slices of double chocolate banana bread topped with melty chocolate chips

Breads & Muffins Chocolate

Chocolate Lover’s Banana Bread

February 24, 2021

A rich and fudgy double chocolate banana bread that is the perfect balance of chocolate and banana. What breakfast dreams are made […]

A rich and fudgy double chocolate banana bread that is the perfect balance of chocolate and banana. What breakfast dreams are made of!

I’m pretty sure I was a monkey in my past life because I loooveeee bananas!! Like I’m bananas for bananas! I have one nearly every morning for breakfast and it’s been a habit for as long as I can remember. Good thing they are chock full of potassium and lots of other good for you nutrients. I know, I know. You’re thinking this banana bread looks pretty darn rich and fudgy and surely she doesn’t eat this for breakfast. Let’s get one thing straight. This is breakfast food. Don’t try to convince me otherwise.

It’s made with three whole bananas which is fruit and fruit counts as breakfast. Also, there’s a generous dollop of greek yogurt in the recipe so if you really think about it, it’s basically health food.

Okay, maybe that’s a bit of a stretch. But at the very least you can file this recipe under my favorite category…“breakfast that doubles as dessert”.

Why is this banana bread so good?

This chocolate lover’s banana bread is the perfect balance of banana and chocolate. Leave it to me to use not one, but two, kinds of chocolate in this recipe because I’m extra like that. It’s loaded with dark Dutch process cocoa powder and chocolate chips because more is better when it comes to chocolate.

This banana bread is soft, fudgy and perfectly chocolatey. It literally melts in your mouth. I use butter and greek yogurt to guarantee a next-level ultra moist texture that will have you reaching for a second slice every time. It’s just that good!

Things you need to make the best ever chocolate banana bread

  • Butter
  • Sugar
  • Eggs
  • Flour
  • Bananas
  • Cocoa powder
  • Greek yogurt
  • Baking powder and baking soda
  • Vanilla
  • Chocolate chips

How to make the best banana bread

After a few attempts at making this bread, I finally got the recipe just right. I’m like Goldilocks when it comes to my banana bread. It can’t be mushy. Not too banana-y. It definitely can’t be dry. And it better not be bland. This chocolate lover’s banana bread is none of those things and the following tried and true tips will guarantee you a banana bread worth waking up for.

Mash those bananas and mash them again. I am all in for plenty of sweet banana flavor in my banana bread but I’m not a big fan of chunks of banana in my banana bread. So to get that smooth texture with no lumps, mash those very ripe bananas until they resemble the consistency of baby food. Yep, just like the pureed stuff straight from the jar. You’ll get all of the great banana flavor without any weird, unappetizing lumps of fruit hiding out in your bread.

Full fat greek yogurt is a must. Using yogurt in the recipe gives the bread added moisture and paired with the mashed banana, makes the texture of this bread something else. If you don’t have full fat greek yogurt, you can substitute sour cream.

Butter is better! Butter gives the bread a richer flavor and a slightly denser texture than vegetable oil. I prefer butter over oil in the vast majority of my recipes and this chocolate lover’s banana bread is no exception. Be sure to cool the butter slighty before mixing your batter.

Chocolate matters. This recipe calls for special dark Dutch process cocoa powder and a heaping cupful of chocolate chips. The Dutch process cocoa powder gives the bread a rich, deep chocolate flavor. I don’t recommend using regular unsweetened cocoa powder. It just won’t be the same and then you’ve wasted those perfectly brown bananas you worked so hard to ripen. I use semi-sweet chocolate chips in the batter and then sprinkle extra chips on top of the loaf before baking. My life motto definitely applies to this recipe….when in doubt, add more chocolate.

This chocolate lover’s banana bread is pure bliss straight from the oven. But I will say it’s might be even better the next day. I tested this theory and the bread holds it’s moisture but also gets a bit more dense and fudgy as it sits overnight. Pro tip: make two loaves so you have plenty of leftovers for the second day. You’ll be glad you did.

Can I freeze banana bread?

True story: I was testing this banana bread for the first time just before leaving for a ten day vacation. So I tightly wrapped the left over slices and threw them in the freezer and couldn’t have been happier to find the freezer stash waiting for me after a twelve hour flight and a nine hour time difference. This slice of heaven is exactly what I needed! Moral of the story….it freezes well. Scratch that. It freezes perfectly!

chocolate-lover's-banana-bread

If you really want to take this banana bread up another notch, feel free to add nuts, coconut flakes, or even peanut butter chocolate chips. You can’t go wrong with this banana bread. The possibilities are endless!

Happy baking!

If you love this Chocolate Lover’s Banana Bread, check out these easy and delicious recipes:

Easy Chocolate Chip Banana Bread

Cinnamon Chocolate Chip Pull Apart Bread

Meyer Lemon Poppy Seed Cake

Easy Coconut Loaf Cake

The Best Chocolate Pound Cake

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slices of double chocolate banana bread topped with melty chocolate chips

Chocolate Lover’s Banana Bread

5 Stars 4 Stars 3 Stars 2 Stars 1 Star 5 from 8 reviews
  • Author: Browned Butter Blondie
  • Prep Time: 15 mins
  • Cook Time: 50 mins
  • Total Time: 1 hour 5 mins
  • Yield: 1 1x
  • Category: Bread

Description

A rich and fudgy double chocolate banana bread that is the perfect balance of chocolate and banana. What breakfast dreams are made of.


Ingredients

Scale
  • 1/2 cup unsalted butter, melted and slightly cooled
  • 3/4 cup granulated sugar (150 grams)
  • 1 egg plus 1 egg yolk, room temperature
  • 1 tsp vanilla
  • 1/4 cup full fat greek yogurt (or sour cream), room temperature
  • 1 1/2 cups ripe bananas, pureed (23 medium bananas)
  • 1 cup all purpose flour, spooned and leveled (130 grams)
  • 1/2 cup dark Dutch process cocoa powder, sifted (50 grams)
  • 3/4 tsp baking powder
  • 1/2 tsp baking soda
  • 1/4 tsp salt
  • 1 cup semi sweet or dark chocolate chips, divided

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
  2. Grease a 9 x 5 ” loaf pan with non stick cooking spray and line with parchment paper. Leave the short sides of parchment hanging over edge of pan to allow for easy removal of the loaf after cooling.
  3. Using a fork, mash 2-3 medium bananas until smooth, similar in consistency to baby food. The bananas should measure 1 1/2 cups once mashed.
  4. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Set aside.
  5. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, mix melted butter and sugar together until combined and pale in color.
  6. Add eggs and mix until combined well.
  7. Add vanilla and yogurt and continue to mix on low speed until incorporated.
  8. Add the bananas and mix well.
  9. Slowly add flour mixture, mixing on low speed until just barely combined and some streaks of flour still remain. Do not over mix.
  10. Remove bowl from mixer and gently stir in 3/4 cup of the chocolate chips, folding gently with a spatula.
  11. Pour batter into prepared pan and top with reserved chocolate chips.
  12. Bake for 50-55 minutes, checking halfway through to be sure bread isn’t browning to much on top. If the bread is browning too quickly, add a loose piece of aluminum foil across the top of the loaf for the last 20 minutes of baking time.
  13. Bake until center is set and a toothpick inserted in the middle of the bread comes out with few crumbs remaining.
  14. Cool completely on a wire rack before slicing.

Notes

Store at room temperature tightly covered for up to 3 days.

May be frozen.

*Recipe originally posted in April 2019

  • Reply
    Samantha
    May 6, 2023 at 1:13 am

    Hello, do you bake this in the center or bottom rack of the oven?






    • Reply
      Heather Mubarak
      May 7, 2023 at 7:40 pm

      Center rack!

  • Reply
    Merissa
    April 5, 2023 at 12:29 am

    Really good! I didn’t have time to leave things out at room temp. I used whole 2 eggs, and sour cream instead of yogurt. I didn’t cream the sugar and butter, instead just mixed it all with the banana (to save on cleanup). Instead of mixing the dry ingredients separately I incorporated them into the batter one at a time and saved the baking soda and powder for last (since you don’t want to over mix with those.) The bread turned out soooo moist. It smells like Oreos and bananas! Never used Dutch cocoa before and now I am a big fan! Weird enough the bread smells like Oreos, but tastes like banana bread with a bit of chocolate flavor, but my mind can’t get over the smell/taste difference. Again, really good! Will be making this again!






  • Reply
    Preetika
    April 3, 2023 at 9:43 am

    Hi can I use your Choc pound cake recipe and add chips in its batter and top it with remaining like you have done in this recipe ?

    • Reply
      Heather Mubarak
      April 3, 2023 at 4:23 pm

      Absolutely!

  • Reply
    Roya
    January 7, 2023 at 8:58 pm

    tried this recipe 3 times and my family and i are so obsessed with it!
    Unfortunately, it cracks in the middle, even though all my ingredients are room temperature, I’m using a loaf pan with the exact measurements as yours and with the exact temperature.
    What could be wrong?

  • Reply
    Anonymous
    May 11, 2022 at 4:45 am

    This recipe is so decedent and chocolatey! I have made a lot of banana bread recipes and this one with the creaming of the butter/sugar along with adding in of the yogurt makes this recipe so moist. Will be making this again!






  • Reply
    Donna
    March 10, 2022 at 3:40 am

    I tried this recipe 2 ways, both were scrumptious but I will stick to the first way I made it using regular French vanilla yogurt because that’s what I had in the house, 3 bananas, and regular chocolate chips. Amazing. The second trial I used 2 bananas, sour cream and mini chocolate chips. Delicious as well but not as Moist and the banana flavor wasn’t as noticeable BUT this was spillway good. So it shows that this recipe is very versatile with good results either way!






  • Reply
    Grandma
    August 1, 2021 at 10:54 pm

    This is absolutely delicious. Do you think the recipe could be doubled and made in a bundt pan? If yes, any idea of bake time!

    • Reply
      Heather Mubarak
      August 4, 2021 at 7:26 pm

      Thanks for trying my recipe!! I haven’t doubled this recipe yet and I’m not sure how it will bake up in a bundt pan. Let me know how it goes if you give it a try!

  • Reply
    NAZISH KHAN
    July 1, 2021 at 1:58 am

    I love love this bread—- it’s really easy to make and turns out Delish! I actually added 1/4 cup sugar only and used dark cocoa chocolate chips so it gave a really nice not so sweet taste to the bread. My next version will probably be without sugar—thank you for such a yummy recipe.






  • Reply
    cambrea
    May 21, 2021 at 4:01 am

    this recipe is so great, i only want to eat chocolate banana bread from now on! it was so soft and had the best chocolate flavor






  • Reply
    Dagmar
    March 6, 2021 at 6:56 am

    The recipe is great, the cake is a chocolate heaven!! It’s moist, nicely sweet and it’s quick to make. We Love it and make it more often …❤






  • Reply
    Susan T.
    February 24, 2021 at 10:17 pm

    I saw your post this morning on Instagram and I already have a loaf in the oven. Thanks for reminding me how great this chocolate banana bread is! One of my family’s favorite recipes!






  • Reply
    Steph
    June 5, 2020 at 6:18 pm

    WOW!!! And I thought I had already nailed the banana bread. How wrong I was … we are talking GAME CHANGER here! This was such an EASY and quick recipe (who has time!) absolutely delicious and I’ve printed off a whole lot more to try out!

  • Reply
    VALERIE Clark
    May 25, 2020 at 3:24 am

    Thank you for the recipe. I did a few variations and we decided our favorite version is using swerve for a no sugar option, as well as Lilly’s choc chips, again no sugar. I also used brown butter, because let’s face it, browned butter makes everything better. I shared with my neighbors and did a blind taste test, they all picked the sugar free version too. Great recipe though, Now I need to try the blondies.

  • Reply
    Haleema
    February 26, 2020 at 9:33 am

    I’m trying this recipe now!
    But I couldn’t figure out if I have to use the upper heat or lower? Or even both

    Thank you.

    • Reply
      Heather Mubarak
      February 27, 2020 at 6:37 pm

      It bakes at 350 degrees.Hope you love it as much as I do!!

  • Reply
    Rose Martine
    January 11, 2020 at 5:10 am

    YUMMY!!!!! Thanks for sharing your recipe! I’ve heard about your blog a couple of times and will now spend my afternoon reading 🙂

    • Reply
      Heather Mubarak
      January 11, 2020 at 10:30 pm

      Yay! I’m so glad you’re here!! Hope you find a few things you can’t wait to bake!

  • Reply
    ray
    October 15, 2019 at 11:11 pm

    is it ok to skip the yogurt? any substitute for it?

    • Reply
      Heather Mubarak
      October 16, 2019 at 5:17 am

      Hi Ray,
      Yogurt works best but you could use the same amount of sour cream. If you don’t have that on hand, you can give buttermilk or whole milk a try. Enjoy!

  • Reply
    Prakriti
    October 14, 2019 at 4:16 pm

    Hey is there an alternative for eggs??

    • Reply
      Heather Mubarak
      October 16, 2019 at 5:19 am

      Hi! I haven’t made this using an egg substitute but you can certainly give a flax egg a try or use an egg white substitute if you prefer. It may change the texture just a bit. Hope you enjoy!

  • Reply
    Siobhan
    October 14, 2019 at 2:39 pm

    I made this for a dinner party this week and it was a huge success. I doubled the recipe and made cupcakes/muffins for my kids school lunch boxes. (Same temp, removed after 20 minutes)
    Adding to our favourites

    • Reply
      Heather Mubarak
      October 16, 2019 at 5:21 am

      What a great idea!! I bet your kids loved their lunch that day at school! Thanks so much for leaving a comment.

  • Reply
    Roberto
    May 29, 2019 at 2:29 am

    Hi ! I made this recipe two weeks in a row and i can’t get enough of it – it’s simply addictive!
    Congrats on your blog and on your recipes! Hats off!!

    • Reply
      Heather Mubarak
      June 5, 2019 at 6:17 pm

      I’m so happy to hear that! Thanks so much!!

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