Chocolate Espresso Banana Bread

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If you love chocolate and bananas, this Chocolate Espresso Banana Bread is for you! An indulgent chocolatey bread with a hint of banana and melty chocolate chips in each bite is insanely delicious.

This chocolate banana bread recipe is super moist, tender and easy to make. It’s right up there with Chocolate Raspberry Tart when I have a chocolate craving.

Welcome to your new favorite chocolate bread… or should we say, banana bread? Try Banana Bars With Brown Butter Frosting for another overripe banana dessert! They are perfect for Banana Pudding Cheesecake Squares, too!

This bread contains espresso powder which doesn’t actually add an espresso flavor but it enhances the chocolate flavor in the bread. If you add a larger amount of espresso powder then it could provide an actual hint of espresso flavor but it is mostly used in smaller amounts to give the chocolate an extra punch.

• I don’t know about you, but I’m always looking for new recipes to use up bananas like this one and Banana Bread with Streusel Topping.
• Chocolate Chunk Banana Bread perfect for freezing, just like No Bake Chocolate Pie.
• This recipe uses up items in your fridge. See below for substitutions to use what you have on hand.

Recipe Ingredients

• Bananas: Use overripe bananas! Lots of brown spots all over or black bananas will make for the best chocolate chunk banana bread because they contain more sugar the riper they get. Banana Coffee Cake is another of my favorite recipes to use brown bananas in!
• Sugar: A combo of white and brown gives us the perfect flavor and moist texture.
• Olive Oil: Olive oil or light tasting olive oil is best. Don’t use extra virgin olive oil, the taste is far too strong.
• Sour Cream: This adds fat and just a touch of tang and moistness.
• Cocoa Powder: Perfect for making a chocolate base. Also, perfect for hot chocolate cookies. I use Dutch process cocoa powder rather than regular. Ghirardelli has a package labeled Dutch process or Hershey’s Special Dark is too.
• Espresso Powder: I promise you won’t take a bite of bread and taste coffee. This will just enhance the chocolate flavor in this chocolate banana bread recipe. The Spice House has a nice espresso powder.
• Chocolate: Mixing dark and semisweet will please all the chocolate lovers in your life.

See recipe card below for a full list of ingredients and measurements.

Substitutions and Variations

• Don’t sub out the oil for butter. When working with cocoa it’s best to use oil to keep the moisture in the chocolate chunk banana bread.
• You can sub Greek yogurt for the sour cream if desired.
• Chocolate chips, discs, or chunks will work just fine. Use semi-sweet chocolate, bittersweet chocolate or dark chocolate. Same chocolate subs go for brown butter toffee chocolate chips cookies.

This recipe has not been tested with other substitutions or variations. If you replace or add any ingredients, please let us know how it turned out in the comments below!

How To Make Chocolate Chunk Banana Bread

Step 1: Whisk dry ingredients in a large mixing bowl.

Step 2: Mix oil and sugar in the bowl of a stand mixer on medium speed.

Step 3: Mix in eggs.

Step 4: Add vanilla, sour cream and bananas.

Step 5: Mix in dry ingredients.

Step 6: Fold chocolate chips into chocolate banana bread batter.

Step 7: Pour chocolate espresso banana bread batter into prepared loaf pan. Top with chocolate chips. Bake 55 minutes or until a toothpick in the center comes out clean.

Step 8: Let cool 20 minutes before removing from the pan.

Expert Baking Tips

• Do not over mix the batter. This will cause the bread to dry out or become dense.
• Use very ripe bananas aka lots of brown spots or mostly black.
• Let the chocolate chunk banana bread cool all the way before cutting. This goes for Orange Poppy Seed Bread and any sweet bread. It makes a huge difference in taste.
• You can lightly toss the chocolate chips in flour before folding them into the batter to help keep them from sinking in the bread. It’s not necessary but an option.

Recipe FAQs

What Is Espresso Powder?

How Does This Chocolate Banana Bread Recipe Stay Moist?

How Can I Keep Chocolate Chips From Sinking?

How Should I Store Chocolate Chunk Banana Bread?

📖Recipe

Chocolate Espresso Banana Bread

This Chocolate Espresso Banana Bread is packed with chocolate flavor, a hint of banana and chocolate chips in each bite! The perfect comfort snack

Prep Time15minutes mins
Cook Time55minutes mins
Total Time1hour hr 5minutes mins

Coursedessert, snack
Cuisineamerican

Servings12 people
Calories316 kcal

Equipment

• ▢

  electric or stand mixer

• ▢

  oven

• ▢

  kitchen torch (optional)

Ingredients

Dry Ingredients

• ▢1 cup all purpose flour
• ▢¼ cup cocoa powder
• ▢1 teaspoon baking soda
• ▢½ teaspoon kosher salt
• ▢½ tsp espresso powder

Wet Ingredients

• ▢½ cup olive oil
• ▢½ cup brown sugar
• ▢½ cup granulated sugar
• ▢2 eggs room temp
• ▢1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• ▢½ cup sour cream
• ▢1 cup ripe bananas mashed

Add Ins

• ▢½ cup dark chocolate chips + a few extra for the top
• ▢½ cup semi sweet chocolate chips + a few extra for the top
• ▢1 tablespoon all purpose flour for dusting chocolate chips

Optional Topping

• ▢¼ banana 2 long thin slices off of a banana
• ▢1 teaspoon granulated sugar

Instructions

Mixing the dry ingredients

• Preheat the oven to 350°F, grease a loaf pan and gather all ingredients

• In a medium bowl whisk all the dry ingredients together and set aside

Mixing the wet ingredients

• In a medium sized bowl with an electric hand mixer or the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, mix the oil and both sugars just until smooth

• Add the eggs one at a time, scraping down the sides of the bowl after each addition and mix each one just until incorporated

• Add the vanilla and sour cream then mix until incorporated

• Mash the bananas and fold in

Mixing the dry into the wet

• Fold the dry ingredients into the wet just until almost fully incorporated. It’s ok if there are a few flour streaks throughout

• Set aside a handful of chocolate chips for sprinkling over the top of the batter. Dredge remaining chocolate chips in flour, shake off the excess flour and fold them into the batter.

• Pour the batter into the greased loaf pan and sprinkle the reserved chocolate chips over the top

• Optional – Place the 2 thin slices of banana lengthwise over the top of the batter and press down slightly

• Bake at 350° for 55-65 minutes or just until a toothpick comes out clean or with only a few crumbs. Remove from oven

• Optional – Sprinkle the remaining 1 teaspoon of granulated sugar over the top of the banana slices and brulee with a kitchen torch until sugar is melted and slightly crisp. The sugar will turn a dark brown almost black color on top of the banana slices

• Allow the bread to cool for 20 minutes before transferring out of the pan to cool the rest of the way to room temp. Slice, serve and enjoy!

Notes

Placing banana slices on top of bread to bake is optional, not necessary.

Do not overbake banana bread. Check doneness with a toothpick. When the toothpick comes out of the center of the bread clean or with just a few crumbs, it’s ready to come out.

Let chocolate banana bread fully cool before slicing and serving.

Nutrition

Calories: 316kcalCarbohydrates: 38gProtein: 4gFat: 17gSaturated Fat: 7gPolyunsaturated Fat: 1gMonounsaturated Fat: 8gTrans Fat: 1gCholesterol: 33mgSodium: 219mgPotassium: 212mgFiber: 2gSugar: 24gVitamin A: 112IUVitamin C: 1mgCalcium: 55mgIron: 2mg

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