This banana bread with chocolate chips ticks all the comfort food boxes. With sweet banana and melty pockets of rich chocolate, this baked treat is lightly spiced, warming and so rich and delicious.
This recipe was originally published on April 14, 2020 and updated October 9, 2021 with new images, an updated ingredients guide and recipe tips.
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Why This Recipe Works
Reader Review. Yum, turning into a family favourite. Thankyou! The kids love helping with this one. (Kat) ★★★★★
Before I went vegan, I love, love, loved the Starbucks banana bread. Making a vegan version was always on my priority list. And this vegan chocolate chip banana bread is it.
Like my vegan pumpkin cupcakes or my vegan zucchini muffins with chocolate chips, this bread is all things comforting and wonderful.
Ingredients & Substitutions
Bananas. So, first up you are definitely going to need bananas. Use overripe bananas to get the sweetest, most intense flavour.
Soy milk. Soy milk is my milk of choice for baking, it it generally thicker and emulsifies in to batters better. Having said that, almond milk, oat milk or cashew milk will work too.
Natural dairy-free yoghurt. Yoghurt helps make a tender crumb in baking so we are using a little here. I prefer coconut yoghurt.
Chocolate chips. Do you need chocolate chips in your banana bread? No. Should you put chocolate chips in your banana bread? Yes. Emphatically, yes. You can use small buds or chop a larger block of vegan chocolate in to small chunks. Dark chocolate really works well here giving balance to the sweet banana bread.
Oil. I use sunflower oil, but any neutral tasting oil will work.
Ground cinnamon. If you don't have it, you can omit it but it is so good here. It's worth a quick trip to the shops.
Usual suspects. Other than the ingredients above, you'll need all-purpose flour, baking powder and a touch of salt. Everything tastes better with a touch of salt.
How to Ripen Bananas Quickly
No over-ripe bananas? Bake unpeeled bananas in the oven for 25-30 minutes at 150°C (302°F) or until they are completely brown. Allow the bananas to cool before slicing them open to use.
Or, use the paper bag-ripening method. Depending on how under-ripe your bananas are, you may need to start this up to 2 days before baking.
Pop bananas in a brown paper bag and close it up. As bananas ripen, the peel gives off ethylene gas. The higher the ethylene concentration in the air surrounding the banana, the faster they mature. A closed paper bag speeds up this process.
Step-By-Step Guide
You'll find full instructions and measurements in the recipe card at the bottom of the post.
Step 1. Mash the bananas well in mixing bowl.
Step 2. Stir in the wet ingredients and the baking soda. Combine the dry ingredients in a separate bowl.
Step 3. Add the dry ingredients to the wet and stir until just combined. Don't over-mix!
Step 4. Fold in the chocolate chips.
Step 5. Transfer the batter to a lined loaf tin.
Step 6. Top with sliced banana or one of the topping ideas provided below. Bake in the oven at 175 degrees C (350 degrees F) for 50-60 minutes.
Voila! A delicious and completely comforting vegan banana bread! Pretty simple, right?
This vegan chocolate chip banana bread delivers the good fuzzies every time. It's a simple-to-make recipe full of comforting and familiar flavours. Enjoy, x.
Banana Bread Making Tips
Making the perfect banana bread is easy if you stick to a few basic tips.
Alternative Toppings
Make your vegan banana bread your own by mixing up the toppings. I mix mine up all the time and here are a few of my favourites.
Storage
In the fridge. Kept wrapped and sealed in a container, this bread will last 3-4 days at room temperature.
If you want, you can keep it in a sealed container for up to a week.
In the freezer. To freeze, allow the bread to cool completely before wrapping it in foil and piping it in a freezer bag or container. Freeze for up to 2 months.
FAQs
Yes! Banana bread freezes really well. Allow the loaf to cool completely before wrapping it in foil and placing it in a sealed freezer-proof container. To thaw, leave the loaf on the counter for a few hours.
Sort of. I lightly toast my banana bread slices on a non-stick pan over low-medium heat on both sides. I prefer this method to toasting in a toaster to protect the toaster from melted chocolate.
I wrap our banana bread in foil and leave it out for up to 3 days - it keeps really well. You can store your wrapped bread in the fridge for up to a week.
Yup. Simply swap the flour to a gluten-free variety. I find Bob's Red Mill Baking 1-to-1 works well in almost all recipes.
More Baking Recipes
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Banana Bread with Chocolate Chips
Ingredients
For the Banana Bread
- 3 bananas super ripe (or 4 smaller ripe bananas) 375 grams
- ¾ cup soy milk
- ½ cup sunflower oil
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 tablespoon natural vegan yoghurt
- ¾ cup raw sugar
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- 2 and ½ cups all-purpose flour unbleached if you can get it
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ½ cup chocolate chips dairy-free
For the Oatmeal Crumble
- 2 tablespoon all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoon raw sugar
- 1 and ½ tablespoon rolled oats
- 1 tablespoon vegan butter cold
- ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
Instructions
- Pre-heat oven to 180°C /350°F (convetional) or 160°C / 320°F (fan) and line a 6-cup bread tin with baking paper.
- In a large bowl, mash the bananas well. Whisk in the milk, sunflower oil, vanilla, yoghurt, and sugar. Stir in the baking soda.
- In a separate bowl combine the flour, cinnamon, baking powder and salt.
- Add the wet ingredients to the dry and stir until just combined - don't overmix. Fold in the chocolate chips.
- Spoon the banana bread batter in to the lined bread tin.
- If adding the oatmeal crumble, combine the topping ingredients in a small bowl and using your fingers massage the mixture until the butter binds the mixture in to a crumble texture. Sprinkle the topping over the top of the vegan banana bread batter.
- Pop the bread tin in the oven and bake for 50 - 60 minutes or until a skewer comes out of the centre of the loaf clean.
- Remove the bread from the oven and allow it to sit for 15 minutes before turning out.
- Serve warm or cold.
Notes
- Use over-ripe bananas. Think "speckled" or even "blackened" 'nanas for the sweetest, most banana-y flavoured bread. Buy your bananas a few days ahead OR you can bake unpeeled bananas in the oven for 30 minutes at 150°C (302°F). Allow the bananas to cool before slicing them open to use.
- Super Tip: You can also thaw frozen overripe bananas to use in your banana bread.
- Gently mix your batter and stop when the flour is just combined with wet ingredients. Over-mixing flour will result in rubbery bread - noooooo!
- Use foil to cover your banana bread in the oven if the top is browning faster than the middle of the cake is setting. A lower temperature, slower bake is best.
- Allow your vegan banana bread to rest in its tin for 15 minutes before turning it out. This gives it time to settle.
Shilpi & Etienne says
Two of my favourites ingredients combined together - Chocolate and Bananas!! Love everything about this recipe! Sounds easy with your step by step instructions and looks absolutely mouth watering!!
annick says
Yum! I love banana bread and the oatmeal crumble sounds like such a great addition.
Sylvie says
You can never go wrong with banana bread, especially with the addition of chocolate! Love the idea of that oat crumble topping too
Sarah says
Yum, love banana bread but always looking for yummy diary-free options for my dairy-free friends, adding this one to the list!
Monica L Carten says
Can I make this with olive oil or melted vegan butter instead of safflower oil? Also can I use coconut sugar instead of raw sugar?
Amanda says
Hi Monica. You can use either melted butter or melted coconut oil (cooled) in this recipe without too much difference. You can also use another vegetable oil, canola, rice bran or grapeseed oil. Olive oil has quite a strong flavour so I would skip that one. And yes to the sugar. Coconut sugar is fine! I hope you enjoy it. 🙂
Kat Varcoe-Cocks says
Yum, turning into a family favourite.
Thankyou! The kids love helping with this one.
Amanda says
Oh, that's fantastic to hear. I am so glad your family like it. It's one of our favourites too! Thanks, Kat. x
jacquie says
So true about needing in some ways to go into a place of acceptance as there are just so many things we can't control.
Could I make this with applesauce instead of the bananas? It looks great but i don't use bananas due to the negative environmental impact.
Thanks.
Amanda says
Well, it's a recipe for banana bread so no bananas might be tricky. The same quantity of apple sauce would give you quite a wet loaf - you could try a level cup to balance out the moisture. I have a pumpkin bread recipe in my cookbook that is similar in texture to this recipe. I would use a heaping cup of mashed, cooked pumpkin or puree.
Cheers Jacquie. A.