How to store chocolate banana bread?

Room temperature: Store it at room temperature uncovered or covered for 2-3 days. Refrigerate: First, let the dessert fully cool on a wire rack. After that, either refrigerate it whole in an airtight container or slice it into individual pieces. It will stay fresh in the fridge for 45 days. Freeze: Start by making sure that it has been fully cooled. After that, wrap the bread or individual slices in plastic wrap and after that in foil. Next, place them in freezer-safe bags. Freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw: To thaw transfer the bread from the freezer to the fridge to thaw overnight. Serve: Serve it warm or at room temperature, you can also warm up slices in the microwave, and it tastes delicious with some butter.

Jump to Recipe Desserts

Best Chocolate Banana Bread [VIDEO]

By Catalina Castravet

Updated: Aug 8, 2021

Published: Aug 27, 2019

4.99 from 61 reviews

Breads and Muffins Desserts Recipes

Cook time: 1 hour

Chocolate Banana Bread is the best banana bread you will ever have! Incredibly tender, moist, and loaded with chocolate chips! If you have brown bananas on hand, this is a great way to use them.

I like making quick breads as they serve a few purposes. They are a great snack or breakfast on the go, and also, they can be a delicious dessert. Also, they make a great hostess gift and can be healthy or more of a sweet treat. Make sure you also try our Chocolate Chip Banana Bread, it is a lighter version of this recipe.

sliced chocolate banana bread on a wooden board

If you are a chocoholic and also love classic banana bread, than this easy recipe is perfect for you! This bread is LOADED with chocolate and its basically an excuse to eat chocolate cake for breakfast. I am not messing with you, every single bite is filled with glorious chocolate!

If you have some spotty bananas on hand, you basically have to run into the kitchen and make this, you can thank me later! So dramatically chocolaty that I just want to lock my doors, get some milk, put on Netflix, and enjoy this all by myself! This homemade chocolate dessert is sweet, tender, aromatic, with chewy chocolate chips and crunchy walnuts!

Why You’ll Love This Chocolate Banana Bread:

It is rich and chocolaty this is a show-stopper dessert.
Easy to find ingredients and minimal prep work and dishes to clean.
Perfect for brunch parties and for bigger crowds.
Also, very easy to transport if you have to take it to a brunch party.
It can be made 1 or 2 days in advance, so you don’t have to worry about a last-minute dessert.

chocolate banana bread photo with text overlay that reads best ever chocolate banana bread

Ingredients Needed:

All-purpose flour
Unsweetened cocoa powder: The chocolate flavor is front and center here, so make sure you use high-quality cocoa powder, as this is basically how the end result will taste. Dutch process cocoa is a great choice.
Baking powder
Sea salt
Mashed bananas: For the most flavorful bread, I highly recommend using overripe bananas, but not mushy and way too brown.
Egg
Unsalted butter
Oil: You can use canola oil, vegetable oil, olive oil, or melted coconut oil.
Brown sugar: Brown sugar in this recipe combines well with the flavors from the bananas, and also it locks in moisture, which gives the dessert irresistible moist crumbs.
Vanilla extract
Semisweet chocolate chips: I like to use larger chocolate chips, as they don’t fully melt when baked and are amazing when you bite into them! Don’t be afraid to use extra chocolate chips in this recipe.
Walnuts: Actually, the chopped walnuts are optional, you can skip them if you don’t like walnuts or just prefer not to use them.

How to make Chocolate Banana Bread from scratch?

I have been using this secret formula over the past 10 years, to get the best and most tender double chocolate banana bread. Also, watch the recipe tutorial attached, and you will see how easy this is to make!

Prep: Start by organizing your working area, have all the ingredients handy. Also, you will need a large bowl. Next, preheat oven to 350 degrees F and lightly grease a loaf pan with butter or baking spray.
Dry ingredients: After that, in a medium bowl mix the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, sea salt.
Wet ingredients: In another large bowl, whisk together the mashed bananas with oil, melted butter, eggs, and vanilla. Afterward, add the brown sugar.
Combine: Next, add the flour mixture to the chocolate batter and gently stir to combine. After that, fold in one cup of chocolate chips and walnuts. Scrape the bottom and sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula.
Add to pan and bake: Pour batter into the prepared pan and bake for about one hour, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.

Sliced chocolate banana bread with walnuts and chocolate chips

Recipe Variations:

Add sour cream: We like to make this chocolate banana bread recipe with oil and butter, but you can replace the butter with sour cream. It will make the finished product a bit denser, but still very moist.
Banana flavor: We use vanilla extract in this recipe, but for a more tropical flavor, add a teaspoon of banana extract.
Peanut butter: Chocolate goes hand in hand with peanut butter, hence adding peanut butter baking chips and a few tablespoons of creamy peanut butter is a great idea.
Melted chocolate: Stir in 6 ounces of melted chocolate into the batter to make triple chocolate banana bread.
Nuts: Similarly, use your favorite chopped nuts here, for example, pistachio, peanuts, pecans, or macadamia nuts.
Fruits: This recipe is delicious with raisins or cranberries mixed in. Also, fresh blueberries are a great addition.
Espresso powder: Add a teaspoon of espresso powder to enhance the chocolaty aromas.
More add-ins: Also, try to use white chocolate baking chips, chopped Oreos, chopped peanut butter cups.
Muffins: if you are more in the mood for muffins, we have adapted this recipe to make Chocolate Muffins.

Frequently Asked Questions

Why is my banana bread not moist?

There are a few potential reasons for this. Either you have used too much flour, or you overmixed the ingredients. Therefore, make sure to spoon and level the flour, and if you have time, for best results, sift it.

How to store leftovers:

Room temperature: Store it at room temperature uncovered or covered for 2-3 days.
Refrigerate: First, let the dessert fully cool on a wire rack. After that, either refrigerate it whole in an airtight container or slice it into individual pieces. It will stay fresh in the fridge for 45 days.
Freeze: Start by making sure that it has been fully cooled. After that, wrap the bread or individual slices in plastic wrap and after that in foil. Next, place them in freezer-safe bags. Freeze for up to 3 months.
Thaw: To thaw transfer the bread from the freezer to the fridge to thaw overnight.
Serve: Serve it warm or at room temperature, you can also warm up slices in the microwave, and it tastes delicious with some butter.

More Quick Bread Recipes:

Recipe Tips:

Do not slice the ripe bananas as they will leave lumps when cooked in the bread. Instead, mash them.
This is a mix and stir recipe, so avoid using an electric mixer when making the batter. This will result in a soft, fluffy, and moist cake.
Also, do not overmix. Over mixing the batter will make the bread dense and chewy.
The sugar can be reduced from 1 cup to 3/4 cups.
Also, the bread is very dense, so it will not rise a lot in the oven, that is ok.
Add parchment paper up to the sides of the pan for easy removal.
Watch the bread closely after 45-50 minutes of baking, to make sure not to overbake it. I like to check on it at the 50-minute mark and if it still needs more baking, check on it every 5-7 minutes until done.