Vegan Chocolate Banana Bread

And a few notes:

• overripe bananas - The spottier the better!
• flour - All purpose, spelt, wholewheat or gluten-free all purpose are all fine to use.
• maple syrup - For extra fudginess. You can use sugar instead but it will change the texture of the cake and it won't be as moist or fudgy.
• nut/seed butter or oil - I prefer making this with nut butter as the fat because it adds more flavour but any liquid oil is fine to use instead.
• baking powder and baking soda - When you don’t use eggs you need to make up for the leavening they would otherwise provide by adding both of these. The baking soda reacts with an acid (in this case cocoa) and creates extra lift to make up for the no egg situation.

You'll also be needing a loaf pan to cook it in. For baking, I recommend metal bake-ware. Silicone does not conduct heat well and you won't get such good results.

No loaf pan? Make my Vegan Chocolate Banana Muffins instead

How to make Vegan Chocolate Banana Bread

This healthy chocolate banana bread is really easy to make and is mixed up all in one bowl. Here's how it's done:

• Puree the bananas.
• Add the rest of the wet ingredients and beat together. 
• Add the dry ingredients and fold in gently. 
• Add the chocolate chips, spoon into a pan, more choccy chips on top, then bake. 

You cannot imagine just how good this loaf of chocolatey goodness smells when it is baking. That chocolate and those bananas mingling in the air is perfection.

Success Tips

• Use a scale to weigh the ingredients. Precision is key to excellent results when baking and cup measurements are not accurate enough for optimum and consistent results. This kitchen scale is cheap and works brilliantly. 
• Use really ripe spotty bananas
• Don't over-mix the batter.
• Be sure you don't over-bake this banana bread. It's beauty is the fudginess and we don't want to lose it! It's better to very slightly under-bake it than it is to go over. 
• Add some extra chocolate chips to the top before baking to make it look extra pretty (or as an excuse to eat more chocolate). 

If none of your bananas are super ripe and spotty, simply place 3 of them on a baking tray with their skins still intact (i.e not peeled) and bake them on 350°F (175°C) for 8 minutes. Remove them from the oven. They will be black. Allow them to cool before scraping the mushy banana out and going ahead with the recipe. 

How to Store & Freeze

• To store - Allow the bread to cool completely on a wire rack prior to stashing it away. Then, keep it in an airtight container with a layer of kitchen paper on the bottom and on top to suck up any moisture. Or alternatively, wrap it well in plastic wrap or foil. It should keep well and perfectly moist for up to 5 days.
• To freeze - Cool the banana bread thoroughly on a cooling rack then wrap really well (either in a freezer-safe storage container or a freezer bag) and place in the freezer. You can keep it whole or slice it prior to freezing. Slicing it enables you to pull out a piece or two as needed rather than defrosting the entire loaf.  It will keep in the freezer for up to 3 months. Allow to defrost at room temperature.

This Vegan Chocolate Banana Bread can be breakfast, snack or dessert. It's kind of healthy enough for breakfast and starting a day with chocolate is always a good idea. Eat it as it is or spread with vegan butter, nut butter or date caramel.

It's also rich and fudgy enough to be dessert. Try warming a slice gently and topping with a dollop of dairy-free vanilla ice cream and vegan caramel sauce!

If you try this recipe, let me know how you like it by leaving a comment and rating below! And be sure to join my mailing list for more deliciousness!