Chocolate Chip Banana Bread (Easy Recipe)
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Moist Chocolate Chip Banana Bread made with yogurt and whipped eggs for a soft, bakery-style crumb. Easy, cozy, and foolproof – the only banana bread recipe you’ll ever need! P.S. say goodbye to gummy and dense banana bread.
You’ll also love my Banana Bars with Cream Cheese Frosting and Banana Oatmeal Bars.
Quick Look at This Recipe
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 60–70 minutes
- Total Time: About 1 hour 25 minutes
- Servings: 10 slices
- Dietary Info: Can be made gluten-free
- Method: Baked
- Technique: Whipped eggs & sugar for light crumb
- Flavor / Texture: Moist, tender, lightly sweet, rich chocolate bites
Why you’ll love this family favorite one-bowl banana bread recipe!
This is the banana bread I make when I have a bowl of overripe bananas staring at me on the counter. Beating the eggs and sugar until light and creamy is the Italian baking technique that makes this loaf extra soft, tall, and never dense. Add yogurt for moisture (our Italian secret ingredient!), butter for richness, and plenty of chocolate chips, perfection.
You’ll love my Cinnamon Swirl Bread (One Bowl Cake!) and Pear Cake.
Made With Amore,
Table of Contents
Ingredients for Chocolate Chip Banana Bread
- Ripe bananas – natural sweetness and moisture
- All-purpose flour – structure
- Baking powder – lift and softness (no baking soda here!)
- Kosher salt – balances sweetness
- Granulated sugar – sweetness and light crumb
- Plain yogurt – moisture and tenderness
- Butter – rich flavor
- Eggs – structure and lift
- Vanilla & almond extract – warm, bakery aroma
- Chocolate chips – melty pockets throughout (I prefer semi-sweet chocolate chips)
See the recipe card for exact quantities.
What Are The Best Chocolate Chips for Baking Banana Bread? The best chocolate chips for banana bread are standard-size semi-sweet chocolate chips. If you prefer a sweeter, softer bite, milk chocolate chips work well, while dark chocolate chips add a deeper, less sweet flavor that balances the bananas beautifully. For a bakery-style look with bigger chocolate pockets, use chocolate chunks or chopped bars. Mini chips work too if you want a lighter chocolate flavor in every bite.
Substitutions and Variations
- Gluten Free: swap cup-for-cup with gluten-free flour. Try my Italian almond cake.
- No yogurt? Use sour cream, or try applesauce.
- Nutty: Add ½ cup chopped walnuts or hazelnuts, or add a swirl of homemade Nutella.
- Chocolate lovers: Sprinkle extra chocolate chips on top before baking. Try my chocolate chip ricotta cake.
- Dairy-free: Use dairy-free yogurt and vegan butter.
How To Make Chocolate Chip Banana Bread
This is a step-by-step photo overview of the recipe; the full instructions are in the recipe card below.
Step #1: Mash bananas with a fork and set aside. Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C). Grease a 9×5-inch loaf pan and line with parchment paper, if desired, for easy removal. In a large mixing bowl, beat the eggs and sugar on medium-high speed for a full 5 minutes, until the mixture is very pale, thick, and creamy. This step is essential and gives banana bread its soft, bakery-style texture.
Step #2: Add the mashed bananas, yogurt, melted butter, vanilla extract, and almond extract to the same bowl. Beat until smooth and fully combined.
Step #3: Sift the dry ingredients into the bowl with the wet ingredients. Mix just until combined. Be careful not to overmix.
Step #4: Gently fold in the chocolate chips and stir until combined.
Step #5: Pour the batter into the prepared loaf pan and smooth the top. Using a buttered knife, score a shallow line straight down the center of the batter. This helps the loaf split beautifully as it bakes for that classic bakery-style finish.
Step #6: Bake for 60–70 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean or with just a few moist crumbs.
Let the bread cool in the pan for 15 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely before slicing.
My Pro Tips
Recipe Tips
- The bananas should be very ripe; brown spots mean flavor
- For best results in banana bread, always mash and measure; banana sizes vary, and the right amount makes a big difference in texture and moisture
- Beat the eggs and sugar fully until creamy and pale yellow
- Tent loosely with foil if browning too fast after 45 minutes
- Let cool completely for clean slices
- This bread tastes even better the next day
FAQ’s
Most often, it’s underbaked, or the oven door was opened too early.
Absolutely. Bake at 350°F for about 18–22 minutes.
Two medium ripe bananas measure about 1 to 1 1/2 cups when mashed. For best results in banana bread, always mash and measure; banana sizes vary, and the right amount makes a big difference in texture and moisture.
Make ahead: Bake 1 day ahead for best flavor
Room temp: Store covered with plastic wrap for up to 3 days
Fridge: Up to 5 days in an airtight container
Freezer: Freeze whole loaf or slices up to 3 months
More Banana Recipes
If you love this banana bread recipe, you will also want to try these:
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Chocolate Chip Banana Bread Recipe
Ingredients
- 2-3 ripe bananas, mashed (about 1½ cups)
- 2¼ cups all-purpose flour
- 3 teaspoons baking powder
- ¾ teaspoon kosher salt
- 1¼ cups granulated sugar
- 1 cup whole milk plain yogurt, Greek yogurt works great
- ¼ cup unsalted butter, melted and cooled
- 2 large eggs, room temperature
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ½ teaspoon almond extract, optional, but wonderful
- 1 cup chocolate chips, semi-sweet, dark, or milk
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C). Grease a 9×5-inch loaf pan and line with parchment paper if desired for easy removal.
- In a large mixing bowl, beat the eggs and sugar on medium-high speed for a full 5 minutes, until the mixture is very pale, thick, and creamy. This step is essential and is what gives the banana bread its soft, bakery-style texture.
- Add the mashed bananas, yogurt, melted butter, vanilla extract, and almond extract. Beat until smooth and fully combined.
- Sift the dry ingredients into the bowl with the wet ingredients and mix just until combined. Be careful not to overmix. Gently fold in the chocolate chips.
- Pour the batter into the prepared loaf pan and smooth the top. Using a buttered knife, score a shallow line straight down the center of the batter. This helps the loaf split beautifully as it bakes for that classic bakery-style finish.
- Bake for 60–70 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean or with just a few moist crumbs.
- Let the bread cool in the pan for 15 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely before slicing.
Notes
- Use very ripe bananas with plenty of brown spots. The riper they are, the sweeter and more flavorful your bread will be, no extra sugar needed.
- Do not rush the egg-and-sugar step. Beating them for a full five minutes aerates the batter and is why this loaf turns out soft, tall, and bakery-style instead of dense.
- Always bring your eggs and yogurt to room temperature. This helps everything blend smoothly and prevents a heavy or uneven crumb.
- When mixing in the dry ingredients, stop as soon as the flour disappears. Overmixing is the fastest way to tough banana bread.
- Score the batter down the center with a buttered knife before baking. This small step gives you that beautiful bakery-style crack and helps the loaf rise evenly.
- If the top starts browning too quickly, loosely tent with foil during the last 15 minutes. The center will finish baking without drying out.
- Let the bread cool completely before slicing. It sets as it cools, giving you clean slices and the best texture.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
This banana bread beats any store-bought kind!