Indulge in the best chocolate chip banana bread ever. Discover the secret ingredients that make this recipe a must-try.
It’s the best banana bread I’ve ever made and tried before, although I’m biased.
Better Than Grandma’s Chocolate Chip Banana Bread
You read the title right. I put buttermilk in this chocolate chip banana bread.
Some call it a banana loaf, and others say it is banana bread, but it all tastes the same.
It’s so good that I couldn’t stop eating it and had to talk myself out of the kitchen.
That’s only one of two secret ingredients I included in my chocolate chip banana bread.
The leftover slices became dessert for the rest of the week.
Making banana bread comes easily for both of us as our mums were great bakers.
My mum, however, didn’t add chocolate chips to her banana loaf.
She added chopped walnuts for texture, which I don’t mind, and sometimes pecans.
It was a real treat for me when Mrs. CBB first made her banana bread with chocolate chips.
My only problem with her banana bread recipe was that I wanted it to be very moist.
I never did get my mum’s secret banana loaf recipe; I only watched her make it.
If you’ve wanted to learn how to make banana bread, it’s a relatively simple process.
How To Freeze Bananas
We all have bananas that ripen too fast before we can eat them up, so adding them to baked foods is a great way to use them.
If you have ripe bananas and are wondering what to do, peel them and store them in a freezer bag or container in the freezer.
When you need a banana or two, remove them frozen and let them defrost on your counter.
Don’t store them in the freezer with the banana peel on, as it is difficult to remove, and you’ll find once the banana defrosts, it’s a liquid mess.
How To Make Homemade Buttermilk
I created my chocolate chip banana recipe in the CBB kitchen with leftover buttermilk.
If you want to purchase buttermilk at the grocery store, it will cost you a bit as it’s not cheap.
However, you can make buttermilk at home for far less with the following two ingredients.
- 1 cup of milk
- 1 tbsp of white vinegar
Mix both ingredients with a spoon and wait 10-15 minutes until it curdles.
You can also substitute lemon juice if you don’t have any white vinegar.
If you’ve made any pound cake or loaf cake, you know the flavors come together much better after a couple of days.
Although I ate a slice of the chocolate chip banana bread the first day, it wasn’t until the second day the flavors were perfect.
I added sour cream to the chocolate chip banana bread for moistness and a light texture.
Chocolate Chip Banana Bread With English Custard
I enjoy English custard and smothered it on a thick slice of my chocolate chip banana bread.
You can warm up your chocolate chip banana bread, add some butter, or eat it as it comes.
I’ve made traditional English custard for my cookie custard trifle and a custard using evaporated milk for my Coconut Custard Tart recipe.
Traditional custard costs a bit more, although the custard with evaporated milk is budget-friendly.
How To Make Chocolate Chip Banana Muffins
If you’d rather not make chocolate chip banana bread, you can switch up the recipe and make muffins instead.
Grease or line 12 large muffin cups in a muffin tin and fill them 3/4 of the way full with your batter.
I’ve often turned cakes into muffins to take them on the go or pack them in lunches.
It is the same with using this chocolate chip banana bread batter in mini loaf pans; you can also do that by watching the cooking time.
Remember that the baking time will be less when you take a cake or loaf recipe and turn it into muffins.
Check the chocolate chip banana muffins at 30 minutes by inserting a toothpick.
If the toothpick comes out clean, you know the chocolate chip banana muffins or loaf are done.
Don’t let the chocolate on your toothpick fool you into believing it’s done; that’s just melted chocolate.
If you see batter on the toothpick, it’s not done baking.
Check again in 5-minute intervals.
How To Make Buttermilk Chocolate Chip Banana Bread
Printable Recipe Below
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Bake Time: 45 minutes -1 hour at 350 degrees (check as ovens vary around the world)
- Tools: Loaf pan: I used a 9.25 x 5.25-inch pan
Chocolate Chip Banana Bread Ingredients
- 1 bag of semi-sweet chocolate chips or 2 cups
- 1 cup of salted butter softened
- 2 cups all-purpose flour or cake flour
- 1 cup of white granulated sugar
- 1/2 cup brown sugar
- 3 large eggs
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1/2 cup of buttermilk
- 1/2 cup of 14% full-fat sour cream
- 1 tablespoon of baking powder
- 1 teaspoon of baking soda
- 3 ripe bananas mashed (I used 3 med-sized bananas)
Preparation
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
- Grease your loaf pan lightly and dust with a bit of flour.
- Add your softened butter and sugar in a bowl or a stand mixer and mix for about 4 minutes.
- Add in your vanilla, eggs, bananas, buttermilk, and sour cream and combine (about 2 minutes).
- Add in your dry ingredients- flour, baking powder, baking soda- and combine.
- Add in your chocolate chips, and if you like walnuts, you can add some.
- Pour the batter into your greased and floured loaf pan.
- Bake for 45 minutes – 1 hour and test with a toothpick (do not over-bake).
- I let the banana bread rest until it’s cool, then invert it onto my serving platter. If it sticks a bit, run a butter knife along the perimeter of the loaf pan gently to release.
- Slice into 8 thick slices.
Printable Recipe Below
Discussion: What extras do you like to add to your chocolate chip banana bread?
Leave me your comments below.
Mr.CBB
Chocolate Chip Banana Bread
Ingredients
- 1 bag of semi-sweet chocolate chips or 2 cups
- 1 cup of salted butter softened
- 2 cups all-purpose flour or cake flour
- 1 cup of white granulated sugar
- 1/2 cup brown sugar
- 3 large eggs
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1/2 cup of buttermilk
- 1/2 cup of 14% full-fat sour cream
- 1 tablespoon of baking powder
- 1 teaspoon of baking soda
- 3 ripe bananas mashed (I used 3 med-sized bananas)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
- Grease your loaf pan lightly and dust with a bit of flour.
- Add your softened butter and sugar in a bowl or a stand mixer and mix for about 4 minutes.
- Add in your vanilla, eggs, bananas, buttermilk, and sour cream and combine (about 2 minutes).
- Add in your dry ingredients- flour, baking powder, baking soda- and combine.
- Add in your chocolate chips, and if you like walnuts, you can add some.
- Pour the batter into your greased and floured loaf pan.
- Bake for 45 minutes – 1 hour and test with a toothpick (do not over-bake).
- I let the banana bread rest until it’s cool, then invert it onto my serving platter. If it sticks a bit, run a butter knife along the perimeter of the loaf pan gently to release.
- Slice into 8 thick slices.
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Find all of my recipes, including gluten-free, keto, and vegetarian, at my Free Recipe Index.
I have to show this recipe to my husband! He loves banana bread, and with chocolate too, well that’s just an added bonus! 😀
This does look good!!! You freeze your bananas the same as I do…I put 2-3 in a ziplock bag, what ever looks like it will make up the quantity I need for the recipe. Thaw slightly and toss in the mixing bowl, fire up the mixer and it’s mashed and mixed in one step…worst case if the bananas are still a little frozen it adds a few minutes extra to the baking time. I tend to toss and chips, raisins or nuts for a recipe with the flour instead of after as I vaguely remember reading that the flour would coat the chips or what ever and keep them mixed instead of settling in the pan. Not like they would have time to settle….. The buttermilk and sour cream sound like a really nice addition. Reminds me…. I have some baking to do shortly for the church bake sale June 8. On the request list are a couple of banana loaves ( one with and one without chocolate chips) pineapple squares, buttertart squares and a couple of cranberry swirl coffee cakes…. Those went fast last year!!!! Lol!!
Yes, I also like to freeze them in the summer for smoothies. If you ask the produce guy/girl they usually have ripe one’s in the back they will see you cheaper. You can coat your fruit or whatever you think might sink. I’ve never had a problem with chipits sinking before though.Wow, those treats sound so good. You will be in the kitchen lots for all this baking Christine! You will have to share photos with us.
Heading out to buy some groceries to take me through tomorrow ’cause the only thing open will be the garden centres and they don’t sell the kind of flowers that you can eat. lol! On my list are bananas to make this bread. It was the English custard that really sold me on making this bread. Yum!
Oh my that banana bread looks amazing and I have all the ingredients to make this this week….I don’t know if I ever told you but I give banana bread out every holiday season but this brings it to new levels 🙂
How come I never got any haha!!! It tastes best after a couple days. Wrap it in saran wrap then tin foil.
I agree I love a crispy end of my banana bread and then I am just awful I spread it with whipped butter YUM!
Mmmm butter… me too shhhhh
glad to know I’m in good company ha ha goodnight!
My wife makes the best choc chip banana bread ever, i’ll have to get her to try yours so we can compare.
Oh oh, now I feel the heat! I created a recipe the other day for my wife who eats Low GI but it’s new for her. I was wondering if you wife could look at it and tell me if it really is low gi?
Oh my goodness, this looks delightful, Mr. CBB. I’ve always said that no banana bread could rival my great-grandmother’s recipe, but I think this one might beat hers out!
I think everyone has their famous recipes and with good reason especially if they are close to your heart. Thanks Laurie
any kind of banana bread is one of my favorite things on earth! I’m always afraid to make dessert like things in my house because I know I will have no self-control and stuff my face. 🙂 Chocolate chip cookies are my real weakness! This looks so good though!
Oh oh…. self control is important. I made some chocolate biscotti cookies for the wife and they are as low at they come. They turned good… she eat’s low GI so I’m working on creating her treats that she can enjoy since she can’t really go near the sugar.
Oh yum….I think we’ve got some bananas I’m going to let go a little bit bad…
I hope you enjoy this recipe!
My hubby is going to drool over this. Thanks for the recipe.
You’re welcome mate… maybe he will make it for you 🙂
OMG this looks so amazing! I never thought to try it with buttermilk, and I can’t wait to! You always know how to make me hungry CBB, even if I’ve already eaten! LOL:)
When I start needing a hard core gym membership, I’ll be sending you the bill! LOL:)
Oh my! These looks so good. I love banana bread but I’ve never had it with chocolate, and they are perfect companions. Will definitely have to make these!
You must try it with Chocolate Shannon, it’s delicious