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Our Go-To Chocolate Chip Banana Bread Recipe (You’ll Bake on Repeat)

Is there a more familiar sight than a bunch of bananas on the counter, slowly acquiring more brown spots by the day? We’ve all been there, wondering if they are past their best. But we’re here to let you in on a secret: those overripe bananas are culinary gold. Prepare to turn them into the most wonderfully fragrant, moist, and delightful treat with our ultimate Chocolate Chip Banana Bread Recipe.

This is more than just a recipe; it’s a promise of comfort. It’s the bake you’ll come to know by heart, the one you’ll share with loved ones, and the one that will wrap your home in an aroma so warm and cosy, it’s like a gentle embrace. We have fine-tuned this method to guarantee a beautifully soft texture, a deep banana flavour, and generous pockets of melted chocolate in every slice. It’s wonderfully simple, deeply comforting, and set to be your household’s new firm favourite.

Why You’ll Adore This Recipe

Supremely Moist & Tender: Our method combines very ripe bananas with melted butter, creating a loaf that retains its lovely moisture for days. Say goodbye to dry, disappointing banana bread!
A Superb Recipe Using Overripe Bananas: This is a fantastic way to minimise food waste. The more speckled the banana, the sweeter and richer your bread will be. It’s a delicious cycle of sustainability.
Wonderfully Straightforward to Make: There’s no need for an electric mixer or any complex steps. This is a true one bowl banana bread recipe you can have ready for the oven in less than 15 minutes.
Generously Studded with Chocolate: We believe in being liberal with the chocolate chips! Every mouthful offers a delightful harmony of sweet banana and decadent, molten chocolate.
Perfectly Sweetened: Although this is undeniably a treat, the natural sugars from the ripe bananas allow us to use just enough brown sugar to achieve a beautifully balanced and satisfying flavour.

The Essential Ingredients for the Best Chocolate Chip Banana Bread

Exceptional baking always begins with quality ingredients. For this loaf, we have selected simple, everyday items that come together in perfect harmony. We feel that knowing the role of each ingredient helps you grow as a baker. Here’s what you will need and why it’s so important.

For the Perfect Loaf

Very Ripe Bananas: This is the most crucial element! You’re looking for bananas with lots of brown, or even black, speckles on the skin. As bananas ripen, their starches transform into sugar, which deepens their sweetness and flavour. As experts from BBC Good Food explain, this natural process also softens them, making them easy to mash into a smooth purée that adds incredible moisture to the loaf.
Plain Flour: This forms the essential structure of our banana bread. For the best and most consistent results, we always suggest weighing your flour.
Baking Soda (Bicarbonate of Soda): Overripe bananas have a natural acidity. Baking soda reacts with this acid, producing little bubbles of carbon dioxide that give the bread its fantastic lift and a wonderfully tender crumb.
Melted Unsalted Butter: While oil can yield a moist loaf, melted butter imparts a magnificent richness and depth of flavour that we find simply irresistible.
Soft Light Brown Sugar: This sugar does more than just sweeten; its molasses content adds to the loaf’s moisture and lends a subtle caramel note that complements the banana and chocolate beautifully.
Large Free-Range Eggs: Acting as a binder, eggs hold the ingredients together while also providing structure and richness. Bringing them to room temperature first helps them mix more smoothly into the batter.
Vanilla Extract: Just a small amount of high-quality vanilla extract helps to round out and enhance all the other flavours within the bread.
Chocolate Chips: The little jewels of the recipe! We enjoy using a combination of milk and dark chocolate for a more nuanced taste, but please feel free to use your personal favourite.
A Pinch of Salt: Salt is a baker’s secret weapon. It masterfully balances the sweetness and makes the banana and chocolate notes truly sing.

Step-by-Step Guide: How to Make Banana Bread with Chocolate Chips

Feeling inspired to bake? This simple banana bread with chocolate is made in just a handful of easy-to-follow steps. We’ll guide you through the whole process, ensuring you get a flawless loaf every single time.

1. Getting Everything Ready

Preheat Your Oven: Adjust your oven to 180°C (160°C Fan / Gas Mark 4). Having the oven at the correct temperature from the start is key for an even bake and a good rise.
Prepare the Loaf Tin: Lightly grease a 2lb (900g) loaf tin with butter, then line it with baking parchment. We like to leave a little extra parchment hanging over the long sides; these “slings” make lifting the finished loaf out a breeze.

2. Creating the One-Bowl Batter

Mash the Bananas: In a spacious mixing bowl, peel and thoroughly mash your ripe bananas with the back of a fork. A few little lumps are perfectly acceptable and contribute to the final texture.
Incorporate the Wet Ingredients: Pour the melted butter over the mashed bananas. Follow with the soft light brown sugar, eggs, and vanilla extract. Whisk these ingredients together until they are fully combined and the sugar begins to dissolve.
Sift in the Dry Ingredients: Position a sieve over the bowl and add the plain flour, bicarbonate of soda, and salt. Sifting prevents lumps and helps to aerate the flour, which leads to a lighter-textured loaf.
Fold Gently: With a spatula, gently fold the dry mixture into the wet until they are *just* incorporated. It is vital not to overmix! A few remaining streaks of flour are fine. Overmixing can develop the gluten too much, resulting in a tough loaf.
Stir in the Chocolate: Add about three-quarters of your chosen chocolate chips and gently fold them through the batter. We’ll be using the remainder for the topping!

3. Baking to Perfection

Fill the Tin: Transfer the batter into your lined loaf tin and use a spatula to level the surface. Scatter the reserved chocolate chips evenly across the top.
Bake the Loaf: Place the tin onto the middle shelf of your preheated oven. Bake for 55–65 minutes. All ovens behave a little differently, so we advise checking on it from the 55-minute mark.
Check if It’s Cooked: The loaf is baked when it has a lovely golden-brown top and a skewer inserted into the very centre comes out clean. A smear of melted chocolate on the skewer is fine, but there shouldn’t be any raw batter.
Allow to Cool: Let the banana bread cool in its tin for at least 10 minutes. This helps it to firm up slightly, making it much easier to handle. Afterwards, use the parchment slings to lift it onto a wire rack to cool completely before you slice into it. This final step is essential for achieving the perfect texture!

Our Top Tips for a Perfect Moist Banana Chocolate Chip Loaf

We’ve baked more banana loaves than we can count, picking up a few handy hints over the years. Follow these simple tips to ensure your bake is a resounding success.

Don’t Fear the Brown Spots: We really can’t say this enough. The riper, spottier, and browner the bananas, the more flavourful and sweet your loaf will be. If your bananas aren’t quite ready, you can pop them on a baking tray in an oven at 150°C for 15-20 minutes until their skins turn black.
Measure Flour with Care: If you lack digital scales, we recommend the “spoon and level” technique. Fluff up the flour in its bag, then spoon it lightly into your measuring cup until it mounds over the top. Scrape the excess off with the straight edge of a knife. This avoids a compacted cup, which can lead to a dry loaf.
Feel Free to Get Creative: This recipe serves as a brilliant canvas for your own ideas. Consider adding a teaspoon of ground cinnamon or a handful of chopped walnuts or pecans with the chocolate for added texture and warmth.
The Tin Foil Shield: If you see the top of the loaf browning too quickly while the middle still needs more time, you can loosely tent a piece of tin foil over it for the final 10–15 minutes of baking.

FAQ

Can I use frozen overripe bananas?

Yes, definitely! Freezing very ripe bananas is an excellent way to save them for baking. Simply allow them to thaw completely at room temperature before you start. They will release some liquid as they defrost—be sure to add this flavour-packed juice into the bowl with the banana flesh!

How should I store my chocolate chip banana bread?

To maintain its moisture, store the completely cooled loaf in an airtight container at room temperature. It will keep beautifully for up to four days. We advise against refrigerating it, as this can make it dry. It also freezes exceptionally well for up to three months, either whole or in slices, wrapped snugly in cling film and then foil.

Why did my banana bread turn out dense and gummy?

The most common reason for a dense loaf is over-mixing the batter after adding the flour. You want to fold the ingredients together only until you no longer see large pockets of dry flour. A few lumps are a good thing! Another potential issue could be that your baking soda has expired and lost its leavening power.

Can I make this recipe into muffins?

Certainly. This batter works wonderfully as muffins. Just divide the mixture evenly between 12 lined muffin cases and bake at the same temperature (180°C / 160°C Fan) for approximately 20–25 minutes, or until a skewer inserted into the centre of one comes out clean.

The Only Banana Bread Recipe You’ll Ever Need

And there we have it—a simple, dependable, and utterly delicious recipe for the best chocolate chip banana bread you will ever bake. It is the most rewarding way to transform bananas that are past their prime into a warm, comforting treat that is perfect for sharing. Whether it’s a slice served warm from the oven with melting butter, a mid-afternoon pick-me-up with a cup of tea, or a treat for the lunchbox, this loaf is a simple joy that never fails to please.

Once you’ve savoured a slice (or two) of this banana bread, perhaps you might fancy a simple yet satisfying dinner like our One Pot Creamy Garlic Pasta? For something a little richer, our much-loved family Beef Ragu Pasta Recipe is always a triumph.

We are so excited for you to bake this easy banana bread recipe. When you do, we would be delighted if you left a comment below to share how you got on. We truly enjoy hearing from our readers! And don’t forget to take a photo of your beautiful bake and tag us on social media.

Chocolate Chip Banana Bread Recipe: Stays Fresh for Days

Pin Recipe

Transform those overripe bananas into a supremely moist, tender loaf packed with gooey chocolate chips. This simple one-bowl recipe is a guaranteed family favourite that fills your home with the most wonderful aroma.

Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 60 minutes
Total Time: 1 hour 15 minutes
Servings: 12 slices

Ingredients

Instructions

Preheat oven to 180°C (160°C Fan) and grease and line a 2lb loaf tin.
In a large bowl, mash the bananas. Whisk in the melted butter, brown sugar, eggs, and vanilla extract until combined.
Sift the flour, bicarbonate of soda, and salt over the wet ingredients.
Gently fold everything together with a spatula until just combined. Do not overmix.
Stir in 150g of chocolate chips.
Pour the batter into the prepared tin, smooth the top, and sprinkle with extra chocolate chips.
Bake for 55-65 minutes, or until a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean.
Cool in the tin for 10 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.

Nutrition (per serving):
Calories: 348kcal
Protein: 4g
Carbs: 46g
Fat: 17g

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