Dark chocolate and banana are a match made in heaven, and this delicious double chocolate banana bread is one of my go-to easy bakes.
Just like my vegan chai bread and tahini bread, this easy loaf is a guaranteed crowd-pleaser. It's so good with a cup of tea or coffee, you'll definitely go back for seconds!
🧾 Ingredients
Here's everything you need to make this vegan chocolate banana bread recipe:
Ingredient Notes
Find the complete list of ingredients, quantities, and instructions in the recipe card at the end of this post.
- Non-Dairy Milk: Soy milk is best here, but you can also use almond milk or oat milk. The milk is mixed with apple cider vinegar to create a vegan buttermilk substitute.
- Spotty Bananas: Make sure you use extra ripe bananas, that's the key to the best banana bread. They should be super ripe with lots of brown spots, and thus very soft and sweet!
- Light Brown Sugar: You can use light muscovado, soft brown sugar, or coconut sugar.
- Olive Oil: You can use a more neutral oil like canola oil or sunflower oil if you prefer. I love using extra virgin olive oil as it compliments the chocolate flavor so well.
- Cocoa Powder: This recipe works with both natural cacao powder and Dutch-processed cocoa powder. The latter will give it a more rich chocolate flavor and darker color.
- Coffee Granules: Instant espresso powder is great here too, this intensifies the chocolate taste in the cake.
- Vanilla Extract: This adds dimension to the flavors as well as intensifies the sweetness of the banana bread, so please don't skip it!
- Baking Soda: When combined with the acidic vegan buttermilk, it will activate during baking and create a light and fluffy loaf!
- Dark Chocolate Chips: You can use any chocolate you wish here, whether in chips or chopped by hand. Just be sure to check that it's vegan-friendly.
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🔪 Instructions
Here are step-by-step images showing how to make vegan chocolate banana bread. Please refer to the detailed printable recipe card at the end of this page for full measurements and written instructions:
First, you'll make the vegan buttermilk, this is essential for getting a light and fluffy loaf as it helps the bread to rise. Simply mix the plant-based milk and apple cider vinegar in a jar and set aside for at least 5 minutes. It's as simple as that, the acid in the vinegar will work its magic and separate the milk - no need to use any dairy!
Mash the ripe bananas using a fork until smooth, and set them aside. If your bananas are greenish and not fully ripe, they will be too starchy to make a good loaf cake.
Using a whisk, cream together the sugar and olive oil in a large mixing bowl and then mix in the other wet ingredients (vanilla, dairy-free milk, coffee shot, and mashed banana).
Add all the dry ingredients (all purpose flour, cocoa powder, baking, soda, and salt) to a separate medium bowl and whisk until evenly mixed.
Carefully fold the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients in two parts, using a spatula. It's important not to over-mix, as this can prevent your loaf from rising properly and becoming nice and fluffy, so stop folding while there are still some visible pockets of flour.
Fold in the chocolate chips. If you like, you can reserve a few chocolate chips for topping the loaf as these will become lovely and melty once baked.
Transfer the banana bread batter to a loaf tin lined with a parchment paper sling. Top with the reserved chocolate chips and a strip of vegan butter to help the loaf crack down the center. Optionally, but you can slice an extra banana and arrange it on top of the loaf and add a sprinkle of coconut sugar or light brown sugar.
Bake for 40-45 minutes until a toothpick comes out “almost” clean.
💭 Recipe Tips
If measuring in cups, be sure to use the "spoon and sweep method", which involves using a spoon to fill your measuring cup and then sweeping it to level it off. It's a common mistake in baking to use a measuring cup to dive into a bag of flour and thus, end up with too much flour. You can read a full blog post on thespruceeats.com on how to measure flour.
For extra flavor, add a teaspoon of cinnamon to the dry ingredients to give this chocolate banana bread a touch of warming spice.
Allow the banana bread to rest in the loaf pan for 10-15 minutes before carefully placing it out on a cooling rack to continue cooling to room temperature.
To add interesting texture and delicious crunch to the chocolate banana bread, add a handful of pecans or walnuts to the mix before baking.
You can also add a second tablespoon of coffee to the mix to create a mocha banana bread!
💬 FAQs
Store this chocolate banana bread in an airtight container, plastic wrap, or tin foil at room temperature and serve within 3 days. Storing the bread at room temperature will help it to stay soft and moist. You can also store it in the fridge for up to a week.
Insert a toothpick into the center of the loaf, it should come out almost clean -note that there will be traces of chocolate on the toothpick from the melted chocolate chips. It's best to check the loaf around the 35-40 minute mark, as all ovens vary.
I haven't personally tried it, but some readers have adapted the recipe with great success using a gluten-free flour blend at a 1:1 ratio.
🍌 More Banana Bread Recipes
📖 Recipe
Vegan Chocolate Banana Bread
Equipment
- 2 lb Loaf Tin
Ingredients
- 120 ml (½ cup) soy milk or oat or almond milk
- 1 tablespoon (ml) apple cider vinegar
- 4 medium ripe bananas
- 120 g (½ cup) light brown sugar or coconut sugar
- 120 ml (½ cup) olive oil *note 1
- 1 tablespoon instant coffee granules mixed with 1 tbsp boiling water
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 160 g (160 g) all purpose flour
- 33 g (⅓ cup) Dutch-processed cocoa powder or natural cocoa powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ¼ teaspoon sea salt
- 100 g (3.5 oz) dark chocolate chips
Instructions
- Prepare: Preheat your oven to 175°C (350°F). Line an 8" loaf tin with parchment paper and set it aside.Add the non-dairy milk to a glass with the apple cider vinegar and set aside.
- Mash bananas: Add 3 of the ripe bananas to a bowl and mash with a fork until smooth and set aside.
- Mix wet ingredients: Add sugar and olive oil to a bowl and beat with a whisk until combined. Add the mashed banana, non-dairy milk with apple cider vinegar, coffee shot, and vanilla extract, and whisk again until combined.
- Mix dry ingredients: In a large separate bowl, combine the flour, cacao powder, baking soda, and salt and stir to evenly combine the ingredients.
- Make the batter: Sift the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients in 2 parts. Fold the ingredients into the batter between each increment until there are no pockets or streaks of flour. Do not be tempted to overmix!Gently fold in the chocolate chips.
- Pour the batter into the lined loaf pan. Optionally, cut thin strips of vegan butter and place them down the center of the loaf, this will help the loaf to crack in the center once it bakes (*see note 3).
- Optionally, cut an extra banana lengthways into 2-3 slices and arrange them on top of the loaf. Sprinkle with a little extra coconut sugar to help them caramelize in the oven.
- Bake for 40-45 minutes until a toothpick comes out “almost” clean.
- Allow the cake to rest in the loaf pan for 10-15 minutes before placing it out on a cooling rack to continue cooling. Once completely cooled, slice and serve!
Notes
- Olive Oil: Or neutral oil like canola (rapeseed oil) or sunflower oil.
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