Easy One Bowl Chocolate Chip Banana Bread
This one bowl chocolate chip banana bread is my go-to banana bread whenever I have overripe bananas. It’s easy to put together in a single bowl in under 30 minutes.
Plus it’s made with whole wheat flour, orange juice, and a dusting of coconut. That means it’s healthy, right?
You probably already have your own favorite banana bread, so I won’t try to convince you that this chocolate chip banana bread is the perfect banana bread. But try it once, and tell me you don’t love it.
The Story
This would have been my mother’s banana bread if my mother had a child who insisted on chocolate chips instead of raisins and walnuts. I can’t tell you where the recipe comes from, because all I have is a stained and smudged 3 by 5 index card with directions that just say “combine ingredients.”
Interestingly, although banana bread is a quick bread, it doesn’t follow the typical baking ratio for quick breads. You can see that formula in my kale and cheese quick bread.
Key Ingredient: Bananas
Overripe bananas are the secret to the best banana bread. That’s because the sugars in bananas increase as they ripen to give you a sweeter bake with more banana flavor. There’s no such thing as a banana that’s too ripe for banana bread.
Tips and Tricks
Flour the pan with coconut
Recipes call for flouring cake pans so that the cake will come out without sticking to the sides. Shredded unsweetened coconut provides the same function and gives this chocolate chip banana bread a hint of coconut flavor.
You can always flour the pan with all-purpose flour if you are allergic or really don’t like coconut.
Step by Step
To make the batter, first beat butter and sugar together in your bowl (Panel #1, below). Then add the bananas (Panel #2).
Sift the dry ingredients on top and mix (Panel #3). Then stir in the chocolate chips by hand (Panel #4).
Scrape the banana bread batter into the prepared loaf pan (Panel #1, below) and sprinkle with more chocolate chips (Panel #2). I won’t tell if you sneak one or two as a snack!
Bake until the banana bread is set, and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. If the banana bread is browning quickly, cover it loosely with foil.
Variations and substitutions
- Omit the chips and use one half cup of raisins and a half cup of chopped walnuts.
- Use other dried fruit or nuts.
- Use a different kind of chips like peanut butter or salted caramel chips.
FAQs
Yup. Unless you only have flaked coconut and have to smash it with a mortar and pestle, and your kiddo keeps asking you math questions. Then it takes 20 minutes. But you still only have one bowl to clean.
This one bowl chocolate chip banana bread freezes very well. Just double wrap the cool loaf it in plastic wrap, and then put it in a freezer bag. To eat, let it come to room temperature.
Yes, you can hold bananas in the fridge for a day or two. Or freeze peeled bananas in a freezer bag for three to six months.
Related Recipes
Check out these mini banana muffins for something really similar. Or turn your banana bread up to 11 with this Nutella banana bread.
Or you could make a pound cake like this chocolate chip loaf cake or coffee and walnut loaf cake. Or make other quick breads like this blackberry and lemon bread or this summer raspberry cake.
One Bowl Chocolate Chip Banana Bread
Equipment
- 1 9 by 5 inch or 8.5 by 4.5 inch loaf pan
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon shredded, unsweetened coconut for "flouring" the pan
- 4 tablespoon unsalted butter, softened plus extra for greasing the pan
- 1 cup (200 grams) granulated sugar
- 2 cups very ripe bananas (3 to 4 medium bananas)
- 1 egg
- 1 tablespoon orange juice
- 1 ¼ cup (156 grams) bleached, all-purpose flour
- ½ cup (62 grams) whole wheat flour
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon baking soda
- ¾ cup chocolate chips, divided up to 1 cup, if desired.
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Butter a loaf pan and use the coconut to coat the inside.4 tablespoon unsalted butter, softened, 1 tablespoon shredded, unsweetened coconut
- In the bowl of a stand mixer or in a medium mixing bowl if using a hand mixer, cream the butter and sugar on medium speed until it is light, about 3 to 5 minutes. Scrape down the bowl as necessary.4 tablespoon unsalted butter, softened, 1 cup (200 grams) granulated sugar
- Add the bananas and beat until softened. Add the egg and orange juice and beat on medium speed for one minute.2 cups very ripe bananas (3 to 4 medium bananas), 1 egg, 1 tablespoon orange juice
- Sift the remaining ingredients over the mixing bowl and then mix just until fully incorporated.1 ¼ cup (156 grams) bleached, all-purpose flour, ½ cup (62 grams) whole wheat flour, ½ teaspoon salt, 1 teaspoon baking powder, ¼ teaspoon baking soda
- Add a half cup of the chocolate chips, reserving the remaining two tablespoons for the topping, and mix by hand¾ cup chocolate chips, divided
- Scrape the batter into the prepared loaf pan and top with the reserved chocolate chips.
- Bake for 65 to 75 minutes on a rack in the middle of the oven until a toothpick or knife inserted into it comes out clean (you may need to check in a few places if you stick a toothpick into a chocolate chip). Check it at about 50 to 55 minutes and cover the banana bread with foil if it is browning too quickly.
- Cool in the pan for about 10 minutes and then turn onto a cooling rack. It can be sliced when warm, but I actually like it better after it has cooled, wrapped in foil, and the crust has softened a bit. Store at room temperature for up to one week.
Notes
Nutrition
This one bowl banana bread recipe was originally shared on March 22, 2021. It was last updated on June 8, 2022.
What’s next
If you make this one bowl chocolate chip banana bread, please leave a comment and rating here.
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See? One bowl. Easy cleaning!
