I couldn’t resist getting this vegan chocolate chip banana bread on the blog. That’s because we all know I add chocolate to everything(!), and I love adding dates to banana bread for that extra syrupy sweet taste. Perfect for those elevenses (that means an 11am treat break if you’re not familiar), post-lunch dessert, or afternoon pick-me-up.
Banana bread is a really simple, and totally yummy, way to use up ripe bananas and have a bit of fun baking. One of the fun parts is the variations you can do, like adding chocolate and dates!
🍌Ingredients
This vegan chocolate chip banana bread uses super simple ingredients which are essentially mixed together to give the most delicious and moist vegan treat. Even better if you heat up a slice before eating so the chocolate melts. The main ingredients are:
- Ripe Bananas - these get mashed up and help form the essential moisture of banana bread, and its yummy main flavour.
- Linseed / flaxseed - basically what helps bind the cake. Linseed / flaxseed (affiliate link) is one of the best vegan egg replacements (and full of omega-3s). We’ve got a whole blog post on vegan egg replacements plus yummy recipes!
- Plain vegan yoghurt - this adds to the moisture of the vegan chocolate banana bread. So many brands in the supermarket, shops and online. Go for unsweetened if possible.
- Plain wholemeal flour - regular plain flour is also totally fine, but I like the more earthy taste wholemeal flour gives (and it’s a bit healthier)
- Dates - one of my favourite natural sweeteners. Dates (affiliate link) go so well with the flavours of vegan chocolate chip banana bread. As they're chopped, you get a hint of date sweetness with each bite!
- Vegan chocolate chips or chunks - any vegan chocolate chopped into chunks will do, or you can buy vegan chocolate chips (affiliate link)! I am inclusive and all vegan chocolate is welcome. You could use vegan mylk chocolate if you wanted! I love the dark bitterness that contrasts with the sweet bananas and dates. Green and Blacks dark chocolate (affiliate link) is a favourite of mine (organic and fairtrade!)
👩🏽🍳How To
I love how simple vegan banana bread is to make, and easy to add chocolate chips and dates! Essentially all you do is:
👩🏽🍳 Mash up ripe bananas, and add the vegan yoghurt and oil.
👩🏽🍳 Mix up the dry ingredients.
👩🏽🍳 Make up the linseed/flaxseed eggs (milled linseed/flaxseed mixed with water).
👩🏽🍳 Mix together wet and dry ingredients. Then add the dates and chocolate chips to the vegan banana bread mix.
👩🏽🍳 Transfer to a loaf tin (affiliate link) and bake!
❓FAQs
Yes! It freezes really well in slices or whole.
Yes! Just replace the oil with the same volume of any nut butter. It still tastes amazing, and very similar!
Yes. You can use extra chocolate or another dried fruit instead. If using something not as sweet, you may want to add some extra sugar to the recipe though.
🍽️Serving
To serve this scrumptious vegan chocolate chip banana bread, I love spreading some nut butter on a slice, with my cup of tea or coffee! My absolute favourite peanut butter (that I use every day on breakfast) is Biona Smooth Organic Peanut Butter (affiliate link) - I even got my parents eating this every day too!
Ice cream is also a total winner on top of this vegan chocolate chip banana bread, especially if you warm it up! Try it with my 4 Ingredient Vegan Chocolate and Nut Butter Icecream.
This recipe was developed by Vanessa, one of the original co-founders of this site. Vanessa is now working on her plant based health coaching business, Energise and Thrive Plant Based. She helps people get high energy, great health, and balanced eating with delicious plant-based food.
She’s also brought out her FREE Guide - 5 Steps to Balanced Plant Based Eating which you’re welcome to download. Of course, all the recipes she has created for The Vegan Larder (like this one!) will remain here for you to access.
🍫Similar recipes
We have some other delicious recipes that use bananas and chocolate, which we think you'll love.
Strawberry and White Chocolate Banana Bread
Vegan Chocolate Mousse with Black Beans
If you liked our vegan chocolate chip banana bread recipe, please rate and comment below. This really helps others discover and try our yummy food. Thank you 🙂
📖 Recipe
The Best Vegan Chocolate, Date and Banana Bread
Equipment
Ingredients
- 4 medium ripe bananas ((mash up 3 of them and reserve one whole for topping))
- 3 tablespoon milled linseed / flaxseed ((mixed with ½ cup water))
- 85 ml sunflower oil ((⅓ cup) (use nut butter instead for an oil-free version))
- 120 g plain vegan yoghurt ((½ cup))
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 230 g wholemeal plain flour ((2 cups))
- 30 g brown sugar (/ coconut palm sugar (double or even triple if you want it sweeter) (¼ cup))
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon sea salt
- 75 g chopped dates ( (½ cup))
- 150 g vegan chocolate chips ((or chocolate chunks) (1 cup))
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 180°C / 350°F / Gas Mark 4.
- In one bowl mix up all the wet ingredients (mashed bananas, linseed / flaxseed eggs, oil, vanilla extract and yoghurt). Mix well.
- Add to the mixture the flour, sugar, sea salt, baking powder. Give it it a good mix so the ingredients are combined.
- Then add the chopped chocolate and dates, and stir in.
- Grease and line a loaf tin (it will also work in a regular cake tin), and add the mixture to it. Slice the remaining banana in half length ways and place on top of the mixture in the tin.
- Bake in the oven for an hour, or until a skewer comes out clean.
- Enjoy with tea or coffee, and possibly spread with some nut butter!
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