Gluten Free Chocolate Banana Bread

This gluten free chocolate banana bread is deeply chocolatey, tender, and made with just a handful of wholesome ingredients. Oat flour keeps the crumb soft and light without any gummy texture.

“I made this on a Sunday afternoon with three very ripe bananas that were about to go to waste. The batter came together in under 15 minutes and the loaf baked up beautifully, with a crackly top and a genuinely moist crumb all the way through. Gonna make them into muffins next for my next brunch!” ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Margot

This bread has become my go-to when I have overripe bananas on the counter and want something that feels a little more special than a plain loaf. The batter comes together in about ten minutes, and the smell coming from the oven while it bakes is genuinely hard to resist.

It is wonderful sliced thick and eaten as an afternoon snack, but it also works as a casual dessert. If you love the combination of banana and chocolate and want something richer and more indulgent, my chocolate banana bread should be your next stop! For more decadent quick breads, you should make this date nut bread or this fig bread! For another gluten free dessert try these gluten free lemon bars!

Ingredients & Substitutions

• Ripe Bananas: Lightly speckled bananas bring the most natural sweetness and moisture, and they help bind the batter in place of eggs. Just like when making this cookie butter banana bread!
• Oat Flour: This is the structural base of the bread, and it keeps the crumb soft and tender without any gummy quality you sometimes get from gluten free baking. Do not substitute a different flour without expecting significant changes in texture and flavor. If you love baking with oat flour, my oat flour banana bread is a great companion recipe to have on hand.
• Coconut Oil: Melted coconut oil adds richness and keeps the crumb moist without weighing it down. Use it while it is still warm so it blends smoothly into the wet ingredients without seizing. If you substitute another neutral oil, choose one with a similar fat content for comparable results.
• Cocoa Powder: Unsweetened cocoa powder delivers the deep chocolate flavor throughout the entire loaf. For a more chocolate quick breads make this chocolate bread next!
• Bittersweet Chocolate Chips: Folded into the batter, they create pockets of melted chocolate in every slice. Use vegan chocolate chips if you want the full loaf to be plant based.

Variations for Gluten Free Chocolate Banana Bread

• Muffin Format. Pour the batter into a lined muffin tin and bake at 350°F until a toothpick comes out clean, about 20 to 25 minutes. This is a great option for grab-and-go portions, and it works just as well as these banana bread muffins for using up ripe bananas.
• Extra Banana Topping: Slice a banana lengthwise and press the halves, cut side up, into the batter before baking. The banana softens and caramelizes slightly on top, adding visual appeal and a little extra sweetness to every slice.
• Mix-ins: Fold in some white chocolate chips, peanut butter chips, walnuts or pecans! You could also add a peanut butter swirl or chopped peanuts just like with my peanut butter banana bread!
• Sugar the pan! One of my new favorite ways to bake banana bread is to coat the loaf pan in granulated sugar, like in my chocolate chip banana bread! It creates the best crust every time!

Professional Tips for Perfect Gluten Free Chocolate Banana Bread

• Use conventional, not convection. Convection circulates hot air and will over-brown the outside of this loaf while the center is still raw. Set your oven to 350°F on the conventional bake setting and let the longer bake time do the work.
• Learn to read your toothpick. Chocolate chips melt into the crumb as the bread bakes, which means a toothpick can come out streaked and still look underdone. Look closely: a wet, glossy smear is melted chocolate and is fine, while an opaque, dull streak is unbaked batter and means the loaf needs more time.
• Line the pan with parchment. Spray the pan first, then lay a strip of parchment across the long side so it extends past the rim like handles. This makes lifting the loaf out clean and easy, especially since the crumb is quite moist and tender, like I do with almost every quick bread, including this sourdough banana bread.
• Do not rush the cooling time. The loaf needs 8 to 10 minutes in the pan before you turn it out, and it should be fully cool before slicing with a serrated knife. Cutting into it warm will compress the crumb and give you ragged, gummy slices rather than the clean, tender texture this bread is known for.

How to Make Gluten Free Chocolate Banana Bread

Use these instructions to make a soft, fudgy loaf with deep chocolate flavor and a tender, moist crumb. Further details and measurements can be found in the recipe card below.

Step 1: Preheat your oven to 350°F conventional (not convection). While the oven heats, spray a 9×5 inch loaf pan with nonstick cooking spray, then line the long sides with a strip of parchment paper that extends past the rim. That overhang is your handle for lifting the loaf out cleanly later.

Step 2: Mash your bananas thoroughly in a large bowl before adding anything else. Once mashed, add the maple syrup, warm melted coconut oil, and vanilla extract. Whisk everything together vigorously until the mixture looks glossy, cohesive, and fully emulsified, with no streaks of oil floating on top.(photo 1)

You want a smooth, nearly lump-free paste rather than chunky mashed banana, since any large pieces will create uneven pockets in the finished loaf.

Step 3: In a separate bowl, whisk together the oat flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda, and salt until the cocoa is evenly distributed and there are no visible clumps. Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and whisk until just combined and smooth. (photos 2-5)

Step 4: Fold in the chocolate chips with a spatula using gentle strokes, just until they are evenly distributed throughout the batter. Pour the finished batter into your prepared loaf pan and smooth the top. If you want, scatter a few extra chocolate chips or sliced banana pieces across the surface before it goes into the oven. (photos 6-8)

Step 5: Bake and Cool. Bake the loaf for 45 to 55 minutes, until a toothpick or cake tester inserted into the center comes out clean. The top will feel set and spring back lightly when pressed, and the edges will have pulled away slightly from the sides of the pan. (photo 9)

Step 6: Cool the loaf in the pan for 8 to 10 minutes before lifting it out using the parchment overhang and transferring it to a wire rack. The loaf is very soft and moist when hot, so do not try to slice it straight from the oven or it will fall apart. Once it has cooled completely, slice with a serrated knife using a gentle sawing motion for the cleanest cuts.

Recipe FAQs

Before You Go

If this gluten free chocolate banana bread earned a spot in your regular rotation, there is plenty more waiting for you. Browse our quick bread recipes, or you can make this chocolate chip zucchini bread next!