Vegan Chocolate Chip Banana Bread

This vegan chocolate chip banana bread is sweet, cakey and super moist. It makes a delicious afternoon snack and tastes great served with nut butter.

What could possibly be better than banana bread, I hear you ask? Well, let me tell you…

*vegan chocolate chip banana bread*

Yesterday was actually my first time ever tasting, let alone baking banana bread with chocolate chips in it. I cannot believe I went so long without it.

I’ve been really in the mood for banana bread lately but since I’ve already made regular vegan banana bread hundreds of times, I thought I’d switch the recipe up a bit by adding some chocolatey goodness. Not to toot my own horn, but it was amazing.

The inside was nice and moist but also a little bit cakey and light, which is something I had struggled to achieve when I first made banana bread.

I managed to do this by reducing the number of bananas, switching from plain flour to self-raising flour, and adding a pinch of baking powder. Perfection.

Adding in some vegan chocolate chips also gave a lovely texture and rich flavour, making it even more enjoyable.

Is banana bread vegan?

Traditionally speaking, no. Usually you’ll find that most banana bread recipes call for eggs and dairy. But because bananas act as a very simple egg substitute, there was absolutely no need to include eggs in this recipe.

This recipe uses self-raising flour so it leavens beautifully on its own without eggs. And the moisture of the bananas helps to hold it together really well, meaning you don’t get that crumbly mess you can sometimes end up with when baking eggless desserts!

And the dairy part? I simply switched dairy butter for vegan margarine. It gives the same taste, same texture, and results in beautifully moist banana bread. This vegan baking thing ain’t as hard as you might think!

How ripe should bananas be for baking?

For the perfect vegan chocolate chip banana bread, you want your bananas to be super spotty and brown. If they’re not ripe enough, a.k.a. if they are still completely yellow or green, your banana bread will lack sweetness.

On the other hand, if your bananas are completely black on the outside, they should be discarded as they may contain harmful bacteria. You want something that looks a little like this:

Not too black, but definitely ripe and spotty.

How to ripen bananas quickly in the oven

What about those times when you don’t have ripe bananas to hand, but absolutely NEED to make banana bread this very second? If your bananas are still pale and nowhere near ready to bake with, all you have to do is pop them in the oven for a bit!

I find that baking them at 180°C (160°C fan) for around 5-10 minutes or so works best. The skin will be black when you take them out, but note that this isn’t the same as the black bananas that I just told you that you should discard. They should be brown and squishy inside. Doing this actually makes them a lot easier to mash too.

How to make chocolate chip banana bread

Step 1:

The first step for this recipe is to preheat your oven to 180°C. You’ll also need to line or grease a 2lb loaf tin.

Step 2:

Mash 200g of ripe bananas in a small bowl. Set aside for now.

Step 3:

Next, cream 120g of vegan margarine and 150g of caster sugar together in a large bowl. To ‘cream’ simply means to beat air into the margarine/sugar to help the banana bread stay nice and fluffy.

Using a wooden spoon, “smear” the butter and sugar along the sides of the bowl until completely combined. Keep doing it for a little longer until it becomes fluffier and turns a pale yellow colour.

Step 4: 

Add the mashed bananas to the bowl with your margarine and sugar, as well as 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract. Give it all a good mix.

Step 5:

Add 250g of self-raising flour to the bowl, plus 1 teaspoon of cinnamon and 125ml of unsweetened soy milk.

Fold everything together to make a thick batter. You can “fold” by tracing a figure of 8 with your spoon until everything is combined. Be careful not to overmix the batter otherwise your banana bread might end up with tough or crispy edges.

Step 6:

The most important part of chocolate chip banana bread: the chocolate chips! Add 100g of vegan chocolate chips and gently fold them in. I used Morrison’s dark chocolate chips.

Step 7:

Spoon your batter into your pre-prepared loaf tin. Bake for 50-55 minutes.

How do I know when my banana bread is done?

You can check if it’s ready by inserting a toothpick or small knife into the middle. It may have a few crumbs stuck to it but it should come out clean without any batter sticking to it.

If the toothpick/knife comes out with batter on it, put your banana bread back into the oven and recheck it every 5 minutes or so until it comes out clean.

When it’s done, leave it out to rest for around 10 minutes, then transfer it to a wire rack until it’s completely cool. Once cooled, cut into slices and serve! And try not to eat the whole thing at once, lol!

Serving suggestions

While this dessert is delicious on its own, you can add some toppings when you serve it if you want to be extra fancy. Some of my favourites are:

• Nut butter (cashew, almond, peanut…)
• Dairy-free butter or margarine
• Vegan chocolate spread (Vego is incredible)
• Coconut yoghurt
• Strawberry jam

Top tips:

• Use super ripe bananas for a sweet, moist centre.
• Freeze ripe bananas if you want to save them for baking at a later date. Defrost at room temperature before mashing.
• Fold in the flour using a figure of 8 motion with your spoon for a light, cakey texture.
• Mix the batter gently and don’t overmix.
• Try using white chocolate for white chocolate chip banana bread. IChoc is delicious.

FAQ:

I hope you enjoy this vegan chocolate chip banana bread! If you give it a go, please leave me a comment to let me know what you think. Happy baking! xo

5 from 5 votes

Print

Vegan Chocolate Chip Banana Bread

A vegan twist on classic banana bread, packed with dairy-free chocolate chips!

Course Dessert

Cuisine vegan

Keyword vegan chocolate chip banana bread

Prep Time 15 minutes

Cook Time 55 minutes

Total Time 1 hour 10 minutes

Servings 10 slices

Calories 376 kcal

Ingredients

• 200 g Ripe bananas (with brown spots)
• 120 g Vegan margarine
• 150 g Caster sugar
• 1 Teaspoon Vanilla extract
• 250 g Self-raising flour
• 1 Teaspoon Cinnamon (optional)
• 125 ml Unsweetened soy milk
• 100 g Vegan chocolate chips

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 180°C (160°C for fan ovens). Grease or line a 2lb loaf tin.

2. Mash the bananas in a small bowl.

3. In a large bowl, mix together the margarine, caster sugar and vanilla extract.

4. Add the self-raising flour, cinnamon and soy milk. Mix well to make a thick batter.

5. Fold in the chocolate chips.

6. Spoon the batter into your loaf tin and bake on the middle shelf of the oven for 50-55 minutes. You'll know it's ready when a toothpick through the centre comes out clean.

Recipe Video

Recipe Notes

• Store in an airtight container for up to 4 days.

Nutrition Facts

Vegan Chocolate Chip Banana Bread

Amount Per Serving (1 slice)

Calories 376 Calories from Fat 153

% Daily Value*

Fat 17g26%

Sodium 87mg4%

Carbohydrates 48g16%

Fiber 4g17%

Sugar 24g27%

Protein 6g12%

* All values are an estimate only and will vary depending on the food brands used.