Delicious Banana Bread Recipe with Optional Chocolate Chips and Nuts Recipe
This moist and flavorful banana bread recipe uses ripe bananas, whole wheat or all-purpose flour, and natural sweeteners like honey or maple syrup, creating a wholesome treat that’s easy to customize with chocolate chips, nuts, or seeds.
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 1 hour
- Total Time: 1 hour 20 minutes
- Yield: 1 serving 1x
- Category: Baking
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
- Diet: Vegetarian
Ingredients
Units
Scale
Main Ingredients
- 3 very ripe bananas (about 1 to 1 1/4 cups mashed / 300g) — the more brown spots, the better
- 1/3 cup melted coconut oil or melted butter (75g)
- 1/2 cup honey or maple syrup (160g)
- 2 large eggs, beaten
- 1/4 cup Greek yogurt or sour cream (60g)
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- Pinch of salt (1/4 teaspoon)
- 1 1/2 cups whole wheat flour or all-purpose flour (180g all-purpose / 195g whole wheat)
- 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon (optional, but recommended)
Optional Add-Ins
- 1/2 cup chocolate chips (90g) — for chocolate chip banana bread
- 1/2 cup chopped walnuts or pecans (60g)
- 1 tablespoon flax seeds or chia seeds
Instructions
- Preheat and Prepare Pan. Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C). Grease a 9×5-inch loaf pan or line with parchment for easy removal; either works.
- Mash Bananas. In a large mixing bowl, mash enough very ripe bananas to yield about 1 to 1¼ cups. Use a fork and mash until mostly smooth—a few small lumps are fine. They’ll add little pockets of banana flavor throughout the bread.
- Add Melted Fat. Add the melted coconut oil (or butter) to the mashed bananas and stir to combine.
- Combine Wet Ingredients. Add the honey or maple syrup, beaten eggs, Greek yogurt, and vanilla extract. Stir everything together until well combined. The mixture should look smooth and slightly creamy.
- Mix Dry Ingredients. In a separate small bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon. This ensures the leavening is evenly distributed, resulting in a consistent rise.
- Combine Batter. Add the flour mixture to the wet ingredients. Gently fold with a spatula or spoon until just combined. Batter should be thick and lumpy; a few flour streaks are fine.
- Check Batter Consistency. What your batter should look like: Thick, slightly lumpy, and it should fall off the spoon in thick ribbons rather than pour. If it looks thin or runny, something went wrong with the measurements.
- Add Optional Ingredients. If you’re adding chocolate chips, nuts, or seeds, fold them in now. Reserve a small handful of chocolate chips or nuts to sprinkle on top of the batter before baking for a prettier presentation.
- Pour and Decorate Batter. Pour batter into the pan, smooth the top, and sprinkle with reserved chips or nuts, if desired.
- Bake. Bake for 55-65 minutes.
Notes
- Use very ripe bananas with lots of brown spots for the best flavor.
- For a prettier presentation, reserve a small handful of chocolate chips or nuts to sprinkle on top before baking.
- The batter should be thick and slightly lumpy; if it’s thin or runny, recheck your measurements.