Description
This easy chocolate chip banana bread is incredibly moist, loaded with ripe banana flavor, and studded with melty chocolate chips in every bite. It’s a one-bowl recipe that’s perfect for using up overripe bananas and satisfying your sweet tooth.
Ingredients
Scale
- 3 medium overripe bananas, mashed (about 1½ cups)
- ⅓ cup melted butter or vegetable oil
- ¾ cup granulated sugar
- 1 large egg, beaten
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- Pinch of salt (about ¼ teaspoon)
- 1½ cups all-purpose flour
- 1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips (plus extra for topping)
- Optional: ¼ cup sour cream or Greek yogurt for extra moisture
Instructions
- Preheat your oven: Set it to 350°F (175°C). Grease a 9×5-inch loaf pan thoroughly with butter or cooking spray, or line it with parchment paper for easy removal.
- Mash the bananas: In a large mixing bowl, mash the overripe bananas with a fork until mostly smooth. A few small lumps are fine and add nice texture. You should have about 1½ cups of mashed banana.
- Mix wet ingredients: Add the melted butter (or oil) to the mashed bananas and stir well. Mix in the sugar, beaten egg, and vanilla extract until everything is well combined and smooth.
- Add leavening and salt: Sprinkle the baking soda and salt over the banana mixture and stir until just incorporated. The baking soda will react slightly with the acidic bananas—this is normal.
- Fold in flour: Add the flour all at once and gently fold it in with a rubber spatula or wooden spoon. Mix just until no white streaks of flour remain. The batter should be thick and somewhat lumpy—do not overmix, as this creates tough, dense bread.
- Add chocolate chips: Reserve 2 tablespoons of chocolate chips for topping, then fold the remaining chocolate chips into the batter gently. If using, fold in the sour cream or yogurt at this stage as well.
- Pour and top: Pour the batter into your prepared loaf pan and spread it evenly with a spatula. Sprinkle the reserved chocolate chips over the top for a pretty presentation.
- Bake: Bake for 55-65 minutes, or until the top is golden brown and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean or with just a few moist crumbs (not wet batter). If the top browns too quickly, tent it loosely with aluminum foil after 40 minutes.
- Cool in pan: Remove from oven and let the bread cool in the pan for about 10-15 minutes. This helps it set and makes removal easier.
- Cool completely: Use the parchment overhang (if you used it) to lift the bread out, or gently turn it out onto a wire cooling rack. Let it cool completely before slicing—warm bread can be gummy and hard to cut cleanly.
Notes
- Banana ripeness matters: The darker and spottier your bananas, the better. Very ripe bananas are sweeter and create moister bread.
- Don’t overmix: Once flour is added, mix only until combined. Overmixing develops gluten and makes tough, dense bread.
- Oil vs. butter: Oil creates slightly moister bread, while butter adds richer flavor. Both work great!
- Prevent chocolate sinking: Toss chocolate chips in a tablespoon of flour before folding into batter to help them stay suspended.
- Testing doneness: The toothpick should have moist crumbs but no wet batter. Internal temperature should reach 200-205°F.
- For mini loaves: This recipe makes 3-4 mini loaves. Reduce baking time to 35-40 minutes.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 60 minutes
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 slice (1/12 of loaf)
- Calories: 245
- Sugar: 22g
- Sodium: 150mg
- Fat: 10g
- Saturated Fat: 10g
- Unsaturated Fat: 3.5g
- Trans Fat: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 37g
- Fiber: 2g
- Protein: 3g
- Cholesterol: 30mg