My reader-favorite recipe for the best banana bread gets *fancy* with the addition of dark chocolate chips and raspberries. Each slice is incredibly moist, full of flavor, and bursting with sweet raspberries and chocolate in every bite. Enjoy a slice for a special breakfast treat or end your day on a high note with dark chocolate chip raspberry banana bread for dessert. A true anytime treat!
My recipes for banana bread and banana muffins are consistently in the top 10 most popular recipes on my website. And I mean top of the top… not just seasonally, not just of all my quick bread recipes or muffin recipes… I’m talking the favorite of more than 1,300 published recipes.
That sure says something!
When you have recipes that tasty, it only makes sense to create flavorful variations! And today’s dark chocolate raspberry version is one of my absolute favorites. (Like chocolate raspberry cake and banana bread combined. Swoon!)
All About Dark Chocolate Chip Raspberry Banana Bread
- Taste: Chocolate and berries are always an indulgent pairing, and taste unbelievable with the sweet, comforting notes of banana. A lovely trio!
- Texture: Thanks to a handful of powerhouse ingredients like mashed banana and Greek yogurt/sour cream, the bread is supremely moist with a tight crumb. Not quite as dense as lemon pound cake, but not quite as light as this chocolate chip loaf cake. Texture-wise, it’s situated perfectly in the middle.
- Time: Quick bread loaves typically take about an hour or more in the oven, and this loaf is no exception. However, all the prep leading up to bake time takes about 10 minutes—so most of the total time is hand-off.
One reader, Paige, commented: “What a wonderful combination of flavors! Every bite is different, yet always delicious.”
Key Ingredients to Use & Why
- Butter: Creamed butter gives the loaf structure and melt-in-your-mouth buttery flavor.
- Sugar: Just enough to sweeten the bread (the bananas provide some sweetness too).
- Eggs: These bind the ingredients, and also add a little richness.
- Greek Yogurt or Sour Cream: Plain Greek yogurt helps guarantee a moist, dense loaf. I use it quite a bit in my bread and muffin recipes, like these lemon blueberry muffins.
- Mashed Bananas: You want 4 large, extra-spotty bananas for best flavor. Just like I recommend for my cinnamon swirl banana bread, too.
- Vanilla Extract, Salt, and Cinnamon: Little bits of each promise plenty of flavor enhancement.
- Flour: To maintain the intended texture, I recommend all-purpose flour. If you’re looking for a whole wheat recipe, try my healthier whole wheat banana bread and feel free to add raspberries and dark chocolate to that recipe.
- Baking Soda: Helps the bread rise.
- Dark Chocolate Chips: I love using dark chocolate with raspberries, but semi-sweet is also delicious. Whatever type of chocolate you enjoy in your chocolate chip cookies, you’ll love here as well.
- Raspberries: If you can, reach for fresh raspberries. Frozen raspberries will release extra moisture in the batter and leave the bread a light shade of pink, no matter how gently you incorporate them. If using frozen, do not thaw, and know that your bread may take a few minutes longer in the oven due to the added moisture.
Success Tip: Mashing the Bananas
I started doing this a while ago and it’s been a total game changer whenever I make recipes like banana chocolate chip breakfast cookies, chocolate banana muffins, or chocolate marble banana Bundt cake. Just use your mixer to mash bananas! Peel the bananas, place in your mixer’s bowl, and beat until mashed. Transfer them to another bowl, then use the same mixing bowl to cream the butter and sugar together and proceed with the recipe.
If you’d rather not use the mixer, just mash the bananas in a big bowl with a fork or even a potato masher. You need 2 cups (460g) of mashed ripe bananas, which is about 4 large bananas.
Can I Use Frozen Bananas in This Dark Chocolate Chip Raspberry Banana Bread?
Yes, and I do this often. Thaw the frozen bananas at room temperature. Drain off any excess liquid, mash the thawed and drained bananas, then use as instructed in the recipe below. See How to Freeze & Thaw Bananas for Baking. Try not to mash too much or else you’ll be left with 2 cups of banana-y liquid; some chunks are great.
More Quick Bread Recipes
- Pumpkin Bread
- Cinnamon Swirl Quick Bread
- Apple Cinnamon Bread
- Nutella Swirl Peanut Butter Banana Bread
- Zucchini Bread & Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Zucchini Bread
And don’t forget about my savory sun-dried tomato and cheese quick bread!
Print
Dark Chocolate Chip Raspberry Banana Bread
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 70 minutes
- Total Time: 3 hours
- Yield: 1 loaf
- Category: Bread
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Description
My reader-favorite recipe for the best banana bread gets *fancy* with the addition of dark chocolate chips and juicy raspberries. Enjoy a slice for a special breakfast treat or end your day on a high note with dark chocolate chip raspberry banana bread for dessert. A true anytime treat!
Ingredients
- 2 cups (250g) all-purpose flour (spooned & leveled)
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/2 cup (8 Tbsp; 113g) unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
- 3/4 cup (150g) granulated sugar
- 2 large eggs, at room temperature
- 1/3 cup (80g) plain Greek yogurt or sour cream*
- 2 cups (460g) mashed bananas (about 4 large ripe bananas)
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 3/4 cup (135g) dark chocolate chips (or semi-sweet)
- 1 cup (150g) halved raspberries, tossed in 1 Tablespoon (8g) all-purpose flour to prevent sinking*
Instructions
- Adjust the oven rack to the lower-third position and preheat the oven to 350°F (177°C). Lowering the oven rack prevents the top of your bread from browning too much, too soon. Grease a metal 9×5-inch loaf pan with nonstick spray. Set aside.
- Whisk the flour, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon together in a medium bowl. Set aside.
- Using a handheld or stand mixer fitted with a paddle or whisk attachment, beat the butter and sugar together on high speed until smooth and creamy, about 2 minutes. With the mixer running on medium speed, add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Then beat in the yogurt, mashed bananas, and vanilla extract until combined.
- With the mixer running on low speed, slowly beat the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients until no flour pockets remain. Do not over-mix. Fold in the chocolate chips and floured raspberries.
- Pour and spread the batter into the prepared baking pan. Bake for 60–75 minutes, making sure to loosely cover the bread with aluminum foil halfway through to prevent the top from getting too brown. The bread is done when a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean with only a few small moist crumbs. This may be after 70 minutes depending on your oven, so begin checking every 5 minutes around the 60-minute mark.
- Remove banana bread from the oven and allow the bread to cool in the pan set on a wire rack for 1 hour. Remove bread from the pan and cool bread directly on the wire rack until ready to slice and serve.
- Cover and store banana bread at room temperature for 2 days or in the refrigerator for up to 1 week. Banana bread tastes best on day 2, after the flavors have settled together.
Notes
- Freezing Instructions: Freeze baked & cooled loaf for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator. If desired, bring to room temperature before serving. To learn more details about how to freeze quick breads, see my post called Make-Ahead Baking.
- Special Tools (affiliate links): 9×5-inch Loaf Pan | Electric Mixer (Handheld or Stand Mixer) | Mixing Bowls | Silicone Spatula | Cooling Rack
- Butter: If needed, you can use salted butter in this recipe with no other changes needed. I’ve also successfully reduced the butter down to 6 Tablespoons (85g) with no issue (just as tasty).
- Sugar: Feel free to substitute the same amount of light or dark brown sugar or coconut sugar. I do not recommend any liquid sweeteners.
- Yogurt: You can use nonfat or low-fat plain yogurt, Greek or regular. You can also use sour cream, either full-fat or low-fat.
- Raspberries: I prefer using fresh raspberries in this recipe because frozen berries tint the banana bread pink, no matter how gently you fold them in. The bread also takes longer to bake when using frozen berries due to their added moisture.
- Muffins: Use this banana bread recipe to make 2 dozen dark chocolate raspberry banana muffins. Pour the batter into lined or greased muffin pans and bake for 5 minutes at 425°F (218°C); then, keeping the muffins in the oven, reduce the oven temperature to 350°F (177°C). Bake for an additional 16–17 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. The total bake time for the muffins is about 22–23 minutes. The initial burst of hot air helps those muffins rise nice and tall!
- Frozen Bananas: You can use frozen bananas here. Thaw the frozen bananas. Drain off any excess liquid, mash, then use as instructed in the recipe. See How to Freeze & Thaw Bananas for Baking.
- Adapted from Recipe Boy
Reader Comments and Reviews
I don’t have yogurt or sour cream, could I make these and leave it out? Or is there something else that could be substituted?
What a wonderful combination of flavors! Every bite is different, yet always delicious. Thank you for sharing!
This is seriously the yummiest banana bread EVER. My husband and I are droooooling over it every time I make it!!
Yummy recipe . I made muffins , substituted fresh ,pitted , chopped cherries for the raspberry and baked at 350 for 18 min. Turned out Great ! Thanks for the recioe
I’m so excited to make this. It sounds so good. Can you use Cranraisins instead or raspberries?
Absolutely!
Delicious!! Such a good way to use up ingredients from the fridge like sour cream and raspberries! Very yummy
I’ve made this stacks of times and it’s my favourite banana bread recipe by far! My dad is pre-diabetic, so im planning on taking out the choc chip this time but what would be the minimum amount of sugar required to make this?
Hi Sarah, you can try slightly reducing the sugar, but keep in mind that it also plays an important role in the texture and structure of the baked good as well. Start small, and you can adjust as needed for future recipes. Hope your dad enjoys the bread!
I’ve got all my ingredients ready to try this recipe, but I only have one of those silicone-loaf pans. Will that work just as well as the aluminum pan? Would the time or temp change? (Oops, I may have posted this question on another recipe, but this is intended for the banana bread recipe)
Hi Jenny, We don’t have much experience baking with silicone pans, but they may take a bit longer to cook all the way through. Keep a close eye on them and use a toothpick to test for doneness. Happy baking!
Hi! I have fresh raspberries from my garden and am looking forward to baking this for friends. However one is gluten free. Do you know if I have to add or subtract anything g else to make it bake right if I use GF flour? (Clearly I’m a baking novice)
Hi Tiffany, we haven’t tested this recipe with gluten-free alternatives, but we’d love to know what you decide to try. Hope the bread is a hit with your friends!
10/10 for delish rating
This is absolutely lovely, especially for breakfast with cream cheese on top.
I made this today as an Eid gift for my friend. It looks beautiful and my kitchen smells divine. I used cherries instead of raspberries and some brown sugar sprinkled on the top. It looks like heaven. Thank you Sally.
Hello from Australia, Sally! I love your recipes and blog. I have been struggling with the times and baking temp with the recipes. I was wondering if you can please advise if 177 degrees C is in a fan forced or non fan forced oven?
Hi Sally! All of the recipes on this site are written for conventional settings. Convection ovens are fantastic for cooking and roasting. If you have the choice, we recommend conventional settings when baking cakes, breads, etc. The flow of air from convection heat can cause baked goods to rise and bake unevenly and it also pulls moisture out of the oven. If you do use convection settings for baking, lower your temperature by 25 degrees F and keep in mind that things may still take less time to bake.
Not yet made, however I promised to make banana bread for our primary election day at the polls and this sounds ‘Yummy’….. I have all the ingredients, so guess what I’m making… Wish me luck….. Im gviing it 5 stars just on the basis of the other comments and the list of ingredjoJents….. One question though. I have to bake it in my combination toaster oven/convecton oven… Do I need to change the temp or baking time?? Thanks. Jiovanna
Hi Jiovanna, we suggest lower your temperature by 25 degrees F and keep in mind that things may still take less time to bake. Hope you love this bread!
Made this recipes as muffins last night and they turned out amazing! I only had frozen raspberries, so instead of folding them into the batter, I gently pressed 2-3 berries into the muffin tops before baking. They retained the perfect amount of moisture!
I wish I could post a photo, they turned out beautifully!
Hey Sally, love your best chocolate chip cookie recipe and basic banana bread, so naturally I came here to look for a chocolate chip cherry recipe.
This one popped up and while it sounds wonderful, I have cherries. I assume I could sub the raspberries with fresh pitted cherries?
Yes, absolutely! I recommend chopping the fresh cherries before adding to the batter.
Made this today and it is fantastic! Do you have the nutritional facts for it?
Hi Lauren, I’m unsure of the nutritional info of this recipe, but there are many great online calculators like this one: https://recipes.sparkpeople.com/recipe-calculator.asp
This is the best banana bread ever!!! It is very moist and the blueberries with chocolate go really very well together, and make it delicious I reduced the amount of sugar by half and it was still sweet enough, thanks to the ripen bananas. Amazing and easy recipe loved by the whole family! Thanks a lot, will be making again and again!
I’m obsessed with this recipe, the banana bread base is amazing alone, and the berries only make it taste better! One of my favourite recipes to bake ever- it’ll never get old!
This is honestly my favourite sweet bread recipe for the last 9 months now. It’s great because is lasts long in the fridge and is perfect for school lunch. We make it with various fruits: frozen, fresh or dried.
I made this a couple months ago as part of a brunch I hosted for my family and it was, by far, the favorite food there. the flavors are complimentary and rich but not overbearing. I have to make this again!
I didn’t LOVE this bread. I thought the raspberries made it too moist, however I did like the base of the bread with chocolate. Perhaps I would try it again with blueberries? Or just bananas and chocolate chips.
You can certainly use blueberries or just keep it at chocolate chips! If you want to use raspberries try patting them dry before adding them and that should help!
So delicious! I made this today at high altitude (7300 ft). I used 3/4 cup whole wheat flour and 1 and 1/4 cup white flour. It is huge and beautiful, very moist and sticks together perfectly!
This banana bread definitely vies for first place for me (it goes back and forth between this and your Nutella Swirled PB banana bread). It’s so moist and delicious and I LOVE the combo of raspberries and dark chocolate. You’re truly a baking genius!
Do you prefer using light or dark brown sugar for this recipe?
Hi Amanda! Either work great- for intensified flavor I love dark brown sugar 🙂
Hi Sally
I loved your recipe for the banana bread
It was my first attempt to baking and it was a super awesome experience..Everyone loved the banana bread..
Thanks for sharing !!
Made this yesterday with fresh picked raspberries from my dad’s patch and it turned out fantastic! Very moist, but not heavy. Raspberries and chocolate chips distributed well. beautiful loaf – mine looked almost as good as your pics! Thanks for the recipe!
I just made these tonight and they are to die for!!! I added some extra chocolate chips and I was able to make 24 muffins from this recipe. Thank you for sharing!
HEy sally! I’m a big fan of your recipes. Made this today without the rasberries. The bread was risen when I first took it out of the oven but then after a while it lost its shape. What could be the reason for this?
Hi Zahra! Under-baking. That’s usually the culprit behind loaves sinking.
Hi Leslie! I haven’t tried it, but I can’t see why not. Applesauce is a little thinner than mashed banana, so the bread may be a little too moist inside. Let me know what you try.