Imagine a piece of indulgently rich chocolate cake paired with a flavorful slice of banana bread. Here we’re getting two fabulous baked goods together in one. This double chocolate banana bread is extra moist, undeniably fudge-like, and can satisfy even the biggest chocolate craving. It’s easy to make, too!
One reader, Katie, commented: “Amazing! I don’t think I can have banana bread any other way now. You still have the classic banana bread flavor but with the added chocolate. It’s moist and airy. So good! PS: slightly warm with some vanilla ice cream… OMG! ★★★★★“
I’ve made chocolate banana bread a few times over the past several years and have never been “wowed.” I really wanted to develop a recipe that delivered a decadent chocolate flavor with a moist, dense texture. After several tries, I landed on today’s chocolate chip-studded beauty, a loaf that lives up to my very popular and deeply loved classic banana bread recipe.
Here’s Why You’ll Love This Chocolate Banana Bread
- Uses simple, basic baking ingredients
- Batter comes together easily
- Stays moist for days, and also freezes well
- Dense, but not-too-heavy crumb
- Substantial chocolate flavor that doesn’t overpower the banana
- An anytime treat—enjoy with coffee, in the afternoon, or for dessert
Key Ingredients to Use & Why
Let me share a brief rundown of the ingredients you need and the purpose of each. Remember, baking is a science, and the select ingredients play a crucial role in the texture, moisture, flavor, and structure of your baked goods. I use many of the following ingredients in my double chocolate zucchini bread, too.
- Flour: Doesn’t seem like a lot of flour, and you’re right, it’s not. Keep in mind there’s also cocoa powder. Most of the volume in this batter comes from the banana.
- Cocoa Powder: Use unsweetened natural cocoa powder, not Dutch-process. Natural cocoa is an acidic ingredient and important in this recipe. Read about the difference between Dutch-process vs. natural cocoa powder.
- Softened Butter: Creaming softened butter with sugar provides a sturdy base for this double chocolate banana bread. Make sure your butter is room temperature, and not melted in the slightest. Remember, room-temperature butter means cool to the touch.
- Sour Cream or Yogurt: Adds moisture.
- Ripe Bananas: This recipe requires 4 medium or 3 large ripe bananas—the riper, the better. You can use thawed frozen bananas, too. See How to Freeze & Thaw Bananas for Baking. If you run out of bananas, you can substitute in some applesauce; I’d say up to 1/2 cup is a safe amount that won’t really affect the flavor or texture.
- Hot Water: Kind of random, right? Well, hot liquid helps cocoa powder bloom, or begin to release its flavor. Today’s batter was really thick, too, and I wanted a touch of liquid to thin it out.
You also need some basics like baking soda, salt, chocolate chips, sugar, eggs, and vanilla.
Behind the Recipe Testing
I originally began making the bread with vegetable oil because cocoa powder can be very drying and oil brings more moisture than butter. I use oil in my chocolate cake and cream-filled chocolate cupcakes (two favorites!), so it seemed like the best choice. Every loaf was simply too light—it’s hard to describe, but the flavor did not match the texture. With the big, bold flavors of chocolate and banana, a light-crumbed baked good just doesn’t cut it! Once I switched to butter, it was easy to make a few tweaks to produce the delicious loaf you see today. I’d say creamed butter, sour cream, and hot water are game changers with this one.
Expect a thick batter and use a 9×5-inch loaf pan; an 8×4-inch pan is too small.
The chocolate banana bread takes about 60 to 65 minutes to bake. Begin checking for doneness at 60 minutes using a toothpick; if it comes out mostly clean with only a few moist crumbs, the bread is done.
You don’t have to wait too long for this quick bread to cool; at least 1 to 2 hours is enough. Just wait until you slice into the warm loaf with all those melty chocolate chips inside.
And my last piece of advice: try a slice with a generous swipe of peanut butter! Then go try this peanut butter chocolate chip zucchini bread next. 🙂
Yes, you can use frozen bananas in this recipe. Thaw the frozen bananas. Drain off any excess liquid, mash, then use as instructed below. See How to Freeze & Thaw Bananas for Baking.
Yes, absolutely. I have detailed instructions in the recipe Notes below.
There isn’t enough batter, and I haven’t tested scaling the recipe up. Instead, I recommend using my extremely similar, scaled-up recipe for chocolate marble banana Bundt cake.
Other Favorite Banana Recipes:
- Banana Cake & Banana Cupcakes
- Banana Cream Pie
- Banana Muffins & Blueberry Banana Muffins
- Banana Chocolate Chip Streusel Muffins
- Peanut Butter Banana Muffins
Double Chocolate Banana Bread
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 1 hour
- Total Time: 2 hours, 15 minutes (includes slight cooling)
- Yield: 1 loaf
- Category: Bread
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Description
This double chocolate banana bread is moist and fudge-like, and comes together quickly with a couple bowls and a loaf pan. See recipe Notes for freezing instructions and how to turn the loaf into chocolate banana muffins.
Ingredients
- 1 and 1/4 cups (156g) all-purpose flour (spooned & leveled)
- 1/2 cup (41g) unsweetened natural cocoa powder (not Dutch process)
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 3/4 cup (135g) semi-sweet chocolate chips, plus 2 Tablespoons (22g) for topping
- 1/2 cup (8 Tbsp; 113g) unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
- 3/4 cup (150g) granulated sugar
- 2 large eggs, at room temperature
- 1/4 cup (60g) plain yogurt or sour cream, at room temperature
- 1 and 1/2 cups (345g) mashed bananas (about 4 medium or 3 large ripe bananas)
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 2 Tablespoons (30ml) hot water
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F (177°C). Grease a 9×5-inch loaf pan with nonstick spray. Set aside.
- In a large bowl, whisk the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt together until combined. Mix in 3/4 cup (135g) chocolate chips. 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 3 minutes. (Here’s a helpful tutorial if you need guidance on how to cream butter and sugar.) 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. Add the dry ingredients and hot water, and beat on low speed until combined. Batter is thick. Do not over-mix.
- Pour and spread the batter into the prepared baking pan. Sprinkle remaining chocolate chips on top, down the center of the loaf.
- Bake for 60–65 minutes, making sure to loosely cover the bread with aluminum foil halfway through to prevent the top from drying out. 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 60–65 minutes depending on your oven, so begin checking around the 60-minute mark, at 5-minute intervals.
- Remove the bread from the oven and allow it to cool in the pan set on a wire rack for at least 1 to 2 hours before removing, slicing, and serving.
- Cover and store bread at room temperature for 5 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, tightly wrapped, 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 or this 9×5-inch Loaf Pan| Glass Mixing Bowls | Whisk | Silicone Spatula | Cooling Rack
- Chocolate Banana Muffins: You can try these whole wheat healthier chocolate banana muffins, or turn today’s more decadent batter into muffins. To do so, preheat oven to 425°F (218°C) and spray a muffin pan with nonstick spray or line with cupcake liners. Prepare batter as directed above, fill each liner to the top with batter and bake the muffins for 5 minutes at 425°F (218°C). Then, keeping the muffins in the oven, lower the temperature to 350°F (177°C) and continue to bake for an additional 14–15 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Makes 12–16 muffins.
- Can I Use Whole Wheat Flour? Yes, you can replace the all-purpose flour with whole wheat flour with no other changes needed. The loaf will taste denser.
- Cocoa Powder: Use natural cocoa powder, not Dutch-process. See Dutch-process vs natural cocoa powder for more information.
- Chocolate Chips: Don’t leave these out! They sweeten the bread and give the bread more chocolate flavor.
- Sour Cream or Yogurt: I usually use sour cream or nonfat plain Greek yogurt. For the yogurt, you can use full-fat, low-fat, or even vanilla Greek yogurt instead. Or use regular plain yogurt.
- 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. Try not to mash too much or else you’ll be left with 2 cups of banana-y liquid; some chunks are great.
Reader Comments and Reviews
I made an ice cream sandwich out of two thin slices and it was amazing.
I don’t know how long this bread stays moist because it never lasts longer than a day. It does get even better overnight. I made it exactly as the recipe was written, it’s outstanding!
This is the moistest banana bread ever. I made it exactly as written, except that I realized I was out of eggs halfway through making it. I subbed in applesauce (1/4 cup per egg) and it came out really great! My family is dazzled by this very chocolatey, gooey delicious loaf!
Could I use brown sugar instead of granulated sugar? I usually prefer the taste
Hi Ellie, that should work just fine here. Enjoy!
My son-in-law says this is the best chocolate banana bread he has ever had! I now make it as a special treat for him whenever I see him!
This recipe rocks. I went by the letter. The sour cream does great things for the taste and texture. Thank you for posting it.
This recipe is absolutely the most moist and flavorful banana bread. It tasted better and better each day. However, it didn’t last that many days, it was eaten up.
This is definitely the best ever way to use up ripe bananas. The cake is moist and rich in dark chocolat taste. I made it twice already and it is now in my “Best Ever Recipes” binder. I like to serve it with a fresh raspberry sauce. Absolutely wonderful and no changes to the recipe.
I made a few changes to make it dairy free: subbed the yogurt for canned pumpkin, used hersheys special dark chocolate chips, used vegan butter, and used hot coffee instead of hot water.
Super moist & flavorful!
My entire family enjoyed this recipe!
Thank you!
I just made the muffins. Delicious! Can you bake this recipe in mini loaf pans? If so, at what temperature and for how long? Thank you .
Hi Patti, absolutely! Bake time will vary depending on the exact size of your mini loaf pans, so keep a close eye on them and use a toothpick to test for doneness. You can bake the loaves at 350 degrees for the entire time.
This recipe has a strong banana flavor for banana bread. I did purée the bananas before adding it the recipe. I topped my slice of bread with peanut butter to balance out the flavors.
I’ve made this recipe twice now, and both times my family has absolutely gone CRAZY over it! The texture is amazing, and it has the perfect ratio of chocolate to banana flavor!
Oh my word! This is the best banana chocolate loaf in the world!! My family and I absolutely loved it!!
OMGoodness! This is a great recipe and one that I will use repeatedly! When I first took it out of the oven, I thought I undercooked it but it was just right. You don’t want this to bake a minute longer than it needs to because it will lose is moisture and “fudgey” quality. This is definitely a keeper recipe.
What is the spread that you put on top in the picture
Peanut butter!
Love this recipe! I used half milk and half dark chocolate which was just perfect! I also did a version with walnuts in it which is also super yummy! A new favourite – also with the crowds.
Love this recipe! I used half milk and half dark chocolate which was just perfect! I also did a version with walnuts in it which is also super yummy! A new favourite – also with the crowds.
Made this recipe last week and it did not disappoint!! It was perfect and I loved the texture.
This was amazing. Saving this to make again.
I’d been wanting to bake this since I saw the recipe, and boy did it not disappoint! It was absolutely delicious, almost like a brownie and banana bread crossover, and in my dad’s words (who is a very picky person), the best cake he’d ever had. I used about 70/80 grams of brown sugar and the rest normal sugar, and also added in a pinch of cinnamon. Highly recommend!
The best! I have already made this three times, twice into bread and once into muffins. So moist and delicious! Perfect! Huge hit !
This came out great on first try…not sure if it was the organic bananas or not but, the banana flavour really shines thru. Very moist and chocolatey…dusted top with powdered sugar. Very happy with results. Thanks again Sally!
Too much chocolate/not enough banana flavor. Also, it wasn’t as moist as I expected. Disappointing result.
Hi Jaie, thank you for your feedback.
Just made two loaves of this and I don’t have time to put the one in the oven to bake. Will the dough be okay in the fridge over night and baked tomorrow? Do I have to increase the temp on the oven?
Hi Kam, We don’t recommend it. Because the leaveners are activated when wet and dry ingredients are mixed together, it’s best to bake the bread shortly thereafter.
When you refer to hot water, around what temperature are you looking for? Is the hottest from the sink okay?
Hi Eric, that will be just fine! It doesn’t need to be boiling—hot water from the sink will work.
YES!! Delicious and so moist! Will definitely be making this again.
This was so good! Moist for days!
Amazing! I don’t think I can have banana bread any other way now. You still have the classic banana bread flavor, but with the added chocolate. It’s moist and airy. So good! P.S. slightly warm with some vanillla ice cream …omg!
Hands down the best Chocolate Banana bread! It was moist, had a nice banana flavor with chocolate. I had it for breakfast, snack and for dessert. I can’t wait to make this again. And it comes together easily too. Love this recipe so much! Thanks Sally!
Very delicious. Followed exactly other than not having and chocolate chips and chopped up peanuts and sprinkled down the center of the top.
100% will be making again
I am soo excited to try this recipe! I was just wondering why you said not to use Dutch process, since I don’t have natural cocoa. Thank you for another great recipe I can’t wait to try!
Hi Molly, Natural cocoa is an acidic ingredient and important in this recipe. You can read about the difference between Dutch-process vs. natural cocoa powder here!
This recipe sounds absolutely fabulous! I can’t wait to try it! I was wondering if I could use gluten-free flower? Is it also possible to use milk chocolate chip chips? Thank you.
Hi Lydia, we haven’t tried this recipe with gluten free flour, but let us know how it turns out if you do!