Made in one bowl, this moist chocolate chip banana bread is the best ever! Supremely tender thanks to plenty of very ripe and chunky bananas, this banana bread has irresistible gooey chocolate in every bite!
Moist.
What a polarizing word.
What is it about this adjective that gets people’s skin crawling so much? I’ve personally always enjoyed it, simply because it’s so closely associated with delicious foods.
Moist scrambled eggs. Moist macaroni and cheese. Moist chocolate cake.
Moist banana bread – which is what you’re here for, right?
This page includes step by step instructions, as well as tips and notes. If you’d like to skip all that, feel free to scroll down to the full, printable recipe card at the bottom of the post. There is also a “jump to recipe” button at the top of the page if you’d rather not exercise your scrolling finger!
If there’s one treat Abe is eternally obsessed with and ready to devour, it’s banana bread.
Of every loaf I’ve ever made, he has destroyed 3/4 of all of them. So, I mean, at least I get a couple slices – but I do usually have to sneak mine before he realizes that it’s in the house.
My favorite banana bread of all time is a blueberry coconut version, but this one is an extremely close second.
It’s incredibly moist and banana-flavored, thanks to using 4 (blackened) ripe bananas. This also makes it dense and pretty close-textured, which is my preferred kind of banana bread.
And of course, there’s the chocolate. It’s everywhere. Usually, I save the chocolate-banana combo for treats like these easy oatmeal banana cookies, but those little chips work so well here.
Chocolate truly just makes everything better.
Ingredients
Just about every ingredient in this moist chocolate chip banana bread is a pantry staple – the only thing you might need to wait on is your bananas ripening!
- Overripe bananas – I’m talking the spottiest ones, the nearly blackened ones. The uglier the better, because the more they ripen, the sweeter they are!
- Brown and granulated sugar – even with the sweetness of the bananas and chocolate, you need to help them out with some sugar. I like using both types in my banana breads, but you can definitely get away with using one or the other, as well as cutting back on the amounts if you like your banana bread a little less sweet.
- Butter – softened to room temperature. Unsalted is best to control the salt levels, but if you only have salted, just cut the salt you add down to a pinch.
- Eggs – large, and room temperature, as always, for best incorporation into the batter.
- Vanilla extract – or vanilla bean paste for a little extra something.
- All-purpose flour – sub in a 1:1 gluten free flour here if you’d like.
- Baking soda and baking powder
- Kosher salt
- Chocolate chips – mini chips melt together beautifully here, but use what you have. Chocolate chunks would be heavenly!
For exact ingredient measurements and recipe instructions, scroll down to the recipe card at the bottom of the post!
How to make moist chocolate chip banana bread
- First, preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease a 9×5 loaf pan and set aside.
- Next, in a large bowl, use a hand mixer to cream together butter and sugars for 2-3 minutes, until well combined and fluffy.
- Then, add in the eggs and vanilla and mix well. Add ripe bananas, mashing the bananas into the bowl, leaving some larger chunks behind. Mix well, but really try to keep some of those banana chunks whole.
- Next, sift the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt over the wet ingredients. Use a spoon or spatula to mix everything until it’s just combined, but do not over mix. Fold in the chocolate chips.
- Finally, pour the batter into the prepared loaf pan. Bake the banana bread for 55-65 minutes, or until the loaf is set and a knife inserted in the center of the loaf comes out clean.
- Allow the bread to cool for at least 20 minutes before serving. If not serving immediately, wrap the still warm bread in plastic wrap, ensuring that it stays moist longer.
FAQ
How do you prevent chocolate chips from sinking in banana bread?
It can be so disappointing to see your gorgeous banana bread look not so pretty on the inside if your chocolate chips fall the the bottom of the bread pan.
Luckily, this is easy to avoid! I love to use mini chocolate chips in this recipe – they’re light and have an easier time staying suspended in the batter.
If you’ve got larger chips or even chunks of chocolate, just toss them with a couple tablespoons of flour prior to folding them into the batter. This is a great tip to apply to all kinds of add-ins in the future, from nuts to fruit.
What’s the best way to keep banana bread moist?
As I mentioned, using very ripe bananas will give you the best flavor and texture. As bananas ripen and the fruit breaks down in the skin, the sugar content rises. For most people, they’re not suitable to eat that way, but that cloying banana flavor makes for perfect bread.
After baking the banana bread, allow it to cool in the pan for 15-20 minutes, then move it to a cooling rack for a while longer. The key to maintaining the moisture is to wrap it in plastic wrap while it’s still warm. The plastic traps the moisture inside and keeps it from drying out.
We keep our banana bread on the counter, but a lot of people prefer to refrigerate it. Now, banana bread never lasts more than a couple days in our house, which is the max it will safely keep there with this method.
The extra moisture inside the plastic wrap will absolutely cause the bread to mold faster! If you want to store it longer, pop it – wrapped – in the fridge after it cools. It will last about 1 week in there, so you can nibble to your heart’s delight.
And if that’s what you end up doing, please…tell me how? One slice is never enough for us.
HELPFUL KITCHEN TOOLS FOR MAKING BANANA BREAD:
LOOKING FOR MORE RECIPES USING RIPE BANANAS?
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Moist Chocolate Chip Banana Bread
Ingredients
- ½ cup unsalted butter softened
- ½ cup brown sugar
- ¼ cup granulated sugar
- 2 eggs room temperature
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 3-4 overripe bananas
- 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 cup chocolate chips plus more for sprinkling
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease a 9×5 metal loaf pan and set aside.
- In a large bowl, use a hand mixer to cream together butter and sugars for 2-3 minutes, until well combined and fluffy.
- Add in the eggs and vanilla and mix well. Add ripe bananas, mashing the bananas into the bowl, leaving some larger chunks. Mix well, but try to keep some of those banana chunks whole.
- Sift the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt over the wet ingredients. Use a spoon or spatula to mix everything until it’s just combined – do not over mix. Fold in the chocolate chips.
- Pour the batter into the prepared loaf pan. Bake for 55-65 minutes, or until the bread is set and a knife inserted in the center of the loaf comes out clean.
- Allow the bread to cool for at least 20 minutes before serving. If not serving immediately, wrap the still warm bread in plastic wrap, ensuring that it stays moister longer.
Chelsea says
This has become a staple in my house since I’ve started making it. I always have to make two loaves at a time because it’s such a perfect breakfast or snack item. It’s also such a hit with friends and co-workers. The instructions were easy to follow and I’ve yet to make a bad bread with this recipe.