Chocolate Banana Bread
Make tender, fluffy chocolate banana bread that’s decadent and delicious yet surprisingly diet-friendly – oil-free, refined sugar-free, vegan, gluten-free, and optionally grain-free!
Servings 11 slices
Ingredients
Dry ingredients:
- 1 ¼ cups (180 g) buckwheat flour (see notes)
- ½ cup (100 g) coconut sugar (see notes)
- ¾ cup (75 g) almond flour (see notes)
- 6 Tbsps (40 g) cocoa powder
- 1 ½ tsp baking powder
- ¼ tsp salt
- ½ cup (90 g) dairy-free chocolate chips + more for the top
Wet ingredients:
- 3 medium (240 g) ripe bananas (see notes)
- 1 cup (240 ml) dairy-free milk (see notes)
- ½ Tbsp vinegar or lemon juice
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
Instructions
- I recommend measuring the ingredients in grams on a kitchen scale. Also, watch the video for easy visual instructions.First, preheat the oven to 360 ℉/180 ℃, and line an 8-inch loaf pan with parchment paper.
- Then, add all the dry ingredients (except the chocolate chips) to a large bowl and stir.
- In a separate bowl, mash the bananas with a fork until smooth. Then, add the milk, vinegar, and vanilla extract and stir well.
- Pour the wet ingredients into the bowl of dry ingredients and mix until combined before folding in the chocolate chips with a spoon.Be careful not to overwork the batter. Mix it only until it is just combined for the best texture.
- Pour the batter into the prepared loaf pan and sprinkle it with more chocolate chips. Then, bake the banana and chocolate bread for about 40 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean/ with a few sticky crumbs.The toothpick may hit a melted chocolate chip on the way (and look like wet batter), so it may be best to test in a couple of spots.
- Transfer the banana bread to a wire rack to fully cool. Remove it from the pan, slice it, and enjoy!
Notes
- Flour: I tested the recipe with buckwheat flour and also with oat flour. All-purpose flour (or 50/50 of AP + whole wheat flour), or spelt flour should work too. An all-purpose GF blend (like Bob’s Red Mill) might work, but I haven't tried it. The bread will be more crumbly on the first day if using oat flour.
- Almond flour: Other finely ground nuts or sunflower seeds (for a nut-free loaf) will also work.
- Sugar: I used unrefined coconut sugar, but regular sugar or brown sugar works, too. You could also use a sugar alternative, but the bread may be slightly drier.
- Bananas: Use soft, ripe bananas with plenty of brown spots. The riper they are, the sweeter (and more flavorful) they’ll be.
- Dairy-free milk: E.g., almond milk, oat milk, soy milk, etc. For the moistest bread, use canned coconut milk.
Nutrition Facts
Chocolate Banana Bread
Serving Size
1 slice
Amount per Serving
Calories
193
% Daily Value*
Fat
8
g
12
%
Saturated Fat
2
g
10
%
Sodium
100
mg
4
%
Potassium
291
mg
8
%
Carbohydrates
32
g
11
%
Fiber
5
g
20
%
Sugar
13
g
14
%
Protein
5
g
10
%
Vitamin A
21
IU
0
%
Vitamin C
3
mg
4
%
Calcium
88
mg
9
%
Iron
2
mg
11
%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.