Dark Chocolate Banana Bread
When two of the best flavors combine into one delicious loaf, you get this incredibly moist and rich dark chocolate banana bread. This soft banana bread is baked with dark chocolate and studded with chocolate chips. It’s sweet, deep, lush, and has the perfect balance of both banana and chocolate.
I’ve also included vegan baking instructions in the notes of the recipe!
What makes this the best chocolate banana bread?
For starters, this recipe is based on my very popular chocolate chip banana bread recipe. It’s a reader favorite because of its super moist texture and loads of chocolate chips. Not wanting to mess with perfection, I used that as the base to this recipe to create a perfect dark chocolate banana bread.
Using my original recipe, this banana bread is also incredibly moist and stays that way for days. Since this is an oil based banana bread, it will continue to taste soft and fresh.
Plus, the use of dark chocolate helps balance out the sweetness of the banana. Baking with a dark chocolate cocoa powder adds a bit of depth to this recipe, creating a flavor that isn’t too sweet or too bitter.
Last but not least, this loaf is made all in one bowl with no special equipment required. Just mix by hand, pour, and bake!
Tips for baking perfect banana bread
This is a VERY easy recipe to follow, but here are a few tips to ensure it turns out just right:
- Flour – It’s very important to properly measure the flour, otherwise the bread could turn out too dry. To use the right amount, your first option should be to measure the flour using a food scale. If you don’t have one available, simply spoon the flour into your measuring cup and level it off with a flat edge. Don’t shake it or pack it down into the cup and don’t scoop directly from the flour bag or container.
- Bananas – Use ripe bananas and make sure to measure them to an even 1 1/2 cups before mixing into the batter. If you just go by the amount of bananas used, you may end up with too much or too little banana in the loaf which can completely change the bread.
- Cocoa powder – To get that rich flavor, use dark cocoa powder. I use Hershey’s Dark Unsweetened Cocoa Powder which can be found at just about any grocery store. If you don’t have it on hand, you can also use dutch processed cocoa powder or regular unsweetened cocoa powder. Either way, make sure to sift it beforehand for a lump-free batter.
- Baking – This loaf bakes for about 1 hour. It should be completely puffed and cracked in the center, but test it with a toothpick to make sure it’s baked through. If it comes out clean, it’s ready. If not, continue baking for 10-15 minutes.
- Cooling – Allow the loaf to cool for at least 45 minutes before removing it form the pan. This ensures the center completely sets so each slice holds together.
Can I use different chocolate chips?
I prefer mini chocolate chips in banana bread for an even distribution of chocolate. If you prefer larger chunks or just have different chips on hand, use whatever you have. Whether that’s chunks, dark chocolate, regular chips, chopped chocolate, or a combination. Either way, just make sure to use 1 cup plus about 1/2 cup for sprinkling on top.
Can I use different cocoa powder?
Yes, I use Hershey’s Dark Cocoa Powder in this recipe to get that deep color and flavor. It’s very accessible and can be found in just about any grocery store. If you can’t get your hands on it, you can use any unsweetened cocoa powder. The loaf just won’t be as dark in color but will still taste chocolately and delicious.
Different banana options
If you don’t have room temperature ripe bananas on hand (or are short a few tablespoons), here are a couple options to consider:
- If using frozen ripe bananas, allow them to thaw completely before adding to the batter.
- If you have greenish-yellow bananas on hand, bake them on a sheet pan at 300F for 15-20 minutes. They should come out completely brown. Let them cool and then peel and mash.
- If you’ve measured your bananas and are short by a few tablespoons, you can use unsweetened apple sauce to fill that gap. This is only to be used as a filler and not a replacement. Using any more than a few tablespoons of apple sauce could disrupt the texture of the bread.
How to make into muffins
I haven’t tested these as muffins, but I don’t doubt they’ll turn out just fine as I’ve had so many readers turn my chocolate chip banana bread into muffins. Line a cupcake tin with paper liners and fill each about 3/4 full (it should make roughly 12-14 muffins). Top each muffin with more chocolate chips and bake at 350F for 20-25 minutes or until a toothpick in the center comes out clean.
How to make vegan chocolate banana bread
This I did test, and it turned out delicious. Simply replace the eggs with two flax eggs, the oil with melted coconut oil, the yogurt with coconut cream, and the chocolate chips with vegan chocolate (all measurements are included in the notes of the recipe). Bake for 50-55 minutes and allow it to cool before slicing. It turns out a bit more dense, but it is still just as good! And even though coconut products are subbed in, you cannot taste any bit of coconut in the final loaf.
For more delicious banana recipes, check out my:
- Chocolate Chip Banana Bread
- Gluten Free Banana Bread
- Banana Scones
- Cinnamon Banana Bread
- Vegan Banana Cake with PB Chocolate Frosting
- Peanut Butter Banana Muffins
Make sure to tag me @butternutbakery on Instagram and comment below if you make this Dark Chocolate Banana Bread. To pin this recipe and save it for later, you can use the button on the recipe card or on any of the photos above. Happy baking!
Watch how to make this dark chocolate banana bread:
Dark Chocolate Banana Bread
- Total Time: 1 hour 20 minutes
- Yield: 1 loaf
Description
Moist banana bread baked with dark chocolate and chocolate chips. See recipe notes for vegan option!
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cups (380g) ripe bananas, mashed and measured (3–4 bananas)
- 1/2 cup (100g) light brown sugar, packed
- 1/2 cup (100g) granulated sugar
- 1/2 cup (100g) any mild oil (canola, vegetable, almond, avocado…etc)
- 2 large eggs *see notes for vegan option
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1/2 cup (130g) Greek yogurt or sour cream
- 1 3/4 cups (225g) all purpose flour
- 1/2 cup (40g) Hershey’s Special Dark cocoa powder, sifted (or any unsweetened cocoa powder)
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1 cup (160g) semisweet mini chocolate chips + 1/2 cup for sprinkling on top*
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 350F. Grease a 9×5 loaf pan and line with a sheet of parchment paper, covering the bottom and two longest sides of the pan with some overhang.
- Finely mash the bananas and measure to ensure you have exactly 1 1/2 cups. If you’re a hair short, fill the rest with unsweetened applesauce.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the brown sugar, sugar, and oil. Mix in the eggs, vanilla, and sour cream until smooth. Then mix in the mashed banana.
- Add the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt and whisk until smooth. If it gets too thick for the whisk, switch to a rubber spatula.
- Fold in the chocolate chips with the spatula.
- Pour into the loaf pan and spread it even. Sprinkle more chocolate chips on top to completely cover the surface.
- Bake for 1 hour to 1 hour 15 minutes or until a toothpick in the center comes out clean. It should puff up in the center with a large crack down the middle.
- Allow the bread to cool for about 30-45 minutes in the pan and then lift it out, slice, and enjoy!
Notes
VEGAN – To make vegan, replace the eggs with two flax eggs. Mix 2 tbsp ground flax with 5 tbsp water. Let it sit for 10 minutes to gel and thicken before use. Replace the yogurt with coconut cream (the thick substance at the top of a can of full fat coconut milk), the oil with melted coconut oil, and the chocolate chips with vegan chocolate chips such as Enjoy Life. Bake for 50-55 minutes or until a toothpick in the center comes out clean. It will turn out a bit more dense, but still just as delicious.
CHOCOLATE CHIPS – I prefer mini chocolate chips, but you can use any kind you like.
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 1 hour
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Meet Jenna
I’m the creator, baker, and photographer behind Butternut Bakery. Here I share desserts for every diet because I believe everyone should have a chance to indulge!
So delicious! I made this for my family and everyone LOVED it, even my kids who don’t like bananas. I can’t wait to make this again!
This chocolate banana bread was delicious. I have cooked a wide variety of banana breads (chocolate and non-chocolate). I have found most to be either too oily or too dry. It always feels like you are sacrificing one or the other of those qualities. This bread had a fantastic moist consistency without feeling overly heavy and oily. Even my daughter who doesn’t particularly care for anything chocolate loved these!
Hi! Can i use butter ínstead of oil? Or it changes the Flavor?
I would love to try this recipe soon! Over here in The Netherlands chocolate chips are a lot less common so I was wondering, were you using chocolate chips that stay solid during baking? Or the ones that start to melt?
Unfortunately, this recipe didn’t work for me! But obviously, it’d be the particular circumstances in my kitchen not the recipe itself. A few things may have gone wrong on my end. I was using frozen bananas, and the mash of them was still kinda cold. I’m also in Australia so the conversions aren’t perfect. It seemed to take a long time to cook even though I had oven at perfect temp according to my thermometre, and so the chips on top got burnt but the inside is kinda too dense perhaps undercooked though after 1.5 hrs (or 10 mins less) a knife finally came out clean!?
Hi Jenna!
What are your thoughts on adding coffee for a mocha taste?
Absolutely delicious. I made mine in one 7 1/2” x 2 1/8” (baked for 50 minutes) and two 5 1/2” x 1 3/4” pans (40 minutes). I put them on a cooling rack on a cookie sheet to bake. I only had a cup of Ghirardelli 60% cacao chips, so I chopped them and sprinkled raw sugar on top. My friends loved their treats. Thank you for an excellent recipe. I’ll be ripening more bananas very soon.
Hi!
The recipe sounds amazing!
Can I replace the oil with non-salted butter?
If so, should it be 1:1 or different quantity?
WOW! Best recipe EVER! The bread was perfectly moist with a deep chocolate flavor and not too sweet at all! It definitely was more like a cake than a bread! The chocolate chip edges were crunchy, perfectly accenting it. I made sure to measure out the ingredients provided in grams to ensure it wouldn’t be dry. I replaced the oil with an equal amount of softened unsalted butter, creaming that with the sugars first. I also used unsweetened almond milk yogurt to sub for sour cream. SO GOOD! Going to try making it fully vegan next time. Thanks so much for sharing this excellent recipe! I’ll be so happy to have rotting bananas from now on lol.
Hi! How long do I bake these if I put it in a mini loaf pan – 4 inch by 2.5 inch cavity?