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This easy chocolate banana bread recipe is moist and rich. Chocolate bread is the perfect recipe for brunch, a snack, or even dessert!
In honor of the upcoming holiday that celebrates sugar, here it is: a recipe with flour, sugar, and butter. Unlike our normal habit, we didn’t try to make it gluten-free or naturally sweet. It’s lightly adapted from Deb at Smitten Kitchen, though admittedly we did health-ify it a bit by adding a walnut topping and removing the chocolate chips. What results is a lightly-sweet, moist, dark chocolate-y bread that should definitely be consumed as a dessert. We tried it with a bit of maple mascarpone and it was delightful. And if you’re looking for decadence, chocolate chips would be divine.
Want classic banana bread instead? Try our Our Best Banana Bread Recipe or browse 10 Fun Banana Bread Recipes!
Some thoughts on sugar
We made this recipe before I decided to spend the last week fasting from sugar. Yes, fasting from sugar. Even as a self-proclaimed healthy eating advocate, I was finding ways to slip in sweets every day: chocolate in the evening, drowning my oatmeal in maple syrup. Though much of it was natural sugar, I realized I was becoming a bit too dependent on the sweet stuff to get me through the day, rationalizing that I had a long day at the office and deserved it.
Last week, I ate only vegetables and whole grains. Here’s what surprised me: #1. The food was delicious, and I did not feel like I was depriving myself. Once I was in the “cold turkey” mindset, I didn’t keep running back to the chocolate drawer (yes, I have one — err, had one). #2. I now feel great, lighter somehow, and less dependent on my fix.
This is not a rant to convince you to go on a sugar fast. In general, Alex and I focus less on deprivation and more on moderation, which we find helps us eat the way we want without becoming legalistic and setting ourselves up for failure. But all that moderation is a slippery slope. For me, one piece of chocolate per night was becoming two, three, four pieces of chocolate, with various other random snacks thrown in. It was constant, and I couldn’t shake it.
There’s research out there about sugar being an addictive substance. I used to find it a little sensational, but I’ve realized maybe my “moderate” relationship with sugar was becoming a little too friendly. I’m not planning to set up new rules for the future, but cleanse has definitely given me a new perspective. So it’s a bit ironic, but here’s a sweet recipe…after a week without sweets!
How about you – what are your thoughts on sugar?
How to make chocolate banana bread
This chocolate banana bread is a pretty standard quick bread, and it’s very easy to make. As with all banana bread recipes, make sure to use very ripe bananas so that they’re sweet and easy to mash. Once you’ve mashed the bananas, mix them with the melted butter, sugar, eggs and vanilla. Then add the dries and pour the batter into a prepared loaf pan. You don’t even need a stand mixer!
There are lots of variations on chocolate banana bread recipes. For our recipe, we’ve added chopped walnuts to the top of the bread of a protein-filled crunch. We’ve also nixed the traditional chocolate chips to keep the bread dark and moist, but not too rich. We hope you enjoy our chocolate banana bread: let us know in the comments below!
Variation: turn them into muffins!
Imagine: a bite that’s perfectly chocolaty, crunchy on the top and moist on the inside. Yes, these chocolate banana muffins are calling you! We turned this chocolate banana bread recipe into muffins, and they’re just as delicious. They’re the perfect texture, not too rich and just sweet enough, with crunchy turbinado sugar! Head over to that recipe for more.
This recipe is…
This chocolate banana bread recipe is vegetarian.
Chocolate Banana Bread
This easy chocolate banana bread recipe is moist and rich. Chocolate bread is the perfect recipe for brunch, a snack, or even dessert!
- Prep Time: 30 minutes
- Cook Time: 1 hour
- Total Time: 1 hour 30 minutes
- Yield: 1 loaf 1x
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Baked
- Cuisine: American
Ingredients
- ½ cup walnuts
- 3 to 4 very ripe bananas (enough for 1 cup total)
- ½ cup unsalted butter
- ¾ cup brown sugar
- 1 large egg
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- ½ cup Dutch-process cocoa powder
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Butter a 9×5-inch loaf pan.
- Chop the walnuts.
- Mash the bananas in the bottom of a large bowl, enough for 1 cup. Melt the butter, then whisk it into the bananas along with the brown sugar, egg, and vanilla extract.
- Add the baking soda, kosher salt, all-purpose flour, and Dutch-process cocoa powder to the bowl and stir together with a spoon.
- Pour the batter into the loaf pan and top with chopped walnuts.
- Bake 55 to 65 minutes (insert a toothpick into the center of the loaf: if it comes out clean, it’s done!) Cool in the pan for 15 minutes. Then run a knife around the edge and invert the loaf onto a cooling rack. Serve warm or at room temperature. The bread keeps up to 4 days at room temperature wrapped in aluminum foil.
Notes
Adapted from Smitten Kitchen
Looking for more chocolate recipes?
Outside of this chocolate banana bread, here are a few more of our favorite chocolate recipes on A Couple Cooks (we’re choco-holics over here):
- Triple Chocolate Cookies
- Vegan Chocolate Pudding
- Chocolate Muesli Recipe
- Chocolate Tahini Vegan No Bake Cookies
- Chewy Cookie Cake Recipe
- Amazing Gluten Free Chocolate Cake
- Vegan Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Chocolate Cherry Vegan Tarts
- Cherry Quinoa Chocolate Bark
- Chocolate Brownie Vegan Pancakes
- Bliss Bites
- Dark Chocolate Hummus Recipe
- Decadent Vegan Chocolate Cake
Looking for more bread recipes?
We’ve got you covered! Here are some of our favorite bread recipes:
Hi! Do I add caster brown sugar or granulated one?
Hi there! The recipe calls for brown sugar. Let me know if you had another question?
Wow! These actually left me speechless at how amazing they are! I made mine in a muffin tin instead of a loaf pan. It really tastes just like a chocolate cupcake! (in fact I’ll be making these for my birthday in a few weeks and topping them w/chocolate peanut butter frosting) I subbed the sugar for 1/2 c maple syrup, oat flour for the all-purpose flour and swapped out half the butter for 3 tbsp. applesauce and they still came out beautifully!
Just made these cookies and they are great. Not too sweet, just right.
This article says:
Dutch processed Cocoa powder should be used with baking powder
Natural cocoa powder is normally used with baking soda
This recipe mixes the opposite… any reason why?
http://www.seriouseats.com/2014/08/difference-dutch-process-natural-cocoa-powder-substitute.html
Thank you for this great link. I will use the baking powder for my first time making this bread.
Hi R. How did your banana bread turn out using baking powder substitute along with the Dutch processed cocoa powder ?
I took this to a dinner last night and we couldn’t stop eating it (so much for moderation)! I even caught my kids reaching onto the counter and sneaking off with handfuls of it! Thanks for sharing.
Made this last night. Huge win in our house. Thanks for a different spin. Will definitely make again.
This looks amazing! I wish that I could convince myself to go on a sugar fast. :)
Ah, it’s not that bad. Since starting my blog, I have actually felt as if I don’t need the sugar as much. Your website helps keep everything in check with all the delicious healthy-ness that’s all around.
Thanks for sharing!
is it possible to substitute the Dutch-process cocoa powder with regular cocoa powder?
Hi Martina! I would use the Dutch-process cocoa powder if you could find it; it makes the bread have a rich color and a dark, chocolate-y taste. I’ve compared the two and there is really no substitute for Dutch-process cocoa. It would be a different bread without it, but you could try it if you liked!
I have been getting in a bad habit of sugar treats through out the day as well; I will have chocolate after dinner or while sitting at my desk at work. It adds up. Doing a sugar fast sounds intriguing. Did you just eat veggies and whole grains? Or did you allow dairy too?
Hi Mattie, great question! I didn’t follow any standard cleanses at all – I just made up what I wanted it to be, which was a fast from refined sugar: all desserts, chocolate, etc. I did not cut out natural sugars like fruit, but I ate them pretty sparingly but only because I’m not a huge fruit person :) I did allow dairy but also kept it occasional for that week, mainly just the milk in my coffee. I had made a big lentil shepherd’s pie over the weekend and basically ate that all week long. None of it was scientific – just my own preference for how I wanted to structure it! I came out feeling really great and not having the cravings / snacking compulsion I had towards sweets previously.
This looks devine! Sugar is my enemy and I’m completely addicted- I like to call it like it is. I treat it like a god and just recently tried cold turkey and failed.
Most of my family, and extended family are addicted to sugar as well. A difficult one to escape.
His mercies are new every morning❤️
Bree
I definitely have a bit of a love hate relationship with sugar. Currently more hate than love, but that doesn’t mean I don’t appreciate a super good looking ‘bread’ like this one ;)
Thanks so much for sharing this amazing recipe.
You are so welcome!
Can I come live at your house and have you feed me? :-) Seriously, I am going to make this recipe the next time I go to my mom’s house, and we will enjoy it! Thanks.
Haha, of course – come on over! :) Hope you enjoy the recipe!
This looks so yummy, I have also been trying to cut back on sugar lately, so chocolate bread sounds amazing o.o! I would probably eat the whole thing.
We have a chocolate drawer too. It blows me away how many foods get added sweetness in this house–the breakfast porridge, the smoothies, salad dressings! Basically everything. I always say it’s in the name of flavor balance, but I know I can do without most times. Sugar is hard to quit and I definitely commend you for going a week without it. But this banana bread! So good with chocolate! :)
Haha, glad to know I’m not the only one who’s had a secret stash!
I was going to say that I don’t have problems with sugar because I don’t eat candy, rarely add sugar to my desserts (when I have some), and I avoid buying chocolate or biscuits so that I have no temptation.
But then I thought about my recent sugar cravings when I come home after work, or after dinner. And then I realised that in these moments I snack on the leftovers of Easter chocolates that are in my bedroom (bc my family offered me a ton and I still have some left!) It’s not always like this though, sometimes I have no cravings at all (that’s also why there’s still Easter chocolates around, sometimes I spend entire weeks without even thinking about them) but at the moment, I’m in a major chocolate craving time.
Oh and lastly, I have been having hot chocolate at work a few times around 10 am because I am hungry and falling asleep and I feel that my brain needs sugar (I have a hard time taking a breakfast when I wake up recently because I don’t feel hungry, but a few hours later I feel I need energy!). Plus, I have been baking more often recently, so that I could have a piece of cake for breakfast (I like to think that I baked quite healthy cakes without too much butter, with fruits and no frosting or chocolate or cream, but I haven’t been thinking about the sugar in them), but sometimes I find myself having a piece of it for dessert too, or as a snack. Well, actually I’ve been having a piece of grape cornbread everydaysince Sunday… Also, there’s some great tea houses in my town that I visit almost weekly recently…
So I guess that I should try that sugar break too! I don’t feel like I am addicted to sugar and NEED to have some, but when there’s temptation around it seems that I can’t resist it recently. Gonna work on that, thank you for helping me realise it! However, it is important not to demonize sugar as it is needed by our brain to work properly! You probably read it but there was an interesting article about sugar on Oh My Veggies (http://ohmyveggies.com/healthy-or-hype-7-sugar-myths-debunked/). As you always say, moderation is the key!
But OHMYGOSH your cake looks awesome so it’s not helping me to go on a sugar break! I want to bake it for next week’s breakfasts! (and desserts and snacks, obviously…)
This is a great article – thanks for mentioning it! Let us know if you try a little break and how it goes!
You know, I went Paleo for a time. Best thing I ever did because I was able to isolate gluten as a huge issue. Regarding sugar though, I’ve made a few determinations. The addiction factor I think rests largely on the type of sugar/carb. Everything in moderation the saying goes, but I think those things that are more processed are where the real addictions lie. Maybe this is just true for me individually. I have found keeping it natural is much easier to control.
Interesting! I think I would agree too – though even natural was hard for me to control! Thanks for sharing.
Usually I cook traditional banana bread , this version I love chocolate , I will try cocinarlo.Saludos from Uruguay
Hubba hubba. This bread looks DELICIOUS and kind of perfect. Lovely photos, guys!
Thank you so much, Dana!
looks so good! I was just looking for a new breakfast bread to try and this looks just right. Sugar is a tough one. I can always do my best with less, but never none, it is a little addictive unfortunately!
Thank you so much, Sara! Let us know if you try it out :)
Banana and chocolate — my two favorite food groups! Can’t wait to dive in!
This looks so decadent! Even without the chocolate chips. Thoughts on sugar? My husband and I just watched the documentary with Katie Couric called Fed Up and it’s scary how much sugar there is everything! Although, I admit, I DO have a huge sweet tooth, but I try to live a mostly healthy life style!
Interesting – we’ll have to check this documentary out! Thanks for mentioning.
I think sugar is definitely addictive. I realize this is totally anecdotal, but on days when someone brings a treat in to work and I have a piece, I am practically salivating waiting for my next break and hoping there’s still some left for me to have more (please tell me I’m not the only one who does this). I’ve never tried a sugar fast because I am a strong proponent of all things in moderation, but I do like the idea of taking a week-long break just to remind oneself that you are not subservient to sugar and can get along great without it, thank you very much.
No, you are not alone in salivating for treat seconds at work! I used to wonder if I was alone in that struggle too :) Let us know if you decide to take a sugar break!
Oh gosh, you just hit the nail on the head. I agree, it’s not about deprivation but sugar is a hard nut to crack, so much so that I’m giving a workshop on sugar cravings soon. ;-) Recently did a gentle Autumn cleanse and had similar results as you Sonja. Once we realize we’re dependent on the sweet taste, then find a way to stop the vicious cycle like through a cleanse, we actually do end up craving less but feeling as satisfied. Sugar is in fact a drug, our brain responds to it in a similar way as it would cocaine. :/ Love this chocolate spin on banana bread, I don’t think anyone should go without a good banana bread recipe!
How fun about your workshop! We’d love to hear how it goes and how people resonate. I’d heard about sugar being like cocaine – which I think is easy to rationalize away if you’ve never been “off” sugar! I’m much more aware of its effects now.
Looks amazing!
I am with you on eating in moderation. Sometimes it’s easy to fall into the trap of thinking as long as it’s sweetly naturally, then a lot is okay. I always have to remind myself that even natural sugars need to be eaten in moderation!
Yes! I used to use the excuse that it was just honey or maple syrup, but Alex reminded me that it’s still sugar!
I think I need to do one of those sugar fasts too – I’ve noticed a similar creeping pattern in my eating habits too and it’s always good to hit the reset button every now and then.
I love the idea of a reset button – that’s exactly it! It’s kind of scary (I didn’t think I could do it), but ultimately worth it! Let us know if you give if a try…
Gorgeous looking bread! Drooling over here! I definitely notice if I lay off the sugar for a while, then I want it less. Once I start popping little chocolates in my mouth, it’s hard to stop. In fact, I think I would probably inhale this entire loaf of bread!
I completely agree! I’m enjoying being off of that slippery slope – for now, at least!
I completely agree, about sugar! I had been avoiding processed sugar for some time and dove into a bag of small candy bars my finace bought for our (nonexistent) trick or treaters. Wooo man, that sugar gives a rush when you haven’t had it for a while! But, that being said, sometimes you just need a loaf of banana bread, right? : )
Agreed about the sugar rush – and it tastes so much stronger too after a while without it, doesn’t it? Yes, banana bread hopefully isn’t the strongest of offenders in the sugar camp :)
This looks super yummy. I will definitely have to try this. Wow looks divine! I just posted a new blog post of Buckwheat pancakes, please give them a go! Whole grain and gluten free, aka stacks to heaven. I serve them layered with Greek yoghurt and berries. http://juicyluciefoods.blogspot.co.uk/
This recipe looks and sounds amazing! I would totally love to try this out! I love love banana muffins/breads so I really will try this out soon!
I just made this bread & it was Very Moist & delicious! I’m making again into muffins now. Thanks for the great recipe!
I made Deb’s bread a while ago and I loooooooved it! Definitely need to try this version. The walnuts on top make it so pretty!
Thanks so much, Katrina!
O my god!! This looks amazing. I will make this, as soon as I can.
My thoughts on sugar… I need to make this recipe ASAP! OMG YUM!
and the nut topping looks sooo good… hmmm I have a little time off lately so maybe this is on the cards for tomorrow :)