Chocolate Banana Bread Recipe
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The chocolate banana bread recipe is rich, chocolatey, and extra moist! It’s the perfect dessert recipe to make if you have black, spotty bananas sitting on the counter and need to put them to good use. No ripe bananas? No problem I’ll tell you how to ripen bananas quickly!
This bread makes for a great addition to your repertoire of weekend baked treats or if served warm with a scoop of vanilla ice cream and a drizzle of hot fudge sauce also makes for a pretty great dessert idea for entertaining too!
If you enjoyed my Ultimate Banana Bread Recipe, then you’ll LOVE my Chocolate Banana Bread recipe! I actually think this one, for all you chocolate lovers out there, is even better! But, do not be left home alone with this bread! It’s seriously addictive and you’ll find yourself going back “for just one more nibble!” until the whole thing is gone! Just saying!
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A Double or Triple Chocolate Banana Bread Recipe
To get the rich chocolate flavor, you’ll use two types of chocolate bittersweet chocolate and unsweetened cocoa powder. You could make this a triple chocolate banana bread recipe if you added some chocolate chips to the batter before pouring it into your loaf pan.
Chocolate Tips:
- When shopping for bittersweet chocolate look for something that is at least 60-70% cacao. This will give you the best flavor.
- Don’t go over 70% or the chocolate starts to get too bitter
Break the bittersweet chocolate up into small pieces and add to a large bowl. Then add the unsweetened cocoa powder. This should be regular “natural unsweetened cocoa powder” not Dutch-process.
Difference Between Natural vs Dutch-processed Cocoa Powder?
- Natural cocoa powder has not been processed. It’s left in its natural state and will produce, in my opinion, a richer, more intense, chocolate flavor.
- Natural cocoa powder is also more acidic, so when using it, it’s best to use baking soda for leavening
- Dutch-process cocoa powdered has been processed and treated with alkali to neutralize the acidity.
- When using Dutch-process cocoa powder, which is no longer acidic, you should use baking powder. If you try and use baking soda the soda will not react since the acidity is gone and this can result in a flat banana bread that doesn’t rise.
- You can swab natural cocoa powder for Dutch-process if needed in this recipe, but just be sure to then use baking powder instead of baking soda
STEP#1: Combine the Chocolates
It’s this combination of the bittersweet chocolate and unsweetened natural cocoa powder that creates the richest, most chocolatey flavor!
Next, you’ll add hot water on top of the cocoa powder which will “bloom” the chocolate and bring out its best flavor.
STEP#2: Add Wet Ingredients
To the chocolate, you’ll add vanilla, eggs, and sugar.
How to Create a Moist Chocolate Banana Bread?
Getting moist banana bread really boils down to two factors. First, use oil over butter. Oil is pure fat and will create a really moist bread.
The second factor is baking time. Do not over-bake this bread! Overbaked banana bread is dry banana bread! Depending upon the depth of your loaf pan, you’ll want to bake it for anywhere from 50 minutes to 1 hour and 5 minutes.
STEP#3: Add the Dry Ingredients
Whisk the dry ingredients together and then add them in thirds until combined. Do not over-mix the batter or your bread will be tough.
What the Bananas Should Look
Your bananas should look like this at a minimum. In fact, my motto is the uglier the banana, the better the banana bread! If your bananas are not ripe enough your banana bread will not have much flavor or sweetness.
The riper your banana is the more sugar content it will have which brings out the sweetness as well as the banana flavor in the bread.
How To Ripen Bananas Quickly
The best method for ripening bananas in a hurry is to use the oven method.
- Place bananas on a sheet pan, lined with foil. Since as they begin to release their sticky sugars while they bake and lining your pan with foil will make for easier cleanup.
- Bake at 300F for 20 minutes, turning banana halfway through the baking time.
- You’ll see the bananas will turn black and become mushy and the heat from the oven will concentrate their sugars and their flavor!
- You can use this technique for any recipe that calls for ripe bananas. Try it in my Banana Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting!
Storing Ripe Bananas
- If you have ripe bananas and aren’t ready to make the bread yet
- Peel them and place them in a ziplock bag.
- When it comes time to use them, defrost them in the refrigerator overnight or pop them in the microwave until thawed.
STEP#4: Bake at 350F
Pour your bread into a 9 x 5 loaf pan and bake until a skewer comes out clean. Since loaf pans are so deep, the best way to test the bread for doneness is with a long skewer. It’s OK if it comes out with a few wet crumbs but should not come out with liquid batter on it.
STEP#5: Cool and Slice
Be sure to allow your bread to cool completely before slicing. It’s such a delicate bread that it needs the extra cooling time to set up. It will be easier to slice that way and you’ll have fewer crumbs!
This bread is even better when you can make it the day before. Just keep it in the tin, covered, at room temperature. Enjoy!!
More Great Chocolate Recipes!
- Flourless Chocolate Cake
- Chocolate Souffle
- Chocolate and Vanilla Sugar Cookies
- Chocolate Pot de Cremes
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Chocolate Banana Bread Recipe
This chocolate banana bread is super moist, rich and extra chocolatey! It's easy enough for a weeknight treat, but also a great recipe for weekend entertaining.
Ingredients
- 2-ounces (56g) Bittersweet Chocolate (60-70% cacao), broken into small pieces
- ¾ cup (75g) unsweetened natural cocoa powder (Not Dutch-process)
- 1 cup (240ml) hot boiling water
- 1 ¾ cup (350g) sugar
- 1 tbsp. (15ml) vanilla
- ¾ cup (180ml) vegetable oil
- 3 eggs
- 3 very ripe bananas, mashed into a chunky puree
- 1 ¾ cups (190g) flour
- 1 ½ tsp (7.5ml) baking soda
- ½ tsp (.5ml) salt
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350F(175C). Spray a 9 x 5 (23cm x 13cm) loaf pan with baking spray and set aside.
- In a large bowl add the bittersweet chocolate and cocoa powder. Pour hot water over both and whisk until smooth and chocolate is melted.
- Add sugar, vanilla and vegetable oil, whisk to combine.
- Add eggs, one at a time, whisking in between each addition until smooth. Add mashed bananas, whisk until smooth and set aside.
- In a medium size bowl whisk together flour, baking soda and salt.
- Add dry ingredients to wet ingredients, whisking in a 1/3 at a time until incorporated. Do not over-mix or you’ll have a tough bread.
- Transfer batter into loaf pan ¾ of the way full (depending upon the depth of your loaf pan, you may have remaining batter. If so you can turn it into a few muffins!
- Bake the bread for 55 mins-1 hour 5 minutes, or until a skewer comes out clean. Time varies depending upon how deep your loaf pan is.
- Allow to cool completely and then cut into thick slices and serve!
Notes
If your bananas are not ripe enough your banana bread will not have much flavor or sweetness. The riper your banana is the more sugar content it will have which brings out the sweetness as well as the banana flavor in the bread.
How To Ripen Bananas Quickly
I have found the best method for ripening bananas in a hurry is to use the oven method.
- Place bananas on a sheet pan, lined with foil. Since as they begin to release their sticky sugars while they bake and lining your pan with foil will make for easier cleanup.
- Bake at 300F for 20 minutes, turning banana halfway through the baking time.
- You'll see the bananas will turn black and become mushy and the heat from the oven will concentrate their sugars and their flavor!
This bread is even better when you can make it the day before. Just keep it in the tin, covered, at room temperature.
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 8 Serving Size: 1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 118Total Fat: 4gSaturated Fat: 1gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 2gCholesterol: 70mgSodium: 32mgCarbohydrates: 19gFiber: 1gSugar: 13gProtein: 3g
This was amazing!
Oh I’m so glad you enjoyed it! 🙂 It’s definitely one of my favorites too! 🙂
Wow! What a delicious receipe. I baked it for my daughter and son-in-law to take over to their new home. What a hit! I love to bake and I love banana bread. This recipe is special. Thank you for sharing.
I’ll soon be making you’re pumpkin bread recipe for Thanksgiving day.
Have a happy Thanksgiving.
I’m so glad you enjoyed it Annette! This one is one of my favorites too! And you’ve picked my next favorite as a follow up! The pumpkin bread! I hope you enjoy it as much as we do! HAPPY THANKSGIVING! 🙂
The first time i did it follow the recipe 100% bit it was really bittee.
Next time, I did half portion of bitter chocolate with half semi-sweet chocolate and the flavor is a little bit sweeter.
Excellent recipe, delicious with vanilla ice cream, twice mayed, I’m sure there will be a third 😊
I have made this cake many times over and it is always perfect! Enjoyed by family and friends alike. Encourage everyone to try it. Simple delicious and very tasty.
I’m so glad it’s been a hit! YAY! 🙂
This is my absolute favorite cake to bake and to eat! I followed the recipe precisely but used a 9 inch pan instead of a loaf pan and baked for exactly 55 minutes at 175C. The cake was luxuriously moist and decadent and as you rightly instruct, tastes even better the next day. This is indeed a cake fantasy come true.
This weekend, I am going to halve the recipe and bake in a smaller pan and shall also replace the eggs with yogurt to get a vegetarian cake. Shall let you know how that works out!
Thanks for making our foodie dreams, a reality !!!
LOL! Oh I’m so glad yo hear it! This is seriously one of my favorite cakes too! So rich and chocolatey, light and fluffy! Yes keep me posted on the egg replacement! Because now I’m curious! 🙂
Hi again, just to let you know that I baked this recipe as a vegetarian cake for my mother, in an eight cup bundt pan (should have used a six cup but I dont own one), halving all the ingredients and omitting the eggs. I added 130 grams of hung curd (similar to Greek yogurt) and a half teaspoon of white distilled vinegar. I baked at 175C for 34 minutes. The result was wonderful. Im not sure how well this would have fared in a regular round pan. I would be grateful if you could please answer a few queries of mine:
a) why does the quantity of flour in the recipe convert the flour to 190 grams when in fact it should be 210 grams, using your other recipe conversions as a basis?
b) Would the original recipe cake rise better in a regular 9 inch round pan if baking powder was added to it? If yes, then how much should be added? If no, then do I need to make any other adjustments for a perfect cake?
Thanks again for this cake! This is my ‘Comfort Cake’ and never fails to lift me up!
Thank you, Beth for sharing. I have made this twice and like the first time, it didn’t last long at home. So, I’ll be making this again and again.
Oh yes I know what you mean lol! It doesn’t last long 🙂 I’m so glad you enjoyed it!
Hi Beth!
Thanks for another great recipe!
I have 5 children that LOVE banana loaf (what we call It in South Africa), and they loved this equally as much! My 3 year loves chocolate anything, so this was right up his alley!
Hi Beth, I totally agree with you, I shouldn’t have left the bread alone at home. The recipe was so simple and soooo moist and light. Thank you for sharing. I will definitely bake this again and again..
Ha! It’s dangerous to be left along with it isn’t it? Ha! So glad it was a hit! 🙂
This was excellent! I was in a pinch since, I had no butter and had to bake something for church. I substituted some pumpkin since I was short on bananas. Also added instant coffee & cinnamon to intensify the chocolate goodness. A double batch ended up making 3 loaves! Yay ? Thanks so much!
This recipe is fantastic! I made it on Friday and we’re still enjoying the leftovers.
I think this *almost* beats your double chocolate cookies recipe, it was SO simple to make and put lots of smiles on people’s faces! Its sooooo moist and light and bananary. I baked mine in a miniature loaf tray which made 8 little cakes, and there was batter left over to do another batch.
I ran out of caster sugar and had to use half granulated, and thought it would make the cake heavier but they were light and fluffy as a feather. I couldn’t really taste the chocolate but it definitely makes the outside of the cake gorgeously glossy and smooth! I think you just made me discover my new favourite cake.
Thank you so much for sharing this. It would have been absolutely criminal to keep it to yourself 😉
Happy New Year Beth! I used this recipe as inspiration to take my Zucchini bread to another level. I just took my recipe and added the 2 types of chocolate melted with boiling water. Soo delicious!! Thanks for a great idea!
Chelsea