Brown Butter Chocolate Chip Banana Bread

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This brown butter chocolate chip banana bread is the only banana bread recipe you need. Baked in a loaf tin, this makes the softest, most delicious banana bread, laced with rich dark chocolate that melts into the cake, creating little pockets of melty dark chocolate.

a spoon of yoghurt and peanut butter on slices of chocolate chip banana bread

The brown butter leaves the cake soft and fudgy whilst giving it a nutty, caramel flavour. Along with the Greek yoghurt and two types of sugar, the moisture is well retained when baking which makes this a super moist chocolate chip banana bread.

Why you will love this Brown Butter Chocolate Chip Banana Bread

It's the best ever banana bread recipe, simply because it's so tender and fudgy, with great depth of flavour from the brown butter.
You can add different mix-ins, I love chocolate chips but chopped peanuts, hazelnuts or almonds would be great. Even raisins!
I love to bake this when I have bananas going bad in the fruit bowl. The darker the banana, the better, so it's truly a minimal-waste recipe.

You will need the following ingredients:

Butter, to control the salt in the cake, use unsalted
Light soft brown sugar, which contains molasses so using it results in a softer yet denser cake as it retains moisture. It’s delicious here.
Granulated sugar, or caster sugar if you have it
Eggs, fresh eggs make the best cakes!
Banana, you will need around four very ripe bananas. When I have bananas going brown in my kitchen and I know they are past the point of being eaten as a snack, I throw them straight in the freezer. Just defrost when you want to bake and you have the ripe bananas you always need for a recipe like this!
Greek yoghurt, this keeps the cake bouncy and moist.
Flour, plain rather than self-raising.
Vanilla
Bicarb of soda
Salt
Chocolate chips, we love these ones and they are such a worthwhile investment as the cost is so good compared to the small supermarket bags.

See recipe card below for a full list of ingredients and measurements

Substitutions & Variations

Chocolate chips: I often use chopped dark chocolate in this recipe instead of chips as I am more likely to have it lying around than chips. Both work! I also love to mix in nuts instead of chocolate chips (or alongside). Try with chopped almonds, pistachios, walnuts or peanuts.

Greek yoghurt: you want a soured dairy product here, yoghurt is ideal and it is something people tend to have lying around. However, you could use sour cream, buttermilk or creme fraiche if you have those instead.

Moist chocolate chip banana bread slices

How To Make Brown Butter

The key to the moist banana bread texture comes down to a few things but most notably the brown butter. If you don't know what brown butter is, scroll down to the FAQs for a full explanation.

This step by step guide shows shows some visual cues to help you make brown butter successfully. The full recipe is below.

ONE: Melt the butter and keep over medium-high heat.

TWO: The butter will start foaming and bubbling. Keep stirring every so often as the milk solids will start to separate and you don't want them to burn on the bottom of the pan.

THREE: After a short while, the milk solids will be brown and toasty. It will smell nutty too. Keep stirring until the milk solids (the flecks) are dark brown but definitely not black. If they are black, you've burnt it and the banana bread will be bitter.

Cooking Tips

Brown Bananas: For this Brown Butter Chocolate Chip Banana Bread, you will need around four very ripe bananas. When I have bananas going brown in my kitchen and I know they are past the point of being eaten as a snack, I throw them straight in the freezer. Just defrost when you want to bake and you have the ripe bananas you always need for a recipe like this!

Brown Butter: Don't be put off by this or think it's hard. It's super easy and the guide above has all the helpful tips and tricks to make sure you get it just right.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is brown butter?

Brown butter is melted butter that has been taken just past the point of melted to “brown it”. When you melt butter, you tend to get a separation of the milk solids (the white specks) and the yellow liquid, the butterfat. When you brown the butter, you toast the milk solids so they turn a golden brown which gives the whole thing a nutty flavour. You also see this method in cooking, like in crispy brown butter gnocchi with sage.

What else could I add other than chocolate chips?

This loaf really is best with chocolate chips but you could mix in chopped walnuts, chopped peanuts or even chopped hazelnuts. Or it would be good without anything added in, just as a moist banana bread.

Can I use a different tin than a loaf tin?

Yes you could use an 8x8 inch square tin, just bake for 30-35 minutes and then check in as it will take less time than a loaf but it should still retain its moist texture.

More recipes like this one

This Moist chocolate cake is the perfect celebration cake, it's so easy and a crowd-pleaser. This White Chocolate and Raspberry Cake is also an excellent celebration cake, it's so pretty. Those are proper cake recipes for a birthday, for example, but if you want more casual recipes, try these airy and easy Sfingi doughnuts (they are an Italian ricotta doughnut but very easy). My Sprinkle Sponge Cake is a nostalgic classic too, and so so good. Finally, if banana is your thing, my Banana Tiramisu is one you have to try!

Made this recipe and loved it?

I would love love LOVE if you could leave a review in the comments… I love hearing what you thought, any changes you made, the stories behind what made you try my recipes. Also, if you share a photo on Instagram, please tag me @desertislanddishes, it makes my day to see you making my creations!

Moist Chocolate Chip Banana Bread

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5 from 2 reviews

A moist, easy chocolate chip banana bread recipe that will be the only recipe you reach for once you've tried it.

Author: margie
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 1 hour 15 minutes
Total Time: 1 hour 30 minutes
Yield: Makes 1 9 x 5 inch loaf 1x
Category: Baking
Method: Oven
Cuisine: British

Ingredients

Scale

380g VERY ripe and mashed banana (3-4 medium bananas) + 1 more banana for decoration
115g unsalted butter,
100g light brown sugar
100g caster sugar
2 large eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract
130g thick Greek yogurt
1 tsp bicarbonate of sod
180g plain flour
½ tsp salt
140g dark chocolate, roughly chopped + a handful more for sprinkling on top (or use chocolate chips)

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Instructions

Preheat your oven to 160c and grease and line a 9×5 inch loaf pan with parchment paper.
Begin by browning your butter by melting the butter in a pan over medium heat. It will go from melted to then bubbling loudly before going quiet and foamy. Keep stirring until it turns a light amber colour overall but the flecks are dark dark brown, and you can smell chestnuts.
Once browned, pour into a bowl to cool down.
In a bowl, whisk together the melted brown butter and sugars for a minute until thick.
Add in your mashed bananas, eggs, yoghurt, and vanilla.
Once all of your wet ingredients are mixed together, gently stir in the flour, bicarb and salt. Then, fold in the chocolate chips.
Pour the batter into your prepared loaf pan. Slice the extra banana in half lengthways and lay with the cut side up. Sprinkle extra chocolate chips on top if you like.
Bake for 1 hour to 1 hour 15 minutes or until a skewer comes out with a few moist crumbs. Let it cool completely before removing from the pan. Store at room temperature in an air-tight container.

Notes

Delicious served as it is, or with some whipped brown butter. Or with a toasted lightly in a pan and served with butter and some chopped toasted pecans. Or serve with a spoon of yoghurt and a drizzle of peanut butter or caramel sauce. So good.