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 recipe!
Best ripe banana recipe ever
This recipe for Chocolate Chip Banana Bars is my favorite banana recipe ever. Chocolate Chip Banana Bars are perfect for breakfast, lunch, or a snack! They are delicious, filling, and your whole family will love them. 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!
I’ve made these tasty treats for years and our family can’t get enough! They’re perfect for a snack, but I also like to eat them for breakfast. They’re chock full of bananas and I use whole wheat flour to make them more filling. I know the addition of cinnamon may seem a little different, but I encourage you to try it. It adds just a nice pop of flavor.
I’ve recently made a couple variations on this recipe! You’ve got to try our Double Chocolate Banana Bars as well as our Peanut Butter Banana Bars
How to make Healthy 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.
–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.
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.
Chocolate Chip Banana Recipe 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.
–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 Chip Banana Dessert 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.
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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Have more ripe bananas? Here are our favorite RIPE BANANA RECIPES:
- Banana Cream Cookies
- Banana Split Milkshakes
- Chocolate Chip Banana Cake
- Banana Cinnamon Coffee Cake
- Nutella Banana Muffins
- CAST IRON BANANA BREAD
- STRAWBERRY CREAM CHEESE BANANA BREAD
- BANANA ORANGE BARS
- PINEAPPLE BANANA BREAD
- PEANUT BUTTER BANANA BUNDT CAKE
- SOUR CREAM BANANA BREAD
- STRAWBERRY CREAM CHEESE BANANA BREAD
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 Chip 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 baked 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!
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
Karen says
Very moist & delicious! I added a few raisins as well.
Nicole says
Sounds delicious
Jenn says
My go to banana recipe!
Nicole says
We’re always happy to hear that! 🙂
Lisa M says
I loved these bars. I used vegetable oil and dark chocolate chips. I also made it in a 15 x 10 metal pan. It was perfectly done throughout in 20 minutes. They are more like cake then, say, a cookie bar in terms of texture. However that was not a negative, just an observation. My whole family loved them and it is a great way to use a bunch of bananas. I used 5 and measured- just to see- and it was more like 2 cups mashed.
Nicole says
Glad you liked them!
Theresa Walsh says
This was a great use of my frozen bananas. The bars were delicious and very moist. They were a hit with both me and my neighbors!
Nicole says
Aw yay!
Lori says
I made this using Applesauce in place of 2 of the bananas, Swerve Brown Sugar and Oat Flour in place of the white flour. My husband loved them!! I will definitely make them again.
Jessica says
Such great ideas!!
Lori says
I made them again today with frozen bananas but did not see the note about draining the excess liquid off. They looked pretty soupy so I added a bit more oat flour. They were pretty soft after18 minutes so I baked an additional 5 minutes. Still wasn’t pleased with it so I shut the oven off and left them in for another 5 minutes. After cooling COMPLETELY, very moist but VERY good!
Caitlin says
Easy and delicious!
Nicole says
Glad to hear it!
Catherine says
Delicious and such a robust recipe. I was in a mad hurry, forgot the milk, accidentally added baking powder and doubled the choc chips. Needed extra 10min in my oven but covered with foil for that part as suggested. It still worked out so can’t wait to make it properly! Love this recipe. So good to use bananas.
Jessica says
LOL, so glad it all worked out Catherine! This is one of those recipes I still make ALLLL the time, even a decade after I posted it. 😉
Debbi says
I added 1 cup of cooked oats. Delicious and easy recipe!
Nellie says
What a great idea! I’m going to have to try that next time…
Jackie says
Very easy directions and they turned out perfect. My only negative is that I can’t stop eating them. Making another batch for coworkers this morning. Thank you for sharing this recipe.
Jessica says
I should have warned you about this side effect!! 😉
Jai says
Just made them today. Baked for 22 mins and turned out perfectly. I added walnut, hemp hearts and chia seeds to the mixture and it turned great. Thank you for sharing this recipe. I will be using it again.
Jessica says
So glad you liked it!
Amanda Watkins says
Hello,
I made this recipe with the exact ingredients except I used 4 bananas. I baked it at 350 degrees for 15 minutes and noticed it was a little brown around the edges and the toothpick was clean. I submitted this for anyone who does not like the bars to be cooked so long that it is dark.
Jessica says
THanks Amanda!
Phylicia L. says
Made this recipe. Only thing I did differently was bake for 26 minutes and I used whole milk. They were delicious! I had to stop myself after eating 2 of them. Can’t wait for my little ones to try them in the morning.
Jessica says
So glad you liked them!!
Pamela C Sands says
I’ve read EVERY comment (wish people read them before commenting with the same thing already there multiple times) and saved this recipe with the ideas. I’m especially interested in using almond flour but unfortunately the reviewers don’t mention how much they used. My other observation is people need to read a recipe & a least a bunch of reviews as you are so clear with about bananas. You give the exact measurement but so many people ignored that information. Nice added info about ripening bananas.
Jessica says
THank you Pamela! I do hope you like them. This is a tremendously versatile recipe, I’ve changed it up so many times and it always turns out! I haven’t made them with almond flour though, dang it!