This Chocolate Chunk Banana Bread is rich, fudgy, ultra-moist, and loaded with pools of melted dark chocolate in every slice. It tastes somewhere between classic banana bread and chocolate cake, but still feels perfectly acceptable to eat with your morning coffee.
The ripe bananas keep the loaf incredibly soft while the cocoa powder deepens the flavor without overpowering it. Add in chunky chopped chocolate and flaky sea salt on top, and it becomes the kind of recipe you immediately want to make again before the loaf is even gone.
A Quick Look At The Recipe
Recipe Name: Chocolate Chunk Banana Bread
Ready In: About 1 hour 25 minutes
Serves: 10 slices
Calories: Approximately 420 calories per slice
Main Ingredients: Ripe bananas, dark chocolate, cocoa powder, sour cream
Dietary Info: Vegetarian
Why You’ll Love It: Rich chocolate flavor, gooey melty chocolate chunks, soft banana bread texture, and just enough flaky salt to make every bite irresistible.
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Why you'll love this recipe
- Deep chocolate flavor: Dutch-process cocoa and dark chocolate chunks make this loaf rich and bakery-style without feeling too sweet.
- Perfect use for ripe bananas: The bananas add moisture, sweetness, and that classic comforting banana bread flavor.
- Big pools of melty chocolate: Chopping your own chocolate creates gooey pockets throughout the loaf instead of tiny uniform chips.
- Easy to make: Everything comes together in one bowl with simple pantry ingredients.
- Dessert-for-breakfast energy: It feels indulgent enough for dessert but cozy enough for breakfast or an afternoon snack.
- Even better the next day: The loaf becomes extra fudgy and rich after sitting overnight.
Jump to:
Ingredients You'll Need
- Very ripe bananas: The riper the bananas, the sweeter and more flavorful your banana bread will be. They also add moisture and help create that soft, tender crumb.
- Unsalted butter: Melted butter adds richness and gives the loaf a slightly denser, more dessert-like texture.
- Granulated sugar: This sweetens the bread and helps balance the bitterness of the cocoa powder.
- Brown sugar: Brown sugar adds moisture, warmth, and a little caramel-like depth.
- Eggs: Eggs help bind the batter together and give the loaf structure.
- Vanilla extract: Vanilla rounds out the chocolate and banana flavors.
- Sour cream or Greek yogurt: This keeps the loaf extra moist and tender without making the batter too heavy.
- All-purpose flour: Flour gives the banana bread structure and helps it slice cleanly.
- Cocoa powder: This gives the loaf a darker, smoother chocolate flavor that pairs beautifully with banana.
- Baking soda: Baking soda helps the loaf rise and keeps the crumb soft.
- Fine sea salt: Salt balances the sweetness and brings out the chocolate flavor.
- Dark chocolate: Chopped dark chocolate creates melty pockets throughout the loaf and makes every slice feel extra rich.
- Flaky sea salt: A sprinkle on top makes the chocolate taste deeper and keeps the loaf from feeling too sweet.
See recipe card for quantities.
Easy Substitutions & Variations
- Sour cream: Full-fat Greek yogurt works perfectly here and gives the loaf a very similar texture.
- Dark chocolate: Milk chocolate or semisweet chocolate can be used if you prefer a sweeter banana bread.
- Butter: Melted neutral oil can be substituted, though the loaf will lose a little richness.
- Espresso version: Add espresso powder to deepen the chocolate flavor and make the loaf taste even richer.
- Nutty version: Fold chopped toasted pecans or walnuts into the batter along with the chocolate chunks.
- Extra chocolatey: Add additional cocoa powder and a handful of mini chocolate chips for an even more decadent loaf.
- Bakery-style finish: Sprinkle coarse sugar over the top before baking for a crunchy, sparkly crust.
How to Make This Recipe
Note: I bake by weight for accuracy. Cup measurements are approximate and may vary depending on how you scoop.
Step 1: Mix the wet ingredients: Whisk together the mashed bananas, melted butter, granulated sugar, brown sugar, eggs, vanilla, and sour cream until smooth and combined.
Step 2: Fold in the dry ingredients: Add the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt, then gently fold until just combined. Stir in the chopped chocolate chunks.
Step 3: Fill and top the loaf: Spread the batter into a parchment-lined loaf pan, top with extra chocolate chunks, and finish with flaky sea salt.
Step 4: Bake and cool: Bake until a toothpick comes out with a few moist crumbs, then cool before slicing so the chocolate can set slightly.
Weigh your ingredients! Using a kitchen scale ensures your measurements are accurate, which is key for getting consistent results in baking. It takes the guesswork out of measuring and helps your recipes turn out exactly as intended every time.
Expert Tips
- Use extra-ripe bananas: Bananas with lots of brown spots will give you the sweetest flavor and softest texture. Underripe bananas can make the loaf less flavorful and slightly dry.
- Chop your own chocolate: A chopped chocolate bar melts much better than chocolate chips and creates gooey chocolate pockets throughout the loaf. The tiny chocolate shards also melt into the batter and make the entire loaf taste richer.
- Don’t overmix the batter: Once the flour is added, gently fold everything together just until combined. Overmixing can make banana bread dense instead of soft and tender.
- Tent with foil if needed: Chocolate batters tend to darken quickly in the oven. If the top is getting too dark before the center finishes baking, loosely tent the loaf with foil during the last part of baking.
- Let it cool before slicing: The melted chocolate needs time to set slightly after baking. Slicing too early can make the loaf fall apart and turn overly gooey inside.
What Makes This Recipe Special?
This loaf sits somewhere between banana bread and chocolate cake in the best possible way. The banana keeps everything incredibly moist while the cocoa powder and dark chocolate create a rich brownie-like flavor.
Unlike standard chocolate chip banana bread, the chopped chocolate melts directly into the batter and creates gooey ribbons throughout every slice. Add flaky salt on top and it suddenly tastes bakery-level with almost no extra effort.
If you enjoy this recipe, you'd probably love my chocolate zucchini loaf cake as well as my chocolate sour cream pound cake (and its sister, chocolate sour cream pound cake cupcakes!)
FAQ
Yes. Thaw them completely and drain off any excess liquid before using.
You can, but the loaf will taste more like traditional chocolate chip banana bread rather than a rich chocolate banana loaf.
Yes, though chopped chocolate creates larger melty pockets and a more bakery-style texture.
It likely needed a few more minutes in the oven or was sliced while still too warm.
Yes. Wrap slices individually and freeze for up to 2 months.
Troubleshooting Guide
| Problem | Cause | Fix |
|---|---|---|
| Dense texture | Overmixed batter | Fold gently until just combined |
| Dry loaf | Overbaked | Check around 60 minutes |
| Sunken center | Underbaked middle | Bake longer and tent with foil |
| Chocolate sinks | Batter too thin | Use properly measured flour |
| Tough texture | Too much flour | Spoon and level flour or use grams |
Storage
Store the banana bread tightly wrapped at room temperature for up to 3 days.
For longer storage, refrigerate slices in an airtight container for up to 1 week. Warm slices slightly before serving for gooey chocolate pockets again.
This loaf also freezes beautifully. Wrap individual slices tightly and freeze for easy grab-and-go treats.
Related
Looking for other sweet zrecipes like this? Try these:
Did you make this recipe?
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Chocolate Chunk Banana Bread
Equipment
- Kitchen Scale
- Mixing bowls
- Whisk
- Rubber spatula
- Parchment Paper
- 9x5 loaf pan (1lb loaf pan)
Ingredients
- 300 grams very ripe bananas mashed (about 3 large)
- 113 grams unsalted butter melted and slightly cooled
- 100 grams granulated sugar
- 80 grams brown sugar packed
- 2 large eggs
- 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- 60 grams sour cream or full-fat Greek yogurt
- 200 grams all-purpose flour
- 25 grams Cocoa powder
- 1 teaspoons baking soda
- 0.5 teaspoons fine sea salt
- ½ teaspoon cinnamon
- 200 grams dark chocolate 60–70%, roughly chopped into chunks
- 1 teaspoons flaky sea salt for topping
Instructions
- Prep the oven and pan: Preheat your oven to 175°C (350°F). Line a 9x5-inch loaf pan with parchment paper, leaving an overhang on both sides.
- Mix the wet ingredients: In a large bowl, whisk together the mashed bananas, melted butter, granulated sugar, and brown sugar until smooth and well combined. Add the eggs one at a time, whisking after each addition, then stir in the vanilla extract and sour cream or Greek yogurt.300 grams very ripe bananas, 113 grams unsalted butter, 100 grams granulated sugar, 80 grams brown sugar, 2 large eggs, 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract, 60 grams sour cream or full-fat Greek yogurt
- Add the dry ingredients: Add the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, and fine sea salt directly to the bowl of wet ingredients. Fold gently with a spatula until just combined, stopping as soon as no dry streaks remain. The cocoa powder makes it especially easy to overmix, so keep the folding light and gentle. Cocoa powder makes overmixing even easier to do accidentally, so be gentle.200 grams all-purpose flour, 25 grams Cocoa powder, 1 teaspoons baking soda, 0.5 teaspoons fine sea salt, ½ teaspoon cinnamon
- Fold in the chocolate: Reserve about 30g of the chocolate chunks for the top. Fold the remaining 200 grams of chocolate, roughly chopped into chunks, into the batter until evenly distributed.200 grams dark chocolate
- Fill the pan and top: Pour the batter into the prepared pan and smooth the top. Press the reserved chocolate chunks over the surface, then finish with a generous pinch of 1 teaspoons flaky sea salt (for topping).1 teaspoons flaky sea salt
- Bake: Bake for 60–70 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out with just a few moist crumbs or until the internal temperature is 200F. The chocolate chunks on top will look melty and glossy — that's perfect. Tent loosely with foil after 45 minutes if the top is darkening too quickly, but I find that I never need to do this.
- Cool before slicing: Cool in the pan for 15 minutes, then lift onto a wire rack using the parchment overhang. Wait at least 45 minutes before slicing — the chocolate chunks need time to set back up or every slice will fall apart.
Notes
- Chop your own chocolate: Pre-chopped chocolate chunks or chips work, but chopping a bar yourself gives you those irregular shards and "chocolate dust" that melt into the batter and create pockets of fudginess throughout. Worth the extra two minutes.
- The flaky salt is not optional. Okay, yes, it is, but it makes the chocolate taste more like chocolate. Don't skip it.
- Storage: Wrap tightly and store at room temperature for up to 3 days. The chocolate chunks get even fudgier on day two.
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