Here is a Banana Nut Bread recipe with the volume turned up thanks to pecans and an ENTIRE bag of chocolate chips. Learn my secret to an incredibly moist banana bread loaf to serve at brunch, with a morning cup of coffee or even with a scoop of ice cream for a decadent, banana-filled dessert!
Check out this recipe and more in my Everyday Entertaining cookbook, now available in stores and online!
Why you’ll love the best banana nut bread recipe
A little morning delight! I’ve made this loaf countless times this month and every time I do it gets demolished. My assistant Abbie took one bite and said it was THE BEST banana bread she had ever had. She’s a tough cookie to crack too. If you love quick, cakey bread recipes that are unbelievably soft, moist (yes I said it) and come together easily, this is for you. It’s perfect when you need a quick dessert to bring to the office in the morning or an easy morning treat at brunch.
Play around with the flavors! With nuts, without nuts, with chocolate, without chocolate, the choice is really up to you! If chocolate isn’t your jam, give this cinnamon swirl banana bread a try! It’s an incredibly moist cinnamon banana bread recipe and is laced with buttery, cinnamon sugar swirls in every bite.
It’s sort of legendary! I know that’s a big statement to make, but I can assure you this banana bread is one to remember. It’s so good, it even holds a special page in my cookbook. And I haven’t even mentioned the best part – it all comes together with just a couple of bowls and without a mixer! You heard me right — all you need is a little bit of elbow grease to get the butter and sugar going and you’re on your way to banana heaven. Save it, bake it, but above all — eat it!
Banana nut bread ingredients
- Very ripe bananas
- Unsalted butter
- Brown sugar
- Eggs
- Milk
- Vanilla extract
- Flour
- Cinnamon
- Baking soda
- Salt
- Pecans
- An ENTIRE bag of chocolate chips or your fav chopped chocolate bar!
Scroll below for the recipe card and measurements.
How to make banana bread without a mixer!
I love this recipe because it comes together in one easy loaf tin, no mixer required and is extremely moist every time. Here’s how to do it:
- Prep equipment: Preheat oven to 350 F. Line a 9 x 5-inch loaf pan with parchment paper and spray with nonstick spray.
- Mash bananas: In a medium bowl, mash ripe bananas until smooth and slightly chunky. Set aside.
- Cream butter and sugar: In a separate large bowl, whisk together melted or softened butter and brown sugar until smooth.
- Add remaining wet ingredients: Add eggs and whisk until smooth. Then, add milk and vanilla extract until combined. Add the now mashed bananas to the batter and fold to combine.
- Stir in dry ingredients: Add flour, cinnamon, baking soda and salt to batter and gently stir until just combined. Do not over mix, batter lumps are okay.
- Fold in mix-ins: Gently fold in pecans and chocolate chips or chopped chocolate (reserve 1/4 cup for topping) until just combined.
- Bake: Pour batter into a prepared loaf tin and smooth the top. Top with extra banana slices and remaining chocolate. Bake for 50-60 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean and the top is golden brown.
- Cool and slice: Allow banana bread to cool for 15-20 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely before slicing. Slice and enjoy!
Recipe variations
Get Nutty: Feel free to swap out the pecans and chocolate chips for a different nut like walnuts or almonds or white chocolate chips.
Espresso Powder: If you plan on having this bread for brunch or breakfast adding in 1-2 teaspoons of espresso powder will add a rich aroma.
Muffins: Turn this banana bread into muffins by lining a cupcake tin with liners. Bake for 25-30 minutes at the same temperature, or until a toothpick comes out clean.
How to store
Keep your banana bread wrapped tightly in plastic wrap, foil or Tupperware. Bread will stay fresh at room temperature for 2-3 days or up to a week in the refrigerator.
Banana bread recipe FAQ
How to quickly ripen bananas:
If you just simply cannot wait for brown bananas, here are a few ways to quickly ripen bananas for banana bread:
- Keep them together: Bananas ripen more quickly in a 24-48 hour period when they are left in their bunch. If you’re saving bananas for a daily snack, separate them to keep them fresher.
- Hot hot heat: Keep your bananas in a warmer part of the house to increase browning time.
- The quickest way: Place your bananas on a sheet pan with parchment paper and bake at a low heat around 300-325F for 15-20 minutes, or until they are black and soft. Cool slightly before using.
How do you keep banana bread moist?
Start with extremely over-ripe bananas. I’m talking like almost black, okay?! Like bananas that you probably would have thrown out. They are the sweetest and hold great moisture for banana bread! Mash them up and get ready to rejoice in your patience.
What happens if you put too much banana in banana bread?
Using too many bananas can make the bread heavy and cause it to sink in the middle, making it appear undercooked. If you have extra ripe bananas, freeze them for later use.
Why is my banana bread gooey?
You probably haven’t cooked the banana bread long enough. It’s always best to start checking for doneness around the 50-minute mark. But you know it’s cooked when a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean and it’s a gorgeous golden brown.
If you love banana bread with chocolate chips…you’ll love these recipes!
- Skillet Chocolate Chip Cookie with Peanut Butter
- Browned Butter Dark Chocolate Chip Pretzel Cookies
- Caramelized Banana and Chocolate Pie
- No-Bake S’mores Bars
Looking for more quick bread recipes? Check these out!
- Cinnamon Swirl Banana Bread
- Lemon Poppyseed Bread with Lemon Curd Core
- Peach Bread with Cinnamon Crunch Topping
If you make this Banana Nut Bread recipe, be sure to tag me on Pinterest and Instagram!
I seriously love seeing what you guys are making and sharing your creations with the College Housewife community!
Originally published in February 2020, updated February 2022 with updated info and recipe card.
Banana Nut Bread with Chocolate Chips
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 1 hour
- Total Time: 1 hour and 10 minutes
- Yield: 8-10 slices 1x
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Oven
- Cuisine: American
Description
Here is a Banana Nut Bread recipe with the volume turned up thanks to pecans and an ENTIRE bag of chocolate chips. Learn my secret to an incredibly moist banana bread loaf to serve at brunch, with a morning cup of coffee or even with a scoop of ice cream for a decadent, banana-filled dessert!
Ingredients
3 medium, very ripe bananas, plus some banana slices for topping
8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted or softened
1 cup brown sugar
2 large eggs
1/4 cup milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 bag chocolate chips (or 12 ounces of chopped chocolate)
1/2 cup chopped pecans
Instructions
- Prep equipment: Preheat oven to 350 F. Line a 9 x 5-inch loaf pan with parchment paper and spray with nonstick spray.
- Mash bananas: In a medium bowl, mash ripe bananas until smooth and slightly chunky. Set aside.
- Cream butter and sugar: In a separate large bowl, whisk together melted or softened butter and brown sugar until smooth.
- Add remaining wet ingredients: Add eggs and whisk until smooth. Then, add milk and vanilla extract until combined. Add the now mashed bananas to the batter and fold to combine.
- Stir in dry ingredients: Add flour, cinnamon, baking soda and salt to batter and gently stir until just combined. Do not over mix, batter lumps are okay.
- Fold in mix-ins: Gently fold in pecans and chocolate chips or chopped chocolate (reserve 1/4 cup for topping) until just combined.
- Bake: Pour batter into a prepared loaf tin and smooth the top. Top with extra banana slices and remaining chocolate. Bake for 50-60 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean and the top is golden brown.
- Cool and slice: Allow banana bread to cool for 15-20 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely before slicing. Slice and enjoy!
Notes
Muffins: Turn this banana bread into muffins by lining a cupcake tip with liners. Bake for 25-30 minutes at the same temperature, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
Storage: Keep your banana bread wrapped tightly in plastic wrap, foil or Tupperware at room temperature for 2-3 days or up to a week in the refrigerator.
Keywords: pecans, easy, quick bread
I love the look of this banana bread, I’m just about to bake it here now! The problem is, I don’t have brown sugar.. Can I use regular white? And should I use the same amount or less? Don’t want it too sweet. I also have two completely brown bananas, and two slightly ripe ones. Are the brown soft ones too ripe?
Thank you so much!
★★★★★
I divided into 2 loaf pans and baked for about 35-40 minutes, other than that I followed the recipe exactly. Absolutely delicious!!! We couldn’t even wait for it to cool. Will make again for sure!!!
★★★★★
Hi! Never comment on these BUT I HAD TO!! My hubby and I baked this and it was our first time ever baking a bread – it WAS AMAZING DELICIOUS NO WORDS! Very easy to follow! Skipped the choc chips but topped with walnuts and made the bananas in long slices. Used coconut milk and vanilla bean paste instead- thank you for always posting delicious and easy recipes to follow! Felt so happy to bake 🙂
★★★★★
Its very easy and delicious 👌 just tried it 😊
As soon as I saw Elizabeth post this recipe on Instagram over the weekend, I knew I had to give it a try. It made for the easiest weeknight baking project since the batter took less than 15 minutes to throw together. The bread rose beautifully & tastes amazing. I love the chocolate (duh) & the added texture from the pecans. A keeper!
★★★★★
Can I use Almond flour?
Have you ever done this ?
★★★★★
Hi Elizabeth! By any chance, is it possible to make this recipe with coconut sugar instead of brown sugar?
Author
Hi Cal! I’ve never tried it with coconut sugar but I think it should be okay.
I have made this twice now and love it! I left out the chocolate chips but want to add them next time. I love to cook but I’m not much of a baker because you have to measure but this recipe is easy peasy!
★★★★★
I made this for my son-in-law’s birthday (yes, he wanted banana bread for his “cake”). First time making banana bread! This turned out beautifully, and it is absolutely the best banana bread I’ve ever eaten. It did take 80 minutes to bake, but it was absolutely perfect!!! Thanks so much for the recipe.
Author
Hi Shirley! That is so wonderful! So happy to hear your SIL ‘birthday cake’ came out just the way he wanted 🙂 Everyones oven is a little different so that’s okay! I always rely on the good ole toothpick test anyways. Happy baking!
The same with mine. Actually ended up baking it 80 minutes. It was perfect!!!!
I followed the recipe exactly I just used mini chocolate chips . Turned out great !
★★★★
Author
I love mini chocolate chips, they taste just as delicious! 🙂 Enjoy!
I had but 2 bananas, but good sized ones. Hazelnuts was all I had. Otherwise no substitutions. I wanted easier to create, smaller portions, so I baked it in a rectangular, 12×17” pan. Baked it 25 minutes. This was a Pinterest WIN. Thank you.
Author
I’m so happy you enjoyed this Recipe Lorrie!
What could I put under the loaf in case it over flows in the oven?
Author
You could put a sheet pan underneath in case, sounds like you may need a bigger loaf tin
I made this and the center was very gooey beyond the 60 mins. I kept adding 5 mins and checking for more of a “bread” consistency, and this was in the center. Not sure what happened or why.
Author
Hmmm. It may be the size of your loaf tin. This makes quite a bit of batter and I use a 9×5 loaf tin.
Does salted butter make a big difference?
Author
Hi Kirsty! You can use salted butter, just cut back on the salt to 1/8 of a teaspoon in the recipe 🙂
Awesome!! Thank you!!!