Chocolate Chip Banana Bread

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.

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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.

Tried It & Loved It

I have made this bread recipe over and over. My grandson calls me to make this and will eat the loaf in 2 days.

– Linda

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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

Video

4.83 from 79 votes

Chocolate Chip Banana Bread

Author — Jennifer Fishkind

Serves — 12

Soft, moist chocolate chip banana bread loaded with melty chocolate and made with very ripe bananas. An easy one-bowl recipe that makes two loaves.

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Prep Time 10 minutes mins

Cook Time 45 minutes mins

Total Time 55 minutes mins

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

Tips:

• 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.

Store cooled loaves wrapped at room temperature, or freeze a whole loaf or slices and thaw on the counter.

Nutrition Info

Calories: 383kcal | Carbohydrates: 57g | Protein: 4g | Fat: 15g | Saturated Fat: 9g | Cholesterol: 60mg | Sodium: 114mg | Potassium: 141mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 37g | Vitamin A: 445IU | Vitamin C: 2.6mg | Calcium: 30mg | Iron: 1.4mg

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