This is the best Healthy Chocolate Chip Banana Bread you'll ever make! This easy recipe is gluten-friendly, naturally sweetened and moist. There's nothing better than a thick slice of homemade banana bread for breakfast.
Why You'll Love This Healthy Homemade Banana Bread!
Most banana bread recipes are packed with lots of refined sugar, don't always use much banana and have conventional oils that don't offer any health benefits. Of course we want you to bake what makes you happy, so keep doing you friend!
But if you're someone who is looking to cut back on a little sugar and bake healthier treats, this recipe is for you! We're using melted coconut oil to add healthy fats to this moist banana bread. To make this recipe gluten-free, simply use your favorite gluten-free all-purpose flour that's 1:1. This healthy banana bread can be made with all natural sweeteners like honey and pure maple syrup or a lightened up amount of brown sugar or coconut sugar.
Feel free to customize this recipe to fit your likings by using a unique combination of sweeteners or swapping the coconut oil for your preferred oil.
We Think This Loaf is Sweet!
To keep this healthy chocolate chip banana bread refined sugar-free, reach for natural sweeteners like honey and pure maple syrup!
If you don't mind using traditional sugars, I recommend brown sugar! You can use ½ cup brown sugar or ¼ cup brown sugar and ¼ cup pure maple syrup.
Another great option for adding sweetness to this banana bread is coconut sugar! Coconut sugar adds a rich caramel flavor similar to brown sugar and is considered a healthier alternative.
How To Make Healthy Chocolate Chip Banana Bread:
To start making your healthy chocolate chip banana bread, beat ripe bananas, sweeteners of choice, eggs, milk and vanilla in a large mixing bowl. This easy banana bread can also be mixed by hand! Just use a fork to mash your ripe bananas first before adding the remaining ingredients.
Next, stir together the dry ingredients including the flour, baking soda, cinnamon and salt. Partially fold the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients and then add the melted coconut oil and chocolate chips. Mix batter until just combined. Adding the coconut oil towards the end ensures it doesn't harden from the cold ingredients. (If you're using avocado oil or another conventional oil, you can add at the beginning with the other wet ingredients.)
Grease two loaf pans or line with parchment paper and divide your banana bread batter between the pans. Pop your loaf pans in the oven to bake and then enjoy your healthy treat made with sweet, ripe bananas and simple pantry staples.
Baking Tips:
My #1 tip for baking banana bread at home is to divide the batter between two loaf pans! Here's why this tip is my first recommendation:
- shorter baking time in the oven 👏
- two smaller loaves that make better serving sizes
- more control to get a consistent bake
- no soggy middles or tenting with foil
If you don't have a second loaf pan, you can also turn this recipe into banana muffins! Simply shorten the baking time to 15-20 minutes and check with a toothpick for doneness.
If you want to make one big loaf of banana bread, you will need to cover it with a foil tent so the center can bake before the top is too brown. To make your foil tent, take a large square of aluminum foil and loosely cover your loaf pan leaving space at the top to create a triangle tent shape. This extra space under the foil gives your banana bread room to rise. Secure the foil around the two sides of your loaf pan and bake for 45 minutes before removing the foil.
Everything You'll Need
Chocolate Chip Banana Bread:
- Ripe Bananas
- Honey and/or Maple Syrup
- Brown Sugar and/or Coconut Sugar
- Eggs
- Milk of Choice
- Vanilla Extract
- All-Purpose Flour
- Baking Soda
- Cinnamon
- Salt
- Coconut Oil
- Chocolate Chips
Other Healthy Mix In Ideas:
- Walnuts
- Blueberries
- Raisins
Need to make a substitution?
Sub for Coconut Oil?
Avocado oil, canola or vegetable oil make a good substitute for coconut oil in this recipe.
Gluten-Free?
To make this recipe gluten-free, use 1:1 gluten-free all-purpose flour.
Dairy-Free?
Use non-dairy milk like almond, coconut, hemp or soy milk to make a dairy-free banana loaf.
More Muffin and Bread Recipes:
- Healthy Lemon Blueberry Greek Yogurt Muffins
- Maple Glazed Bacon Banana Muffins
- Cinnamon Sugar Apple Coffee Cake
- Pumpkin Cream Cheese Filled Bread
If you make this healthy chocolate chip banana bread, be sure to tag #bakedabundance on Instagram. We’d also love if you would leave a comment below and rate the recipe. We appreciate you!
PrintRecipe
Healthy Chocolate Chip Banana Bread
This is the best Healthy Chocolate Chip Banana Bread you'll ever make! This easy recipe is gluten-friendly, naturally sweetened and moist.
- Prep Time: 10
- Cook Time: 35
- Total Time: 45 minutes
- Yield: 8 1x
Ingredients
- 3 small ripe bananas
- 2 large eggs
- ⅓ cup milk of choice
- ¼ cup honey or pure maple syrup*
- ¼ cup brown sugar or coconut sugar*
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 cups all-purpose flour, spooned and leveled
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ⅓ cup coconut oil, melted
- ¾ cup chocolate chips
Instructions
- Mash ripe bananas by hand or use a mixer to beat bananas, egg, milk, honey/pure maple syrup and/or brown sugar/coconut sugar, and vanilla extract.
- In a separate bowl, whisk together the dry ingredients: flour, baking soda, cinnamon and salt. Add dry ingredients to wet ingredients and partially combine.
- Add melted coconut oil and chocolate chips and now fully stir the batter until just combined.
- Grease two loaf pans or line them with parchment paper and divide the batter between the two prepared pans. For one large loaf, cover banana bread with a foil tent.*
- Bake at 325F for 30-40 minutes for two smaller loaves or 45 minutes covered plus 15 minutes uncovered for one large loaf.
Notes
Adjust the combination of sweeteners to your liking. I've used ¼ cup honey with ¼ cup pure maple syrup and ¼ cup brown sugar and ¼ pure maple syrup. You can also use ½ cup of any one sweetener instead of a mix.
Read the "Baking Tips" in this blog post to learn more about making a foil tent and how to bake your banana bread.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 8
- Calories: 382.4kcal
- Sugar: 28.08g
- Sodium: 169.96mg
- Fat: 15.8g
- Saturated Fat: 11.32g
- Carbohydrates: 57.93g
- Fiber: 3.01g
- Protein: 6.1g
- Cholesterol: 42.14mg
Amy
This banana bread is one of my favorites! I love that this recipe is healthy for breakfast or an afternoon snack. I always make this when I have ripe bananas!
Leslie
I haven’t got to try it yet but I’m looking forward to making it but is there any substitutions for the honey/maple syrup?
Marley
Hi Leslie! If you don't want to use honey or maple syrup, you can substitute brown sugar or coconut sugar (in equal amounts). I typically bake with brown sugar when I'm not intentionally trying to make something healthier. I hope you get to try this recipe soon! Thanks 🙂 -Marley
Genevieve
This is so good!! Perfect for breakfast or a snack. Toddler and baby approved too! Definitely will be making again in the future!
Marley
Thank you so much Genevieve! I am happy to hear that this healthy banana bread was a hit with the whole fam! Thanks again 🙂
Jenna
This is the best healthier banana bread recipe I've ever made!! I appreciate that your recipe calls for less sugar than most and is easy to customize. I am dairy-free so I used oat milk and it turned out great! I tried baking the bread in an 8x8 dish instead of two loaf pans and it turned out perfectly! I saw you mentioned this baking hack on Instagram and I wanted to try it. I baked the banana bread for about 30 minutes in the 8x8 dish and used a knife inserted in the center to check for doneness. Thanks!!
Nicole
SOLID can’t-go-wrong banana bread!!! Love how it subs healthier ingredients like coconut oil and I used almond milk for mine. I also made it as a large loaf and it came out perfectly done after 1 hour with the tenting and it wasn’t overly browned at the edges!
Marley Braunlich
Yummm! I'm happy you were able to use your ingredients of choice like almond milk in this healthier banana bread recipe. Way to go with the tenting and perfect bake! Thank you for leaving this sweet 5 star review Nicole!
Danielle
Love referencing this recipe! My loaves always come out moist and I love how you can personalize it and there are even recommendations for adding things or substituting!
Marley Braunlich
Thanks so much Danielle! This has been one of my go banana bread recipes for years. I love mixing up the sweeteners depending on if I am in the mood for a sweeter vs. a healthier loaf. Enjoy!
Sam
This banana bread is amazing! Such a great recipe and awesome flavor. I used half dark chocolate chips and half milk chocolate which came out delicious. Will make again!