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!
McKenna says
These taste amazing! However mine turned out more like a cake, I am wondering where I went wrong? Thank you!
Nicole says
I’m not sure what happened either since there’s not a lot of information to go off of. Could be any number of things but if it turned out delicious I’d say it’s alright 😉
Maureen says
Mine turned out this same consistency. I was looking for something more solid. Still very good 🙂
Nicole says
Glad you liked it
Julie says
These turned out so good! You can taste a bit of the baking soda but other than that it’s really good. Kids love them! I cut them up in smaller pieces making it 40 bars! Thank you!
Nicole says
im glad they liked them but if you’re tasting the baking soda you may not have mixed it in thoroughly enough
Melissa says
love love LOVE this recipe!!! Used 1 cup ripe bananas & 2/3 cups ripe avocado. It cut the sweetness and made it so much more moist. I also added vanilla essence to the mix. Can’t believe how delicious they are. Thank you! 🙂
Nicole says
So glad to hear that worked out for you 🙂
Myle says
Can I use chia seeds instead of flax?
Nicole says
I dont see why not. If you try it let me know how it goes
Christine says
Thank you so much for this recipe!! I made this today, right after I got your email. SO GOOD! It’s almost gone, my neighbor stopped by and helped, also asking me to make another for her!
Tegan says
Made this gluten free with White Wings plain gluten free flour. Came out very well (which is surprising for gluten free 1:1 flour sub) but was far too sweet. I cut down the brown sugar to 1/2 cup as suggested in the comments and it was still so sweet. For my batch there too many choc chips (never thought I’d say that) and I reduced the chips to 3/4 cup instead of 1 cup. For my next batch I’ll cut the sugar down to 1/4 cup and only use 1/2 cup choc chips within the batter itself.
Nicole says
hope our next batch better meets your expectations
Dan says
I want to maks this in a square 8×8 brownie pan. Any tips for adjusting the baking time?
Nicole says
I know that readers have had no issues making it in a 9×13 baking dish, but for a single 8×8 pan the baking time should be close to doubled. Bake for the recommended amount of time and then check in on it every 5-10 minutes as needed using a toothpick.
LCee says
I just made this and followed the ingredients as noted and OMG they are SO moist and delicious!!! I cut them into bite-size squares for convenient snacking.
Question: How long can they sit in room temperature? Its only been 2 days since making them but wondering if they might spoil since milk is used.
Nicole says
Depending on the room temp, how they’re stored, if they were put away completely cooled, etc these banana bars will last about 3-4 days at room temp in a properly controlled environment. You can get an extra day or two out of it by keeping them in the fridge but you could also keep them in the freezer for up to 3 months in a tightly sealed container.
Ti says
Great recipe!
Used almond flour and added lindt crunchy chocolate pieces and sprinkled some small chocolate chip only at the top
Nicole says
Ohh that sounds incredibly delicious!
Stacey says
I only have 4 bananas. Do I need to cut down on the other ingredients?
Nicole says
No I wouldnt think so, bananas often vary in size and you ned about 1 2/3 cups of mashed banana but having a little more or less wont make too big of a change or difference.
Joni says
Thank you for this recipe! These are so delicious but I think I added to many mini chocolate chips (did that one on purpose) but they had to go to the freezer for the chocolate chips to set up. This is not a bad thing. I am always looking for new recipes using bananas for a health reason and I am very happy I found your recipe.
Nicole says
thanks for trying it 🙂
Dawn E says
So easy and delicious! Thank you for providing a measurement for the bananas… so many people just put the total number of bananas and they are all different sizes. Mine only needed 4 so I was happy I measured! These are fantastic. Took about 10min longer but it could be an elevation thing. I also subbed cinnamon applesauce for the oil. Thank you!
Nicole says
Sounds like a healthy swap 🙂
Penny Barry says
Made these for work and everyone loved them. Went fast! I added about a cup of finely chopped pecan, a little extra cinnamon because i love cinnamon and a teaspoon of vanilla. They were delicious. Will definitely make them again. Thank you
Nicole says
So glad you and everyone else enjoyed them!
Sofia says
Really good! Made it as written, but will try it with whole wheat flour next time. I didn’t have mini chips so I used regular sized chips and it worked well.
Nicole says
We love this recipe with whole wheat flour
Julie Shehata says
I made the recipe exactly as written and they were absolutely delicious! They barely lasted two days in our house. So moist and a nice change from the usual banana bread. This recipe is definitely a keeper!
Nicole says
Oh yay! Im so glad you liked them. They never last long around here either!
June says
We currently have a ton of bananas in the house, and I was looking for something to bake other than banana bread. When I saw this recipe used 5 bananas instead of 3, I figured I’d give it a shot. I wish I didn’t. It turned out horrible, I have no idea how this recipe has as high of a rating as it does. The middle was gooey and the edges were burnt, and the high banana content resulted in raw underbaked mess. I tried baking it for an additional 30 (THIRTY!!) minutes and it was still gummy and gross. I bake all of the time, and followed the instructions exactly as they were written. My whole family agreed to throw them out. What a waste.
Nicole says
Sounds like there may have been something wrong with your process. Did you actually measure out the mashed banana or did you just use 5 bananas? Did you overmix? And for future reference, if the edges or tops of baked goods get too dark, you can always lay a loose piece of foil over the top to prevent additional browning as it bakes.
Dawn says
These were great! I just made them and they are very light and moist! I was tired of just banana bread and these came out fantastic!
Nicole says
Happy to hear that 🙂
Dawn says
@ June, I agree, something must have been wrong. I baked mine for 20 minutes and they were perfect. Hope you will try again and will love them 😊
Courtney Freihammer says
Mine has turned out great every time. Mayne it is your oven….idk
Skyler says
My bananas weren’t quite all of the way ripened but I wanted to make a banana dessert today. I placed them in the oven to ripen them per the suggestions of this post and to my surprise, it worked perfect. My picky eaters in the household loved this dish! I did not have coconut oil so used vegetable oil to improve. I’m very excited to try it again but with the coconut oil! I also used regular chocolate chips instead of mini since that’s all I had in the pantry AND I followed the peanut butter mix link.. which the only difference was the addition of peanut butter. Very good recipe!
Skyler says
Also, I would like to add that I did not have as much mix to completely fill the baking sheet that I was using. I improvised and formed a somewhat flattened rectangular mix of ingredients in the center of the tray. I was concerned of the outcome bc of this but it still turned out perfect.
Nicole says
Glad you were happy with the results 🙂
Madyson says
I loved this recipe! It was nice and moist in the middle crispier around the edges. I added a tablespoon of vanilla, and another banana to the recipe and it made the flavor pop so much! Overall it was a great recipe!
Nicole says
So glad you liked it
Dawn says
. I had a lot of frozen bananas so when I came across this recipe I was excited to try it because it has the two things I love most, bananas and chocolate all wrapped up in one pan. It was very quick and easy to make and turned out amazing. Not a big baker so dont know how somebody could screw this recipe up…Thanks for sharing your delicious recipe!
Nicole says
Thanks for letting us know you enjoyed it! 🙂
Suzanne says
Thank you for this delicious recipe. These are so good! I call them banana brownies and they went over so well!
Nicole says
Ohh yay!
Linda says
This is a huge hit in my house and I’ve made it multiple times. With three boys always on the go, this is the perfect snack. Thank you!
Nicole says
That’s awesome