Banana bread is something that has been baked more than anything else in the past 12 months for sure. Well, I’ve had it on my list for a while now too and since I love chocolate, I ended up with a Chocolate Banana Bread.
My goal this year is to make healthier recipes more often, so I went for a healthier version here, which means I used almond flour, coconut sugar, peanut butter and oat milk, along with other ingredients.
If you have a chocolate craving, this banana bread will satisfy it. Intense, dark and super flavorful with chocolate chunks on top and inside the bread so you can taste it in every single bite.
You do not need much equipment for this chocolate banana bread, in other words, no mixer – just a bowl, a whisk and a spatula. Plus, the recipe is really easy to make.
Tools & Equipment
- 23x 13cm / 9×5-inch loaf pan
- Fork
- Medium bowl
- Parchment Paper
- Silicone spatula
- Whisk
- Wire rack
Recipe Tips
Bananas: use ripe or overripe bananas. The riper the bananas, the sweeter and stronger the flavor. Sometimes it is difficult to get very ripe bananas. So here’s what you can do: freeze “normal” ripe bananas and keep them in the freezer for at least 2-3 days, where they will turn brown-black. When you need ripe bananas, take them out of the freezer and let them thaw in the fridge overnight.
Almond Flour: I used deoiled almond flour for this banana bread. If you use almond flour containing oil (it contains about 35g fat/100g), you can omit the 150g of oat milk. If you do not have or like almond flour, you can use hazelnut flour or oat flour, then leave out the oat milk as well.
Peanut Butter: you can swap the peanut butter in this recipe for any other nut butter, such as almond butter or cashew butter.
Baking Powder: this recipe contains 12g of baking powder, which seems like a lot at first. I did not use regular flour here, but only almond flour. Considering that almond flour is very heavy, it therefore needs some help to rise properly during baking.
Ingredients for Chocolate Banana Bread
Step by Step Guide – How to Make Chocolate Banana Bread
Preheat the oven to 180°C / 350°F. Line the loaf pan with parchment and leave an overhang on the sides. Peel the bananas and mash them with a fork.
Add the eggs, peanut butter and coconut sugar and whisk to combine.
Add almond flour, cocoa powder, baking powder and salt to the wet ingredients and whisk. This is a very stiff batter. Add the oat milk and mix with a spatula until everything is combined.
Fold in most of the chocolate chips, save some for later. Pour the batter into the prepared loaf pan and smooth it out with the spatula.
Drizzle some peanut butter on top, sprinkle with chocolate chips and place slices of banana on top. Bake for 45-50 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out almost clean. Remove from oven and let cool in the pan for about 20 minutes, then cool completely on a wire rack.
Storage: you can store this chocolate banana bread in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 4 days and in the fridge for up to one more week. Freezing: wrap the banana bread tightly and freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw at room temperature or in the fridge overnight and reheat in the oven for a few minutes at 160°C / 320°F.
My Summary for Chocolate Banana Bread
Difficulty: simple.
Taste: this banana bread has a very rich chocolate taste. Next time I will use more bananas, as for me the banana flavor did not stand out as much, it was overpowered by the chocolate. The almond flour is very present, the flavor reminds me of marzipan.
Texture: due to the almond flour, the banana bread is not so fluffy, but a bit more compact. The chocolate chunks in the bread loosen it up and add a creamy touch.
TIME: the dough is mixed together in 15 minutes. You do not need a mixer, just a bowl, a whisk and a spatula. The baking time is a little longer, about 50 minutes. The banana bread should be cooled in the pan for about 20 minutes and then completely cooled on a wire rack. The total time is about 2 hours.
