The BEST Chocolate Chip Banana Bread Ever

This chocolate chip banana bread is soft, moist, and loaded with melty semi-sweet chocolate chips in every single slice. It comes together in one bowl with melted butter, sour cream, and three very ripe bananas, so there is no mixer to drag out and no fussy steps. Prep takes about 10 minutes, the loaf bakes in a little over an hour, and the whole house smells AH-mazing while it does.

Ingredients for Chocolate Chip Banana Bread

Nothing here is fancy, and you probably have most of it already. A few notes will help everything come together smoothly, especially around the bananas and the sour cream.

• Ripe bananas: the browner and spottier, the better. You want about 3 medium bananas, which is roughly 1 1/2 cups mashed. Overripe bananas are sweeter and mash down to a loose, chunky applesauce texture, and that is exactly what you want for flavor and moisture.
• Melted butter: I use 1/2 cup (one stick) of melted, slightly cooled butter for that rich, from-scratch flavor. Let it cool a minute or two so it does not scramble your eggs when everything goes in the mixing bowl.
• Sour cream: just 1/2 cup, and it is my secret for a moist loaf that stays soft for days. Bring it to room temperature so it blends in evenly. If you would rather use plain Greek yogurt, that works too and adds a little extra tang.
• Eggs: 2 large eggs, room temperature so they mix in without cooling the batter and fighting the melted butter.
• Sugar: 3/4 cup granulated sugar is plenty, since the bananas and chocolate chips bring their own sweetness. I reach for white sugar here on purpose. It keeps the flavor clean so the chocolate stays the star, and because the sour cream and ripe bananas already add so much moisture, white sugar gives the loaf a little more structure to hold it all together. If you love a deeper, more caramel-y flavor, you can swap half of it for brown sugar.
• Flour, baking soda, and salt: 2 cups all-purpose flour, 1 teaspoon baking soda, and 1/2 teaspoon salt. The baking soda is what gives the loaf its lift, so make sure yours is fresh.
• Warm spices (optional): a little cinnamon and nutmeg make the loaf taste cozy and bakery-warm, and they play really nicely against the chocolate. I like 3/4 teaspoon cinnamon and a pinch of nutmeg, but you can leave them out and the bread is still wonderful.
• Chocolate chips: 1 cup of semi-sweet chocolate chips is the classic banana bread balance, not too sweet, not too dark. Mini chocolate chips are a great choice if you want the chocolate spread more evenly through every bite.

If you like weighing your ingredients, 2 cups of flour is about 240 grams and 1 1/2 cups of mashed banana is about 340 grams. Weighing takes some of the guesswork out, but measuring cups work just fine here. For more cozy, from-scratch bakes like this, you might also love my maple oat bread.

Tips for Baking with Bananas

Bananas are the heart of this loaf, and a couple of small things make a big difference in how it turns out. Here are the questions I get asked the most.

Can you freeze ripe bananas and bake with them later?

Yes, and I do this all the time when I have more ripe bananas than I can use. Just peel them and pop them into a freezer bag. When you are ready to bake, thaw them in a bowl and mash them up. Thawed bananas release a lot of liquid, so if you see a pool of it, drain off a tablespoon or two before measuring. This helps because too much banana liquid can make the batter thin and leave you with a gummy center.

How to ripen bananas for baking

If your bananas are still a little green and you are ready to bake now, don’t worry, you have options. For a slow ripen, tuck them in a paper bag on the counter for a day or two. For a fast fix, lay unpeeled bananas on a lined baking sheet and bake at 300°F for about 15 to 20 minutes, until the skins turn black and shiny. Let them cool, then peel and mash. They will not be quite as sweet as naturally ripened bananas, but they will be soft, mashable, and ready to go.

How to Make Chocolate Chip Banana Bread

We are really just doing this in a few easy stages: mash, mix the wet, fold in the dry, add the chocolate, and bake. I will walk you through it, and I promise it is easier than you think.

Step 7: Cool. Let the loaf rest in the pan for about 15 minutes, then turn it out onto a rack. It is worth the wait, because slicing too early can make it crumble.

How do you know when banana bread is done in the center?

The center is the trickiest part, and an underbaked middle is the number one banana bread complaint I hear. Look for a few signs together: the top should be deep golden brown and set, not wobbly. A toothpick poked into the very center should come out with a few moist crumbs clinging to it, not wet batter. If you have an instant-read thermometer, the inside will read about 200 to 205°F when it is done. When in doubt, give it another 5 minutes and check again.

Serve slices slightly warm with a little pat of homemade butter melting into the top… it is SO GOOD that way. Leftover slices are wonderful the next morning too, right alongside a batch of my fruity oaty oatmeal bars for an easy grab-and-go breakfast spread.

How to Store and Freeze Banana Bread

This loaf keeps beautifully, which makes it great for baking ahead. At room temperature, wrap it well or tuck it in an airtight container and it will stay moist for 3 to 4 days. To freeze, wrap the cooled loaf (or individual slices) tightly and freeze for up to 2 to 3 months. I like freezing single slices best, because you can thaw just one at room temperature whenever a chocolate craving hits, no need to defrost the whole loaf.

Answers to Common Questions

Can I make mini muffins instead of a loaf?

Yes. Fill lined mini muffin cups about two-thirds full and bake at the same 350°F, checking around 12 to 15 minutes.

Can I use an 8.5×4.5-inch loaf pan?

You can. Just don’t fill it past about three-quarters full, and plan to bake a little longer since the batter sits deeper. Check the center for doneness before pulling it out.

Can I mix the batter and refrigerate it for 24 hours?

I would not recommend it. The baking soda starts working as soon as it hits the wet batter, so a long wait weakens the rise. For the best, tallest loaf, bake soon after mixing.

Can I swap oil for the butter, or milk for the sour cream?

An equal amount of neutral oil works in place of the butter and makes an extra-moist crumb, though you lose a little of that buttery flavor. Milk is thinner than sour cream, so it is not a great one-to-one swap. Plain Greek yogurt is the better substitute if you are out of sour cream.

How many bananas do I need?

About 3 medium bananas, which comes to roughly 1 1/2 cups mashed. If yours are small, use 4.

Can I bake this in a bundt pan?

This single loaf is a little skimpy for a full bundt, so I would double the batter to fill one nicely. Grease the pan well, and start checking for doneness around 40 to 45 minutes, since a bundt bakes faster than a deep loaf.

Why did my banana bread crack on top?

If your loaf splits down the middle, don’t worry, a crack is completely normal and actually a sign of a good bake. It happens because the outside of the loaf sets in the oven before the center is finished. The middle keeps rising and releasing steam, so it pushes up through the crust that has already firmed up and splits it open. The baking soda gives you a strong burst of lift, which makes that classic crack even more pronounced. Bakers tend to love it, since it means the loaf got a nice, tall rise.

If you prefer a smoother, more evenly domed top for pretty photos, there are a few easy ways to soften the crack. The biggest one is heat: baking at a steady 325°F to 350°F lets the loaf rise more gradually and split less than a hotter oven that makes it burst upward fast. Using oil in place of the butter also tends to give a softer, rounder top. And be careful not to overfill the pan, since batter piled too high rises harder and cracks more. Honestly though, a homemade loaf with a split down the center looks cozy and just right, so this is completely up to you.

Can I make two loaves at once?

Yes, just double everything and divide the batter between two 9×5-inch pans. The bake time stays about the same, so start checking both around the 55 minute mark.

However you slice it, warm from the pan or toasted the next morning, this chocolate chip banana bread is one of those easy bakes you will make again and again. If you try it, I would love to hear how it turned out for you. And if peanut butter is more your thing, my easy 4-ingredient oatmeal peanut butter cookies are another quick treat worth keeping on hand.

Happy baking!

Love,
Jennifer