Chocolate Chip Banana Bars are a simple & delicious ripe banana recipe that’s even better than banana bread! Great for breakfast, lunch and even dessert! Check out all the 5 star reviews- everyone raves about this easy banana bars!
Shared nearly 100,000 times on social media, this is the perfect banana recipe! See the 5⭐️ reviews below!
Best recipe to make when you have Ripe Bananas on the counter!
This recipe for Chocolate Chip Banana Bars is my favorite banana recipe ever. They are delicious, filling, and perfect for breakfast, an afternoon snack or as dessert. I love that they have a ton of bananas in them. I like to bake a batch, cut them into squares and freeze them individually for when we’re on-the-go!
Why You’ll Love these Chocolate Chip Banana Bars
- Perfect use for ripe bananas! You’ll need 4 or 5 for this recipe, depending on the size. Tell me I’m not the only one who buys bananas week after week for them to disappear lightning fast. Then suddenly that stops…and you’ve got nearly a whole bunch on the counter ripening at an alarming rate. Ha!
- They’re easier to make than banana bread. Bakes faster & for some reason when they’re cut into squares everyone eats them faster than slices of bread. I’ve heard it time and time again!
- So incredibly versatile! Swap out some oil for applesauce. Use 1 less banana. Add in oats. Or peanut butter. Since posting these 5 years ago, I’ve made so many revisions! They’re all amazing!
Banana Chocolate Chip Bar ingredients
Here’s what you need to make our Chocolate Chip Banana Bars:
—BANANAS: 5 very ripe bananas (about 1 2/3 cup) – yes, you can use frozen bananas! Once you’re ready to use the frozen bananas, thaw them out slightly, then peel them and place the bananas in a bowl. Once they’re fully thawed, drain out the liquid and proceed with the recipe.
—SUGAR: You’ll use just 3/4 cup brown sugar. I opted to use brown sugar in place of white sugar as it’s sweeter due to the addition of molasses. Adds great flavor too!
—OIL: You need 1/4 cup oil for the banana bars. Canola, vegetable or coconut oil work the best. I’ve even gotten comments from people who’ve swapped out the oil for applesauce with great success!
—MILK: We add 1/4 cup milk for moisture. I most often use almond milk, but any type of milk except soy milk works well. (I find soy milk doesn’t bake well!)
—EGGS: You need 2 eggs for this recipe.
—DRY INGREDIENTS: You’ll need 1 3/4 cup flour. I regularly swap out all-purpose flour for whole wheat! You’ll also need 1 tsp baking soda, 1/2 tsp salt and 1 tsp cinnamon for flavor and leavening.
—CHOCOLATE: We added 1 cup mini chocolate chips to the recipe in 2 parts. You’ll mix half into the batter and the other half you’ll sprinkle on top before baking. Adds just the right amount of sweetness!
How to make Chocolate Banana Bars
Heat oven to 350 degrees F. Spray a 15×10.5″ pan with non-stick spray.
Peel bananas and mash well. Stir in brown sugar, oil, milk and eggs until combined.
Add in dry ingredients and stir. Fold in 1/2 the chocolate chips.
Spread the batter into the prepared pan and sprinkle remaining chips on top. Bake 18-22 minutes, until a wooden toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.
Cool completely and cut into squares.
Yields 24 bars.
I like to make a batch, then cool, cut and freeze in individual baggies. Since they’re filling, they make a wonderful snack, breakfast or school lunch addition.
How can I ripen bananas quickly?
Ripe bananas are used in banana bread because they have a stronger, more pronounced flavor. There are several ways to help bananas ripen faster so that you can make banana bread. Here are my preferred methods:
- Ripen bananas in the oven. Heat the oven to 350 degrees F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Place bananas peel and all on the parchment and bake for 30-40 minutes, until peels are black & shiny. Let cool 1 hour and proceed with banana bread recipe.
- Ripen bananas in a paper bag. If you have more time, place bananas in a paper bag with an apple. Fold and secure closed. I usually leave bananas like this for a full day, then proceed with the Banana Nut Bread recipe.
How to make Healthier Banana Bars
There are several things you can swap out in this recipe to make them healthier. Here are some ideas:
- I use brown sugar instead of regular granulated sugar to add more sweetness with less sugar. That being said, you can decrease the sugar to 1/2 cup. Just make sure you’re using VERY ripe bananas to add sweetness there.
- You can replace half or all of the oil with applesauce. I’m more of a fan of using half coconut oil and half applesauce, personally.
- Use almond or cashew milk in place of regular milk.
- Add in 2-3 TBSP of ground flax! No one will notice and it gives an added boost of fiber.
- Add veggies!! Seriously. Check out my double chocolate version of this recipe. I added cocoa powder and tons of ground spinach. No one can taste the difference and if you blend the spinach small enough (blending it with the coconut oil helps) you can’t see the difference either.
CHOCOLATE CHIP BANANA BARS
Ingredients
- 5 very ripe bananas about 1 2/3 cup
- ¾ cup brown sugar
- ¼ cup oil any type- I use coconut
- ¼ cup milk
- 2 eggs
- 1 ¾ cup flour
- 1 tsp baking soda
- ½ tsp salt
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- 1 cup mini chocolate chips divided
Instructions
- Heat oven to 350 degrees F. Spray a 15×10.5" pan with non-stick spray and set aside.
- Peel bananas and mash well. Stir in brown sugar, oil, milk and eggs until combined. Add in dry ingredients and stir. Fold in 1/2 the chocolate chips.
- Spread the batter into the prepared pan and sprinkle remaining chips on top.
- Bake 18-22 minutes, until a wooden toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool completely and cut into squares. Enjoy!
Video
Notes
Nutrition
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I’ve made several revisions to this incredible recipe! Here are my favorites:
➡➡➡ I added Peanut Butter. These Peanut Butter Banana Bars have more flavor and protein! Use smooth or crunchy, depending on what you like.
➡➡➡Double the Chocolate! I mean, adding more chocolate is always a good idea. These Double Chocolate Banana Bars are dark brown due to the cocoa, so I took the opportunity to sneak in some blended spinach too! THEY NEVER NOTICE!
➡➡➡Like Cheesecake? I made two different versions to satisfy you! Here’s a Cream Cheese Frosted Banana Bars and this one, Cheesecake Banana Bars has a swirl of sweetened cream cheese baked into it!
➡➡➡Bring on the fruit! Bananas pair well with so many other fruits, so I made a Blueberry Banana Bars recipe, Strawberry Banana Bars and added some citrus with these Orange Banana Bars. YUM.
Can you use frozen bananas in banana bars?
A lot of people freeze overripe bananas to use them later on in banana bars. It’s a simple way to amass a collection of ripe bananas to use in this recipe. you don’t even have to peel the bananas prior to freezing! Once you’re ready to use them in this banana bars recipe, thaw them out slightly, then peel them and place the bananas in a bowl. Once they’re fully thawed, drain out the liquid and proceed with the recipe.
Can you freeze Chocolate Banana Bars?
Yes! I freeze these banana bars often! My favorite way to freeze them is to cut them into 2″-3″ squares and place in a small baggie. Place all of the individual baggies in a larger ziplock bag and freeze for up to 2 months. Then you have individual servings of chocolate chip banana bars that are perfect for an on-the-go snack or school lunch! You can also freeze a half pan of these banana bars. Instead of baking in a 10×15 pan, bake them in 2 quarter bakers sheets or 9×13 pans. Simply cool fully, then cover with plastic wrap and freeze for up to 2 weeks.
Are banana bars gluten free?
My traditional recipe for chocolate chip banana bars does contain gluten, however you can substitute a gluten-free flour blend or use almond flour instead. If you swap out regular flour with almond flour, just add a rounded teaspoon of baking soda instead.
Fantastic cake-like banana bar recipe for when you have ripe bananas that need to be used up! Perfectly spiced with a bit of cinnamon & studded with chocolate chips, these banana bars are amazing!
Lakshmi says
Tried for the first time. Simple to make! Reduced sugar to 2/3 cup and no one complained 😄 .Was a big hit with my family! Thank you!
Alison says
Glad you enjoyed these! Yes, some people reduce the sugar according to preference and it works well!
Sarah says
This was a pretty good recipe. It was a bit too sweet for me though, even when I only added 1/2 cup of sugar.
Jessica says
THanks Sarah!
Andrew Yarbro says
Only had three bananas so I added 2/3 cup peanut butter.
Alison says
Hey Andrew! Hope this worked out for you, I have used less banana before too when I haven’t had quite enough and it worked fine!
Rose says
Hi can I check what will be the texture of this choc banana bar? I
Nellie says
The texture is kind of like a muffin, maybe a little more dense.
Roseleen says
Oh I see…I thought something wrong with my bars y so soft as I expect it to be hard bar. Any advise if I would like the bar to be hard?
Nellie says
I’m not sure there is a way to make these bars hard, except to completely overcook them to a crisp!😉
Kayla Burdick says
Yum! I used 4 bananas and a 9×13 pan. In case anyone is wondering, it ended up baking for 30 minutes – probably because the smaller pan made it thicker. Will definitely be making again!
Becca says
I have tried your recipe twice now, and both times the bars turned out gummy. They tasted like there was flour missing. I followed the recipe exactly and used 5 bananas. Other things I have baked lately (cupcakes, sourdough bread, cookies, etc.) have turned out great. Not sure what went wrong here, though.
Jessica says
Did you use a mixer? I just mix by hand. No idea why your bars are gummy. They’re more like a light, thin cake.
Becca says
Re: the gummy/overly moist banana bread, I mixed it by hand, used an 11×17 sheet, and spread it just as instructed. It seems like many other people have had this issue, so I wonder there’s a connection. Were our bananas too mushy? Did we all sub in flax for eggs?
Jessica says
I know others had issues with the almond flour. Not sure about the flax for eggs though!
recipe dog says
I too had a gummy and “compressed” texture and I followed the recipe 100%. I then made it again but this time used a longer and wider cookie sheet and the results were better. A 9×13 pan (the size most folks have) will make these too thick and thus they are gummy looking … using something larger like a rimmed cookie sheet that is 15×10 is the key.
They still won’t be muffin like inside.. but they won’t be like thick brownies either. The recipe is easy to make.. and taste good.. but is quite oily… also, too many chips (1 cup is just too much!)
Jessica says
The recipe states to use an 11×15 pan…
Andy says
Great flavor, but I made them in a 9×13 pan, and they turned out too soft. Next time I’ll use a cookie sheet!😎
Nellie says
They do work better if you make them in a cookie sheet – they are thinner that way and bake more evenly.
Keri says
Made these just to get rid of some bananas and it was the easiest recipe!!! My family loved them and I will use this one again. I love the variations and can’t wait to try them. This will be a staple in our recipes from now on. Thanks a billion 🙂
Jessica says
You’re most welcome- I’m so glad you enjoyed them!
Esther says
Was really easy to make & yummy.
I used the coconut oil, whole wheat flour and 1/2 cup of brown sugar.
Jessica says
That’s exactly how I make them at my house Esther!
Jocelyn says
Hi
After reading above it seems it it just me who has had trouble making these bars.
I have made them 2x now. I thought I added to much banana last time so followed instructions to a T this time. 22min in a 350 oven and it is still not cooked at all. Have to put in again for another 22min.
And my oven does work as I bake and cook all the time.
Jessica says
I’m sorry. : ( I truly don’t know why! I wish I could help!
Lisa says
I have made these several times and my whole family loves them!!
Alison says
That’s great news Lisa!
Mary Cantu says
I get a lot of recipes from the internet and most are duds, but this one was awesome! It lasted a day in my house. I’m always looking for moist recipes and they are never moist. These are!! Soooo yummy!
Alison says
Thank you Mary! I’m so glad this one was a success for you!
Frances Bollman says
Just found this recipe. It will be my new go to for ripe bananas. My grandsons were crazy about them and they were perfect in 10×15 pan and I never use the non stick spray but for these I did, and they came out just like the picture. I heated a tiny one today and added just a 1/2 scoop of vanilla ice cream and it was wonderful.. My husband always wants choc chips in my banana bread and I use walnuts and that is all. He will go nuts for the bars.
Patty Kelley says
These were absolutely delicious. I used frozen bananas and did not drain the moisture from them after they thawed. I used half all purpose flour and half almond flour, and cooked them for 10 minutes longer. They came out super moist. I shared them with four neighbors and they all loved them!!
Jessica says
So glad you all enjoyed them! So nice of you to share! 😉
Brette says
Absolutely wonderful. I don’t know how you can freeze these. I feel like the sheet pan will be empty by the end of the day!
Jessica says
Right?! So glad you liked them!
Stacey says
I made this recipe and it looks like my bars didn’t rise. Do you think I used too much banana? They taste good but seem more like a banana chocolate chip pancake than a bar. Thanks for any thoughts
Jessica says
The bars don’t rise a ton- but they do rise. The eggs and the baking soda are the leavening agents. There are a lot of bananas in these- but they’re great that way. : )
Lilianne says
It’s a nice moist ,between cake and bars
I put 31/2 bananas it was plenty
Also a tsp of chia seeds
Then oil and plain unsweetened apple sauce
Turn out perfect
Thanks for all the tips in the recipe
Enjoying 😊
Alison says
I hope you continue to enjoy these Lilianne!
Tia says
My family can’t get enough of these banana bars. I make them at least twice a week. I use a sugar substitute (monk fruit), sugar free chocolate and coconut flour to make them more keto friendly.
Alison says
Love your substitutions and I am so glad you all are enjoying these!
Sue says
These were so easy to make – moist and yummy, too! The perfect way to use up those over-ripe bananas!
I know I’ll be making them again and again!
Thank you!
Kaylie says
Thank you, Sue!
Nikki says
We make these the way the recipe states, but also make them without gluten and dairy and they fantastic both ways. We make them as muffins or mini muffins (because kiddos like them that way) and they are easy snacks to pop in your mouth! Mom has celiacs disease and I made them gluten free for her for Mother’s Day- apparently my dad only got one bite because she didn’t want to share! Love this recipe!!!!!
Kaylie says
Making them into muffins is a genius idea! So glad you all love them!