Chocolate Chip Banana Bread

This chocolate chip banana bread is moist, soft, and loaded with mini chocolate chips! An easy, no-mixer recipe that’s absolutely delicious!

Hey, hi, hello, it’s me again with another way to use up your overripe, spotty bananas! I’m excited to share this recipe for chocolate chip banana bread with y’all because 1) it’s so stinking delicious and 2) it’s so stinking easy. No mixer required. Just you, a couple of bowls, a handful of ingredients, and a loaf pan. Oh, and your oven. You might need that. In fact, go ahead and get it preheated. I’ll wait.

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Okay back to this chocolate chip banana bread. I’m in love.

This loaf of banana bread is super moist, soft, packs some serious banana flavor, and of course the addition of mini chocolate chips makes everything better. I also use a little touch of cinnamon in this recipe because it plays so well with the banana and chocolate. Did I mention that this chocolate chip banana bread is moist? It’s moist. And you can thank sour cream for that. I love using sour cream in banana bread because it makes it so soft and tender without weighing it down or making it dense. You can use plain, full-fat yogurt if you’d rather.

For best results when making this chocolate chip banana bread, you’ll want to make sure you’re using the correct amount of banana. See my notes for all the deets on measuring your bananas the right way.

Alright, friends, get to baking! This chocolate chip banana bread will not disappoint!

What you’ll need to make this banana bread:

Flour: For structure.

Baking soda + baking powder: For leavening power.

Kosher salt: To balance out all the sweetness.

Ground cinnamon: Using a touch of cinnamon adds a nice warm flavor to this banana bread. It really plays well with the bananas and chocolate!

Bananas: While obviously adding delicious flavor, bananas also add moisture to this bread and act as a binder. The riper and spottier your bananas, the more flavorful the bread will be! Be sure to see my notes on how to best measure out the correct amount of bananas.

Sugar + brown sugar: Granulated sugar adds sweetness and creates a tender crumb, while the brown sugar adds a deeper flavor and moisture.

Butter: Melted butter adds moisture, flavor, and richness.

Eggs: For binding and structure.

Vanilla: For added flavor.

Sour cream: Using sour cream adds moisture without making the loaf too dense. Be sure to use full-fat sour cream. You can sub in plain, full-fat yogurt if that’s what you have on hand.

Mini chocolate chips: Because chocolate makes everything a little bit better. Be sure to use mini chocolate chips, not the regular kind.

FAQs:

Why is this recipe primarily listed in grams? I develop my recipes in grams because weighing your ingredients is the best, most accurate way to bake. Baking is a science and precision is key to success! Measuring cups are not standardized, and what’s more, the way each baker uses them varies drastically, which ultimately gives you inconsistent (and sometimes negative) results. For instance, did you know that scooping flour out of a cannister can give you 50% more flour than what’s called for in the recipe? By weighing your ingredients rather than using measuring cups, you can confidently know that you are using the correct amount of each ingredient, giving you greater success & delicious results. I highly recommend using a kitchen scale, like this one when you bake. Plus, it makes clean up a lot easier!

Can I use yogurt instead of sour cream? Yes, just be sure it’s full-fat, plain yogurt.

Can I use regular sized chocolate chips instead of mini? Unfortunately, no. I tried using regular chocolate chips, and they didn’t disperse well throughout the batter, which caused the banana bread to sink in the middle and not bake evenly. Stick with the mini chips!

A few notes before you bake:

The best way to measure bananas. Bananas can be kind of tricky to measure. Who is to say what a “medium-sized” banana really is anyhow? And getting the right amount of banana in banana bread is really important for getting good results. I recommend weighing the bananas (without the peel) to make sure you’re getting the correct amount. If you’re not using a kitchen scale to weigh your ingredients, mash the bananas first, then spoon the mashed bananas into measuring cups.

Be careful not to overwork the batter. After you add the banana to the mixture, be careful not to overwork the batter. Overworked bananas can lead to a gummy banana bread. Be sure to mix until ingredients are just incorporated.

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