Before I went vegan, I loved Starbucks banana bread. This recipe is my homemade vegan version, and after years of tweaking, it's become one of those dependable recipes I can whip up when needed or when bananas start turning brown on the bench.
This recipe was originally published on April 14, 2020 and updated October 9, 2021 with new images, an updated ingredients guide and recipe tips.
Jump to:
- Why You'll Love This Banana CHocolate chip BRead
- What Is In Vegan Banana Bread?
- Is Banana Bread Healthy?
- How to Ripen Bananas Quickly (Hack)
- How to Make Chocolate Chip Banana Bread (Step-By-Step Guide)
- Banana Bread Making Tips
- Alternative Toppings
- Storage
- FAQs
- More Baking Recipes
- Make This Recipe
- Leave a Comment
Why You'll Love This Banana CHocolate chip BRead
Reader Review. Yum, turning into a family favourite. Thankyou! The kids love helping with this one. (Kat) ★★★★★
Like my vegan pumpkin cupcakes or my vegan zucchini muffins with chocolate chips, this bread is all things comforting and wonderful.
What Is In Vegan Banana Bread?
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 preferred choice because its higher protein content creates a lovely tender crumb. Oat, almond or cashew milk all 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. You'll notice a theme across most MGK baked goods recipes - I use oil rather than butter in almost all of my baking. Oil keeps this banana bread soft and tender for longer than butter, which is why I use it in most of my baking recipes.
Ground cinnamon. If you don't have it, you can omit it but it is so good here. Cinnamon lends a warmth that works beautifully with the sweet banana and rich chocolate. 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.
Is Banana Bread Healthy?
As a nutritionist, my quick answer is this: Â While banana bread is naturally sweetened with overripe bananas that contain fibre and potassium, banana bread is a delicious baked treat. One that's made with simple pantry ingredients and can fit beautifully in moderation into a balanced way of eating.
How to Ripen Bananas Quickly (Hack)
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.
While oven-ripened bananas become sweeter and softer, naturally ripened bananas still develop the deepest banana flavour if you have the time.
How to Make Chocolate Chip Banana Bread (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.
Using a fork or potato masher, mash the bananas well in mixing bowl.
Step 2. Combine the wet and dry ingredients separately
Add the remaining wet ingredients to the mashed bananas and combine. Combine the dry ingredients in a separate bowl.
Step 3. Combine
Add the dry ingredients to the wet and stir until just combined. Don't over-mix!
What is just combined?
In baking recipes, "just combined" means to fold or stir the batter only until no visible streaks of flour remain. Don't worry too much about a few lumps.
Step 4. Add the chocolate chips
Fold in the chocolate chips and gently mix through.
Step 5. Transfer to loaf pan
Transfer the batter to a lined loaf pan and level it out a little - you don't have to be too fussy here.
Step 6. Add toppings (optional)
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
At room temperature: Store in an airtight container for up to 3 days.
In the fridge: Kept wrapped and sealed in a container, this banana bread will last for up to a week in the refrigerator.
In the freezer: To freeze, allow the bread to cool completely before wrapping it in foil and popping 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.
You can make this without chocolate chips, the bread will bind without them.
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.
To store at room temperature, wrap the banana bread in foil and leave it out for up to 3 days (in cooler climates) - it keeps really well. In warmer weather, I recommend refrigerating it. 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.
Dense banana bread is usually caused by over-mixing the batter or adding too much flour. Mix only until just combined and measure your flour carefully for the best texture.
More Baking Recipes
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Make This Recipe
Chocolate Chip Banana Bread
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/loaf pan 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.Â
- Super Tip:Â You can also thaw frozen overripe bananas to use in your banana bread.Â
- Gently mix your batter and stop when the flour is just combined with wet ingredients. Over-mixing flour will result in rubbery bread - noooooo!Â
- 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.Â
- Allow your vegan banana bread to rest in its tin for 15 minutes before turning it out. This gives it time to settle.Â
Nutritional Disclaimer
The nutritional information is an estimate only and is automatically calculated using online tools. For accurate results, we recommend calculating the nutritional information based on the ingredients and brands you use.
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.