Chocolate Chip Banana Bread with Walnuts tastes like a warm hug feels. The melted chocolate chips and mashed banana make for a moist, sweet bread, while the chopped walnuts add just the right amount of texture and nuttiness. When life gives you brown bananas, make banana bread!
Chocolate Chip Banana Bread can be enjoyed as a breakfast treat or with a scoop of ice cream for dessert. It’s the perfect breakfast if you are on the go. In fact, we used to enjoy a slice of banana bread with a Yeti full of hot tea on our morning commute. What makes driving down Market Street more enjoyable than dessert for breakfast?
If you are looking for other chocolatey sweets, try our Chocolate Chip Walnut Cookies and Chocolate Brioche Bread Pudding.
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Why You'll Love This Banana Bread
- Flavor - The bread is decadent and the cinnamon sugar topping adds warm fall flavors.
- Texture - The bread is moist and the topping adds a light crunch.
- Effort - All you need to do is mix the ingredients then bake.
- Time - It takes about 10 minutes to mix the ingredients including the cinnamon sugar topping then about 50 minutes to bake everything.
Old Bananas? Yes, Please!
We came up with this banana bread recipe as a means to use any leftover uneaten bananas. Instead of throwing overly ripened bananas in the compost, we used them up the tastiest way possible to make our favorite banana bread recipe. As always, chocolate chips are involved and we don’t need to explain why.
Chocolate Chip Banana Bread is Easy
We often hear people say they’re cooks, but not bakers. Guess what? You can be both! Like stovetop recipes, baked goods recipes range from super simple to complex. If you’re dipping your toe in the water for the first time, we recommend you start with our banana bread. You will impress yourself, your tastebuds, and the friends you share the loaf with. Once you've made banana bread, it will open the door to other baked goods!
Key Ingredients
- Over Ripened Bananas - Use over-ripened bananas where the peels are nearly dark brown. This is typically one week after the bananas are ripe.
- Ripened banana - The ripened banana provides a rich blast of banana flavor and sweetness.
- Vanilla extract - Vanilla adds complexity and sweetness to the bread. For a stronger vanilla flavor, use vanilla bean paste.
- Butter - Butter adds flavor, a higher rise, and a crisper crust.
- Egg - binds the ingredients together. Use a room temperature egg so it spreads evenly in the bread dough.
- Ground cinnamon - Cinnamon provides the distinct sweet taste to both the bread and cinnamon crust.
- Granulated and Brown Sugar - Granulated sugar adds sweetness and brown sugar adds moistness to the bread and cinnamon crust.
- All-purpose flour - Flour is the foundation for the bread.
- Baking soda and powder - baking soda helps the banana bread dough spread and baking powder helps make the bread tender.
- Chocolate chips - We recommend semi-sweet chocolate chunks or chips because they are the perfect combination of sweet and rich.
- Walnuts - Walnuts add a crunchy and rich texture to the bread.
Substitutions
- Gluten free - use gluten free all-purpose flour to make this gluten free. We recommend this gluten free flour for the best results.
- Vanilla bean paste - use vanilla bean paste instead of vanilla extract for a richer vanilla flavor.
- Dark chocolate Chips - if you prefer the intensely flavored and lightly bitter taste of dark chocolate, use dark chocolate chips or chunks instead of semi-sweet.
- Buttery Streusel Topping - Try our Streusel Crumb Topping for a more decadent cinnamon topping.
Variations
- Extra chocolatey - If you want to make the loaf even more chocolatey, add another half cup of chocolate chips or chunks to the dough.
- Mini Chocolate Chips - You can use mini chocolate chips if you prefer the texture to larger chocolate chips or chunks.
- No nuts - If you are allergic to walnuts or simply don't like the taste, you can omit them.
- Less banana flavor - Omit the sliced banana on top of the loaf for a more subtle banana flavor.
- Muffins - Try our Pumpkin Banana Chocolate Chip Muffins for a similarly delicious yet slightly different tasting treat.
How to Make Banana Bread
- Pre-heat the Oven - Heat the oven at 350°F.
- Mash the ripened bananas then add wet ingredients - First, in a large mixing bowl, mash the over-ripened bananas. Then, using a spatula, fold in the melted butter, vanilla, sugar, and cinnamon. Add in the egg and mix until homogeneous.
- Mix dry ingredients then add to wet ingredients - In separate mixing bowl, whisk flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt until well-mixed. Fold the flour mixture into the wet ingredients until just mixed. Then, fold in the chocolate chips and walnuts.
- Make the Cinnamon Sugar Mixture - In a small mixing bowl, mix ½ teaspoon salt, ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon, ½ tablespoon granulated sugar, and ½ tablespoon brown sugar until well-mixed. Set aside.
- Pour the batter into baking pan - After, pour batter into a greased loaf pan and smooth with a spatula. Press the sliced bananas flat side up into the batter. Dust the top of the batter and bananas with the cinnamon sugar.
- Bake then allow to cool before serving - Place in the oven and bake for 50 minutes. Remove from oven and cool for 10-15 minutes. Using a butter knife, cut around the perimeter of the loaf to separate the bread from the pan. Turn the pan upside down onto a plate. Turn the loaf right-side up and slice.
Hint - Make sure the baking pan is greased but not too greasy before pouring the batter. To ensure we find the right balance, we place a little olive oil on a paper towel then thoroughly rub the pan with the paper towel to spread the grease.
Storage
Store the banana chocolate chip bread in an air-tight container or place banana bread back in loaf pan with foil over the top. Keep in a cool, dry place for up to 5-7 days.
Top Tip
If you are unsure whether the banana bread is completely baked, pierce the loaf with a knife then take out the knife. If the knife has any batter or ingredients stuck to it, the bread needs to continue baking.
Similar Recipes
If you love this chocolate banana bread, we recommend checking out our:
- Pumpkin Scones with Miso Glaze
- Matcha Cookies
- Peanut Butter and Carrot Cupcakes for Dogs (Pupcakes)
- Butterscotch Chocolate Chip Cookies
Did You Like This Recipe?
Love this easy chocolate chip banana bread recipe? Please leave a 5-star rating in the recipe card below & consider leaving a comment below. Thanks!
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📖 Recipe
Chocolate Chip Banana Bread with Walnuts
Equipment
- 1 knife
Ingredients
Banana Bread
- 2 over-ripened bananas
- 1 ripened banana cut in half lengthwise
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- 4 tablespoon butter melted
- 1 egg room temperature
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ¼ cup brown sugar
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- 1 ½ cup all-purpose flour
- ½ cup chocolate chips
- ½ cup walnuts chopped
Cinnamon Sugar Topping
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ tablespoon granulated sugar
- ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ½ tablespoon brown sugar
Instructions
- Pre-heat the Oven - Heat the oven at 350°F.
- Mash the ripened bananas then add wet ingredients - First, in a large mixing bowl, mash the over-ripened bananas. Then, using a spatula, fold in the melted butter, vanilla, sugar, and cinnamon. Add in the egg and mix until homogeneous.2 over-ripened bananas, 1 tablespoon vanilla extract, 4 tablespoon butter, 1 egg, 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon, ½ cup granulated sugar, ¼ cup brown sugar
- Mix dry ingredients then add to wet ingredients - In separate mixing bowl, whisk flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt until well-mixed. Fold the flour mixture into the wet ingredients until just mixed. Then, fold in the chocolate chips and walnuts.1 teaspoon salt, 1 teaspoon baking soda, ½ teaspoon baking powder, 1 ½ cup all-purpose flour, ½ cup chocolate chips, ½ cup walnuts
- Make the Cinnamon Sugar Mixture - In a small mixing bowl, mix ½ teaspoon salt, ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon, ½ tablespoon granulated sugar, and ½ tablespoon brown sugar until well-mixed. Set aside.½ teaspoon salt, ½ tablespoon granulated sugar, ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon, ½ tablespoon brown sugar
- Pour the batter into baking pan - Pour batter into a greased baking pan and smooth with a spatula. Press the sliced bananas flat side up into the batter. Â Dust the top of the batter and bananas with the cinnamon sugar.1 ripened banana
- Bake then allow to cool before serving - Place in the oven and bake for 50 minutes. Â Remove from oven and cool for 10-15 minutes. Using a butter knife, cut around the perimeter of the loaf to separate the bread from the pan. Turn the pan upside down onto a plate. Â Turn the loaf right-side up and slice.
Robin
This was DELICIOUS! I couldn't find my loaf pan, so I made it in a small bundt pan using the same baking time. The only thing that I thought would be an issue would be that the topping and the halved bananas would now be on the bottom rather than the top, but it's actually a nice surprise to get that soft banana at the bottom.
Megan
This recipe is one of my favorite indulgences. Great for breakfast, a snack, or dessert!