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!
Cerys says
Absolutely delicious! I also added some seeds and oats, which went really well. I’ll definitely make these again.
Kaylie says
Great idea! Glad you liked them. Thank you, Cerys!
Gina says
Loved this recipe! I only had 2 overripe bananas which is why I was looking for something other than banana bread to make. I just used unsweetened applesauce to make up the rest of the volume but these still had all the banana flavor I was looking for! Also added some vanilla extract. I thought it didn’t seem like enough batter for such a large pan but I shouldn’t have doubted! Will definitely be making these again!
Alison says
I’m so glad this was a success for you Gina!
Lisa says
These are excellent! I added flaxseed and sunflower seeds. They are the perfect amount of sweetness. This is just what I was looking for! Thank you!
Nellie says
Great additions Lisa! Thanks for sharing – so glad you enjoyed them!
Klady54 says
I like the taste but they are sticky/ slimey. Any idea why??
Jessica says
What kind of flour did you use?
Patty says
Can butter be substituted for the oil?
Nellie says
I haven’t swapped in butter in this particular recipe but I’m sure it would work fine – the consistency might be a little different. I would melt the butter before adding it to the recipe. Let us know if you try it!
Lisa says
Bananas aren’t my favorite, they’re ok. But when I started looking for a recipe to use up the browned ones instead of throwing out, came across this recipe. Wow, am I glad I did! So delicious. Banana taste is not overpowering whatsoever. Shared recipe more than once and its a hit for them all!
Esohe says
Tried it but substituted chocolate chips for butterscotch chips and I absolutely love it! Thank you for sharing this recipe.
Nellie says
What a great substitution! I’m going to have to try that one now…😉
Tina says
I made this and added coconut, cranberries and granola. Your recipe is wonderful, thank you.
Elle K says
What is the best way to defrost frozen bars? Should I just leave them out on the counter?
Jessica says
Yep, I just leave them out on the countertop! I often pack individual pieces in a sandwich baggie for my kid’s lunches- just pack them frozen and by lunch they’re perfect!
Tia says
This is my go-to recipe when I have bananas to use. For well over a year, I don’t think I’ve made any other banana bread. I’ve added coconut, marshmallows, nuts, and it always turns out. Family favorite. As many times as I reference this page, I thought it was only fair to write up a good message:) Thank you and many compliments on your recipe!
Alison says
I love that you and your family have enjoyed this recipe for so long! Thanks so much for stopping to say such nice things Tia!
Carely says
This looks wonderful! Have you tried making these with almond or coconut flours? I’d love to have these but I’m on a strict low-carb diet due to my Type One Diabetes and those are the best I’ve found so far. Would they work? How much should I use?
Nellie says
I’ve never tried either of those options, so I’m not much help! Please let us know if you experiment and tell us how it turns out!
Jessica says
I have the best success using Bob’s Red Mill Gluten free flour blend. I just do a 1:1 swap!
Mary says
Super easy and super yummy. I personally prefer squishy fruit bits in my baked goods so while I completely mashed 4 of the bananas, I left one less mashed. I wanted to know if you had any tips on how to make the bars more brownie/blondie like in regards to texture the next time I bake them. Thank you, love the recipe and will definitely be writing it down in my personal cook book for my friends and family.
Jessica says
So glad you like them!! For a more dense consistency, try adding only 1 egg next time and increasing the flour to 2 cups. (Or you can sub in some ground flax!)
Jae Anna says
I made this GF DF EF and added dried cranberries, walnuts and chocolate chunks. It was delicious and will become a new staple for us.
Nellie says
So happy all those substitutions worked out for you Jae Anna! It’s a staple around our house too!
Ari says
Can I use chopped cooking chocolate?
Jessica says
I think that sounds AMAZING.
Vonia says
Me and my 3 and 7 year old just made it and are in LOVE! Also, yay for sneaking some healthy bits in there too. #flax
Alison says
Vonia, yes we love to sneak in some healthy ingredients as well! I am so glad you all enjoyed these!
Sara says
I made these today and my family loves them! I plan on freezing them in baggies. Do these thaw out ok?
Nellie says
Yep, they thaw great. We keep them in the freezer all the time!
Priscilla says
Hi, do you have the servings in ml or g please?
Pri says
Can I only have 3 ripe bananas, is it okay if I use 3 instead of 5?
Jessica says
Sure that will be just fine!
Carol says
I love this recipe!!! I usually make this recipe as is but once in a while I will add peanut butter and lessen the oil. So Delicious!!! Thank you!!!❤️
Katie says
I have so many ripe bananas and can’t wait to make these today!
I have two questions before I begin baking- Can I use parchment paper instead of cooking spray? Also, since I do not have a metal sheet that big… am I able to use glass baking dishes and divide the batter into two different glass bakeware or must I stick with metal?
Thanks so much! Super excited to get started and share these with neighbors!
Jessica says
If you don’t have cooking spray, I’d just grease your pans with a bit of butter or shortening- these have a thin, more cake-like texture, so I don’t think parchment is a great option. Glass pans are just fine- you have the right idea dividing the batter between 2! Hope you like them- they’re one of our all time favorites!
Jenn says
Can you tell me if this can be made in 9×13 plan? If so how much extra do you suggest baking it?
Jessica says
Yes, it can be made in a 9×13 pan. You can either bake 1/2 the batter at a time, or you can bake the entire amount for about 30-35 minutes.