Skip to Content

Chocolate Chip Banana Bread Recipe

Three and a half very ripe bananas — plus chocolate chips — combine to make this soft and tasty Chocolate Chip Banana Bread recipe.

For more ideas of what to make, check out all of our recipes.

A loaf of banana bread with one slice cut and the words "Chocolate Chip Banana Bread" digitally written above it.

You don’t need that many ingredients for banana bread, but what you do need is really ripe bananas. So ripe that there’s no way you’re gonna eat them by themselves. So ripe that you are ready to toss them in the trash. The riper, the better too.

Honestly, I have no idea where my banana bread recipe is from. It’s handwritten, by me, and I got it from someone. There’s no name or date on the recipe, just a few grease stains.

My biggest suggestion is to use chocolate chips in this recipe. It’s how we love our banana bread. Any time I make banana bread, Pete will ask me if I added chocolate chips. The answer is always, “Of course.” You can make the bread without them, but it’s just not as good. It’s still good, but not as good.

Bananas hanging in a fruit bowl in a kitchen.

If you have lots of overripe bananas to use, find some other ideas in our list of Budget-Friendly Banana Recipes.

Chocolate Chip Banana Bread Recipe

Affiliate links are included in this post and Drugstore Divas may make a small commission if you use them.

Chocolate Chip Banana Bread Ingredients:

How To Make Chocolate Chip Banana Bread:

Preheat the oven to 350 F.

Bananas in a bowl being mashed with a potato mashed.

Peel and mash the bananas. I use a potato masher and get them as mashed and mushy as possible.

Olive oil being poured over mashed bananas.

Drizzle in the olive oil. Stir. Set aside.

Sugar and eggs in a stand mixer bowl.

Beat the sugar and eggs in a stand mixer on medium-high for ten minutes.

Banana bread wet ingredients in a bowl.

Add bananas, sour cream, and vanilla to the egg mixture. Stir, with a spoon, until the ingredients are just incorporated.

Banana bread dry ingredients in a bowl.

In a separate bowl, sift together the flour, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt.

Banana bread dry ingredients being poured into wet ingredients.

Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients. Mix until just combined. Make sure you don’t overmix the batter (you’ll end up with a gummy bread that way; more about this in the frequently asked question section below).

Chocolate chips on top of banana bread batter.

Fold in the chocolate chips.

Chocolate chip banana bread batter in a loaf pan.

Pour the batter into a parchment paper-lined loaf pan.

A baked loaf of Chocolate Chip Banana Bread.

Bake for one hour until the outside is golden brown (and a nice, very thin crust forms around the entire loaf).

Allow the bread to cool before slicing it.

When I serve banana bread, I will cut a slice, add a pat of unsalted butter on top, and microwave it for 30 seconds. You don’t have to eat it this way, but I highly recommend that you do.

A loaf of Chocolate Chip Banana Bread with one slice cut.

Chocolate Chip Banana Bread: Frequently Asked Questions

Why is my banana bread not moist?

If you add too much flour, and not enough banana, to your banana bread, it’s going to come out dry. If you follow our recipe exactly, you’ll end up with a really soft, really moist loaf. But, if you defer from it (maybe by using three bananas and trying to skip that half a banana), your recipe won’t come out as well.

Why does banana bread not cook in the middle?

I said it a few times, but you don’t want to overmix this batter. If you do, you run the risk of ruining the bread.

Overmixing a batter creates more gluten, which makes for a more “glue-y” bread that feels soft and chewy and uncooked.

So, once you get to the steps where you’re working with flour, make sure you’re mixing enough to incorporate the ingredients. But, once you get there, stop. Don’t keep mixing.

Can bananas be too ripe for banana bread?

It’s virtually impossible for bananas to be too ripe for banana bread. As bananas ripen, they release more sugar. That’s why you want to use really ripe bananas. Your bread will be sweeter than if you use barely ripe bananas.

Bananas will blacken as they ripen and even really black bananas will work in banana bread.

Can you add walnuts to chocolate chip banana bread?

You can … but we don’t suggest it. Nuts, especially sliced nuts, get really lost in this recipe. They get soft and then are sort of just … there. They don’t add anything to this recipe. Even when they’re whole nuts, they just sort of get in the way instead of making the bread any better.

Since nuts are so expensive, you really want to use them in a recipe that matters. So leave them out of here (and trust us, you won’t miss them).

Why does banana bread taste better the next day?

After banana bread sits, the bananas release even more natural sweetness, which makes your bread sweeter the next day.

How can you store banana bread?

Let the banana bread cool completely, then put it in an airtight container and let it sit on the counter. It’ll be good for about four days that way.

If you put the banana bread in a container when it’s still warm, condensation will accumulate in the container and ruin your bread.

If you want to, you can store banana bread in the fridge (only after it has completely cooled), but you don’t need to refrigerate it. Storing it on the counter is fine.

Can you double this recipe?

You absolutely can double this recipe. If you do, bake it in two smaller loaf pans rather than a full size loaf pan. You shouldn’t need to adjust the baking time, but you can check the bread after 50 minutes just in case.

Two quarters of a sourdough loaf of bread in a bowl with the words "Homemade Bread Recipes" digitally written on top.

More Homemade Bread Recipes:

We love making homemade bread. It’s something that a lot of people picked up a few years ago, so you might be looking for more bread recipes. Our favorites (besides this banana bread) are:

Don’t forget to check out all of our Homemade Bread Recipes too.

Yield: 1 Loaf

Chocolate Chip Banana Bread

Three and a half very ripe bananas -- plus chocolate chips -- combine to make this soft and tasty Chocolate Chip Banana Bread recipe.

Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 1 hour
Additional Time 10 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 20 minutes

Ingredients

  • 3 1/2 very ripe bananas
  • 1/2 cup olive oil
  • 1 cup and 2 tablespoons sugar
  • 2 eggs
  • 2 tablespoons sour cream
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla
  • 1 2/3 cups flour
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1 cup chocolate chips

Instructions

  1. Preheat the oven to 350 F.
  2. Peel and mash the bananas.
  3. Drizzle in the olive oil. Stir. Set aside.
  4. Beat the sugar and eggs in a stand mixer on medium-high for ten minutes.
  5. Add bananas, sour cream, and vanilla to the egg mixture. Stir, with a spoon, until the ingredients are just incorporated.
  6. In a separate bowl, sift together the flour, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt.
  7. Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients. Mix until just combined. 
  8. Fold in the chocolate chips.
  9. Pour the batter into a parchment paper lined loaf pan.
  10. Bake for one hour until the outside is golden brown (and a nice, very thin crust forms around the entire loaf). Allow the bread to cool before slicing it.

Notes

Make sure you don’t overmix the batter (you’ll end up with a gummy bread that way; more about this in the frequently asked question section below).

Nutrition Information

Yield

10

Serving Size

1

Amount Per Serving Calories 323Total Fat 18gSaturated Fat 5gTrans Fat 0gUnsaturated Fat 12gCholesterol 39mgSodium 250mgCarbohydrates 39gFiber 3gSugar 17gProtein 5g

Have you tried this Chocolate Chip Banana Bread recipe? Let us know your thoughts in the comments.

Karen W

Wednesday 6th of August 2014

Yummy, I love love love banana bread. Always willing to try a new recipe. Thanks for stopping by Throwback Thursday Blog Style. I can't wait to see what you share this week.

Chrystal @ YUM eating

Monday 4th of August 2014

I am a sucker for a good banana bread.

Thanks for linking at #stoptheyuck and I hope to see you again this week.

Allie

Sunday 3rd of August 2014

Love banana bread, I usually only make it once a year with my sister. We make them for Christmas neighbor and teacher gifts :)

Audra Silva

Thursday 31st of July 2014

Visiting from Throw Back Thursday. I love banana bread, so will have to give this one a go. Pinning for future reference. :)

Skip to Recipe