Chocolate Banana Bread: A Moist and Healthy Recipe with Oat Flour

Chocolate Banana Bread

This chocolate banana bread is the loaf I make when I want something that tastes like a treat but still feels good to eat every day.

It is extra rich, deeply chocolatey, and wonderfully moist, and it comes together in one bowl with simple ingredients you probably already have on your counter. I serve it for breakfast with coffee, and I serve it for dessert with a cold glass of milk.

Nobody at my table has ever guessed that it is oil free and gluten free.

The story behind this loaf is a banana story. A few weeks ago, my local market put bananas on sale right before a long weekend, and I carried home far more than my family could eat before they turned.

Instead of watching them go soft, I let them ripen until the skins were speckled and dark, and then I started baking.

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That sale is the reason this recipe lives in my kitchen now, and it is also why a scoop of protein powder is optional but very welcome.

If you keep ripe bananas around for protein banana bread, oatmeal breakfast bars, and banana chips the way I do, you already have the hardest part handled.

One loaf gives you 12 servings, and the whole thing takes about 40 minutes from start to finish. It is the kind of bake that works for a lazy Sunday morning and for a Tuesday night when you want something sweet without a lot of fuss.

Let me walk you through why it works, what goes into it, and exactly how to bake it.

Why this chocolate banana bread is healthy

I want to be honest with you here, because a name like healthy chocolate banana bread can sound like a clickbait promise. This one earns it.

• No oil and no butter. Nut butter does the work instead, bringing heart healthy fats and essential minerals to the loaf.
• No refined white sugar. Ripe bananas and a sugar free granular sweetener carry all the sweetness.
• Whole grain and refined flour free. Oat flour makes this a whole grain loaf. It is also gluten free, and it brings fiber and protein along with it.
• An optional protein boost. One scoop of protein powder turns a slice into something that actually keeps you full. Chocolate casein protein powder is my pick because it keeps the crumb moist.
• Real cocoa. Cocoa powder gives you the deep chocolate flavor plus vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants, including polyphenols.

Put all of that together and you have a loaf that fits a snack, a dessert, or a chocolatey breakfast without the guilt. I eat it on weekday mornings and I do not think twice about it. It also travels well, so a wrapped slice often ends up in my bag on the way out the door.

For reference, the source nutrition estimate comes out to 141 calories, 27 grams of carbohydrates, 5 grams of protein, and 6 grams of fat per serving, with 12 servings in the loaf.

Ingredients

Everything here is easy to find, and almost every item has a substitute. The exact amounts live in the recipe card, so use this section to shop smart and swap with confidence.

• Bananas. Use 3 medium bananas, about 12 ounces or 360 grams in total, and make them as ripe as you can get them. Brownish skins with dark spots mean sweetness and moisture. If your bananas are still yellow, let them ripen fully first.
• Eggs. 2 large fresh eggs, ideally free range, give a richer loaf. For a vegan version, flaxseed or chia eggs work as a replacement.
• Nut butter. 1/4 cup, about 60 grams. Almond butter is what I reach for, but peanut, cashew, or walnut butter all work. If you avoid nuts, sunflower seed butter or tahini are excellent nut free alternatives.
• Granular sweetener. 1/3 cup, about 70 grams. Monk fruit keeps the loaf sugar free. Erythritol, coconut sugar, brown sugar, date sugar, or your favorite sweetener also work.
• Oat flour. 1 1/2 cups, about 150 grams. Store bought or homemade both work, and choose certified gluten free oats if that matters to you. Almond flour, whole wheat flour, or all purpose flour can step in. Combine oat flour with protein powder and you have a high protein chocolate banana bread.
• Cocoa powder. 1/2 cup, about 50 grams. Natural unsweetened cocoa powder is the one I prefer.
• Baking powder. 2 teaspoons. This is essential for rise and for that moist, tender texture.
• Chocolate chips. 1/4 cup, about 40 grams. Extra dark sugar free chips are my recommendation, though semi sweet or regular sweet chips work fine.
• Vanilla extract and sea salt. 1 teaspoon of vanilla and 1/6 teaspoon of salt add depth to every bite.

Optional high protein add in: 1/2 cup, about 50 grams, of protein powder used as a replacement for 1/2 cup of the flour.

How to make chocolate banana bread

You need one large mixing bowl, a fork, a loaf pan, and about 40 minutes. Here is the whole method, step by step.

1. Heat the oven and prep the pan. Heat your oven to 350°F (180°C). Line a 20 cm (7.9 inches) loaf pan with parchment paper, or grease it with a little oil or butter so nothing sticks.
2. Mash the bananas. In a large mixing bowl, mash the 3 ripe bananas with a fork until completely smooth. Then stir the nut butter and the eggs into the banana mixture.
3. Build the wet mix. Add the granular sweetener of your choice, the vanilla extract, and the salt. Whisk or stir for around 2 minutes, until everything is well combined.
4. Add the dry ingredients. Stir in the oat flour, or the oat flour plus protein powder, along with the cocoa powder and baking powder. Give it a good stir until it is just combined, then fold through the chocolate chips.
5. Fill the pan and bake. Pour the batter into your prepared loaf pan. If you like, scatter a few extra chocolate chips over the top. Bake for 30 to 40 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
6. Cool before slicing. Remove the loaf from the oven and let it cool in the pan for about 15 minutes. Then take it out of the pan and let it cool completely before you slice it.

That last step is the hard one. The loaf smells incredible, and waiting is real work. Scrape the bowl well when you fold in the dry ingredients, so no pocket of dry flour hides at the bottom.

Recipe variations

The base recipe is flexible, so pick the version that matches your kitchen.

• Vegan. Replace the eggs with 2 flax eggs, using 1 tablespoon of ground flaxseed plus 2 1/2 tablespoons of water for each egg. Use dairy free dark chocolate chips.
• High protein. Substitute up to 1/2 cup (50 g) of the flour with a scoop of protein powder. Vegan protein or casein gives you a moist texture and a rich taste. Whey can dry the loaf out, so I skip it here. Vanilla and chocolate protein powders both work well, and other flavors are fair game.
• Low carb. Swap the oat flour for blanched almond flour and use a keto friendly sweetener. You can add protein powder to this version too, using the same swap as above.
• Mix ins. Chopped walnuts or pecans, sliced almonds, cranberries, chopped dates, and fresh blueberries all stir in beautifully. Chocolate chips, though, are a must for the complete experience.

Start with the base recipe once, then branch out. Once you know how the loaf behaves in your oven, the swaps become easy.

Recipe tips

These small moves make a big difference in the final loaf.

• Go overripe with the bananas. Dark brown or black peels, ideally mostly dark or covered in brown spots, mean more sweetness and more flavor. That is the whole point of this recipe.
• Choose good cocoa. A quality unsweetened cocoa powder gives you a deep, rich chocolate flavor that cheap cocoa just cannot match.
• Do not overmix. Stir only until the batter comes together. Overmixing makes the bread dense instead of light and fluffy.
• Wait a day if you can. This loaf tastes even better on day two after resting in the fridge overnight. It gets moister and the flavors intensify.
• Rewarm a slice. The microwave takes 10 to 15 seconds. The oven takes 2 to 3 minutes.

A quick note: the riper the banana, the better the loaf. If your bananas are not there yet, give them a few more days on the counter.

Storage directions

Let the bread cool completely to room temperature before you store it. Once it is cool, place it in an airtight container or wrap it well in aluminum foil. It keeps in the cupboard for up to 3 days, or in the fridge for up to 5 days.

For longer storage, transfer slices to zipper bags and freeze for a maximum of 3 months. To reheat from frozen, bake in a hot oven at 350°F (180°C) for about 5 minutes, or microwave for 30 seconds, until the slice is warm and fluffy again.

More healthy desserts with bananas

If you love baking with ripe bananas as much as I do, these are the recipes I keep coming back to:

• 3 ingredient brownies with banana
• Protein banana bread
• Banana bread cookies
• 2 ingredient banana oatmeal cookies
• Low calorie banana bread
• Keto banana bread
• Banana oatmeal muffins
• Healthy banana cake
• Oatmeal banana bread
• Banana protein pancakes
• Banana waffles

Every one of them is a good reason to let your bananas go a little darker than you normally would.

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Healthy Chocolate Banana Bread

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Chocolate Banana Bread This chocolate banana bread is the loaf I make when I want something that tastes like a treat but still feels good to eat every day. It is extra rich, deeply chocolatey, and wonderfully moist, and it comes together in one bowl with simple ingredients you probably already have on your counter.

• Total Time: 40 min
• Yield: 1 loaf 1x

Ingredients

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Main Ingredients
3 medium bananas, ripe (about 12 oz/360 g in total)
2 large eggs
1/4 cup nut butter, almond, peanut, cashew or sunflower seed butter
1/3 cup granular sweetener, monk fruit, or brown sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/6 tsp sea salt
1 1/2 cup oat flour, or preferred flour
1/2 cup cocoa powder
2 tsp baking powder
1/4 cup chocolate chips

High protein option
1/2 cup protein powder, as a replacement for ½ cup (50 g) flour (see notes*)

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Instructions

Main Instructions
1-Heat oven to 350°F (180°C) and fold: Heat oven to 350°F (180°C) and fold a 20 cm (7.9 inches) loaf pan with parchment paper or grease with oil.
2-In a large mixing bowl, mash three: In a large mixing bowl, mash three ripe bananas with a fork until completely smooth. Stir nut butter and eggs into the banana mixture.
3-Add the granular sweetener of choice, vanilla: Add the granular sweetener of choice, vanilla extract and salt. Stir the wet mixture with a whisk or fork for around two minutes, or until all is well combined.
4-Stir in oat flour (or oat flour: Stir in oat flour (or oat flour + protein powder), cocoa powder and baking powder. Give it a good stir until all is well combined, then fold through chocolate chips.
5-Pour the batter into your prepared loaf: Pour the batter into your prepared loaf pan, and if desired top with chocolate chips. Bake in hot oven for 30 to 40 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of your chocolate banana bread comes out clean.
6-Remove from the oven and let cool: Remove from the oven and let cool in the loaf pan for about 15 minutes. Take out of the pan and let cool completely before slicing.

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• Prep Time: 0 min
• Cook Time: 0 min
• Method: bake

Nutrition

• Calories: 141 kcal
• Fat: 6g
• Carbohydrates: 27g
• Protein: 5g