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But First We Brunch » Recipes » Breads and muffins

One Bowl Chocolate Chip Banana Bread

Published: Jul 12, 2023 · Modified: Jun 28, 2023 by Cynthia Christensen · This post may contain affiliate links · Leave a Comment

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5 from 3 votes
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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!

Hand lifting a slice from a stack of banana bread slices.

Save This 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 😮‍💨

Jump to:
  • Ingredients
  • Substitutions
  • Variations
  • Instructions
  • Equipment
  • Expert tip
  • Recipe FAQ's
  • More recipes with bananas
  • 📖 Recipe
  • 💬 Comments

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.

Ingredients for one bowl banana bread.

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.

Mashing two bananas with a fork.

Step 2. In a large mixing bowl, use a fork to mash your bananas until just a few lumps remain. 

Wet ingredients for one bowl banana bread.

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.

Wet ingredients for one bowl banana bread.

Step 4. Whisk everything together well.

Adding flour and sugar to wet ingredients for one bowl banana bread.

Step 5. Sprinkle your flour and brown sugar evenly over the surface of your banana mixture.

Adding salt and leavening agents to one bowl banana bread.

Step 6. Do the same with your baking powder, baking soda, and kosher salt.

Mixing dry ingredients on top of wet ingredients for one bowl banana bread.

Step 7. Using a light hand, use a spatula to mix the dry ingredients together on top of the wet ingredients. 

Mixing chocolate chips and toasted walnuts to one bowl banana bread batter.

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.

Pouring banana bread batter into loaf pan.

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. 

Top view of a loaf and slices of one bowl banana bread.

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!

Top view of multiple slices of one bowl banana bread.

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

Why do we start baking at a higher temperature?

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.

How should I store my Banana Bread?

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!

How should I reheat this banana bread?

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.

Front view of a sliced loaf of banana bread.

More recipes with bananas

  • banana oat pancakes with sliced bananas on a white plate.
    Banana Oat Pancakes
  • Banana nut streusel muffin in a muffin pan.
    Banana Nut Streusel Muffins
  • banana apple cider donut with a bite taken out.
    Banana Apple Cider Donuts with Maple Glaze
  • A slice of banana coffee cake on a floral plate with a fork.
    Sour Cream Banana Coffee Cake
Cynthia from But First We Brunch writing down a brunch recipe.

Did you try this recipe?
Leave a comment with a ⭐️ rating below to tell me all about it, and don't forget to tag me on Instagram!
I appreciate you!
-Cynthia

📖 Recipe

Hand lifting a slice from a stack of banana bread slices.

One-Bowl Chocolate Chip Banana Bread

This One-Bowl Chocolate Chip Banana Bread is super moist and filled with chocolate chips to satisfy all your cravings at once and you can go from craving to eating in about 1 hour!
5 from 3 votes
Author: Cynthia Christensen
Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Prep Time 10 minutes mins
Cook Time 45 minutes mins
Total Time 55 minutes mins
Course Bread, Breakfast, Dessert, Snack
Cuisine American
Servings 12 slices
Calories 247 kcal

Equipment

  • Large whisk
  • 9 inch loaf pan
  • Parchment paper
Prevent your screen from going dark

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!

Notes

Note on Greek yogurt: When it comes to the liquid I use in baking, I sometimes make adjustments based on what I have in the fridge at the moment. You can absolutely use regular yogurt, buttermilk, sour cream, or kefir in place of the Greek yogurt, if that’s what you have on hand.
Calories: 247kcal | Carbohydrates: 37g | Protein: 5g | Fat: 9g | Saturated Fat: 3g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 4g | Monounsaturated Fat: 1g | Trans Fat: 0.004g | Cholesterol: 31mg | Sodium: 132mg | Potassium: 178mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 18g | Vitamin A: 59IU | Vitamin C: 2mg | Calcium: 72mg | Iron: 1mg

The nutritional and caloric information shown is an estimate provided by an online nutrition calculator. It does not assert or suggest that readers should or should not count calories, and should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s or doctor’s counseling.

Tried this recipe?I would love for you to leave a comment!

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Picture of the author with a banner, stating welcome to my blog I am Cynthia.

In our house we get up with the sun, and most of us don't stop working until late in the night, so breakfast and brunch are our family meals. So join me at the kitchen counter, where I cook up delicious food for my busy family, starting first thing in the morning!

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