin tins perfect tiny little breads. Cut the time to 20 mins.
Bryan says
I’ve used your recipe several times now, and it is always excellent. Sometimes I add a tiny bit of almond oil, if I am in the mood – a little goes a long way (!) and creates a different flavor. Also, highly recommended for “magic” butter recipe in legal states. ;)
Laura says
This recipe is amazing! I’ve made it several times now, this time using only two bananas because I keep having the same problem. Although the edges are almost burnt after 55 minutes, the knife never comes out clean. The last few times it was nearly raw in the center but the end slices were delicious! Any ideas? I haven’t cut this loaf yet, it’s fresh out of the oven as I write. I plan on freezing it for a later date. Thank you!
Khadija says
Absolutely loved this recipe! I used frozen bananas that were very ripe so I used about half of the brown sugar and thought it turned out perfect! Super moist and delicious… will definitely make again! Thanks for sharing!!
Alexis says
My go-to banana bread recipe. Everyone who tries this bread falls in love!
Prabha says
This recipe never fails!! I add walnuts and a lot of chocolate chips. So so yummy! 😋
Paige says
I love the flavor, it is so good- but I keep having a problem. I follow the recipe to the T: correct temperature, correct pan, correct amount of cooking time and the same steps- but it keeps coming out dense and the edges are so hard. I spray and line the pan so sticking isn’t my problem. I’ve tried “aerating” my flour so it wasn’t so packed into the measuring cup (i do not pack the flour, i just scoop and level it off with a knife) . Is there something I could do to help it keep the moisture and not get so hard? For example could I do less flour or less baking powder/soda, I’m just not really sure what I’m doing wrong. If not- it’s still edible and delicious so I’m not too worried, but if there is something different I could do could someone please let me know! :) thank you
Diana says
I have the exact same problem! But I did notice that she says she puts the bread to cool off in the fridge or freezer right afterwards it comes out of the oven. If you haven’t tried that, maybe that will help? I’m definitely going to try that next one to see if it works
Alexis says
I had this problem too but the second time I made it, I put the batter in 2 separate pans and they were much lighter. I think it gave the bread more room to rise? I’m not sure. either way you make it, still comes out delicious lol
Jessica says
I made this recipe into muffins for my three toddlers, and they are devouring them. I baked at 350 for 18 minutes. I was able to make 18 full-size muffins. They came out of the oven 20 min ago, and half of them are already in our tummies. Thank you for this delicious recipe!
Bunny Rabett says
Fabulous! Just made it on a Thursday evening after returning from Hollibobs to find 5 very grumpy bananas who got left behind from the fridge cull. Save to say they all went in fine and we did add the chocolate chips half sweetness, worked a trick. Follow it word for word really well written and not a bother along the way to worry about. Many thanks Bunny
Anna says
My fav banana bread recipe! It’s always a hit and doesn’t last long in my house!
Emily Richard says
Absolutely amazing! Huge hit at my family dinner!
Margarita Rueda says
Hi! Thank you for sharing your recipe. I tried it and it’s really delicious, easy to prepare.. God Bless
Kathy says
This is the BEST banana bread recipe EVER! It’s my go-to as a thank-you gift for friends. I’ve made it multiple times now, and every time I make it I get rave reviews. I cannot recommend highly enough! I find that it’s best when you butter and salt the pan in lieu of using parchment paper and non-stick spray. Just delicious! Thank you, Jamie!
Jamie Silva says
So happy to hear, Kathy!!
Piper says
Thank young so much for sharing this a amazing recipe! I am only 12 and this is so easy and delicious 😋 I am not sure what attachment i should be using now for my electric mixer ( whisk or batter attachment) I have been using the whisk but should I?
Jamie Silva says
Yes, that’s fine! Great job!
Cynthia says
I combined 2 recipes together and it turned out amazing!
Christine says
It’s in the oven now! I am making 5 small heart shaped loaves. Fingers crossed. Smells delish! I’m certain these will be a hit!
Shane Farnum says
This recipe is on point!!!
Nadia says
Had to cook for much longer than 65 minutes but the result was delicious. I put it straight into the freezer for an hour from the oven, and that kept it super moist.
Patrick says
How long will the bread take to do in a muffin pan
Melanie Cantwell says
this is a great recipe! I only used 2 frozen and very ripe bananas and the bread was perfect! It was just the right amount of sweetness.
Christine says
Easy recipe and it turns out super moist as promised!
Sharin Berger says
can you double this?
Kelly says
SO good. I made this as muffins (22mins) The kids were two bites in when they started begging me to make them again. Fluffy, light, perfect!
Pam says
What size loaf pan do you use for this recipe? Is it a 9” x 5”? It looks delicious and I can’t wait to try it!
Jamie Silva says
Yep, the standard size. :)
Mary says
Decadent and delicious! I’ve been following you on Instagram for a while, but had never tried one of your recipes. After this, I’m sold! Making another load to take to my parents for Thanksgiving, since this one isn’t going to last the weekend in my house ;)
Jamie Silva says
Thanks so much, Mary!! So happy you LOVE it!!
ET says
Hi Jamie,
I’m keen to try this recipe but could you provide the measurements in metric? As I’m not sure about the weight of 1 stick of butter or 1 cup of sugar. Conversions via google are all different. I live in an area that uses metric instead of the imperial system so it’d really help! Thanks!
Jamie Silva says
Hi ET, I’m not very familiar with the metric measurements. My apologies. I used this guide and came up with the following. For 1 stick of butter, it is 1/2 cup or 100 g. For 1 cup of brown sugar, it is 190 g. Hope that helps!
Tricia says
Made the bread and my whole family loved it! Can this be made into muffins? If yes how long to bake? Thanks!!
Jamie Silva says
Tricia! So happy to hear! I’ve never made this recipe into muffins so I can’t really say. You can try to bake it for 20 minutes at 350 degrees F. If you insert a toothpick and it’s still wet, keep baking it for a few more minutes until set. Hope that helps!
Esther says
Hihi, the recipe looks good. Can’t wait to try. Do I need to sift the flour? Can I use semisweet chocolate chips?
Jamie Silva says
No sifting necessary as long as you mix it well. You can use any chocolate you’d like!
Jesselyn Andersyn says
Take my advice : Use BOTH ~ Chocolate Chips AND Walnuts. Super Ultimate YUM.
Darsha says
The most AMAZING recipe out there!!! It was such a big hit with my family. This recipe is just perfect..i wouldnt modify it at all. The brown sugar adds a nutty taste and the dark choc chips add the right sweetness balance to it…just pure perfection
Jamie Silva says
This makes me SO happy, Darsha! :)
Tracey C. says
Absolutely LOVED this recipe! My son’s soccer team devoured these up before I could even snag me a piece. They all raved how this was the best batch I’ve ever made. I followed the recipe exactly how it’s written and came out perfect. I do live in a high altitude area and I didn’t have to adjust for anything. Thanks a bunch for this delicious recipe. It’s definitely a family favorite now.
Jamie Silva says
So happy to hear, Tracey!! <3
Clarissa says
This is a great recipe! I highly recommend it. I added a 1/2 cup of blueberries to it and it was delicious! I also live in Denver at a high altitude and this recipe worked just great. I forgot to time it so I checked it a couple times as it came close to finishing. The outer edge of the bread was a little crunchy so I might have overcooked it, but it was still SO delicious! I also sprinkled some chocolate chips on the top before baking and it was a great idea. It balanced out the crunchiness perfectly.
I also used olive oil and spread that around the bread pan and then spread some flour on top of that. The bread slipped out easily after baking. So if you don’t have parchment paper or prefer not to use them and go more zero waste, that’s a great option.
Annie says
This was absolutely delicious. Super moist. Instead of chocolate chips I folded in an entire smashed Italian chocolate Easter egg. Hope there are some out there that know what that is. Great use of overripe bananas AND leftover chocolate…if there ever was such a thing. Excellent.
Jamie Silva says
Sounds delicious. So glad you loved it! :)
Hannah says
My go to banana bread recipe ever since I found this page!!
Jamie Silva says
Woohoo! So happy to hear that! :)
Jamie says
This is the best banana bread I’ve baked! Sooo moist!
Khush says
Just wanted to know what the reasoning behind using brown sugar is? I’ve always seen bread recipes using only regular white sugar so was wondering if all brown sugar would taste good!
Jamie Silva says
Hi! Brown sugar gives the banana bread a nutty flavor and a beautiful golden color! ;)
Kate says
Hello, definitely my favouitire banana bread recipe out there ! I was wondering if this would be alright to bake as a cake in round tins ? Any tips if possible would be greatly appreciated. Thanks a lot :)
Deb says
This is a perfect banana bread recipe. I used milk chocolate chips that I had on hand and added an additional 1/2 c of chopped walnuts. Before it completely cooled, half the loaf was gone. Yum! Thank you for a great recipe.
Jamie Silva says
So happy to hear, Deb! Thank you!
Nicole says
I just made this for the first time and it was delicious! I ended up having to use raw sugar instead, but still came out amazing! Big hit!
Jennifer DeBois says
I added chocolate chips! By far my favorite banana bread recipe yet!
April Leonard says
Thank you for this recipe my family loved it! Keeping this in my recipes!
Candace says
This might sound silly but do you HAVE to use unsalted butter? Or can I use regular butter and just not add the additional salt? *** I have everything I need, except unsalted butter. Trying to not run to the store. Haha
Jamie Silva says
Haha, I understand the excitement. I can’t really say if it will alter the flavor since I’ve never tested this recipe with salted butter. But hey give a try and see what happens! :)
Candace says
I’ll let you know how it goes! Thanks for getting back to me!
Meghan Bonczkowski says
I had the same question…we are in lockdown now due to COVID-19 but I really want to make this recipe. How did the recipe turn out for you using the salted butter?
Hanna says
I used salted butter and only did a 1/8 teaspoon of salt and it turned out great! I also added a half teaspoon of nutmeg and it is amazing! Love this recipe!
Jamie Silva says
Hanna! That makes me so happy! Glad you enjoyed it – woohoo!
marikiki says
omg. so good 100/100 recommended, my coworkers are snobby so i wanted to cheer them up. so good they loved it .
Samantha Buck says
Wow!!! This bread is amazing! I was worried since the batter was very thick and sticky. But it turned out perfectly moist and delicious! Thank you – this will be my new go to for banana bread?
** I did add about a tablespoon of coconut oil to the butter and brown sugar mix.
Jamie Silva says
So glad to hear it, Samantha! Enjoy!
Amy says
Why did you added coconut oil? It’s my first time making banana bread so I’m doing research
Roger Thomas says
They added coconut oil to smooth out the butter. Since butter has water in it, the coconut oil acts as an emulsifier.
Diane says
Wow that was the best banana bread we’ve ever made. We added one chopped up mackintosh apple
Jamie Silva says
So happy to hear you loved the recipe, Diane! Thank you! :)
Robert says
This is delicious. I used leftover bananas from a recent half marathon to make several loaves, and substituted flaxseed-and-water for the eggs in order to make a vegan version. Thank you for sharing!
Jamie Silva says
Awesome!! Thank you!!
Hannah Woodard says
It’s in the oven now, I added walnuts since banana but bread is my favorite hopefully it pairs well with the chocolate!
Jamie Silva says
Enjoy! :)
Halima says
This is the best banana bread Ive made. So soft and delicious and light. Just took it out of the oven and half of it is already gone. Not to mention, my house smells amazing. This is a good pair with coffee. Thanks for the recipe
Jamie Silva says
Hi Halima! So happy you enjoyed it! You’re very welcome! :)
Joyce says
Sweeeeeeeeeeet! I have oodles of black bananas hanging out my freezer just waiting to be mushed haha! :) Damn, love the caramel action you have with it! Looks amazing!!! :D
Jamie Silva says
Thanks Joyce! Time for a banana mashing partyyy!
Erica says
Quick breads are so delicious and easy to make and you just made a classic even better! Bananas and chocolate are one of my favorite flavor combos, thanks for a great recipe!
Jamie Silva says
I totally agree! Thanks so much, Erica!
Nail Polish Pursuit says
YUM!!! This is my fave type of bread and you added chocolate chips? Delish!! Thanks for sharing this amazing recipe
Jamie Silva says
Girl, it really was to die for!
Sydney Banks says
Do u know how many calories a slice is ?
rebecca says
banana bread is hard to mess up (unless you really don’t know what your doing), but this recipe is great especially with peanut butter or chocolate. perfect to serve at your kids tea party or a coffee break. thanks for sharing.