My favorite recipe for comfort food in the form of banana bread is right here! Over the years at home, I’ve played with too many banana bread recipes to count. Most of them were trying to be healthier-made for myself and my family. This is the first time I’ve created a recipe worthy of sharing, that is practically fat-free, and can also be classically, or both vegan and gluten free, and still come out better than excellent. One of the ingredient-versions is literally the best banana bread I’ve ever made. Yes! It’s that good!
A best part of this recipe is, no more wasted bananas. This is easy, and can be made year-round, as bananas are always available. Also available year-round are apples, and to make this recipe just the way I did, I definitely recommend making your own applesauce. If you’re not making your own for the half-cup needed in this recipe, you can always buy the jared in stores, or use two individual-serving packages, as they measure out to be 1/4 cup each.
Here, with my recipe, I’m sharing different options on how to make this the classic way, and with both vegan and gluten free. Oh, and there’s the option of adding chocolate (that I most definitely used).
Chocolate Lovers: Some chocolate can be “healthier” too. Extra dark chocolate is the healthiest and I prefer the deeper taste. The good stuff is made with no dairy products, so it’s considered vegan. Know your needs and read the labels on processed food to decide what is best for you. I’m happy to say that there are many more nut-free chocolate options than ever before. If you need to avoid soy, there are options now too. For the first post-run, I made the recipe with dark, sugar-free/stevia, vegan chocolate chips. For the second run, and our favorite result, I used extra dark, vegan chocolate chips, processed with some sugar.
I tested this recipe a number of times before finalizing it. The best banana bread I’ve ever made and tasted, (according to me and my banana-bread-eating-kids) is this version, using the ingredient options of two egg whites, gluten free flour, and Extra Dark Guittard chocolate chips.
I also made this same recipe that was both vegan and gluten free, using chocolate chips I’ve never worked with before, as I personally don’t bake with sugar-alternative products like Stevia. I wanted to give it a try. Lily’s Dark Baking Chocolate Chips are vegan and sugar free. As you can see, the processing of this chocolate created darker look to the top-bake. It still tasted really great and I was pleased with the result. In this recipe combination, the ingredients also included are gluten free flour, and egg replacement to substitute the two egg whites.
If you have four old bananas ready to smash, decide what combination you want to create, and let’s do this!
Healthier Chocolate Banana Bread and/or Muffins
Ingredients
- 4 very ripe and smashed bananas
- 1 and 1/2 cup gluten free all purpose flour, or classic all purpose flour
- 3/4 cup granulated sugar
- 1 and 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/2 cup applesauce
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 2 egg whites or egg white replacements (to make it vegan)
- 1 and 1/2 cup chocolate chips (only if you like chocolate) Your choice and preference. We used vegan, sugar free chocolate chips.
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
- Prep four average-sized, very ripe bananas. Peel and mash.
- Allow mashed bananas to brown, by leaving them out at room temperature for at least 5 minutes.
- Prepare eggs. If using two egg whites, crack and set aside.
- If making this recipe vegan, and using an egg replacement, follow instructions for preparing two egg whites. It will take a few minutes for the replacement to come to the right texture.
- In a large bowl, place all dry ingredients: 1 and 1/2 cups gluten free or all purpose flour, 3/4 cup sugar (or sugar-alternative that equates to this ratio), 1 and 1/2 teaspoons baking powder, 1/2 teaspoon baking soda, 1/2 teaspoon table salt, 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- In a separate bowl, combine these wet ingredients: 1/2 cup applesauce, (store bought or follow Mili's recipe for "just applesauce" recipe) egg whites or replacement, and 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract.
- Mix dry ingredients and form a well in the center. Place the apple-mixture in the center.
- Mix with with a spatula or spoon, by-hand, until completely combined.
- Add the mashed bananas.
- Mix by hand until just-combined.
- If you're making this a chocolate-banana recipe, fold in 1 cup of chocolate chips until just combined.
- To make a banana bread, add 3 cups of the batter into your loaf pan/tin. I used a standard size: 8.5"x4.5"x2.5". If using chocolate, top with the remaining 1/2 cup of chocolate chips. There will be batter left to yield 7-8 standard size muffins. If you'd like to make all muffins, or do what I did and do both, prepare the muffin tin with liners and pour in the remaining batter.
- Place both the loaf and the muffins in the oven. Bake the muffins for 16-18 minutes. Keep the loaf in the oven for a total baking time of 50-55 minutes. Remove from oven and allow to completely cool.
- If you do not plan on eating all of the portions in a couple of days, I recommend wrapping and storing in the refrigerator.
This recipe is going to yield more batter than necessary for a standard loaf of banana bread. You may decide you only want to bake all muffins, and that’s great. You should end up with about 24. If you want to do what I did, and put that extra batter to work, you’ll end up with one whole loaf, and 7-8 standard size muffins.
The muffins turned out beautifully! Because there was so much chocolate folded into each bite of the muffin batter, I didn’t want to add chips to bake at the top. These were great, with a quicker baking time of about 15 minutes. They all vanished the same day they were baked.
When I use an aluminum tin to bake banana bread, I allow it to completely cool and then cut the foil away before slicing the bread into portions. I just recycle the foil.
The crumb on this is so satisfying and I’ve learned that this recipe is best enjoyed in a couple days. If you can’t finish it, simply cover and refrigerate.
using extra dark, vegan chocolate chips. (This was our best and favorite combination.)
using dark chocolate chips that are vegan and sugar-free.
Watching the example of my grandmother and mom not wasting anything, made me want to grow up to be the same way. Like them, I try not to waste. So when ugly, over-ripe bananas are around, I try to make the time to use them. The recipe I’m sharing here is one of the easier ways to never waste four ugly bananas again. Here on my blog, I’ve shared a few different recipes for ripe bananas, so if you want to switch things up, there’s always vegan ice cream for breakfast, and you really can’t go wrong with banana caramel cake.
If you’d like to watch me fully-enjoy put my favorite version of this recipe together, I’ve posted the full video onto Glorified Hobby’s Instagram with IGTV, that can be viewed in the recipe details above.
If you have questions or suggestions for me about this keeper-recipe, please contact me. Take care and thanks for being here!
