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My chocolate chip banana bread is the softest, most tender loaf I bake, and one slice tastes like everything good about banana bread got better. The inside is soft and moist, the top bakes up with that classic crack down the middle, and there is melty chocolate in every bite.
The second I spot brown bananas on the counter, this is what I make. I baked it again last week rather than let good bananas go to waste. It becomes breakfast, an afternoon snack, and something everyone grabs on their way through the kitchen.
What sets this loaf apart is that it actually stays moist instead of drying out by the next morning. Very ripe bananas and butter do part of the work, but the real difference is pulling the bread at the right moment so it never overbakes. That is the step most recipes gloss over, and it is the whole reason mine stays soft.
If you want this same idea in a smaller, grab-and-go size, my banana bread mini muffins are two-bite versions my kids grew up on.
Family Favorite
This Has Been in My Kitchen Since the Kids Were Little
I have been making this banana bread since my kids were little, and it turned into the treat everyone grabbed on their way through the kitchen. It still disappears the same way today. The one change I made and kept over the years is butter instead of oil, because it gives the loaf a richer, almost bakery flavor.
What Goes Into This Chocolate Chip Banana Bread
Very ripe bananas: Wait until the peels are heavily speckled or almost fully brown. The riper they are, the sweeter and more flavorful the loaf, and they mash down smooth so you get a soft, moist loaf without adding extra liquid. Underripe bananas are the number one reason a loaf comes out bland.
Room-temperature butter: Let the butter sit out until it is soft enough to press a finger into but not greasy or melted. Softened butter creams with the sugar and traps air, which is what gives the loaf its tender lift. Cold butter will not cream, and melted butter makes it dense.
Chocolate chips: About a cup, and the amount is totally to your taste. I fold them in at the very end instead of stirring them through the batter, which keeps the loaf light and spreads chocolate through every slice. Semisweet is my default, but milk chocolate works if you like it sweeter.
How to Make Chocolate Chip Banana Bread Recipe
Step 1: Heat the Oven and Prep the Pans Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and spray two standard 9×5 loaf pans with nonstick spray. Getting the pans ready first means the batter goes in the moment it is mixed.
Step 2: Cream the Butter and Sugar In a large bowl, beat the room-temperature butter and sugar with a mixer on low until light and well combined. This step builds the soft texture, so do not rush it.
Step 3: Add the Eggs, Milk, and Bananas Whisk in the eggs, then the milk and mashed bananas. Mash the bananas well but leave them a little rustic. The batter will look lumpy, and that is exactly what you want.
Step 4: Fold in the Flour, Then the Chocolate Chips Add the flour and baking soda and stir until the flour disappears, then gently fold in the chocolate chips. Stop mixing the moment it comes together. Overmixing is what makes banana bread tough and dense.
Step 5: Divide and Bake Divide the batter evenly between the two pans and bake for about 45 minutes. Start checking near the end, and pull the loaves when a toothpick in the center comes out with a few moist crumbs.
Step 6: Cool Before Slicing Let the loaves cool on a wire rack for 30 to 45 minutes before you turn them out. They keep setting as they cool, so this rest is what gives you clean slices instead of a gummy center.
I have made this bread recipe over and over. My grandson calls me to make this and will eat the loaf in 2 days.
A Few Things That Make a Difference
Freeze bananas you cannot use yet. When bananas go brown before I am ready to bake, I break them into chunks and freeze them in a bag. Let them thaw on the counter and they are ready to mash. That way I always have banana bread bananas on hand.
Coat the chips in flour if they sink. If your chocolate chips tend to drop to the bottom, toss them in a teaspoon of the flour before folding them in.
Line the pans with a parchment sling. A strip of parchment hanging over the long sides lets you lift the cooled loaves straight out without tearing them.
Make-Ahead and Storage
This is a great loaf to make ahead. Once it is completely cool, wrap it tightly or keep it in an airtight container at room temperature. For longer storage, freeze a whole loaf or individual slices wrapped well, then thaw on the counter.
We eat slices warm with a little butter for breakfast, and it is one of my favorite ways to use up a bunch of ripe bananas.
Make Ahead & Storage Instructions
- Make ahead: This banana bread is great for prepping in advance because it stays soft for days and freezes beautifully. Bake the loaves, let them cool all the way, and then store in the fridge or freeze for later.
- Store: Keep the bread in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days. For longer storage, wrap it in plastic wrap and refrigerate for about a week.
- Reheat: Warm a slice in the microwave for 10 to 15 seconds if you like it soft and a little melty.
- Freeze: Wrap each loaf tightly in plastic wrap, add a layer of foil, and store in the freezer for up to 3 months. Thaw it on the counter before serving.
More Banana Recipes
- Skillet banana bread with caramel
- Reese’s peanut butter banana bread
- Cast iron banana bread
- Banana bread cookies
Chocolate Chip Banana Bread
Ingredients
- ¾ cup unsalted butter room temperature
- 1 ½ cups sugar
- 2 eggs
- 1 ⅓ tablespoons milk
- 3 ripened bananas
- 2 cups flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ½ bag chocolate chips totally your preference on how much you like
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees
- In a large bowl, combine the sugar and the butter. Use a mixer on low until combined.3/4 cup unsalted butter, 1 1/2 cups sugar
- Add eggs and blend.2 eggs
- Add milk and the bananas and mix for about 1 minute. The batter may look at little lumpy – that’s ok!1 1/3 tablespoons milk, 3 ripened bananas
- Add the flour and the baking soda and mix until blended. Fold in the chocolate chips.2 cups flour, 1 teaspoon baking soda, 1/2 bag chocolate chips
- Spray 2 loaf pans with non-cook spray and divide the batter. Pour the batter into the two pans.
- Bake for 45 minutes (mine took a little longer, but my ovens are not so great). You should be able to take a knife or a toothpick inserted into the middle of the loaf and the they should come out clean.
- Remove from the oven and let cool on a wire rack for about 30 – 45 minutes. Remove from pan and serve
- (I serve one and freeze one… wrap in plastic wrap and then with tin foil and freeze)
Jenn’s Notes
- I use very ripe bananas, the browner the better, for the sweetest flavor.
- Do not overbake. Pull the loaves when a toothpick shows a few moist crumbs, since the bread keeps cooking as it cools.
- Fold the chocolate chips in at the very end so the loaf stays light.
Tres bon pain aux banane,moi je met un peu de poudre a pate pour etre sur qu il va lever ,le gout est tres bon,et tres leger merci Solange
So glad you enjoyed it!
je pourrais tu lavoir en francais tu serais vraiment merci
Sorry! We only write our recipes in English! Google Translate is a great option to translate! Enjoy!
advice in baking these in 5″ disposable pans: temperature and for how long
Bake the banana bread in 5 inch disposable loaf pans at 350°F for about 30 to 40 minutes. Start checking early since smaller pans bake faster and pull them once a toothpick comes out mostly clean.
on the banana bread, if you slice the bananas, then quarter the slices and fold them in gently, you will have pockets of real banana. it is also great to add chocolate chips…
Taste great and easy to make. I’ll do it again
I have made this bread recipe over and over. My grandson calls me to make this and will eat the loaf in 2 days. I will also make this and add nuts and cranberrys
Love this easy and quick recipe. I made these as muffins instead of loaves but the recipe is fantastic. Thank you.
How long do you cook them as muffins?
I bake them about 25 minutes (bake them until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.)
I love this idea!!