Gluten-Free Chocolate Banana Bread is made with simple, budget-friendly ingredients for a rich, fudgy bread that’s better than your local bakery’s. Lightly sweetened and dairy-free, it’s loaded with rich chocolate in every bite for a sweet breakfast or satisfying dessert!
Why You’ll Love This Banana Bread
Honestly, who can say no to chocolate banana bread that’s packed full of extra chocolate chips? We’re drooling just thinking about it! However, its rich, chocolatey goodness isn’t the only reason why we love this recipe.
It’s also:
- Made with just a handful of baking staples.
- Naturally gluten-free and dairy-free.
- Full of vitamins, nutrients, and fiber.
- Great to make ahead and enjoy throughout the week or in the months to come.
Ingredients You’ll Need
Below is an overview of the ingredients and recipe. Please be sure to scroll down to the recipe card below for the complete details and nutrition information.
- Bananas – You can’t have banana bread without bananas! Make sure they’re super ripe for easy mashing and a sweeter taste.
- Eggs – These provide structure to the bread, enhancing its flavor and helping it hold its shape.
Note: We do not recommend swapping out the eggs for vegan egg substitutes as your bread is likely to become too dense and flat.
- Maple Syrup – This is our secret to creating sweet chocolate banana bread without any refined sugar! If you don’t follow a vegan diet, honey tastes great, too.
- Refined Coconut Oil or Vegan Soy-Free Butter – Either option works to create a moist texture without the need for dairy.
- Fine Blanched Almond Flour – This forms the base of the batter, adding a boost of healthy omega fats and fiber.
- Gluten-Free Oat Flour – Used in combination with almond flour, oat flour creates a convincing regular bread-like texture with zero gluten.
- Dutch Process Cocoa Powder – Dutch process cocoa powder gives a more robust rich flavor and helps transform the batter, making it unbelievably delicious.
- Dark Chocolate Chips – Technically optional, these are highly recommended to take the flavor to the next level, creating double chocolate banana bread! If needed, opt for a dairy-free variety like Enjoy Life morsels.
- Baking Staples – You’ll also need all the regular ingredients you’d expect to see in a banana bread recipe such as pure vanilla extract, baking soda, baking powder, and salt.
Baking Tips
This gluten-free chocolate banana bread is simple to make, but we’ve got a few extra tips and tricks to ensure you have the best results every time you bake!
- Ripen Your Bananas. If you’re like us you probably pretty much always have a bunch of browning bananas on the counter you had every intention to eat, and there’s no better way to save them than with chocolate banana bread! However, if you happen to have green or super yellow bananas, you can easily ripen them yourself by placing them in a paper bag with an already-ripe banana or apple.
- Measure Accurately. When it comes to baking in general and gluten-free baking in particular, accurate measurements are crucial to success. For the best results, we recommend using a food scale. However, if that isn’t an option, the spoon and level method is useful, too.
- Avoid Overmixing. Mix and stir the ingredients just until the ingredients are combined and smooth. Continuing to mix will overwork the dough, resulting in dense, tough bread.
How to Make Chocolate Banana Bread
- Whisk the Wet Ingredients. In a large mixing bowl, mash the bananas until smooth. Then, add the eggs to the mixture, and set it aside. In a measuring cup, whisk the maple syrup, melted butter, and vanilla. Pour it into the bowl with the bananas and eggs, and whisk to combine.
- Mix the Dry Ingredients. In a separate bowl, combine the almond flour, oat flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt, making sure there are no clumps.
- Combine the Wet and Dry Ingredients. Working in batches, alternate adding the flour mixture and cocoa powder to the bowl of wet ingredients. Once smooth, fold in the chocolate chips.
- Bake. Pour the gluten free chocolate banana bread batter into a greased bread or loaf pan, and add any toppings you’d like to include. Place the batter in the oven until a toothpick can be inserted into the center and comes out clean
- Cool. Allow the bread to cool in the pan for 10 minutes before transferring it to a wire rack to cool completely. When you’re ready to eat, just slice and serve!
Alternative Method: Make Muffins!
Prefer to make gluten-free chocolate banana bread muffins instead? No worries! Simply prepare the batter as the recipe card states. Then, pour it into a greased muffin pan, filling each cup roughly ⅔ of the way full. Bake for 20 -22 minutes or until a toothpick can be inserted into the center and comes out clean.
Optional Toppings and Mix-Ins
This gluten-free chocolate banana bread is super tasty as is. However, if you want to add a bit of decoration or extra texture, feel free to include ingredients to make it your own.
For example, some of our favorite extras include:
- Sliced Bananas
- Extra Chocolate Chips
- Chopped Walnuts or Pecans
- Caramel Swirl or Dairy Free Dulce de Leche Sauce
How to Store
We love to make a double batch of this recipe and store one in the fridge or freezer for later!
- Refrigerator: Once cooled, you can wrap your bread in aluminum foil or place it in an airtight container and keep it stored in the fridge for up to 1 week.
- Freezer: For a longer-lasting option, wrap your bread tightly in aluminum foil, place it in a resealable bag, and keep it frozen for up to 3 months. Then, just thaw it in the fridge when you’re ready to eat!
Common Questions
The most common reason for banana bread to turn out doughy is that the batter was overmixed. Be sure to stir it just until there are no clumps.
If your bread doesn’t rise, it’s most often due to the baking powder and baking soda being too old. For the best results, make sure they’re fresh!
This is likely the result of an overworked batter. There’s no need to continuously stir. As soon as the ingredients are smooth, your banana bread should be ready to bake!
Using too many bananas can cause your bread to become heavy, overly moist, and a bit limp. There’s a little room for variation with this recipe, but be careful not to go overboard! More isn’t always better, especially when it comes to baking.
No, if your banana bread is gooey, it has not been cooked long enough. We suggest covering it with foil and continuing to bake if it looks done on the outside but is still gooey in the center.
You’ll know your bread is ready when it has risen in the oven and a toothpick can be inserted into the center and comes out clean or with just a few crumbs.
Overworking the batter is once again the most common culprit for sinking bread. Seriously, don’t overmix!
More of Our Favorite
Ways to Use Overripe Bananas
Looking for more ways to put those quickly browning bananas to use? Try out more of our favorite gluten-free recipes below!
Gluten free Chocolate Banana Bread (Dairy-Free)
- Total Time: 1 hour 5 minutes
- Yield: 9–11 slices 1x
- Diet: Gluten Free
Description
Gluten-Free Chocolate Banana Bread is made with simple, budget-friendly ingredients for a rich, fudgy bread that’s better than your local bakery’s! Dairy-Free.
Ingredients
- 3 ripe medium-sized bananas (280 to 300 grams)
- 3 large eggs, room temperature
- ⅓ cup maple syrup
- ¼ cup melted vegan butter or refined coconut oil
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 2 ⅓ to 2 ½ cups (250 grams) fine blanched almond flour
- ½ to ⅔ cup (50 grams) gluten free oat flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
- ¼ cup unsweetened cocoa powder (Use Dutch Process Cocoa Powder for a richer flavor)
- ¼ cup dark chocolate chips (optional)
- Optional Topping – sliced bananas, chocolate chips
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 F. Line a 9×5 bread pan with parchment paper.
- In a large bowl, mash the bananas with a fork or masher. Add the eggs and mix to combine. Set aside.
- In a measuring cup, whisk together the maple syrup, melted butter and vanilla. Pour into the banana mixture and whisk to combine. Set aside.
- In another bowl, sift or whisk together almond flour, oat flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt ensuring there are no clumps.
- Working in batches, alternate adding the flour mixture and cocoa powder (this distributes the cocoa powder evenly) while mixing gently with a spatula.
- If using, fold in chocolate chips.
- Pour batter into the prepared bread pan and top with optional sliced bananas and/or additional chocolate chips. Bake for 45 to 55 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean.
- Remove the bread from the oven and cool for 10 minutes in the pan. Then transfer to a wire rack to finish cooling completely. Once cool, cut into slices.
- Wrap in aluminum foil or place in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 1 week.
Notes
Storage Tips – Wrap bread tightly in aluminum foil and place in a ziploc storage bag and store in the freezer for up to 3 months.
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 45 minutes
- Category: Breakfast, Dessert, Snack
- Method: Oven
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 slice
- Calories: 269
- Sugar: 10.1 g
- Sodium: 165.5 mg
- Fat: 11.3 g
- Saturated Fat: 4.9 g
- Carbohydrates: 21.3 g
- Fiber: 2.4 g
- Protein: 6.3 g
- Cholesterol: 50.8 mg
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