This healthy chocolate chip banana bread is the most perfect banana bread in the world. It has everything you need, sweet bananas, chocolate chips, a crunchy exterior, and is very moist and fluffy.
Just the way a good sweet bread should be!

Why We Love This
- Homemade banana bread is moist and fulfilling - it’s simply perfect.
- An easy bread recipe - simple ingredients, it's gluten free but no difficult special baking ingredients or anything else needed here. Anyone can make it!
- Flour - You can use your trusted gluten free flour blend. It should normally contain a rising agent such as xantham gum or similar. I recommend Measure to Measure or Bobs Red Mill (US).
- Overripe Bananas - that old and spotty banana that have been sitting in your kitchen or fridge for a while making excellent gluten-free banana bread! If you have frozen a couple before then these will work equally well once thawed. I usually buy too many bananas that no one eats in the end, so I freeze them and use them later for baking. Works great!
- Eggs - give the bread structure, stability, and tender texture. You can even bake this bread with 1 egg but 2 is recommended.
- Yogurt - gives the necessary moisture to the bread. Substitute with sour cream, creme fraiche, or vegan yogurt. You can use these interchangeably in most baking recipes. Your next options would be kefir and buttermilk.
- White sugar - you can use brown sugar instead which will make the bread, even more, denser and moister. Coconut sugar works here too but it is less sweet than others and will not be the best choice if you use not-so-ripe bananas.
EQUIPMENT
Recommended equipment you need for this healthy chocolate chip banana bread:
For the full list of ingredients, please scroll down where you'll find the recipe card.
Instructions
Preheat the oven to 350 F.
Melt the butter in the microwave or on the stove.
Mash banana in a large mixing bowl until smooth and add eggs. Beat with an electric mixer on low and add melted butter, yogurt, vanilla, and maple syrup.
Mix on low until combined.
Mix dry ingredients: flour, baking powder, salt and combine with wet ingredients. Stir in chocolate chips with a spatula.
Prepare a 9 x 5-inch bread pan lined with parchment paper with enough room left on the edges to lift out the bread after baking.
Make a cut lengthwise in the middle, and bake for 50 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the middle part of the bread comes out with a few breadcrumbs.
Let stand on the kitchen counter for 10 minutes and then remove to wire rack to cool completely.
You can serve this gluten-free banana bread warm as well but better to wait until cooled as it will be easier to cut it.
Slice the bread into 10-12 pieces and serve as is with a cup of milk, peanut butter, or almond butter, and to satisfy your extra sweet tooth cravings with a drizzle of caramel syrup, yum!
Tips
- Moist banana bread. I recommend using the ripest bananas you can get. Dark and full of spots! Why? Simply because of the flavor they give, ''older'' bananas will result in the best, strong, sweet, and rich flavored banana bread. This being said, it is also okay to use more fresh bananas but then the overall flavor will be different and you may need to add a little extra of that maple syrup.
- Different flours will give slightly different results. Most of the big brand's gluten-free flour blend brands are suitable for this recipe. Here I mean the one that already has a thickener agent included such as xantham gum for instance. Any regular all-purpose flour will work here too.
- Bring those ingredients to room temperature - cold ingredients should be brought to room temperature, such as eggs, and yogurt. It will ensure even blending and baking. To make it faster, place the eggs in a bowl of warm water for 10 minutes before mixing the batter.
- Mashing the bananas - bananas can be mashed not only with a fork or potato masher but to save time, an immersion blender and electric mixers work equally well and faster. Make sure to chop up the banana into chunks. This saves a ton of time but does add extra clean-up in the end.
- Measuring - be sure to measure all your ingredients using the correct tools for this including a digital kitchen scale (measuring the ingredients in grams will give more accurate results). This chart is a quick reference for volume, ounces, and grams equivalencies for common ingredients.
- Banana Bread Batter texture - the batter should be moist and thick but still easily pourable.
- Banana muffins - This bread can easily be made into muffins. Don't forget to use muffin tins for easy handling and bake muffins at the same temperature until a toothpick comes out clean or with a few breadcrumbs. I usually start checking the muffins at the 15-20 minute mark.
- Semi-sweet or dark chocolate chips are the best suitable for bread that needs long baking times as these will withstand the heat and remain in shape after baking. A well-trusted brand also matters.
- Sugar substitutions - raw honey, dark brown sugar, pure maple syrup - all of this can work. I haven't tried them yet in the recipe but if someone is allergic or can't have sugar, you can try different options so the whole family can enjoy them.
- Related: Sugar free banana bread
Freezing and Storing Instructions
- Storing - this bread will keep in the fridge for a week, but for better texture and flavor consume it within 2-3 days. Or keep art at room temperature for 2 days, covered tightly in plastic wrap or an airtight container.
- Freezing - let the bread cool completely. Cut in individual slices, thicker the better. Rap each slice in parchment paper or cut out a slightly wider sheet to act as a separator between slices.
- Transfer to a freezer-friendly zip lock bag or container. Freeze for up to 2-3 months. Reheat in a toaster or let come to room temperature to enjoy.
Serving Suggestions
What do you eat banana bread with? My favorite is to enjoy with salted butter but you can serve this bread with:
- Homemade Pumpkin Caramel Sauce
- Nutella
- Plain or flavored Cream cheese with sugar, cinnamon, or vanilla
- Peanut, almond, apple or Cinnamon honey butter
- Berry Jams
- Honey, maple syrup, or agave syrup.
Easy Breakfast Recipes
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Did you make this recipe? Be sure to leave a rating and a comment below. Thank you!
📖Recipe
Healthy Chocolate Chip Banana Bread
Ingredients
- 2 cups gluten free flour blend such as Bob Red Mill or Measure to Measure, a regular all purpose flour will work here too
- 4-5 ripe bananas about 2 cups mashed
- ½ cup white granulated white sugar, sweet syrup, coconut sugar (flavor and texture may slightly change)
- ½ cup unsalted butter, about 1 stick in the US
- 2 large eggs
- 2 tablespoons greek yogurt or sour cream
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- ½ mini or regular semi-sweet chocolate chips
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 F.
- Melt the butter in the microwave or on the stove.
- Mash banana in a large mixing bowl until smooth and add eggs. Beat with an electric mixer on low and add melted butter, yogurt, vanilla, maple syrup.
- Mix on low until combined.
- Mix dry ingredients: flour, baking powder, salt and combine with wet ingredients. Stir in chocolate chips with a spatula.
- Prepare a 9 x 5-inch bread pan lined with parchment paper with enough room left on the edges to lift out the bread after baking.
- Make a cut lengthwise in the middle, and bake for 50 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the middle part of the bread comes out with a few breadcrumbs.
- Let stand on the kitchen counter for 10 minutes and then remove to wire rack to cool completely.
- You can serve this gluten free banana bread warm as well but better to wait until cooled as it will be easier to cut it. Slice the bread into 10-12 pieces and serve as is with a cup of milk, with peanut butter, almond butter, and for satisfy your extra sweet tooth cravings with a drizzle of caramel syrup, yum!
Notes
- Different flours will give slightly different results. Most of the big brand's gluten free flour blend brands are suitable in this recipe. Here I mean the one that already have a thickener agent included such as xantham gum for instance. Any regular all purpose flour will work here too.
- Bring those ingredients to room temperature - cold ingredients should be brought to room temperature, such as eggs, yogurt. It will ensure even blending and baking. To make it faster, place the eggs in a bowl of warm water for 10 minutes before mixing the batter.
- Mashing the bananas - bananas can be mashed not only with a fork or potato masher but to save time, immersion blender and electric mixers work equally well and faster. Make sure to chop up the banana into chunks. This saves a ton of time but does add extra clean-up in the end.
- Banana Bread Batter texture - the batter should be moist and thick but still easily pourable.
- Banana muffins - This bread can easily be made into muffins. Don't forget to use muffin tins for easy handling and bake muffins at the same temperature until a toothpick comes out clean or with a few breadcrumbs. I usually start checking the muffins at 15-20 minute mark.
This recipe has been adapted from the Yummy Bowl.
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Rita
Healthy gluten free banana bread with chocolate chips. What a great way to start day with this delicious breakfast idea!