Whole wheat chocolate chip banana bread slice leaned against the loaf.

Simple Chocolate Chip Banana Bread

A healthier whole wheat chocolate chip banana bread that’s super moist and delicious. Loaded with banana and of course chocolate chips! You can never leave out the chocolate chips!

Banana bread is such a staple and easy thing for pretty much anyone to bake, I knew I needed to make a healthier version. My whole wheat banana bread is just that but still tastes amazing. As it’s healthier, my banana bread works great in school lunches or as breakfast on the go.

Growing up, I remember everyone in class always being immediately jealous if anyone had a slice of banana bread. It was definitely always known as the typical treat you’d get at grandma’s house as well. Well now, with my simple recipe, you can enjoy it any day of the week but guilt free!

As I’ve made this a healthy banana bread, you can enjoy this as a treat or as your breakfast guilt free. I love taking quick breads or muffins to work as they’re an easy thing for me to snack on between patients and keep me going until lunch time. If you’re interested in other delicious healthy baked breakfast options, check out my healthier double chocolate zucchini muffins or my pumpkin flax muffins. For a gluten free option, try my chocolate almond banana muffins.

When storing quick breads, follow these steps:

  1. Seal and keep at room temperature for up to 3 days.
  2. Fully cool the bread, otherwise it can get gummy and soggy.
  3. Place a paper towel on the bottom of an airtight container or bag.
  4. Put the bread on top of the paper towel.
  5. Lay another paper towel on top of the bread.

If you want to freeze these, follow these steps:

  1. Fully cool the bread and then slice it into pieces at your desired thickness.
  2. Place a paper towel on the bottom of an airtight container or bag.
  3. Put the slices on top of the paper towel in a single layer. If you need to layer them, put a small square of paper towel between the layers.
  4. Seal and store in the freezer for up to 3 months.
  5. To eat, take amount you need out and let thaw at room temperature for 2 hours or heat in the microwave in 20 second increments. But be cautious if using the microwave when feeding children or toddlers, it can leave hot spots.

When baking healthier snacks, treats or breakfasts, I’m a big fan of using whole wheat flour instead of all purpose flour, also known as white flour. There are many benefits to this including a higher concentration of minerals like copper, magnesium and iron. This is important for me personally as like many women, I’ve had issues with low iron in my life. 

There is also a larger source of B vitamins in whole wheat flour which provides energy. Whole wheat flour has a higher protein content as well as more fibre, both of which can keep you feeling full longer. Another great thing about whole wheat flour is it can add a little extra flavour bringing a hint of nuttiness to certain bakes.

The only cons of using whole wheat flour that I know of is sometimes it can make a recipe more dense, which is why I typically add more moisture to my recipes. In doing this, I generally don’t notice that I’m eating a whole wheat flour bread instead of a white flour bread.

The other downside is I know everybody doesn’t keep whole wheat flour on hand. Well, I never used to either and now I can’t imagine not having it in the house. I buy a large 10kg bag for the exact same price as an all purpose bag of flour and have never had it go bad on me. Having said this, I highly recommend keeping some on hand so you can make guilt free muffins, quick breads or whatever you want! Although, in saying this, if the recipe doesn’t call for it, I don’t recommend swapping whole wheat flour for white flour, they’re generally not a 1 to 1 substitute.

If you’d like more information on the nutritional benefits, head to https://www.hsph.harvard.edu/nutritionsource/what-should-you-eat/whole-grains/. There are lots of great sources of nutritional information on the Harvard website that is backed up by multiple sources.

So when it comes to measuring flour, the most accurate and easiest way is to use a kitchen scale. I always use a scale and could never go back to measuring in cups. It’s such a hassle and way more dishes!

If you don’t own a scale, there are a couple steps to properly measure flour as it becomes compacted just sitting in the bag or container. I highly recommend you follow these as just scooping flour out of the bag can potentially lead to at least an additional 1/4 cup of flour. This equals dry and dense baked goods which is not what anybody is going for.

1. Fluff the flour by giving it a mix with a whisk or fork.

2. Spoon the flour into your measuring cup.

3. Level the excess flour off using a butter knife. (With the back of the knife level to the top of the measuring cup, run it over top, pushing the excess flour back into it’s container.)

4. Repeat until you’ve measured the amount the recipe calls for.

  • Don’t overmix the batter! Fold the wet and dry ingredients together until just combined. This ensures a tender crumb rather than a tight, dense bread.
  • Whenever making any kind of baked good with banana, ensure the bananas are overripe, with brown skin, or they won’t incorporate as well into your recipe. They also won’t bring as much flavour. If you don’t have any bananas at this stage of ripeness, often grocery stores will sell the overripe bananas for this purpose. This to me is a win win as it also helps reduce food waste!
  • For best results, use room temperature ingredients! They will mix together much easier creating a smoother, more well incorporated batter.
  • I create my recipes based off weights so I recommend measuring by weights if you own a scale. It’s actually so much easier and makes for much less cleanup. I wish I had baked by weight from the beginning, I could never go back now.

My song today is by Barns Courtney but I had a hard time choosing which one. I love so many of his songs! Here’s “99” by Barns Courtney. Happy Baking! **Disclaimer: Liv’s Little Muffins owns no rights to this song.

Don’t forget to leave a STAR REVIEW if you try my recipe! Follow me on Facebook or tag me on instagram @livslittlemuffins. Find more ideas on my Pinterest or Whisk.

Whole wheat chocolate chip banana bread slice leaned against the loaf.

Chocolate Chip Banana Bread

Olivia Daly
A healthier whole wheat chocolate chip banana bread that's super moist and delicious. Loaded with banana flavour and of course chocolate chips!
5 from 2 votes
Prep Time 5 minutes
Cook Time 55 minutes
Total Time 1 hour
Course Breakfast, Dessert, Snack
Servings 10

Ingredients
  

  • 2 1/2 cups (300g) whole wheat flour
  • 2 tsp baking powder
  • 1/2 tsp baking soda
  • 1/4 tsp salt
  • 1 1/2 cups (330g) mashed overripe banana
  • 2 large eggs
  • 1/3 cup (60g) light brown sugar, packed
  • 1/3 cup (60g) canola oil
  • 2/3 cup (150g) unsweetened oat milk (or any milk)
  • 1/3 cup (75g) plain Greek yogurt
  • 1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
  • 1/2 cup (80g) semi sweet chocolate chips (plus additional for topping if you want)

Instructions
 

  • Preheat your oven to 350℉. Spray or line a 9×5 loaf pan.
  • In a medium mixing bowl, add the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Mix until combined.
  • In a large mixing bowl, add your mashed bananas, or mash them right in the bowl. Whisk in the eggs and sugar until combined.
  • Then add in the oil, milk, Greek yogurt and vanilla extract. Whisk until well combined.
  • Add the dry ingredients to the wet mixture and with a spatula, fold until almost combined.
  • Add in the chocolate chips and fold until just combined. Pour the batter into the prepared loaf pan.
  • Top with additional chocolate chips if you want and bake for 50-60 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Allow to cool in the pan for 10 minutes before moving to a wire rack to fully cool. Store in an airtight container for up to 3 days or in the freezer for up to 3 months and enjoy!
Keyword chocolate chip banana bread, healthy chocolate chip banana bread
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!

Nutrition Facts

Serving Size1slice
Servings10
Amount Per Serving
Calories256
% Daily Value *
Total Carbohydrate39g
13%
Dietary Fiber5g
20%
Sugar13g
Total Fat10g
16%
Saturated Fat2.3g
12%
Trans Fat0.03g
Protein5.57g
12%
Cholesterol37mg
13%
Sodium226mg
10%
Potassium268mg
8%

2 Comments

5 from 2 votes (1 rating without comment)

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