A hint of cinnamon & nutmeg, along with a splash of lemon extract, brings out the banana flavor in this Chocolate Chunk Banana Bread.

How to make the best banana bread:

Use bananas that are just past ripe. Banana are perfect for baking when the skins are covered in brown speckles and they are soft and very fragrant.
If you don’t have time to bake when the bananas are ready, peel them and freeze them until you’re ready to bake. Let the bananas defrost and then proceed with the recipe.
Whether you use fresh or frozen bananas, smush the bananas with a fork rather than pureeing them in a food processor. The chunky texture of smashed bananas are prefect for making banana bread.
To keep the chocolate chunks from sinking to the bottom, toss them with a tiny bit of water and flour. The water and flour create a paste on the chunks, which helps them stay in place while the loaf is baking. You can use regular or mini chocolate chips if that’s your preference.
If you want to add chopped walnuts to the recipe, mix them with the chocolate chunks before adding the water and flour.
For loaf-cakes like this Chocolate Chunk Banana Bread, I like to line the pan with a parchment “sling”. Not only does the sling keep the bread from sticking, it makes it very easy to lift the baked loaf out of the pan.

Click through the step by step process photos to see how to make the best Chocolate Chunk Banana Bread:

You can see by these step-by-step photos exactly how easy it is to make Chocolate Chunk Banana Bread. You don’t even need a mixer to put the batter together.

a bowl of bananas — Use soft and fragrant bananas that are almost past ripe.

smashed bananas in a bowl. — Use a fork to smash the bananas into a chunky paste.

a bowl of wet ingredients and a bowl of dry ingredients for banana bread recipe — Combine the wet ingredients in one bowl and the dry ingredients in another bowl.

mixing wet and dry ingredients for making chocolate chunk banana bread — Combine the wet and dry ingredients and mix just until combined.

Folding chocolate chunks into banana bread batter. — Fold in the chocolate chunks (and optional walnuts).

a loaf of chocolate chunk banana bread in a pan on a cooing rack

If you keep a Sourdough Starter, you’ll want to try this Sourdough Banana Bread using lots of discard.

If you love this recipe as much as I do, I’d really appreciate a 5-star review.

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5 from 1 review

Banana Bread Recipe

By: Eileen Gray

A hint of cinnamon & nutmeg, along with a splash of lemon extract, brings out the banana flavor in this bread. Full fat Greek yogurt adds moisture and great flavor. The chocolate chunks are a bonus. If you like nuts, a cup of chopped walnuts is a nice addition to this bread.

Prep Time15

Bake Time1

Total Time1 15

16 servings

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Ingredients

3 medium bananas (very ripe, peeled)
3 oz full-fat Plain Greek yogurt (⅓ cup, unsweetened)
2 ½ oz vegetable oil (¼ cup)
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
½ teaspoon lemon extract
6 oz chocolate chunks (1 cup)
10 oz all-purpose flour (2 cups, see note)
4 oz granulated sugar (½ cup)
2 oz brown sugar (¼ cup)
1 teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
¼ teaspoon nutmeg

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 350 °F. Butter and flour a 9"x 5” loaf pan or butter the pan and line with parchment paper.
Mash 3 medium bananas with a fork, leaving them a little chunky. Add 3 oz full-fat Plain Greek yogurt, 2 ½ oz vegetable oil, 2 large eggs, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract and ½ teaspoon lemon extract to the bananas. Mix to combine and set aside. In another bowl, toss 6 oz chocolate chunks with 2 teaspoons of water to moisten. Sprinkle a teaspoon of flour over the chocolate chunks and toss, set aside.
Combine 10 oz all-purpose flour, 4 oz granulated sugar, 2 oz brown sugar, 1 teaspoon baking powder, ½ teaspoon baking soda, ½ teaspoon salt, ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon and ¼ teaspoon nutmeg in a large bowl. Whisk the dry ingredients to combine and make a well in the center. Add the banana mixture and stir until about 2/3 of the flour is incorporated. Fold in the chocolate chunks and mix until everything is combined.
Pour the batter into the prepared pan and spread to level. Sprinkle additional chocolate chunks on top if you’d like.
Bake until golden brown and a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out with moist crumbs, about 1 hour and 5 minutes.
Cool for 10 minutes in the pan, then turn out onto a cooling rack to finish cooling.

Equipment

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Notes

If measuring the flour by volume use the “dip & sweep” method. That is, dip the measuring cup into the flour bin, overfill it, then sweep away the excess.

You can use previously frozen bananas for this recipe. Allow the bananas to defrost, lightly mash the defrosted bananas and then proceed with the recipe as written.

Sour cream can be used in place of the Greek yogurt.

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