An easy banana bread recipe for kids packed with chocolate chips. This banana bread is baked to perfection, crunchy outside and moist inside, it’s the best banana bread recipe you’ll ever try. Toddler approved!
What do you do with overripe bananas that no one wants to eat anymore?
Don’t throw them away, either make this easy chocolate chip banana bread recipe (it’s a fantastic use for those black bananas on your counter!) or toss the overripe banana’s into your freezer for later.
Kitchen Tip: Freeze overripe bananas right in the peel or peel them and place them into a ziplock bag & freeze for later.
Frozen bananas can be used right from the freezer in recipes like this Blueberry Smoothie, Stacked Smoothie, or Banana Bread Muffins.
The recipe I’m sharing today is the best choc chip banana bread recipe I’ve had to date.
The method I use to bake this bread results in the most amazingly delicious & crispy outside, but perfectly moist inside – which is over the top yummy.
Watch the video or keep reading to learn how to make this easy banana bread recipe perfect every time!
How To Make
There are a few tricks you can use to make sure you have a delicious, moist chocolate chip banana bread every time:
- When folding wet ingredients into dry, make sure to not over stir. Just blend until most of the flour is mixed in.
- Use overly ripe bananas (or frozen) for moist bread
- Use oil, not butter, for moist bread (butter works better for cakes)
- Preheat oven to 425 degrees
- In a large bowl, combine the dry ingredients including flour, salt, and baking soda
- In a medium-sized bowl, combine the wet ingredients including sugar, eggs, oil, and almond extract
- Add the mashed bananas to the wet ingredients, stirring until well blended
- Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients stirring just until the ingredients start to blend
- Add the chocolate chips and stir until just blended. Do not over stir
- Prepare a 9×5 loaf pan with non-stick cooking spray and pour batter into the pan
- Bake for 8 minutes on 425 degrees, then decrease the temperature to 350 degrees for 30- 40 minutes, or until a knife inserted into the center comes out clean.
Let’s take a closer look.
Start by preheating your oven to 425 degrees. The high heat is part of what contributes to the crunchy crust this amazing chocolate chip banana bread gets when it’s right out of the oven. This high heat helps the bread rise quickly for a taller, more domed result. This extra hot temp helps set the outer crust, developing a wonderful outside layer that will be browned with a delicious crunch.
Next, whisk together the dry ingredients in a large mixing bowl. You’ll be adding all the ingredients to this bowl eventually.
In a separate medium-sized bowl, combine the wet ingredients together. Fold in the mashed bananas.
If you’re using frozen bananas from your freezer that are in the peel, thaw them by soaking in a bowl of hot water.
Once they are soft enough to mash, remove the peel. The bananas will not look appetizing nor pretty but that’s ok! Overripe bananas pack a huge flavor punch and that’s what we are after.
Pro Tip: It’s easiest to peel bananas that were frozen from the bottom rather than trying to get them apart at the stem.
Once you have the wet ingredients combined, add them to the dry ingredients.
When you have the wet and dry ingredients just starting to blend together, add the chocolate chips.
Additions or Substitutions
- Chopped nuts or seeds
- Coconut
- A few tablespoons of peanut butter
- Extra chocolate chips
- Butterscotch chips or toffee chips
- Fresh banana slices
- Mini semi-sweet chocolate chips
- milk chocolate chips
I stuck with simply semi-sweet chocolate chips. For more tips on taking banana bread to the next level with interesting ingredients check out his post from Serious Eats on 8 Easy Upgrades for Better Banana Bread.
Prepare your 9×5 loaf pan with non-stick cooking spray.
Kitchen Tip: You could change the recipe up and use muffin tins to make Chocolate Chip Banana Muffins instead.
Bake your chocolate chip banana bread until a knife inserted into the center of the pan comes out clean.
Kitchen Tip: Store your banana bread in an airtight container for 1-2 days on the counter, for a week in the fridge, or 3 months frozen.
Pro Tip: Slice a loaf then spread the slices with a little butter and freeze in individual ziplock bags. This is perfect for grab-and-go snacks or lunch boxes!
This easy chocolate chip banana bread is the very best right out of the oven, but it is still delicious in the next few days as well.
CKC Features both Gluten-Free Guidance and Kids Cooking Instructions: If you’re new to eating gluten-free we understand it’s overwhelming trying to figure out which foods may contain gluten and which ones don’t. All of our gluten-free recipes marked with this symbol ✅ represent foods that need to be checked for gluten or cross-contamination.
The ⭐️ symbol in the recipe below denotes the steps in which kid cooks may need a helper (depending on age). If there is no ⭐️ symbol, that step (or recipe) doesn’t require a helper.
Banana Bread Recipe For Kids
Equipment
- large mixing bowl
- medium-size bowl
- bread pan
Ingredients
- 2 cups gluten-free all-purpose flour
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 1/2 cup canola oil
- 3 medium overripe bananas, mashed
- 1 teaspoon almond extract ✅
- 1 teaspoon baking soda ✅
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 cup chocolate chips ✅
Instructions
- Preheat the oven and prepare your pan. Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Spray a bread pan with non-stick cooking spray. Set aside.
- Blend the wet ingredients. In a medium-sized bowl, combine the wet ingredients including sugar, eggs, oil, and almond extract. Stir in the mashed banana.
- Combine dry ingredients. In a large bowl, combine the dry ingredients including flour, salt, and baking soda.
- Blend the wet and dry ingredients. Pour the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients stirring just until the ingredients start to blend.
- Blend in the chocolate chips. Add the chocolate chips and stir until just blended. Do not over-stir. Pour the batter into the pan. Top with additional chocolate chips if desired.
- ⭐️Bake for 8 minutes then lower heat. Bake for 8 minutes on 425, then turn the heat down to 350 degrees. Continue baking for 30-40 minutes or until a knife inserted into the center comes out clean.
Notes
Nutrition
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Jess says
I’ve been looking for a new banana bread recipe! This sounds amazing!
Cynthia says
I may try this recipe.
I use vanilla extract in banana bread so the substitution of almond flavoring sounds interesting.
Jodi Danen, RDN says
Hi Cynthia! I hope you do give it a try. You can always replace the almond with vanilla, but I really enjoy the flavor that the almond adds to this recipe! Let me know what you think if you give it a try. 🙂
Kate says
Best banana bread ever! Wow that crust is just delicious. It did get a bit darker than normal, but the added crunch was just delicious!
Heather says
Sugar is a wet ingredient?
Jodi Danen, RDN says
Great Question, Heather! Sugar is not really a wet ingredient, it’s just treated as one in certain types of baking (i.e. sweet bread, cakes, muffins etc). When making a “fluffy” baked good, you want a fairly small amount of gluten to be produced to avoid a chewy texture (like regular bread for example). Dissolving sugar in liquid inhibits the gluten-forming proteins. It’s a method that only works properly when added to liquids, not dry ingredients. I hope that helps and I hope you enjoy this banana bread – it’s one of my favorites!
Jen says
I have never made banana bread before. I forgot to read reviews prior to making it. While it was cooking, I started reading the reviews and got SO WORRIED it was going to be undercooked inside and be burnt! I even warned my boyfriend this might not work. Had I read the reviews first, I probably wouldn’t have attempted to make it.
Well the suggested 8 minute plus the 30 minutes was no where near enough time. I just set an additional 10 minutes until it was done. I think I was about an hour. But after the 30 minutes, I put tin foil over the bread. I think this helped to keep cook the inside more and kept it from burning. I don’t know, but this was AN AMAZING RECIPE! Thank you for sharing! Definitely going to keep this recipe handy!
Melissa says
So how many pans do you make this in? I tried it in one pan (as the recipe said), and it overflowed the sides. I tried it in 2, and they were very sad and dry leaves. The one pan was delicious, though 🙂 Best banana bread I’ve ever made!
Jodi Danen, RDN says
Hi Melissa – I’m happy to hear you liked the bread, but not about it not working for both pans. I do use one pan for this recipe. I sometimes use 2 mini pans so you could try that if you have them? Or you could try doubling the recipe and baking 3 loafs (using the extra batter from each to make one more loaf?). I’d love to hear if you give it a try again!
Rho says
Thanks for this recipe, but there’s a problem with not mentioning till it’s too late (in the comment section) that you think of granulated sugar as a wet ingredient after I have already filled one bowl with wet ingredients and one bowl with dry ingredients. Now my dry ingredients including the sugar are already mixed together. I can’t exactly scoop it out of the dry ingredients to then add it to wet ingredients. Suggest you edit the recipe so you mention this in the ingredients list so that those trusting your recipe and trying to get their best results will be on track.
Jodi Danen, RDN says
I’m going to head into the instructions right now to take a look and make that change. So sorry it was not clear, and thank you for pointing this out!
Ok – I just went and read the directions – it does already go through the dry ingredients and the wet ingredients and when they should be mixed. I think you might have just missed it. I find myself double and triple reading recipes for this very reason.
Ashley says
I make muffins do I line the cupcake tin with liners or no?? I’m in the process so ASAP is appreciated thank you can’t wait
Jodi Danen, RDN says
Hi Ashley, so sorry I didn’t see this right away. I typically do not use liners. I find when using less oil the muffins tend to stick to liners. I hope they turned out ok for you! 🙂
Megan says
I made this recipe last last and followed the directions exactly. The outside came out burnt while the inside was hardly cooked and a big gooey mess. Super disappointed.
Jodi Danen, RDN says
Hi Megan, I’m so sorry to hear this. Every oven heats differently, and this recipe is a bit touchy. The outside will get a deep brown (more so than your average banana bread). Keep cooking it (lowering the temp if needed) until the inside comes out clean when you test it with a knife or toothpick. Once you get it cooked properly, it’s really the best – with that super crisp outside and moist inside.
Niecie says
After the initial 8 mins at 425 it was a very dark brown on top. I turned it down to 325 instead of 350. It’s burnt on top & wet and gooey inside. I’m so bummed. I’ve been ripening these bananas for the last 4 days to make this for my neighbor who lost her husband suddenly.. so sad I can’t give it to her.
Jodi Danen, RDN says
Hi Niecie. I’m sorry to hear it didn’t turn out as you had hoped. For this recipe, the top will get very dark brown. It’s what gives it the most delicious crisp outside and moist inside. Next time if you don’t want it as brown you can tent tin foil on top to help prevent this browning, but I wouldn’t turn the oven temp down. The high heat helps the bread rise and form the crust which is the best part 🙂
Gillian says
This is the best recipe for banana bread , I add ginger chunks to mine. Yummy!
Stephanie says
This came out so good! I used vanilla extract and baked for 50minutes. After 30 min I used foil to cover it and allow it to continue baking in the inside without burning the outside for the remainder time.
Jen says
Adding sugar to wet ingredients really should be a separate step. Like many others mine is still a goopy mess and it’s been baking for nearly two hours.
Jodi Danen, RDN says
Hi Jen, I’m sorry yours didn’t turn out. Sugar is considered a wet ingredient and needs to be mixed in well with the other wet ingredients. The dry ingredients also need to be mixed well separately. Once you add the wet and dry together, mix just until the mixture is moistened. Over-mixing (and under-mixing the separate wet and dry ingredients) can result in the bread not baking properly. Another thing to consider is checking to make sure your oven is cooking hot enough. Unfortunately, quick breads can be very touchy.
Abby R says
This was good and so moist! I covered it with tinfoil after 30 min to keep it from getting too dark.
Malee says
Followed the directions exactly and unfortunately the center did not cook at all. Had to cover with foil and cook for an additional 30 minutes to try to cook the center.
Jodi Danen, RDN says
I’m sorry to hear the recipe didn’t work well for you Malee. Sometimes a different sized pan can be an issue. If you’re up for trying the recipe again you might try making it into 2 loaves rather than one and see how that works. On a side note, the top will get very brown creating a crust that is the best part of the bread!
Christie says
This bread baked Perfectly!! I did cover with foil about 15 minutes after the temperature was lowered. Delicious, moist with the beautiful brown crunch on top! Great to have a beautiful gluten-free recipe! Thank you!!