Brown Butter Chocolate Chip Banana Bread
Banana bread is the ultimate comfort food. The familiar aroma of sweet bananas baking in the oven instantly makes any kitchen feel like home. But what happens when you take a classic favorite and give it a simple, yet highly rewarding upgrade? You get this incredible brown butter chocolate chip banana bread.
Browning the butter transforms this recipe into something truly special. The butter develops a rich, nutty flavor with subtle caramel notes that pair perfectly with the natural sweetness of overripe bananas. Add generous pockets of melty chocolate chips, and you have a slice of heaven that works just as well for breakfast as it does for dessert.
If you want to bake a loaf that will have everyone asking for the recipe, you are in the right place. We will walk you through everything you need to know, from achieving the perfect brown butter to keeping your chocolate chips from sinking to the bottom of the pan.
Ingredients You Will Need
Gather these simple ingredients to get started. You probably already have most of them sitting in your pantry!
- ¾ cup + 2 TBSP salted butter, browned
- 2 cups all-purpose flour (240g)
- ½ tsp baking soda
- 1 ½ tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp salt
- ¼ tsp nutmeg
- ¾ cup of sugar (144g)
- 2-3 mashed bananas (240g)
- 2 eggs + 1 egg yolk
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 cup chocolate chips, divided (¾ cup or 126g inside the batter, ¼ cup or 42g for the top)
Step-by-Step Directions
Follow these simple steps to bake the perfect loaf of banana chocolate chip bread.
STEP 1: Prep your oven
Preheat your oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
STEP 2: Brown the butter
Place the butter in a pan over low-medium heat. Let it cook for 5 to 10 minutes. Watch closely until the butter turns a beautiful amber color and little brown toasty bits form at the bottom of the pan. Remove it from the heat and set it aside for 10 minutes to cool.
STEP 3: Combine dry ingredients
In a medium bowl, whisk together the all-purpose flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, and nutmeg. Set this mixture aside.
STEP 4: Cream butter and sugar
Grab a large mixing bowl. Mix your cooled brown butter together with the sugar until it forms a thick paste.
STEP 5: Add wet ingredients
Scrape down the sides of your mixing bowl. Add in the mashed bananas, whole eggs, egg yolk, and vanilla extract. Stir everything together.
STEP 6: Mix wet and dry
Gradually add your dry ingredient mixture into the wet ingredients. Mix everything until it is just combined. Be very careful to avoid over-mixing the batter.
STEP 7: Add chocolate chips
Gently fold ¾ cup of the chocolate chips into the batter. Pour the finished batter into a greased 9×5 loaf pan, spreading it out into an even layer.
STEP 8: Top and bake
Sprinkle your remaining ¼ cup of chocolate chips evenly over the top of the loaf. Bake at 350 degrees for 55 to 65 minutes. You will know it is done when a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
STEP 9: Cool and serve
Let the bread cool in the pan for 10 minutes. This helps the loaf set up properly. Carefully remove the bread from the pan and place it on a wire rack to finish cooling.
Pro Tips for the Best Banana Bread
Want to guarantee a perfect bake every single time? Keep these helpful tips in mind when making your banana bread recipe with chocolate chips.
- Prevent sinking chocolate chips: Toss your chocolate chips in a tiny bit of flour before you fold them into the batter. The flour creates a rough surface that helps the chocolate chips “grip” the batter, keeping them perfectly suspended throughout the loaf instead of sinking to the bottom.
- Use extra-ripe bananas: For the absolute best flavor, use bananas that are heavily spotted or even entirely black on the outside. Darker bananas contain more sugar, giving your bread a sweeter profile and a softer texture.
- Cool the butter faster: If you are short on time, place your pan of hot browned butter into the refrigerator to speed up the cooling process. Just keep an eye on it so it does not completely solidify again.
- Test accurately for doneness: Test the loaf in a few different spots with a toothpick. If you happen to hit a melted chocolate chip, it might look like wet batter when the bread is actually fully baked.
- Add some crunch: If you love texture, add ½ cup of chopped walnuts to the batter at the same time you fold in the chocolate chips.
Frequently Asked Questions
Preparation & Ingredients
The butter will foam up significantly at first, and then transition into a golden amber color. Once you see toasty brown flecks at the bottom of the pan and smell a rich, nutty aroma, pull it off the heat immediately. It goes from browned to burned very quickly!
You want heavily overripe bananas covered in brown spots. They are much sweeter than yellow bananas and mash down easily into a smooth consistency. Many bakers wait until the peel is almost completely black for the deepest flavor.
Absolutely! You can completely replace the chocolate chips with nuts, or use a combination of chocolate chips and chopped walnuts or pecans.
Mixing & Technique
If the butter is too hot, it will melt the sugar rapidly and ruin the texture. More importantly, hot butter can partially cook your eggs before the loaf even reaches the oven.
If the butter is too hot, it will melt the sugar rapidly and ruin the texture. More importantly, hot butter can partially cook your eggs before the loaf even reaches the oven.
Over-mixing causes the flour to develop too much gluten. Instead of a tender, melt-in-your-mouth loaf, your banana bread will turn out tough and dense. Always mix just until the flour streaks disappear.
Using ¾ cup inside the batter ensures a great chocolate-to-bread ratio in every bite. Sprinkling that final ¼ cup on top gives the baked loaf an incredibly attractive, professional bakery-style finish.
No stand mixer required! Everything is very easy to mix by hand with a whisk and a spatula. Mixing by hand actually helps prevent you from accidentally over-mixing the batter.
Baking & Troubleshooting
Insert a toothpick directly into the center of the loaf. It should come out clean. A few moist crumbs clinging to the toothpick are perfectly fine, but you do not want to see any shiny, wet batter.
Fresh out of the oven, the hot bread is extremely fragile. Letting it rest in the pan gives the crumb structure time to firm up, preventing the loaf from breaking apart when you remove it.
If the top crust is browning too quickly, or the top layer of chocolate chips looks like it might burn, loosely tent a piece of aluminum foil over the pan for the last 10 to 20 minutes of baking.
Storage & Serving
Keep your loaf fresh by placing it in an airtight container or wrapping it tightly in plastic wrap. It stays fresh at room temperature for 3 to 4 days. You can also store it in the refrigerator for up to a week.
Yes, it freezes wonderfully! Wait until the bread is completely cool, then wrap it very tightly in plastic wrap or seal it inside a freezer-safe bag. To keep the plastic wrap from sticking to the top, flash-freeze the loaf (or individual slices) on a tray for one hour before wrapping it. Enjoy it within 2 to 4 months for the best quality.
Brown Butter Chocolate Chip Banana Bread
Ingredients
- ¾ cup + 2 TBSP salted butter browned
- 2 cups all-purpose flour 240g
- ½ tsp baking soda
- 1 ½ tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp salt
- ¼ tsp nutmeg
- ¾ cup of sugar 144g
- 2-3 mashed bananas 240g
- 2 eggs
- 1 egg yolk
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 cup chocolate chips divided (¾ cup or 126g inside the batter, ¼ cup or 42g for the top)
Instructions
- STEP 1: Preheat oven to 350 degrees
- STEP 2: Brown butter over low-medium heat for 5-10 minutes or until the butter turns an amber color and brown toasty bits line the bottom of the pan. Set aside for 10 minutes to cool.
- STEP 3: Whisk together flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, and nutmeg and set aside.
- STEP 4: In a large mixing bowl mix together browned butter and sugars, forming a paste.
- STEP 5: Scrape the sides of the mixing bowl, and add in mashed bananas, eggs, and vanilla.
- STEP 6: Gradually add in your dry ingredients. Mix until just combined – avoid over mixing
- STEP 7: Fold in ¾ cup of chocolate chips, and pour the batter into a greased 9×5 loaf pan.
- STEP 8: Sprinkle the remaining chocolate chips over the top of the loaf and bake at 350 degrees for 55-65 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
- STEP 9: Let the bread cool in the pan for 10 minutes before removing. Set on a wire rack to finish cooling.
Notes
- To prevent your chocolate chips from sinking to the bottom of the pan during the bake, toss them in a little flour before mixing them into the batter. This helps the chips “grip” better to maintain suspended throughout the loaf.
- For the best flavor, be sure to use bananas that are heavily spotted, or even close to being black. The darker the bananas, the sweeter the flavor.
- If you’re in a hurry, you can place the bowl of browned butter into the refrigerator to speed up the cooling process. Just don’t let it solidify!
- When testing for doneness, test in a couple of spots to make sure you’re getting an accurate read. If you hit a chocolate chip, for example, it may look like wet batter.
- If you’d like a little extra crunch, you can add ½ cup of chopped walnuts along with the chocolate chips.
Ready to Bake?
This brown butter chocolate chip banana bread brings a wonderful twist to a beloved classic. The deeply caramelized butter, sweet bananas, and pockets of rich chocolate make it the perfect companion for your morning coffee or a cozy afternoon snack.
Grab those overripe bananas sitting on your counter and give this recipe a try! We would love to hear how it turns out. Leave a comment below or share a picture of your beautiful baked loaf with us. Happy baking!
