This Vegan Chocolate Banana Bread is 100% amazing. It's easy to make in one bowl, rich, chocolatey, fudgy and super indulgent!
Spotty bananas at the ready because we're making Vegan Chocolate Banana Bread! And if you don't have spotty bananas then don't worry because I've got a little trick up my sleeve to fix that!
What ingredients do you need?
(For detailed measurements and instructions, see the printable recipe card).
This is what's going in:
- overripe bananas - For flavour and sweetness. The spottier the better!
- flour - My flour of choice for banana bread is always spelt. I just love the flavour and texture it gives. All-purpose flour, wholewheat flour and any good all-purpose gluten-free blend all work well in this reicpe though.
- sugar - For sweetness. Any kind you like is fine!
- maple syrup - For extra fudginess. You can use sugar instead but it will change the texture of the cake and it won't be as moist or fudgy.
- nut/seed butter or oil - I prefer it with nut butter as it adds more flavour but any liquid oil is fine to use as well.
- chocolate chips and cocoa - essential in this double chocolate banana loaf cake!
- baking powder and baking soda - When you don’t use eggs you need to make up for the leavening they would otherwise provide by adding both of these. The baking soda reacts with an acid (in this case cocoa) and creates extra lift to make up for the no egg situation.
- the usual suspects like salt and vanilla - Flavour, flavour, flavour!
You'll also be needing a loaf pan to cook it in. For baking, I recommend metal bake-ware. Silicone does not conduct heat well and you won't get such good results.
No loaf pan? Make my Vegan Chocolate Banana Muffins instead
How to make Vegan Chocolate Banana Bread
This healthy chocolate banana bread is really easy to make and is mixed up all in one bowl. Here's how it's done:
STEP 1: Puree the bananas.
STEP 2: Add the rest of the wet ingredients and beat together.
STEP 3: Add the dry ingredients and fold in gently.
STEP 4: Add the chocolate chips, spoon into a pan, more choccy chips on top, then bake.
You cannot imagine just how good this loaf of chocolatey goodness smells when it is baking. That chocolate and those bananas mingling in the air is perfection.
Success Tips
- Use a scale to weigh the ingredients. Precision is key to excellent results when baking and cup measurements are not accurate enough for optimum and consistent results. This kitchen scale is cheap and works brilliantly.
- Use really ripe spotty bananas
- Don't over-mix the batter.
- Be sure you don't over-bake this banana bread. It's beauty is the fudginess and we don't want to lose it! It's better to very slightly under-bake it than it is to go over.
- Add some extra chocolate chips to the top before baking to make it look extra pretty (or as an excuse to eat more chocolate).
What do I do if I don't have overripe bananas?
If none of your bananas are super ripe and spotty, simply place 3 of them on a baking tray with their skins still intact (i.e not peeled) and bake them on 350°F (175°C) for 8 minutes. Remove them from the oven. They will be black. Allow them to cool before scraping the mushy banana out and going ahead with the recipe.
How to store and freeze
To store - Allow the bread to cool completely on a wire rack prior to stashing it away. Then, keep it in an airtight container with a layer of kitchen paper on the bottom and on top to suck up any moisture. Or alternatively, wrap it well in plastic wrap or foil. It should keep well and perfectly moist for up to 5 days.
To freeze - Cool the banana bread thoroughly on a cooling rack then wrap really well (either in a freezer-safe storage container or a freezer bag) and place in the freezer. You can keep it whole or slice it prior to freezing. Slicing it enables you to pull out a piece or two as needed rather than defrosting the entire loaf. It will keep in the freezer for up to 3 months. Allow to defrost at room temperature.
How to serve
This Vegan Chocolate Banana Bread can be breakfast, snack or dessert. It's kind of healthy enough for breakfast and starting a day with chocolate is always a good idea. Eat it as it is or spread with vegan butter, nut butter or date caramel.
It's also rich and fudgy enough to be dessert. Try warming a slice gently and topping with a dollop of dairy-free vanilla ice cream and vegan caramel sauce!
Possible variations
I recommend following the basic recipe as closely as possible for best results but it is perfectly ok to make it your own by adding some mix-ins. How about:
- using broken up chocolate bars instead of chocolate chips
- chopped nuts (walnuts or pecans would be great)
- dried fruit (cherries would be great! )
- shredded coconut
- a few chopped dates for extra fudginess
- make it extra decadent by frosting with chocolate or vegan cream cheese frosting
Hungry for more?
Loving this vegan chocolate banana bread vibe? You might also enjoy my:
- Spelt Banana Bread
- Vegan Chocolate Cheesecake
- Best Vegan Banana Bread
- Vegan Banana Cake
- Banana Peanut Butter Ice Cream Bars
- Vegan Banana Scones
📖 Recipe
Vegan Chocolate Banana Bread
Author:
Ingredients
- 3 medium (7 - 8 inch long) bananas , very ripe & spotty
- 6 tablespoons natural nut/seed butter or oil of choice
- ¼ cup maple syrup
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 115g / ½ packed cup sugar , any type (white, cane, coconut, brown)
- ¾ teaspoon salt
- 215g / 1¾ cup flour , spelt, all-purpose flour (plain flour in the UK), wholewheat or gluten-free all-purpose flour blend.
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- ¾ teaspoon baking soda , (bicarbonate of soda in the UK)
- 50g / ½ cup cocoa powder
- 85g / ½ cup dairy-free chocolate chips plus a few more for sprinkling on top
RECOMMENDED EQUIPMENT
INSTRUCTIONS
- Preheat the oven to 350°F and grease and line a 9 x 5 or 8.5 x 4.5 inch loaf pan with a strip of parchment paper down the middle with some extra overhanging at each end to act as handles for lifting the cooked cake out.
- Puree the bananas until smooth. You can do this by hand with a fork or in a mixer.
- Add the nut/seed butter or oil, maple syrup, vanilla extract, sugar and salt to the bananas and beat until smooth and light and fluffy.
- Add the flour, baking powder, baking soda and cocoa powder and mix gently until everything is just combined. Do not over mix because it will affect the texture and rise.
- Then add the chocolate chips and stir just enough to distribute evenly.
- Pour the batter into the prepared loaf pan, even out the top and sprinkle with an extra handful of chocolate chips.
- Bake for around 45 - 50 minutes until the loaf is coming away from the sides of the pan and is firm with a bit of bounce when you poke the centre of it. This bread is best when very slightly under-cooked as it has maximum fudginess then. If you insert a toothpick, instead of it coming out clean like with most cakes, you want a bit of fudgy cake clinging to it. If it feels liquidy put it back in the oven for another 5 minutes then check again.
- Remove from the tin immediately once done using the parchment paper as handles and place on a cooling rack. Be sure to remove the strip of paper from it's bottom by gently turning it on its side and peeling it away.
NOTES
- Use a scale to weigh the ingredients. Precision is key to excellent results when baking and cup measurements are not accurate enough for optimum and consistent results. This kitchen scale is cheap and works brilliantly.
- Use really ripe spotty bananas
- Don't over-mix the batter.
- Use a metal loaf pan. Glass and silicone especially don't give the best results because they don't conduct heat in the same way as metal.
- Be sure you don't over-bake this banana bread. It's beauty is the fudginess and we don't want to lose it! It's better to very slightly under-bake it than it is to go over.
- Add some extra chocolate chips to the top before baking to make it look extra pretty (or as an excuse to eat more chocolate).
NUTRITION
Nutritional information is provided for convenience & as a courtesy. The data is a computer generated estimate so should be used as a guide only.
This recipe was originally published on February 2nd 2018. I've tweaked the post a bit, added a video and now I am republishing it for you. The actual recipe remains the same. I hope you enjoy it. Thank you for following A Virtual Vegan!
Pam says
This chocolate banana bread is sooo delicious! Made it last week and it turned out fabulous. I had to chuckle at your saying it will keep for 4-5 days. As if it would last that long! My non-vegan husband gobbled it up. I used a combination of peanut butter and almond butter this time and all almond butter the previous time. Perfect each time. Gooey chocolate deliciousness! This recipe is a winner. Thanks :)
A Virtual Vegan says
I'm so pleased you are enjoying it Pam. And I'm glad it's not just us that polishes it off in a ridiculously short time!
Michelle says
I have just made this and this is my first Vegan cake and it is absolutely beautiful.
I will definitely make again.
Yummy
A Virtual Vegan says
That's great Michelle. I'm so glad it turned out well for you!
Kellie says
Dangerously delicious! Made it with white whole wheat flour instead of spelt and used frozen bananas. Came out perfect! Will be making this soon & often. Thank you!!!
Genevieve M says
This is by far and above my family's favorite banana bread! (and I've made a ton of banana bread over the years) I've made this at least a half dozen times in the past few months and it gets gobbled up immediately by my husband and kids. Thanks for the great recipe!
A Virtual Vegan says
Yay! That's so good to hear. Thank you Genevieve. I'm thrilled you and your family are enjoying it!
Carol says
Hi, Mel... thank you so much for this recipe. It turned out great! I used peanut butter and coconut sugar and baked it in a glass loaf pan. I used cups to measure and had no problem with the results. I love the fudgy quality to it; so delicious. I was also thinking this would make a lovely hostess gift. Looking forward to making it again. Thank you for all of your efforts and for sharing! :-) <3
A Virtual Vegan says
You're so welcome Carol. I'm glad you enjoyed it. And yes it would make a great hostess gift!
Lorraine Howes says
Just made this cake......absolutely gorgeous!
A Virtual Vegan says
Thank you Lorraine!
Riley says
Wow. This is tHE best baanana bread ever. I've made it twice in 2 days!
A Virtual Vegan says
Thank you Riley. I'm so pleased you enjoyed it!
Simone says
Just finished baking 3 loaves and ...it's perfect. Thank you for sharing this great recipe xoxo
A Virtual Vegan says
Thank you Simone. I'm so glad you are happy with the recipe and thank you for coming back to leave feedback. It's much appreciated!
Beth says
This looks delicious and I am wanting to make it as my son's first birthday smash cake! How long would you bake it for in a cake pan or sheet tray?
A Virtual Vegan says
Thank you. As a cake pan or sheet tray will be shallower it would probably take 25 minutes, maybe 30. Check it around then with a toothpick or knife. If it comes out clean it's done. If it doesn't put it back for a few more minutes. Try to make sure the pan you use has a similar volume to a loaf pan of about 9 x 5 inches or adjust the recipe to suit if not so it fits the pan ok. Good luck and I hope he enjoys it!
Dave Cavaliere says
Vegan or not... this Chocolate Banana Bread is absolutely delicious ... enjoyed by the whole family
A Virtual Vegan says
Thank you Dave. I'm so glad you all enjoyed it
Sharon says
This recipe was a winner! So delicious. I’m so happy to find a spelt flour bread recipe I used raw cacao and almond butter. Also used Sukrin brown sugar instead of the white sugar. I should have checked it before 50 minutes as it was a tad dry and probably done at 45 minutes. But still so good.
Thank you for this recipe!
A Virtual Vegan says
So glad you enjoyed it Sharon! Spelt flour is my all time favourite so I always use it when I can! Thank you for coming back to leave feedback. It's much appreciated!
Pili says
I have just made this Vegan Chocolate Banana bread and it is amazing! However even though I followed the recipe to the letter (checked and double checked the measurements) and used the exact ingredients recommended, It turned out quite dry. I didn't get the "batter" consistency in the mix that you describe. As a result, the bread split on the side when rising and it turned out quite dry. It is still delicious and I have had no complaints from the family :) Any ideas as to where I went wrong?
Thanks
A Virtual Vegan says
I'm glad you enjoyed it despite the dryness. Generally cakes get dry because they are over-baked and this one is definitely better when slightly under-baked as I mention in the directions. Maybe your oven runs a little hotter than mine? Even the tin used can make a difference. If you make it again, check it from about 40 minutes with a toothpick or skewer. Instead of coming out clean like when making most cakes, with this one you want you want it to be set (so you can poke it and it feels firm-ish and springy) but still fudgy inside so the toothpick should NOT come out clean. It should have some chocolatey fudge clinging to it. If after 40 mins it's still underdone, cook it for another 5 minutes then check again. I think that should make all the difference for you.
This cake does have quite a thick batter because it has no milk added to it so it sounds like that was probably right.
Something else that could affect it is measuring with cups rather than weighing. It is amazing how different every cup is in weight. For accuracy I always recommend weighing. Too much flour might have made it a little drier. You might well have weighed it, but I thought it worth mentioning just in case you didn't.
I hope that helps!
Bob Antunes says
This looks really delicious and I would love to make it for my wife who is a chocolate lover. Do you think that I could substitute brown rice flour for the spelt flour?
A Virtual Vegan says
I have no experience of baking with rice flour so I have no idea how it would turn out. Sorry. If you try it though let me know how it goes!
Tanya says
Made these for dessert tonight. Did not have any choco chips, but still delicious!! Put them in muffin cups instead of a loaf. Turned out great. This recipie is a keeper!!
A Virtual Vegan says
Thank you Tanya. I'm so glad you enjoyed them!
Mary Brown says
Made this today. SO YUMMY, did not have cashew butter so substituted almond butter, did not have spelt flour so used good old all purpose flour. Baked for 50mins. It is FABULOUS!!!!
A Virtual Vegan says
That's awesome Mary. I'm so glad you enjoyed it and thank you so much for coming back to leave feedback. It's much appreciated!