This fudgy and moist Chocolate Banana Bread is hands-down the most delicious and rich loaf ever! With a double dose of chocolate and the goodness of bananas, it's great for lunch boxes and freezer-friendly too - what more could you want?!
Making neglected and over-ripe bananas into a delicious banana bread is something I do regularly!
With so many equally delicious variations of banana bread, choosing which one to make can be a tough decision.
My Chocolate Chip Banana Bread is a happy compromise between Fudgy Chocolate Banana Bread and my Café Style Banana Bread, and if you prefer individual muffins, my Banana Choc Chip Muffins are a delicious option too.
Why You're Going To Love This Recipe
Ripe, soft bananas and chocolate combine in this simple recipe that has the most amazing, fudgy texture and is just delicious!
"One of my fave recipes for left over bananas". "So easy to make and so, so delicious".
- Simple Pantry Ingredients – Most of the ingredients are basic pantry staples, making this a budget-friendly recipe.
- Quick and Easy - This recipe takes just 10 minutes to prepare, and you can make it in just one bowl!
- Freezer-friendly - Pack individually wrapped and frozen slices into lunchboxes straight from the freezer, and they will defrost before lunchtime.
What You Need
Note: Scroll to the recipe card at the bottom for the ingredients, quantities and full detailed method.
- Butter - I prefer to use unsalted butter as a baking ingredient. This is not essential, and if you usually buy salted butter, using that will be perfectly fine.
- Bananas - Ripe, soft bananas are the best ones to use in banana bread recipes. They add much more flavour as well as their own sweetness. The browner the bananas, the better!
- Brown Sugar - Using brown sugar in recipes adds a deeper, more caramel flavour and colour, and keeps the texture moist.
- Egg - When using eggs in a recipe, it is best to have them at room temperature before you start. I suggest cracking eggs into a separate bowl before adding them. If they are past their best, or you have pieces of the shell fall in, you won't waste the ingredients.
- Vanilla Extract - You can use vanilla essence or paste if you prefer.
- Plain flour – Also known as all-purpose flour, this doesn't contain any raising agents.
- Cocoa Powder - There are a couple of main varieties of cocoa powder; Natural Cocoa Powder and Dutch-processed, which is also referred to as alkalised cocoa. The beans are washed in an alkaline solution to neutralise the cocoa, yielding a smoother, mellower flavour. Cadbury Bournville Cocoa is readily available in most supermarkets and is 100% Dutch processed.
- Salt - Salt is added to sweet recipes as it enhances the sweetness! If you're using salted butter, you can leave this ingredient out.
- Bi-Carbonate Soda - Also known as baking soda, this is a leavening agent that is an ingredient of baking powder. The two are therefore not interchangeable.
- Dark Chocolate Melts – Chocolate Melts are small, round buttons of chocolate that are easy to melt, unlike Chocolate Chips. The chocolate melts give the chocolate banana bread it's rich chocolate flavour.
- Chocolate Chips - Chocolate chips are small, peaked rounds of chocolate, specially formulated to hold their shape. The chocolate chips give the banana bread delicious little bursts of chocolate in every bite.
How To Make Fudgy Chocolate Banana Bread
The aroma coming from your oven while this is baking will have your mouth watering!
Note: Scroll to the recipe card at the bottom for the ingredients, quantities and full detailed method.
Prepare The Wet Ingredients
Melt the butter in a microwave-safe bowl, then mash the bananas into it.
Add the brown sugar, egg and vanilla extract.
Whisk until well combined.
Make The Batter
Sift the plain flour, cocoa powder, salt and bi-carb soda over the top.
Stir until just combined.
Add the dark chocolate chips.
Stir through until well combined.
Assemble And Bake
Pour mixture into the prepared loaf tin and sprinkle the chocolate chips over the top.
Bake for 55 minutes in the preheated oven.
Allow to cool in the tin for 20 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack.
Expert Tips And FAQ
If you can't find chocolate melts you can use any baking chocolate chopped into pieces.
This Fudgy Chocolate Banana Bread is just as delicious with Milk Chocolate Melts, so feel free to substitute the Dark Chocolate Melts, if you prefer.
I specify fan-forced oven temperatures in my recipes, so if you have a conventional oven, increase the temperature by between 10 and 20 degrees Celsius, and monitor your baking regularly during the cooking time.
The Fudgy Chocolate Banana Bread can be stored in an airtight container for up to 4 days at room temperature. Alternatively, individual slices can be frozen in an airtight container for up to 2 months.
More Lunch Box Friendly Recipes
Recipes with fruit make great lunchbox additions, and these are some of the ones I make regularly:
- Apple, Zucchini and Carrot Bread - This is a simple, nut-free recipe that is moist and delicious.
- Chocolate Chip Zucchini Bread - This is a healthier option for lunchboxes, and is made with Greek yoghurt, honey and coconut oil.
- Apple Oat Muffins - Made with fresh apples and rolled oats, these moist Apple and Oat Muffins are a quick and easy recipe.
- Easy Blueberry Muffins - This simple 3 step recipe for café style Blueberry Muffins takes just 5 minutes to prepare!
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Fudgy Chocolate Banana Bread
Ingredients
- 150 g butter
- 300 g ripe bananas (~1 cup mashed)
- 120 g brown sugar (¾ cup)
- 1 egg
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 150 g plain flour (1 cup)
- 35 g cocoa powder
- ¼ tsp salt
- 1 tsp bi-carbonate soda
- 95 g dark chocolate melts (½ cup)
- 55 g choc chips (¼ cup)
Instructions
Conventional Method
- Preheat oven to 160 degrees Celsius (fan-forced).
- Grease and line a rectangular loaf tin (approx 23cm x 13cm) and set aside until needed.
- Melt the butter in a microwave-safe bowl.
- Add the bananas to the melted butter and mash together.
- Add the brown sugar, egg and vanilla extract and whisk until well combined.
- Sift the plain flour, cocoa powder, salt and bi-carb soda over the top. Stir until just combined.
- Add ½ cup dark chocolate melts and stir through until well combined.
- Pour mixture into the prepared loaf tin. Sprinkle the chocolate chips over the top.
- Bake for 55 minutes or until a skewer inserted into the middle comes out with just a few crumbs on it (don't overcook though - you want a moist, fudgy loaf).
- Allow to cool in the tin for 20 minutes and then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
Thermomix Method
- Preheat oven to 160 degrees Celsius (fan-forced).
- Grease and line a rectangular loaf tin (approx 23cm x 13cm) and set aside until needed.
- Place the plain flour, cocoa powder, salt and bi-carb soda into the Thermomix bowl. Sift 1 second, Turbo, 5-6 times then set aside in a separate bowl.
- Place the butter and bananas into the Thermomix bowl and mix for 2 minutes, 100 degrees, Speed 2.5. Scrape down the sides of the bowl, before mixing for 10 seconds, Speed 5.
- Add the brown sugar, egg and vanilla extract and whisk for 20 seconds, Speed 6.
- Add the flour mixture and the chocolate melts and mix for 10 seconds, Speed 5. Scrape down the sides and mix for a further 5 seconds, Speed 5.
- Pour mixture into the prepared loaf tin. Sprinkle the chocolate chips over the top.
- Cook for 55 minutes or until a skewer inserted into the middle comes out with just a few crumbs on it (don't overcook though - you want a moist, fudgy loaf).
- Allow to cool in the tin for 20 minutes and then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
Kate
Have made this a couple of times recently and substituted baked sweet potato instead of banana, worked out fine!
Lucy
Ooh thats a great idea!!
Anita
Absolutely delicious! It makes a lovely change to plain banana bread. So moist and stayed fresh but didn't last because everyone loved it.
Lucy
That's wonderful to hear!
cate
Oh my days!!!! Delicious! I will be making again for sure! Thank you for bringing this into my life 🙂
Lucy
Thank you so much!