Name: Easy Chocolate Chip Banana Bread
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 55 min
Ingredients: 3 ripe bananas, (mashed); 1/2 cup granulated sugar; 1/2 cup light brown sugar; 1/3 cup sour cream; 2 large eggs; 4 tablespoons melted butter; 1 teaspoon vanilla extract; 2 cups all purpose flour; 1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda; 1 teaspoon salt; 2/3 cup mini semi sweet chocolate chips, (divided)

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This easy Chocolate Chip Banana Bread recipe is loaded with just the right amount of sweet, ripe bananas, melted chocolate chips, sour cream and brown sugar. It’s the perfect moist and tender bread for breakfast with coffee, a weekend snack with tea, even as dessert after your favorite meal!

moist chocolate chip banana bread recipe made with sour cream and melted butter.

Just when you think homemade banana bread couldn’t get any better, someone had to go and put chocolate chips in it! And while it’s no secret that chocolate and bananas is a classic flavor combination, there’s just something about Chocolate Chip Banana Bread that seems over-the top-indulgent and special.

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And rightly so. Those creamy, sweet bananas, rich drops of melted chocolate and tender bread that just begs to be sliced and gobbled up… It’s everything banana bread was meant to be and more!

Ingredients You’ll Need

Ingredients for chocolate chip banana bread include ripe bananas, brown sugar, melted butter, sour cream and mini chocolate chips.

I’ll walk through an overview of ingredients & steps in this section along with helpful tips!

Look for specifics at the end of the post in the recipe card.

3 ripe large bananas– should measure to about 1 ½ cups of mashed bananas; banana are ripe enough when the peels are spotted brown and there is no green at the base of the stems
white & brown sugar– brown sugar adds an extra bit of rich flavor and moistness
large eggs
vanilla extract
melted butter– melted butter instead of room temp butter adds a bit of extra moistness to the bread
sour cream– another fat for to optimize moistness and tenderness
all purpose flour
baking soda– a rising agent
salt
semi-sweet mini chocolate chips– the best size for making chocolate chip banana bread

How to Make Chocolate Chip Banana Bread

Prep. Roughly mash the bananas with a fork and set aside.

Mix the wet ingredients– Mix together the two sugars, sour cream, eggs, melted butter, vanilla extract in a large bowl using an electric mixer or whisk. Fold in the bananas.

Mix the dry Ingredients. In a separate bowl whisk together flour, baking soda and salt. Gradually add your dry mixture to the wet ingredients, stirring just until mixed.

Add the Chocolate. Fold in ⅓ cups mini chocolate chips. Pour batter into greased loaf pan and top with remaining chocolate chips.

Bake. Bake in preheated oven for 50-55 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean. If the top begins to get too brown before the center of the loaf is baked, make a loose tent with aluminum foil and put it over your banana bread while it continues to bake.

a slice of a baked loaf of banana bread with chocolate chips on bakery paper

The Secrets to Making the Best Banana Bread

Melted butter and sour cream are the way to moist banana bread that isn’t heavy and dense.
Mini chocolate chips are perfect for not sinking to the bottom of the heavy batter while it’s baking and adding tons of chocolatey flavor without overpowering that classic banana bread flavor we all love!
Gently spoon your flour into the measuring cup and level it across the top with a knife. Scooping the flour from the bag or bin with the measuring cup packs the flour and can result in almost ⅓ cup too much flour in your recipe.
Don’t over mix the batter. Over mixing the batter activates the gluten in the flour, causing your banana bread to be tough. When mixing the wet and dry ingredients together, mix just until there are no dry pockets of flour.
To keep the center of your chocolate chip banana bread from sinking in as it cools, make sure it is baked fully. A toothpick inserted in the middle should come out clean (with the possibility of a crumb or two, but no wet batter).
Check your bread 5-10 minutes early/ before the specified bake time is over. Ovens vary and you don’t want to over bake!

banana bread with chocolate chips sliced for breakfast or dessert

The Best Bananas For Chocolate Chip Banana Bread

Use ripe bananas. The riper the bananas, the sweeter and more flavorful they are. You know they are ripe enough when there is no green near the stem and the peel is covered with brown spots.
Don’t over mash your bananas. When prepping, you don’t have to mash the bananas until smooth. The bananas will continue to get mashed when folded into the batter, AND tiny bits of banana are like little pops of flavor in banana bread.
Resist the urge to add more bananas. Baking is all about chemistry and the right proportions. Too many bananas will make your bread gummy. 3 large bananas = about 1 ½ cups mashed bananas.

Recipe Variations

Do you love nuts? Add chopped walnuts or pecans to this recipe instead of chocolate chips… or in addition to the chocolate chips!
Want muffins? Divide the batter between the 12 muffin cups of a lightly greased or paper-lined muffin tin. Bake at 375 degrees Fahrenheit for 15-20 minutes.

a sprinkle of chocolate chips on the top of the banana bread add extra chocolatey-ness that your family will love.

Can Chocolate Chip Banana Bread Be Frozen?

It sure can! Let the loaf cool completely, then wrap it tightly in plastic wrap. Store it in the freezer for 2-3 months.

Does Chocolate Chip Banana Bread Need To Be Refrigerated?

This banana bread does just fine for 2-3 days when kept at room temp. Cover with aluminum foil, plastic wrap or put it under a pastry dome to keep it fresh and from drying out. If you do refrigerate it, it can last for up to 1 week!

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