This One-Bowl Chocolate Chip Banana Bread is a super moist quick bread filled with chocolate chips to satisfy all your cravings at once. Better still, you can go from craving to eating in about one hour! This is going to be your go-to recipe!
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When I first started dating my husband (we call him The Boy), he told me one of his favorite food memories was his grandmother's Chocolate Chip Banana Bread. He made it for me (the one time he baked 😂) and I really tried to love it. Unfortunately for me, it had 4 bananas in it and his grandmother added in... maraschino cherries 😱
As most of you know, I'm not a huge banana fan. I love the sweetness and the moisture they add to my sour cream bundt cake and my banana pancakes, but if I wanted to have my mouth full of banana flavor, I would've eaten a bunch of bananas. My easy chocolate chip banana bread has 2 bananas. The perfect amount 😇
So, this recipe for Chocolate Chip Banana Bread is an homage to his grandmother, but without all the stuff that makes me feel a certain way (I may be the drama). Just all the moisture and lightness, with just the right amount of chocolate chips, a few walnuts (you can skip them) and none of the maraschino cherries. Phew 😮💨
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Ingredients
If you are a frequent flyer of the blog, you have all the pantry basics ready to go, right? Flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and kosher salt (see my salt note below). If not, hit the store and we'll wait for you. BTW you don't have to use overripe bananas. Just nice, soft, ripe bananas are fine. They don't have to be black. It's okay.
See recipe card for quantities.
Substitutions
All I want in the whole wide world is for you to make the best banana bread. Let's make that happen!
- Chocolate chips - The Boy (my husband) loves milk chocolate. It's what his grandmother used. But you can use whatever chocolate you prefer; dark chocolate chips or chopped chocolate or none at all if you have a sensitivity.
- All-purpose flour - I normally use King Arthur flour, but any all-purpose flour will be fine.
- Gluten free - I haven't tried it in this recipe, but King Arthur also makes an amazing gluten free flour that I have used in other baked goods with great results.
- Greek yogurt - If you don't have Greek yogurt, you can use an equal amount of regular yogurt. You can also substitute with buttermilk or kefir in the same amount. I haven't tried plant based milks, but if you do let me know in the comments how that goes!
- Walnuts - If you have a nut allergy or sensitivity, please exclude these from your recipe. If you prefer a different nut, just make sure that you toast and cool them before adding them to the batter.
Variations
The great thing about quick breads, like this moist chocolate chip banana bread, is they lend themselves to adding a wide variety of mix-ins.
- Spice - I don't mean spicy 🌶️, but warm spices like cinnamon and nutmeg. Try a little pumpkin pie spice for my pumpkin spice banana bread.
- Apple Banana - Toss 1 cup of finely grated apples with a tablespoon of flour and add them to the spiced banana bread above for a great Fall vibe.
- Fruity - Go ahead, add the darn maraschino cherries. I won't look. Or blueberries would be more normal 😜 Look, I have opinions, okay?
- Classic Banana Bread - Leave out the chocolate chips and forget about the walnuts. There is nothing wrong with a nice, plain, one bowl banana bread.
Crazy for bananas? For a truly decadent breakfast or brunch, try my Bananas Foster Waffles with crispy waffles and rich, buttery bananas foster sauce!
Instructions
One-bowl Recipe/Easy Recipe That's the big selling point here. One bowl and maybe ten minutes to whip up this moist Banana Bread recipe. Just be sure your ingredients are room temperature before starting.
If you have cold eggs and cold yogurt, place the uncracked eggs in a bowl of warm water for about 10 minutes, whisk all your wet ingredients together, and let them sit and come to room temp for about 15 minutes.
Step 1. Start by preheating your oven to 350°F and spray a bread pan (I use a 9-inch by 5-inch loaf pan) with cooking spray. You can line it with a sling of parchment paper to make removal of the finished loaf easier.
Step 2. In a large mixing bowl, use a fork to mash your bananas until just a few lumps remain.
Step 3. If you prefer them more smooth, keep going, or use an electric mixer to really mash them. Add eggs, Greek yogurt, oil, and vanilla extract to your mashed banana.
Step 4. Whisk everything together well.
Step 5. Sprinkle your flour and brown sugar evenly over the surface of your banana mixture.
Step 6. Do the same with your baking powder, baking soda, and kosher salt.
Step 7. Using a light hand, use a spatula to mix the dry ingredients together on top of the wet ingredients.
Step 8. Mix dry ingredients into wet ingredients until almost completely combined, but with a few streaks of flour still visible. Mix in chocolate chips and toasted walnuts until evenly distributed in the batter.
Step 9. Pour the banana bread batter into your prepared 9 inch loaf pan and smooth the top. Add extra chocolate chips on top, if you want.Bake at 425° for 5 minutes. After 5 minutes turn the oven down to 350°, without opening the oven door.
Step 10. Bake for another 45 to 50 minutes, or until golden brown and a clean toothpick inserted into the center of the banana bread comes out clean. Allow to cool in the pan for 10 minutes, then move to a wire rack to cool another 10 to 15 minutes. Slice and enjoy!
Equipment
This recipe is made to be baked in a 9 inch loaf pan. If you were to use an 8 inch loaf pan, you might have some spillage or, at the very least, a very tall loaf. If you don't have a 9 inch loaf pan, I would recommend baking this in a square baking pan instead.
Expert tip
You may be wondering why this recipe uses half vegetable oil instead of all butter. When a baked good made with butter cools off, the butter returns to its natural state - a solid. When you eat it, it may have the texture of eating something dry. Using half oil, which is a liquid in its natural state, keeps the banana bread moist, and it eats moist as well. (p.s. melting butter would invalidate my one-bowl claim 🤷🏻♀️)
If you want all the butter flavor, feel free to use melted and cooled butter in place of the oil. If you're craving a real buttery flavor craving, use brown butter, like in my chocolate chip cookies.
Recipe FAQ's
One thing I learned about as a professional baker was something called 'oven spring". Normally applied to yeast risen breads and croissants, it still applies to a smaller degree to leavened goods. When your banana bread hits the oven at the higher temperature, the initial contact with the heat causes the baking powder to work and the batter to puff, giving your bread a higher rise. This happens in the first 5 minutes. Then you turn the temperature down and allow the banana bread to bake to perfection.
Leave the loaf unsliced if possible and store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days. For longer storage, slice your bread and individually wrap each slice in plastic wrap. Store them all in a zip top bag in the freezer for up to 3 months. When you crave a slice, let it thaw at room temperature. Perfect for packing in a lunch box!
Because we used vegetable oil in this bread, you don't actually have to reheat it. It is delicious cold. But if warm chocolate chip banana bread warms your heart, just zap it in the microwave for 10 to 15 seconds.
More recipes with bananas
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-Cynthia
📖 Recipe
One-Bowl Chocolate Chip Banana Bread
Ingredients
Dry Ingredients
- 2 cups (240 g) all purpose flour
- ½ cup (100 g) brown sugar
- 2 teaspoon (8 g) baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
Wet Ingredients
- 1 cup (225 g) mashed bananas from 2 medium bananas
- 2 large (100 g) eggs room temperature
- ½ cup (130 g) Greek yogurt room temperature
- 4 tablespoon (60 g) vegetable oil
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract or paste
Mix-ins
- ¾ cup (135 g) chocolate chips
- ¾ cup (90 g) walnuts toasted and chopped
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Spray a 9 inch loaf pan with nonstick spray. Line with parchment paper.
- Place ¾ cup of walnuts on a small sheet pan and toast in a 350°F oven for 5 minutes. Remove from oven and allow to cool. Coarsly chop walnuts and set aside. Increase oven heat to 425°F.
- In a large bowl, use a fork to mash your bananas until just a few lumps remain. If you prefer them more smooth, keep going, or use a hand mixer to pulverize them.
- Add eggs, Greek yogurt, oil, and vanilla and whisk together.
- One at a time, sprinkle flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt over the top of the wet ingredients. Use a spatula to mix the dry ingredients just together on top.
- Mix dry ingredients into wet ingredients until almost completely combined, but with a few streaks of flour still visible. Mix in chocolate chips and toasted walnuts until evenly distributed in the batter.
- Pour the batter into your prepared 9 inch loaf pan and smooth the top. Bake at 425° for 5 minutes. After 5 minutes turn the oven down to 350°, without opening the oven door. Bake for another 45 to 50 minutes, or until a clean toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
Save This Recipe! 💌
I'll email this recipe to you, so you can come back to it later, plus you'll get great new recipes from me every week!
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