A moist and decadent double chocolate banana bread recipe that’s healthier than most and the perfect afternoon snack. Gluten-free and vegan too!
There are certain foods that I deem share-able.
Billie’s Italian cream cake (couldn’t get rid of that soon enough!) was brought over to my parents house yesterday for Father’s Day dessert, asparagus, corn and mushrooms also made their way over for grilling and somehow, I ended up coming home with half a watermelon that weighs at least 12 pounds.
This chocolate banana bread was not among the share-able stuff.
It was wrapped up in aluminum foil, secretly hiding in the back of my fridge away from Ulysses and far, far away from the rest of my family (especially my chocolate gorging brother).
Sometimes you need to be selfish in life.
I deem double chocolate banana bread one of those times.
I’ve kind of fallen off the Livefit bandwagon (something I’ll go into more fully in another post).
I made it 7 weeks before my travel schedule seriously started limiting what I could do and when I could do it while my patience for 90+ minute workouts grew thin around the same time.
I’m not following the program exactly right now, but I am still eating like I’m on it.
Part of that means coming up with protein sources for post workout snacks, something that’s been almost like a fun challenge for me every week.
A protein smoothie is fine once and awhile but I usually have trouble wanting to drink my calories back after a workout.
I take in so much liquid before and during that it makes me nauseous just thinking about forcing a dairy based smoothie down my throat after an intense workout.
A (higher protein) chocolate chip studded banana bread that’s both gluten-free and vegan, however, I have no trouble scarfing down.
Especially with some peanut butter and sliced bananas on top.
Post workout perfection you’ll want to keep all to yourself.
Healthy Gluten-Free Chocolate Banana Bread Ingredients
- Flours: gluten free flour blend (I use King Arthur’s measure for measure but any 1:1 will work) and oat flour
- dark unsweetened cocoa powder
- collagen peptides (or sub with a plant-based protein powder of choice, I recommend Nuzest vanilla pea protein)
- salt
- baking powder
- baking soda
- large ripe bananas
- ground flax seed
- coconut sugar
- coconut oil
- almond milk + vinegar to create a vegan “buttermilk”
- vanilla extract
- dark chocolate chips (use vegan brand if necessary)
How to Make Double Chocolate Banana Bread
Grease a loaf pan and preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
In a large bowl, mix together the flours, collagen, cocoa powder, salt, baking powder and baking soda.
Make the flax egg by combining the flax with warm water in a small bowl and letting rest until thickened. Make the “buttermilk” in another small bowl or measuring cup by combining the unsweetened almond milk with apple cider vinegar and letting it curdle for a few minutes.
Mash the bananas in a medium bowl.
To the bowl with the mashed bananas, add the melted coconut oil, coconut sugar, vanilla, flax eggs and “buttermilk”. Whisk until thoroughly combined.
Pour the wet ingredients into the bowl with the dry ingredients and stir until no remnants of dry flour are seen.
Fold in the chocolate chips and transfer the batter to the prepared bread loaf pan.
Top with additional chocolate chips if desired (always recommend this!).
Bake until a toothpick comes out clean, about 70-80 minutes.
Remove from the oven and allow the bread to cool for 10 minutes in the pan, then transfer to a cooling rack.
The bread is easier to slice when it’s cool but can be enjoyed either warm or at room temperature.
Drizzling with some drippy peanut butter or vanilla macadamia nut butter is always a good call!
Tips for Making and Storing
- The riper the bananas are the sweeter the bread will be.
- If you want to make this with “regular” flours you can substitute whole wheat pastry flour or all purpose for gluten-free flour blend.
- I like chocolate banana bread without all the extra sweetness which is why the coconut sugar is limited in this recipe, but if you prefer you can increase the amount for a sweeter bread.
- Use the same recipe to make mini double chocolate banana muffins. Just decrease the cooking time and bake in batches.
- Fold in some walnuts with the chocolate chips for an extra crunch.
- Keep chocolate banana bread in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 or 4 days.
- To freeze, wrap the cooled loaf in a layer of plastic wrap, then a layer of foil. Freeze for up to 2 months. For single servings, simply add a few slices to a freezer bag.
GLUTEN-FREE CHOCOLATE BANANA BREAD
By using a combination of gluten-free flour and oat flour, this is a gluten-free quick bread with the perfect texture.
Oftentimes, gluten-free baked goods tend to be gummy when baked. I find cutting the GF flour blends with oat flour to be a great way to eliminate that unwanted texture.
So while you can use all GF flour, I don’t recommend it in this recipe or any of my gluten-free baked good recipes that call for other flours in the ingredient list. They’re usually there for a reason!
Since I don’t eat eggs or cow’s milk dairy, I also made this chocolate banana bread egg-free with the use flax eggs and dairy-free with the use of almond milk.
If you swap out the collagen for a plant-based protein powder instead, it’d be vegan as well!
More banana bread recipes to try:
Banana Zucchini Muffins
Pumpkin Banana Chocolate Chip Bread
Almond Coconut Banana Bread
Cinnamon Sugar Banana Pecan Bread with Raspberry Butter
Gingerbread Banana Bread
Double Chocolate Banana Bread
Ingredients
- 1 cup gluten free flour, I use King Arthur’s measure for measure
- 3/4 cup oat flour
- 1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1 scoop, heaping 1/4 cup unflavored collagen peptides (*see note for vegan alternative)
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 2 large ripe bananas, mashed
- 1/3 cup melted coconut oil
- 1/4 cup coconut sugar
- 1/4 cup unsweetened almond milk
- 1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
- 2 flax eggs, 2 tablespoons flax seed + 6 tablespoons warm water
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/2 cup dark chocolate chips, plus more for topping
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees and line a loaf pan with parchment paper.
- Combine flours, cocoa powder, collagen, salt, baking powder and baking soda in a large bowl and whisk until combined.
- Make the flax egg by combining the ground flax and warm water in a small bowl and set aside for 5 minutes until thickened.
- Combine the almond milk and vinegar in another small bowl and let sit as well.
- Mash the bananas in a medium bowl then add the melted coconut oil, vanilla and coconut sugar. Once the flax egg is ready, add that and the almond milk combination to the bowl as well. Whisk until all the ingredients are combined.
- Pour the wet ingredients into the bowl with the dry ingredients and stir until all the flour is incorporated.
- Fold in the chocolate chips and transfer batter to the prepared loaf pan.
- Top with additional chocolate chips if desired and run a sharp knife lengthwise through the top of the batter to create an indent.
- Bake for 70-80 minutes until a toothpick inserted into the center of the bread comes out clean.
- Let cool for 10 minutes in the pan then transfer the bread to a cooling rack to finish cooling.
- Slice and serve either warm or at room temperature.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Gina Matsoukas is an AP syndicated writer. She is the founder, photographer and recipe developer of Running to the Kitchen — a food website focused on providing healthy, wholesome recipes using fresh and seasonal ingredients. Her work has been featured in numerous media outlets both digital and print, including MSN, Huffington post, Buzzfeed, Women’s Health and Food Network.
This was amazing and such a treat! Thank you! Everyone in my family loved it.