If you love chocolate and bananas, this Chocolate Espresso Banana Bread is for you! An indulgent chocolatey bread with a hint of banana and melty chocolate chips in each bite is insanely delicious.
This chocolate banana bread recipe is super moist, tender and easy to make. It's right up there with Chocolate Raspberry Tart when I have a chocolate craving.
Welcome to your new favorite chocolate bread... or should we say, banana bread? Try Banana Bars With Brown Butter Frosting for another overripe banana dessert! They are perfect for Banana Pudding Cheesecake Squares, too!
This bread contains espresso powder which doesn't actually add an espresso flavor but it enhances the chocolate flavor in the bread. If you add a larger amount of espresso powder then it could provide an actual hint of espresso flavor but it is mostly used in smaller amounts to give the chocolate an extra punch.
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Why You'll Love This Recipe
- I don't know about you, but I'm always looking for new recipes to use up bananas like this one and Banana Bread with Streusel Topping.
- Chocolate Chunk Banana Bread perfect for freezing, just like No Bake Chocolate Pie.
- This recipe uses up items in your fridge. See below for substitutions to use what you have on hand.
Recipe Ingredients
- Bananas: Use overripe bananas! Lots of brown spots all over or black bananas will make for the best chocolate chunk banana bread because they contain more sugar the riper they get. Banana Coffee Cake is another of my favorite recipes to use brown bananas in!
- Sugar: A combo of white and brown gives us the perfect flavor and moist texture.
- Olive Oil: Olive oil or light tasting olive oil is best. Don't use extra virgin olive oil, the taste is far too strong.
- Sour Cream: This adds fat and just a touch of tang and moistness.
- Cocoa Powder: Perfect for making a chocolate base. Also, perfect for hot chocolate cookies. I use Dutch process cocoa powder rather than regular. Ghirardelli has a package labeled Dutch process or Hershey's Special Dark is too.
- Espresso Powder: I promise you won't take a bite of bread and taste coffee. This will just enhance the chocolate flavor in this chocolate banana bread recipe. The Spice House has a nice espresso powder.
- Chocolate: Mixing dark and semisweet will please all the chocolate lovers in your life.
See recipe card below for a full list of ingredients and measurements.
Substitutions and Variations
- Don't sub out the oil for butter. When working with cocoa it's best to use oil to keep the moisture in the chocolate chunk banana bread.
- You can sub Greek yogurt for the sour cream if desired.
- Chocolate chips, discs, or chunks will work just fine. Use semi-sweet chocolate, bittersweet chocolate or dark chocolate. Same chocolate subs go for brown butter toffee chocolate chips cookies.
This recipe has not been tested with other substitutions or variations. If you replace or add any ingredients, please let us know how it turned out in the comments below!
How To Make Chocolate Chunk Banana Bread
Step 1: Whisk dry ingredients in a large mixing bowl.
Step 2: Mix oil and sugar in the bowl of a stand mixer on medium speed.
Step 3: Mix in eggs.
Step 4: Add vanilla, sour cream and bananas.
Step 5: Mix in dry ingredients.
Step 6: Fold chocolate chips into chocolate banana bread batter.
Step 7: Pour chocolate espresso banana bread batter into prepared loaf pan. Top with chocolate chips. Bake 55 minutes or until a toothpick in the center comes out clean.
Step 8: Let cool 20 minutes before removing from the pan.
Expert Baking Tips
- Do not over mix the batter. This will cause the bread to dry out or become dense.
- Use very ripe bananas aka lots of brown spots or mostly black.
- Let the chocolate chunk banana bread cool all the way before cutting. This goes for Orange Poppy Seed Bread and any sweet bread. It makes a huge difference in taste.
- You can lightly toss the chocolate chips in flour before folding them into the batter to help keep them from sinking in the bread. It's not necessary but an option.
Recipe FAQs
Espresso powder is a coffee bean that has been darkly roasted, ground, brewed, dried then ground again into a fine powder. It's extremely concentrated. It's mainly used as a secret ingredient to make your chocolate recipes taste more chocolatey.
Since the cocoa powder will absorb liquid just like flour does, you should use a little less flour. If not, your bread could taste like chocolate but be very dry.
The other thing you should check is what type of fat you're using. Oil works better with cocoa than butter. The oil will help keep the bread more moist than the butter will. The chocolate flavor is intense enough that it would over power the flavor of the butter anyway so you're not missing anything by leaving it out. This Chocolate Chunk Banana Bread has the perfect ratio to stay super moist.
Toss the chocolate chips in a small amount of flour, just enough to coat them, immediately before adding them to the chocolate chunk banana bread batter. I remember when I first learned this I thought "well what magic"! This is totally not a necessary step but if you don't want all the chocolate sinking to the bottom of the bread it's a great idea! This will ensure you get chocolate chip in every bite of your Chocolate Espresso Banana Bread.
Wrapped tightly, Chocolate Espresso Banana Bread will last for 3 days on the counter. If you choose to refrigerate the chocolate bread, it will last 5 days wrapped tightly in plastic wrap, just like pumpkin bread with cream cheese frosting.
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📖Recipe
Chocolate Espresso Banana Bread
Equipment
- electric or stand mixer
- oven
- kitchen torch (optional)
Ingredients
Dry Ingredients
- 1 cup all purpose flour
- ¼ cup cocoa powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- ½ tsp espresso powder
Wet Ingredients
- ½ cup olive oil
- ½ cup brown sugar
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- 2 eggs room temp
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ½ cup sour cream
- 1 cup ripe bananas mashed
Add Ins
- ½ cup dark chocolate chips + a few extra for the top
- ½ cup semi sweet chocolate chips + a few extra for the top
- 1 tablespoon all purpose flour for dusting chocolate chips
Optional Topping
- ¼ banana 2 long thin slices off of a banana
- 1 teaspoon granulated sugar
Instructions
Mixing the dry ingredients
- Preheat the oven to 350°F, grease a loaf pan and gather all ingredients
- In a medium bowl whisk all the dry ingredients together and set aside
Mixing the wet ingredients
- In a medium sized bowl with an electric hand mixer or the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, mix the oil and both sugars just until smooth
- Add the eggs one at a time, scraping down the sides of the bowl after each addition and mix each one just until incorporated
- Add the vanilla and sour cream then mix until incorporated
- Mash the bananas and fold in
Mixing the dry into the wet
- Fold the dry ingredients into the wet just until almost fully incorporated. It's ok if there are a few flour streaks throughout
- Set aside a handful of chocolate chips for sprinkling over the top of the batter. Dredge remaining chocolate chips in flour, shake off the excess flour and fold them into the batter.
- Pour the batter into the greased loaf pan and sprinkle the reserved chocolate chips over the top
- Optional - Place the 2 thin slices of banana lengthwise over the top of the batter and press down slightly
- Bake at 350° for 55-65 minutes or just until a toothpick comes out clean or with only a few crumbs. Remove from oven
- Optional - Sprinkle the remaining 1 teaspoon of granulated sugar over the top of the banana slices and brulee with a kitchen torch until sugar is melted and slightly crisp. The sugar will turn a dark brown almost black color on top of the banana slices
- Allow the bread to cool for 20 minutes before transferring out of the pan to cool the rest of the way to room temp. Slice, serve and enjoy!
Christy
We are planning to make this as soon as our bananas are ripe (I know, I know!) so I am wondering if you used light or dark brown sugar. I’m assuming light to avoid a molasses flavor but wanted to be sure.
Krista Stechman
Hi! I've actually made it using both, so either will work. If you want to avoid the extra bit of molasses flavor then definitely go with the light brown sugar.
Lianne
Hi there, wondering if this recipe would work if using butter instead of olive oil?
Krista Stechman
Hi Lianne! I haven't tested this recipe with butter in place of the oil. Please let me know if you try it using butter and how it turns out 🙂
Dawn
This bread was so delicious! I have made it several times already! I won’t go back to plain banana bread anymore!
Krista Stechman
That makes me happy! Thanks for sharing!!
Stephanie
Can I make this vegan by subbing out the eggs or leaving them out altogether?
Krista Stechman
Hi Stephanie! I have not tried substituting or removing the eggs from this recipe, so I cannot say. If you end up trying, I'd love to hear how it turns out!
Jenny
I made this once the normal way, and I'm making it again today with applesauce and aquafaba instead of eggs, so hopefully it works out equally as delicious!
Krista Stechman
Let me know how it turns out! So happy you liked the original!
Allison
Hi- I was wondering if anyone has tried this recipe with gluten free flour. I’d love to hear back if so!
Amanda
I did and it was amazing! I used a 1 to 1 baking flour and also subbed the granulated sugar for coconut sugar. I still used the brown sugar as to not make it too dense. I have read that coconut sugar can make things dense.
Krista Stechman
Hi Amanda! So happy to hear that! Thanks for letting me know the substitution worked.
Al
Can I sub the sour cream for something else?
Krista Stechman
Hi! You can sub Greek yogurt for sour cream if you'd like. Other than that, I have not tried any other subs on this particular recipe. Let me know how it turns out!
Will
If using a mini loaf pan how long would you suggest baking for?
Krista Stechman
Hi Will! I can't say for sure as I haven't tested this recipe in a mini loaf pan and I'm not sure of the exact dimensions. Would you be using 2, 3 or 4 mini pans? You'll have to keep a close eye on the bread through the oven window with the light on. Once you see it rise properly and look set, you can always do the toothpick check to see how close you are. I would advise against opening the oven frequently though, as that can severely affect the oven temperature and results.
Robina
Flavor is delicious but the cake completely rose and covered the banana slices. I cooked for 50 minutes and bottom was a little soggy but I was worried about burning it. Great flavor though!
Krista Stechman
Glad you enjoyed the flavor! I've never had that issue so I'm not sure what happened but I'd love to hear if you try again!
MacKenzie
Mine is still baking as we speak but the bananas on top began to sink already in mine too. I found the dough to be REALLY wet. I triple checked the measurements as well... but the batter tastes phenomenal and I literally cannot wait the 30 more minutes it has in the oven!
Krista Stechman
Hi MacKenzie! Make sure the bananas are sliced very thin so they don't have much weight to them. Let me know how it was after baking!
kathy simser
can you use frozen bananas
Krista Stechman
I have not tested this recipe with frozen bananas, so I can't speak to that. Please let me know how it turns out if you try it!
Dawn
I did it with frozen mushed bananas and it worked perfectly fine.
Stephanie Berish
I can't get enough of this bread. I didn't have espresso powder so I used instant coffee and while the coffee flavor was not pronounced it was still excellent. I made it again just yesterday and accidently burned the mess out of it while using the broiler to brulee the top (I walked away oops). But again, still AMAZING! Love this bread.
Krista Stechman
This makes me so happy! I also love this bread so much, I'm glad you do too!
Christine Libby-jefferds
This is a wonderful recipe!! So tasty and moist. Thank you!
admin
Thank you so much! This is one of my very favorites, I'm so glad you liked it!