This chocolate chunk banana bread is tender and extremely moist, is made in one bowl, and is loaded with pockets of melty chocolate!
This banana bread with chocolate chunks is soft, moist, and packed with banana, chocolate, and warm cinnamon flavor.
The ripe bananas give it natural sweetness and a rich, tender texture, while the chocolate chunks melt into gooey pockets throughout the bread.
It’s the kind of treat that feels cozy and comforting, whether you eat it for breakfast, as a snack, or for dessert.
This banana bread is made in one bowl with simple ingredients, making cleanup easy. It freezes well, too.
The combo of banana, cinnamon, and rich chocolate makes it the perfect flavor combo that never gets old.
For more banana bread recipes, check out my banana bread with streusel topping, chocolate chip banana bread, tahini banana bread, biscoff banana bread, and our almond flour banana bread.
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Why this recipe works
- Tender texture- The bread is super soft and moist, thanks to the ripe bananas, sour cream, and melted butter. Every bite is fluffy and satisfying.
- Melty chocolate chunks- Big chocolate chunks melt into gooey pockets throughout the bread. It adds rich chocolate flavor and a gooey texture.
- One bowl recipe- This recipe is made in just one bowl, making it quick to prepare and easy to clean up. Perfect for busy days or beginner bakers.
- Uses ripe bananas- It’s a great way to use overripe bananas that are too soft to eat. They add natural sweetness and lots of moisture.
- Delicious flavor- The mix of banana, cinnamon, and chocolate makes a cozy, comforting flavor combo. It’s sweet, rich, and perfect any time of day.
Ingredients
Before you start to make this recipe, measure and prepare your ingredients so the cooking process will go smoothly and easily.
Full measurements are in the recipe card below.
Ripe bananas- use ripe bananas for this recipe! Ripe bananas are sweeter, moister, and easier to mash into a pudding consistency.
If you don’t have ripe bananas, bake regular bananas in a 200c (400f) preheated oven for 10 minutes, this will soften the bananas and make them into a ripe banana texture.
Flour– I used all-purpose flour for this recipe, self-rising flour and cake flour will work great as well.
Baking soda – to allow the banana bread to rise. You will need a teaspoon of baking soda.
Sour cream- use either sour cream or Greek yogurt. Both will work great.
Sugar- I used granulated sugar and brown sugar for this recipe. I used light brown sugar, but dark brown sugar will work great as well.
Cinnamon- this is optional, but it adds a depth of flavor to this cake and complements the banana flavor perfectly.
Butter- use unsalted butter and melt it before adding it to the batter. It gives the bread a rich flavor and helps keep it soft and moist.
Eggs- you will need 2 large eggs. Make sure that your eggs are at room temperature.
Vanilla extract- you can use vanilla bean extract or pure vanilla extract for better flavor.
Salt- you will need about ½ teaspoon of kosher salt or table salt for this recipe.
Instructions
Preheat an oven to 180°C (350°F) and prep a loaf pan with parchment paper.
Chop your choice of chocolate into chunks and set aside.
In a large mixing bowl, add the ripe bananas and mash them into a pudding-like consistency using a fork or a potato masher.
Add the melted butter, salt, eggs, sugar, brown sugar, cinnamon, vanilla extract, and sour cream. Mix with a whisk until the mixture is well combined.
Add the flour and baking soda and mix until almost combined.
Add the chocolate chunks and gently fold them into the batter until evenly distributed.
Pour the batter into your prepared loaf pan and spread the top evenly with a spatula. Top with extra chocolate chunks if desired.
Bake in a 180°C (350°F) preheated oven for 50–60 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean or with just a few moist crumbs.
Let the bread cool in the pan for 10–15 minutes, then remove it and let it cool fully on a wire rack before slicing.
Expert Tips
- Use room temperature ingredients. It is important that you use room-temperature ingredients like eggs and butter. This step ensures that your mixture mixes into a homogenous mixture and bakes perfectly.
- Choose ripe bananas. Use bananas that are ripe with brown spots. They’re sweeter and mash easily, adding moisture to the cake.
- Measure your flour correctly! When measuring your flour, avoid scooping it with a measuring cup. Instead, stir the flour with a spoon to create as many air pockets as possible, and spoon it into your measuring cup. Finally, level it with the back of a knife.
- Do not open the oven door in the middle of baking, this can cause the bread from sinking in the middle. If you want to check its doneness, check it 5 minutes before the baking time ends.
- Don’t overmix the batter, you don’t want to develop the gluten in the flour. This step ensures you have a moist bread and not a dense and dry bread.
- Line your baking pan with parchment paper! This step helps the bread to bake evenly, and it makes sure that your bread will release easily from the pan.
- Check for doneness in the center. Every oven is different. Start checking at 50 minutes by inserting a toothpick in the center, it should come out clean or with a few crumbs (not wet batter).
- Let it cool completely. It firms up as it cools, so wait before slicing. Warm banana bread can fall apart if cut too soon.
Faq's
Yes! You can definitely put chocolate chunks in banana bread. They melt into gooey pockets and add rich chocolate flavor to every bite.
The number one mistake when making banana bread is overmixing the batter. Overmixing can make the bread dense and tough instead of soft and tender.
Mix just until the ingredients are combined for the best results.
You should add the chocolate chips or chunks after mixing in the dry ingredients, and the batter is almost fully combined.
Gently fold in the chocolate at the end to avoid overmixing and keep the bread soft and tender.
The secret to moist banana bread is using very ripe bananas, sour cream, and not overmixing the batter. Ripe bananas add natural sweetness and moisture, while gentle mixing keeps the bread soft and tender.
I used a 12x5-inch loaf pan. This loaf pan is quite big. You can also use two smaller loaf pans.
Storing
Store it at room temperature for up to 4 days. Make sure that you store the bread in an airtight container so it won’t dry out.
If you're in a moist climate, store it at room temperature for up to 2 days and an additional 3 days in the fridge.
Freezing
You can freeze banana bread either as a whole loaf or in slices. Let it cool completely, then wrap tightly in plastic wrap and place in a freezer-safe bag or container.
Freezing slices makes it easy to grab one at a time. Thaw at room temperature or warm in the microwave when ready to eat.
Substitutions
Gluten-free - If you want to make this recipe gluten-free, simply replace the flour with gluten-free flour.
Dairy-free - You can make this dairy-free by replacing the butter with vegan butter and the milk with vegan milk. Also, use dairy-free sour cream.
Variations
Nuts- if you like nuts in your banana bread, I recommend using walnuts and pecans. Mix ⅓ cup of chopped walnuts or pecans into the batter along with the chocolate chunks.
Spices- add allspice, ginger, or cardamom to the cake batter to give it a cozy, spiced vibe to complement the cinnamon and nutmeg.
Chocolate Chips- instead of chocolate chunks, fold in ½ to ¾ cup of chocolate chips into the batter.
Berries- gently fold in ½ cup of fresh or frozen berries for a juicy, fruity twist that goes perfectly with the chocolate.
Serving Tips
Serve warm or at room temperature- banana bread tastes amazing slightly warm. Heat a slice in the microwave for 10–15 seconds to melt the chocolate chunks.
Add toppings- top a slice with a pat of butter, cream cheese, or nut butter for extra richness. A drizzle of chocolate, whipped cream, or a scoop of vanilla ice cream also works great for dessert.
Equipment
- Mixing bowls- best glass mixing bowls.
- Whisk set- my favorite copper whisk set.
- Loaf pan
- Shark knife
- Offset spatula
- Rubber spatula
- Kitchen scale
More banana desserts
Banana Pudding Cupcakes- These banana pudding cupcakes are made with a banana cupcake base, filled with a banana pudding filling, and topped with whipped cream.
Banana Upside Down Cake- This decadent banana upside-down cake is soft and moist, and tastes like a banana bread with caramelized bananas on top.
Bananas Foster Cheesecake- This bananas foster cheesecake features a cinnamon graham cracker crust, banana cheesecake filling, and caramelized banana topping.
If you tried this recipe, don’t forget to leave a rating and a comment below. I love hearing from you.
If you liked this recipe
📖 Recipe
Chocolate Chunk Banana Bread
Ingredients
- 1 ½ cups Bananas ripe bananas, mashed.
- ½ cup Butter unsalted, melted
- 2 teaspoon Vanilla extract
- ½ teaspoon Kosher salt
- ½ cup Granulated sugar
- ½ cup Brown sugar
- 2 Eggs
- 1 teaspoon Cinnamon
- ½ cup Sour cream
- 1 ½ cups Flour
- 1 teaspoon Baking soda
- 1 cup Dark chocolate cut into chunks
Instructions
- Preheat an oven to 180°C (350°F) and prep a loaf pan with parchment paper.
- Chop your choice of chocolate into chunks and set aside.
- In a large mixing bowl, add the ripe bananas and mash them into a pudding-like consistency using a fork or a potato masher.
- Add the melted butter, salt, eggs, sugar, brown sugar, cinnamon, vanilla extract, and sour cream. Mix with a whisk until the mixture is well combined.
- Add the flour and baking soda and mix until almost combined.
- Add the chocolate chunks and gently fold them into the batter until evenly distributed.
- Pour the batter into your prepared loaf pan and spread the top evenly with a spatula. Top with extra chocolate chunks if desired.
- Bake in a 180°C (350°F) preheated oven for 50–60 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean or with just a few moist crumbs.
- Let the bread cool in the pan for 10–15 minutes, then remove it and let it cool fully on a wire rack before slicing.
Notes
- Use room temperature ingredients. It is important that you use room-temperature ingredients like eggs and butter. This step ensures that your mixture mixes into a homogenous mixture and bakes perfectly.
- Choose ripe bananas. Use bananas that are ripe with brown spots. They’re sweeter and mash easily, adding moisture to the cake.
- Measure your flour correctly! When measuring your flour, avoid scooping it with a measuring cup. Instead, stir the flour with a spoon to create as many air pockets as possible, and spoon it into your measuring cup. Finally, level it with the back of a knife.
- Do not open the oven door in the middle of baking, this can cause the bread from sinking in the middle. If you want to check its doneness, check it 5 minutes before the baking time ends.
- Don’t overmix the batter, you don’t want to develop the gluten in the flour. This step ensures you have a moist bread and not a dense and dry bread.
- Line your baking pan with parchment paper! This step helps the bread to bake evenly, and it makes sure that your bread will release easily from the pan.
- Check for doneness in the center. Every oven is different. Start checking at 50 minutes by inserting a toothpick in the center, it should come out clean or with a few crumbs (not wet batter).
- Let it cool completely. It firms up as it cools, so wait before slicing. Warm banana bread can fall apart if cut too soon.
Anna
This is hands down the best banana bread I've made, and I made a lot!