Chocolate chip banana nut bread is an easy-to-make quick bread that is super moist and loaded with flavors! This recipe can't be beaten, with crushed walnuts and mini chocolate chips in every bite! You'll make it every time you have extra bananas!
Chocolate Chip Banana Nut Bread Recipe
For the banana bread lovers in the house, this version includes even more of their favorite flavors with its melt-in-your-mouth mini chocolate chips and crushed black walnuts dotted throughout the moist bread.
This chocolate chip banana nut bread lasts only long enough to be cooled, removed from the loaf pan, sliced, and served!
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🥘 Chocolate Chip Banana Nut Bread Ingredients, Notes, & Substitutions
- Sugar - 1 cup of sugar to boost the sweetness.
- Butter - ½ cup of salted butter (1 stick) that is softened at room temperature.
- Bananas - 3-4 large overripe bananas. These add natural sweetness as well as moisture and flavor.
- Eggs - 2 large eggs to act as a binder.
- Milk - 2 tablespoons of whole milk.
- Vanilla - 1 teaspoon of pure vanilla extract to enhance the flavors.
- Baking Soda & Baking Powder - 1 teaspoon of both baking soda and baking powder to help the bread rise.
- Salt - 1 teaspoon of salt.
- Cinnamon - 1 teaspoon of ground cinnamon to complement the other flavors.
- Flour - 2 cups of all-purpose flour, spooned and leveled. This will be divided into two portions- 1¾ cups and ¼ cup.
- Chocolate Chips - ½ cup of mini milk chocolate chips.
- Walnuts - ½ cup of crushed walnuts (or your preferred variety of nuts).
Bananas are the star ingredient here. Organic bananas are my favorite. See this post about understanding the PLU codes to verify if you are getting organic.
There's no such thing as bananas that are too ripe, either! Black bananas will be the sweetest. You could also use some frozen ripe bananas!
*Be sure to see the free printable recipe card below for ingredients, exact amounts & instructions with tips!*
How To Ripen Bananas Quickly
I have found that freezing bananas is the easiest way to ripen them quickly.
Allow them to freeze (minimum 30 minutes, up to two hours), then remove and set them out at room temperature on the counter. Once the peels have blackened, the bananas are ready to be used for your next batch of banana bread, banana muffins, banana cake, or other banana-based cookies and desserts.
You can also place unpeeled bananas on a baking sheet that is lined with aluminum foil and put them in the oven at 250-300°F (120-150°C/Gas Mark 1-2) for 15-20 minutes. Remove from the oven and allow to cool for about 30 minutes before using the bananas.
Or place your bananas in a loosely closed brown paper bag and allow the ethylene that the bananas produce to circulate in the bag and ripen them much more quickly than normal.
Check the bagged bananas intermittently to see when your bananas have reached your desired level of ripeness (12-24 hours).
🔪 How To Make Chocolate Chip Banana Nut Bread
This easy quick bread requires no kneading or waiting for the bread to rise! All you need is a loaf pan, a large mixing bowl, your measuring utensils, and an electric mixer.
This recipe is for 1 loaf of banana bread, which can be cut into 12 slices.
Make the Batter
Step 1: Prepare. Preheat your oven to 375°F (190°C/Gas Mark 5) and butter your loaf pan, line it with parchment paper, or coat it with non-stick cooking spray.
Step 2: Cream the butter. In a large mixing bowl or the bowl of your stand mixer, cream together ½ cup (113 grams) of butter and 1 cup (200 grams) of sugar. Add 3-4 large overripe bananas and mash them into the creamed butter and sugar.
Step 3: Combine wet ingredients. Add 2 eggs (100 grams), 2 tablespoons (30 milliliters) of milk, and 1 teaspoon (5 milliliters) of vanilla, then mix until combined (wet batter will be very lumpy from butter and bananas).
Step 4: Mix dry ingredients. Add 1 teaspoon (6 grams) of baking soda, 1 teaspoon (4.8 grams) of baking powder, 1 teaspoon (2.6 grams) of cinnamon, and 1 teaspoon (5.7 grams) of salt and stir into the batter. Then add the first portion of the divided flour amount (1¾ cups or 219 grams) and mix just until the flour is incorporated into the lumpy batter.
Step 5: Prepare the mix-ins. In a small Ziploc bag, combine the remaining flour portion (¼ cup or 30 grams) with ½ cup (88 grams) of mini milk chocolate chips and ½ cup (65 grams) of crushed walnuts. Shake until well coated, then add to the batter and fold in gently to distribute evenly throughout the batter.
Bake & Cool
Step 6: Bake. Transfer batter to prepared loaf pan, and bake at 375°F (190°C/Gas Mark 5) for 55-60 minutes, or until an inserted toothpick comes out clean from the center of the loaf.
Step 7: Cool. Remove to a wire cooling rack and allow the banana bread to cool in the loaf pan for 5 minutes before removing from the loaf pan and transferring to the wire cooling rack to cool completely.
Serve your banana bread as-is or with a drizzle of caramel or toffee sauce. Enjoy it with some coffee, tea, or milk, too!
💭 Angela's Pro Tips & Recipe Notes
- For easy removal, line your pan with parchment paper and let it overhang on the sides. This way, you can just lift the bread out of the pan and slice it.
- I used mini milk chocolate chips, but you could easily swap these for dark chocolate or semi-sweet chocolate chips.
- Coating the walnuts and chocolate chips in flour keeps them from sinking to the bottom of the batter.
🥄 Make Ahead Options
You can prepare your banana bread batter up to 2 days in advance. Keep it stored in the refrigerator, either covered with plastic wrap or with a lid.
Keep in mind that the longer the dough sits, the more the color will change. However, the flavor and texture won't be affected.
Freezing Banana Bread
Wrap your cooled banana bread in a layer of plastic wrap and then a layer of aluminum foil. Place it into a sealed bag and freeze for up to 3 months.
Read my post on freezing banana bread for more information.
Leftover Chocolate Chip Banana Nut Bread
Want to use up some leftover banana bread and make an amazingly rich and flavorful dessert? Try out my chocolate chip banana nut bread bread pudding!
🥡 Storing
Store your banana bread at room temperature in a sealed container with paper towels both underneath and above the loaf. This way, it will last for 3-4 days.
You could also wrap the cooled loaf in plastic wrap and store it in the fridge for up to 1 week.
I have an entire guide dedicated to storing banana bread if you want to learn more!
>>>>See all of my recipes here<<<<
❓ How Do I Keep Chocolate Chips or Nuts From Settling While Baking Banana Bread?
To prevent any larger chunk ingredients that you want to add to your banana bread (or cake) from settling, coat the desired ingredients in flour.
In this case, I have used a small Ziploc bag and a small portion of the flour called for in my chocolate chip banana nut bread recipe and combined my mini chocolate chips and walnuts with the flour.
A light coating of the flour will prevent my chocolate chips and nuts from sinking to the bottom of my baked banana bread loaf.
❓ What Size Loaf Pan Do I Use For Banana Bread?
Most of our Grandmas used a standard 9x5x2½ inch loaf pan and these can still be purchased. I've found that old vintage recipes work best in this standard-size loaf pan.
However, the current standard size 1 pound loaf pan is actually 8½x4½x2½ inch and this is what you will typically find in stores that do not have a specialized baking section.
There are, of course, holiday loaf pans and mini loaf pans as well as specialty larger loaf pans, but the sizes noted above are what most recipes are referring to unless otherwise noted.
❓ How Do I Keep Banana Bread Moist?
To keep your delicious banana bread moist for days (up to a week), be sure to store it in the refrigerator. Your banana bread should be wrapped tightly in plastic wrap (cling film) or aluminum foil, placed in a storage bag, or in an air-tight container.
I prefer and recommend the plastic wrap for storing and refrigerating my chocolate chip banana nut bread.
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📖 Recipe Card
Chocolate Chip Banana Nut Bread
Ingredients
- 1 cup sugar
- ½ cup butter (salted, 1 stick - softened at room temperature)
- 3-4 large bananas (overripe)
- 2 large eggs
- 2 tablespoon milk (whole milk)
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 2 cup all-purpose flour (divided - reserve ¼ cup to coat chocolate chips and nuts)
- ½ cup mini milk chocolate chips
- ½ cup crushed walnuts (or your preferred nut variety)
(Note: 2x or 3x only changes the ingredient list)
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 375°F (190°C) and butter your loaf pan, line it with parchment paper, or coat it with non-stick cooking spray.
- In a large mixing bowl, or the bowl of your stand mixer, cream together the butter and sugar. Add the overripe bananas and mash into the creamed butter and sugar.
- Add the eggs, milk and vanilla, then mix until combined (wet batter will be very lumpy from butter and bananas).
- Add baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon and salt and stir into the batter. Then add the first portion of divided flour amount (1 ¾ cups) and mix just until the flour is incorporated into the lumpy batter.
- In a small ziploc bag, combine the remaining flour portion (¼ cup) with the mini milk chocolate chips and crushed walnuts. Shake until well coated, then add to the batter and fold in gently to distribute evenly throughout the batter.
- Transfer batter to prepared loaf pan, and bake at 375°F (190°C) for 55-60 minutes, or until an inserted toothpick comes out clean from the center of the loaf.
- Remove to a wire cooling rack and allow the banana bread to cool in the loaf pan for 5 minutes, before removing from the loaf pan and transferring to the wire cooling rack to cool completely.
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