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!
Amy says
Hi Nellie, can I use white sugar? I don’t have brown sugar. How much would I have to bake it for in a 9×9 pan?
Jessica says
You can use white sugar instead. In a 9×9 pan I’d say test for doneness at about 30 minutes.
Vanessa says
Can I use oat flour instead? Is so how much do you recommend?
Jessica says
I don’t have a lot of experience using oat flour, unfortunately.
Oksana says
I made this with flaxseed flour and water instead of eggs do to allergy and soy milk came out delicious. Thank you for a great recipe
Alison says
Thank you so much for sharing! I’m glad it turned out well for you!
Sooz says
These turned out great! How do you store leftovers other than freezing them? Can they remain out at room temperature or should they be refrigerated and how long will they keep? I don’t see them lasting more than a few days in my house because they are so delicious 🙂 Thank you!
Alison says
I’m glad they turned out great for you Sooz! If you leave them out at room temperature they usually last for about 3-5 days. They should last a little longer in an airtight container in the refrigerator!
JANET LABEL says
If using almond flour do you use 2 tsp baking soda or increase the size of the original tsp baking soda
Jessica says
I use a nice rounded teaspoon of baking soda. It likely ends up about 1.5 tsp.
Sandra says
Will I need to adjust anything in the recipe if I only have 4 overripe bananas?
Alison says
I think you should be fine to just use the 4 bananas you have!
Cass says
Made these tonight and they came out amazing! Perfect way to use ripe bananas during quarantine, thanks for the recipe 🙂
Nellie says
It’s our favorite way to use bananas too – I’m so glad you enjoyed them!
Stacy says
Is there a way to add peanut butter to this recipe?
Nellie says
We’re on the same wavelength! Here’s the version that has peanut butter in it: https://butterwithasideofbread.com/peanut-butter-banana-bars/
I hate cups says
I really wish people wouldn’t use cups as a measure – this doesn’t translate for other countries!
Nellie says
We use cups since that’s the standard for the US, but there is a great conversion calculator here: https://www.thecalculatorsite.com/cooking/cooking-calculator.php
Janet says
If using almond flour is it 2 tsp baking soda or 1 rounded tsp
Jessica says
I’d use 1 full, rounded tsp of baking soda.
Cameil says
So yummy! I used coconut sugar and flax eggs and only had 4 bananas, large bananas though. Other than that I followed the recipe and the instruction. My daughter and I are enjoying every bite!
Nellie says
I’ve never tried coconut sugar and flax eggs, but I’m so glad it turned out for you!
Barbara Welch says
Easiest recipe ever. One spoon, one bowl, one pan, and done.
Nellie says
That’s our favorite kind of recipe Barbara! Easy, little mess and delicious!
GrandmaP says
Very easy recipe to make. With all the bananas you would think it would have a strong banana flavor but it was almost bland. The cinnamon overpowered the bananas. After 4 days it was starting to mold so I guess it should be refrigerated if not eating up right away.
Alison says
We definitely keep these in the fridge or even freeze them individually if we don’t eat them all right away!
Megan G. says
WOW! So yummy and less heavy than banana bread. I am an awful baker. I’m really the worst, trust me. This recipe is fail proof and delicious! I followed it almost exactly. The recipe calls for 1/2 cup of mini chocolate chips in the batter and 1/2 cup as topping before baking. Based on other reviews and my own judgement, I only used 1/4 cup to top and that was plenty! The other adjustment I made was baking time and pan size. Mine was slightly larger, 11×17, so I baked my bars for 15 min (3 min less) and they were PERFECT. My fiancé who doesn’t really care for banana bread, LOVED these! Also, I only had 4 bananas, but when I measured them mashed it came to 1 & 2/3 cups, which is what the recipe calls for.
Nellie says
This is one of those recipes that is sooo easy and soo delicious! My kids have even become experts at making them – we make them a lot around here! So glad you enjoyed the recipe Megan!
Tammy W. says
Made these twice now in the last week. The first time I used up the last of my mini chocolate chips and they were really good. Two days later made another pan and used peanut butter chips. Just as good if not better!
Alison says
Love it! We have loved switching up the chips too!
Maya says
Hi!
I’ve got all the ingredients to make this but I have regular chocolate chips not mini ones. Would that work and are any modifications necessary?
Thanks!
Nellie says
Regular chocolate chips will work just fine!
Elizabeth says
How do you store them if you’re not planning in freezing them? Do they go in the fridge or leave them on the countertop?
Alison says
If I don’t freeze them then I store them in an airtight container in the fridge!
Taelor B says
Really looked forward to this recipe but not sure what happen, out bars came out almost raw in the middle and soft. The tooth pick showed no indication as it came out clean but the inside was almost raw banana so I’m not sure if I used to much Banana? (I had 5 large banana’s). Will try again. I even cooked it longer then the suggested time when I noticed it.
Jessica says
Did you adequately mash up the bananas? Also, did you bake the bars in an 11×17 pan? Sounds like it just needed more time!
Parveen says
Mine came out chewy in the middle as well!
Help!!!
Nellie says
What size of pan did you use? If you used a smaller pan, the bars will be thicker and require more cooking time.
Brian says
TAELOR – The best way to bake things like this is to rely on internal temperature: if you have a thermometer. From a baking / food science perspective: we tend to bake at too high a temperature, and ovens are so different, so timing is always a challenge for reliability. The toothpick trick is good as a backup, but is unreliable in the long run. Basically – for any type of cake , muffin, brownie. When the internal temp reaches 98C (208F) – it’s done. I do all my baking at around 305F too, which tends to give a better texture (Context – I lecture / teach at the Cordon Bleu).
Leslie says
These were amazing! I made them today and my kids and I can’t get enough! I’ll have to make another batch and freeze them 😊
Nellie says
So glad you enjoyed them Leslie!
Sam says
Would the recipe be the same or slightly different using a 9×13 pan? I’d love to make these this weekend!
Nellie says
You can use a 9X13 pan, but your bars will be quite a bit thicker and will need more time to bake so make sure to adjust the baking time.
Traci says
Mmm yummy, made these tonight! Only had 4 bananas, still worked great! Used your pointers with using less brown sugar, I did use the baking splenda/brown sugar alternative too. Used half applesauce/ half oil and added two TBS of flaxseed. I used pb chips and chocolate chips, Family approved! 😋
Nellie says
So happy you enjoyed the recipe Traci!
Noreen E Hofmann says
Fantastic recipe! Thank you!
Phyllis Grover says
Quick and easy! Also yummy!!