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Transform overripe bananas into this Healthy Chocolate Peanut Butter Banana Bread for a treat that everyone will love! Made with cocoa powder, peanut butter, maple syrup, and more.
Save the bananas… it’s time for banana bread
Didn’t eat your bananas in time? That’s okay, because there are so many different things you can make with overripe bananas. For today, we’re transforming them into a delicious, healthy chocolate peanut butter banana bread that’s perfect for dessert or with your morning coffee.
The great thing about this peanut butter bread with chocolate chips is that it’s a very simple recipe to put together. It’s no more difficult than making boxed brownies!
When all is said and done, you’ll have a delicious loaf of fluffy, flavorful bread that the entire family will enjoy.
Ingredients in peanut butter chocolate chip banana bread
Healthy chocolate peanut butter banana bread is made with just what you’d expect: flour, baking soda, bananas, and eggs. But one ingredient that you may not have expected is the cocoa powder. Rather than simply adding chocolate chips, we’re making the bread itself chocolatey.
- Oat flour: We will start with an oat flour base in the amount of 1/2 cup.
- Cocoa powder: Then, 1/2 cup of cocoa powder will be used to give the actual bread that delicious, rich chocolate flavor!
- Baking powder: Include 1 tsp of baking powder to help the bread rise properly.
- Baking soda: Likewise, include 1/2 tsp of baking soda.
- Salt: To give a bit of extra flavor, I like to throw in 1/4 tsp of salt.
- Bananas: Next, you’ll of course need the bananas! 2 large bananas will be plenty (or 3 small bananas). Once mashed, you should have about 1 cup of banana.
- Eggs: To help the ingredients bind together, we will use 2 eggs.
- Peanut butter: Next we will use peanut butter for the pb portion of the flavor! 1/4 cup is plenty.
- Maple syrup: For an all-natural sweetener, include 1/4 cup of maple syrup.
- Vanilla: Add 1 tsp of vanilla for taste.
- Chocolate chips: Finally, include 1 cup of chocolate chips, reserving a few extra for the top if desired.
What you’ll need to make this dessert
Healthy peanut butter banana bread is pretty tame on the kitchen tool front. All you need is a bread pan, two mixing bowls, a few stirring utensils, and measuring cups!
- 9×4 bread pan
- Small mixing bowl
- Stirring utensil
- Large mixing bowl
- Whisk
For measuring, you will need the following sized cups: 1/4 tsp, 1/2 tsp, 1 tsp, 1/4 cup, 1/2 cup, and 1 cup.
How to make healthy chocolate peanut butter banana bread
To make this chocolate chip banana bread we’ll start by mixing the dry ingredients, and then we’ll move onto the wet. Once everything is mixed, combine the dry and wet ingredients together, toss it all in a bread pan, top with chocolate chips, and bake!
Here’s the complete rundown:
To begin, prehet the oven to 350F and grease a 9×4 bread pan.
Then, in a small bowl, mix the oat flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
In a large bowl, whisk together the mashed bananas and eggs. Then mix in the peanut butter, maple syrup, and vanilla.
Add the dry ingredients to the wet and stir until combined. Once mixed, stir in the chocolate chips.
Pour the batter into the greased bread pan and top with more chocolate chips if desired.
Bake for 38-42 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean.
Let cool for at least 10 minutes before slicing.
Substitution Tip
Whether you’re out of key ingredients or wish to try something different, here are some easy ingredient swaps that you can make for this recipe.
- Oat flour: Out of oat flour? Grab your regular jar of rolled oats, and blend with a blender or food processor. Ta-da, oat flour!
- Eggs: No eggs, no problem. One alternative is to use 1/4 cup of applesauce (so you’ll need 1/2 cup for this bread). Another option is to make chia seed eggs. For this recipe, mix 2 tbsp of seeds with 6 tbsp of water. Once it has formed a gel-like consistency, add it where the recipe calls for eggs.
- Maple syrup: If you’re not a fan of maple syrup, you can use honey or molasses instead. Start with a slightly smaller measurement, and add to taste.
- Peanut butter: Any nut butter will work in place of the peanut butter, as will your favorite nut-free butter alternative (like sunflower seed butter).
- Chocolate chips: For a taste that’s a little different but just as decadent, sub the chocolate chips with white chocolate.
How this bread is healthier
You may be wondering how this bread is healthier than a standard chocolate chip banana bread recipe. The answer is simple! I just removed two key “not healthy” ingredients and replaced them with higher nutrient options.
Oat flour
First up, oat flour is a great alternative to all-purpose flour. It’s lower in carbs, higher in protein, and higher in fiber, and it’s gluten-free!
Maple syrup
Second, I swapped white sugar with my favorite ingredient alternative: maple syrup. This all-natural sweetener gives banana bread the perfect amount of sweetness while serving as a healthier, lower-glycemic option.
Storing leftovers
This banana bread can be kept on the counter at room temperature either in a sealed container or covered with plastic wrap. It can also be stored in the refrigerator. Enjoy within 3-4 days for the freshest flavors.
If you liked this recipe, you’ll want to try these!
Can’t get enough peanut butter? Here are some more tasty desserts that feature the star ingredient. You’re going to love those PB&J bars!
- Three Ingredient Peanut Butter Cookies
- Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies (Gluten Free)
- Healthy Peanut Butter and Jelly Bars
- Healthy Peanut Butter Pie (Dairy Free)
- Peanut Butter Banana Baked Oatmeal Cups
Recipe by Erin Morrissey and Photos by The Mindful Hapa
Healthy Chocolate Peanut Butter Banana Bread
Transform overripe bananas into this Healthy Chocolate Peanut Butter Banana Bread for a treat that everyone will love! Made with cocoa powder, peanut butter, maple syrup, and more.
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup oat flour
- 1/2 cup cocoa powder
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 2 large mashed bananas (~1 cup mashed)
- 2 eggs
- 1/4 cup peanut butter
- 1/4 cup maple syrup
- 1 tsp vanilla
- 1/2 cup chocolate chips
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350F and grease a 9×4 bread pan.
- In a small bowl, mix together oat flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
- In a large bowl, whisk together mashed bananas and eggs. Then mix in peanut butter, maple syrup, and vanilla.
- Add dry ingredients to wet and stir until combined. Stir in chocolate chips.
- Pour into greased bread pan, top with more chocolate chips if desired, and bake for 38-42 minutes or until toothpick inserted comes out clean.
- Let cool 10 minutes before cutting.
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Anar says
Just made this literally 20 mins ago and had to hop on here to share how DELICIOUS it truly is!!! I haven’t used oat flour much in baking before, but it’s the perfect ingredient in this. I highly recommend adding extra chocolate chips on top before baking! This banana bread is rich and chocolatey, and just the right amount of sweet. Erin’s recipes never fail! Thanks Erin! 🙂
★★★★★
Erin says
Hi Anar, so happy you loved the bread so much!! Thanks for sharing and for your support!!
Shirley Wolfe says
My Daughter-In-Law made this. I love it and can’t wait to make it myself.
★★★★★
Erin says
Hi Shirley, so glad you liked it!!
Michelle says
Delish! Had over ripe bananas to use and the banana, pb, chocolate combo never lets ya down! Glad I have 2 more ripe bananas so I can make it again because the 2 of us ate half right out of the oven!
Erin says
Hi Michelle, so glad you loved it!!
Kelly says
This was so delicious! The oat flour gave it a really light fluffy texture. I doubled the recipe and made it into muffins for easier single serve portions. I plan to add more PB as a topping because I have a peanut butter addiction! Great recipe!
★★★★★
Erin says
Hi Kelly, so glad you loved the bread!!
Rose says
Soooo good! I think it’s even better then regular banana bread. So easy. My new favorite!
★★★★★
Erin says
Hi Rose, so happy you loved it!
Chelsea says
This one passed the fiancé test 🙂 ! We used dark chocolate chips and there was a lot of “mmmmmm” sounds from each of us while we ate it warm out of the oven. I confess our bananas were not overripe but we were so excited to try this recipe, lol. I’d like to try it again with your applesauce suggestion and browned bananas!
★★★★★
Erin says
Hi Chelsea, I am so happy you loved it so much!!
Megan J says
So good and the kids LOVED making and eating it !!!
★★★★★
Erin says
Hi Megan, so glad everyone loved it!!
Faith says
I have made this bread so many times and I cannot say enough good things about it!!!
★★★★★
Erin says
Hi Faith, so glad you love it!!
Danielle Thompson says
Just made this for breakfast and it is SO good!
★★★★★
Erin says
Hi Danielle, so glad you enjoyed it!!
Jenna says
So good! Subbed tahini for the peanut butter to make it nut free and still came out delicious!
★★★★★
Erin says
Hi Jenna, so glad you enjoyed it and made it your own!
Jennifer M says
I love banana bread that doesn’t taste overly banana-y which is why I love this bread. The chocolate PB combo is soo yummy! I used white chocolate chips because it’s what I had. Loved this so much and it was SO easy. It’s also a delicious healthy dessert or sweet fix and is SUPER filling. Highly recommend.
★★★★★
Erin says
Hi Jennifer, I am so glad you enjoyed it so much! 🙂
Bailey says
So easy to make, loved this and a fun different take on just regular banana bread. I always seem to have over ripe bananas lying around and this is an awesome way to use them. My boyfriend absolutely loved it and cannot stop raving about it!
★★★★★
Erin says
Hi Bailey, so glad you both enjoyed it! 🙂
catherine says
WOW – unbelievable! so freaking delicious. new go to recipe – can’t wait to make again!
★★★★★
Erin says
Hi Catherine, so glad you enjoyed it!!
Autumn Eylders says
OHHH MY GOSH, this bread has just been giving me life, I think I may need to slice it up and freeze it so it is not so easily accessible to my fingers. I had three small nanas on my counter and all the other ingredients, I made it right after dinner and as soon as it came out of the oven I had a ooey-gooey piece and so did my mom. MY toddler has loved every recipe I have made, he prefers it over treats people have tried to offer him. What can I say he has a refined palette, I love most and I am sure all of her recipes once I get to making EVERY SINGLE ONE.
★★★★★
Erin says
Hi Autumn, I am so so happy everyone loved it! Thank you for sharing and for your support! 🙂
Maura says
This is my new favorite banana bread recipe! I used chunky pb because it was all I had and it is still delicious. Definitely try this one!
★★★★★
Erin says
Hi Maura, so glad you loved it so much!
Allie says
So so good! My roommate didn’t believe that it was gluten free and without refined sugar. I will definitely be making this again!
Erin says
Hi Allie, I am so glad you both enjoyed it!!
Liz Gould says
This.Is.Amazing! You can taste all of the ingredients in every bite. I followed the recipe to a T and it came out perfect. I don’t miss the sugar or the all purpose flour at all. Thank you Erin! I will be making this regularly and can’t wait to experiment with different chocolate chips. I’m thinking peanut butter chips next time.
★★★★★
Erin says
Hi Liz, so happy you loved it and great idea! Let me know how it tastes with different ones!!
Elizabeth says
Update- my kids devoured it. I got two slices and they ate the rest. That’s the approval that matters.
Erin says
Hi Elizabeth, I am so happy to hear that! Glad they loved it! 🙂
Taylor says
I’ve been having the hardest mental week with eating recovery and this recipe made me very excited to try because peanut butter and chocolate are the my favorite combo and I happened to have everything needed! I made it tonight and it was not only so easy but it made me very happy with how delicious and comforting it was! I love Erin’s approach to healthy eating and her recipes really can brighten my days. Thank you, Erin! I’m already excited to have this for breakfast tomorrow to start my day off 🙂
★★★★★
Erin says
Hi Taylor, thank you for sharing. I am so glad you found this recipe and enjoyed it! Wishing you better days ahead!
erin n says
This banana bread is a huge hit at my house—just whipped up a second one last night because the first one disappeared so fast!
★★★★★
Erin says
Hi Erin, thanks for sharing! So glad everyone enjoyed it!
Sara says
I’ve made 3 loaves of this bread and it is amazing! It comes out so moist and fudge-like. The only change I made was almond flour subbed for the oat flour, since that is what I had on hand. I don’t know if I’ll ever make regular banana bread again!
★★★★★
Erin says
Hi Sara, I am so glad you enjoyed it and made it your own!