Chocolate Chunk Banana Bread with Oat Flour
This easy and delicious recipe for gluten-free chocolate chunk banana bread uses oat flour, cottage cheese, light olive oil, and apple cider vinegar. It delivers a moist and flavorful loaf every time, and adding your favorite chocolate chunks creates a delicious banana bread with a beautiful domed top.
What makes this recipe special is how the natural sweetness from the bananas balances perfectly with a hint of cane sugar, creating just the right amount of sweetness. And, of course, the addition of rich chocolate chunks brings it all together in the most delicious way. The best part? It bakes up beautifully with a perfectly domed top that looks like it came straight from a bakery. Whether you’re an experienced baker or just starting out, this quick bread recipe is sure to become a staple in your kitchen.
Why You’ll Love This Easy Chocolate Chunk Banana Bread Recipe
- Perfect for over-ripe bananas: This recipe helps you make the most of bananas that have been sitting on the counter too long, transforming them into a delicious treat.
- Rich, chocolatey goodness: The addition of chocolate chunks gives each bite a rich and indulgent flavor, making it a favorite for banana bread lovers.
- Quick and easy to make: No complicated steps here! This banana bread comes together in no time for a satisfying snack or breakfast option.
- Beautifully domed top: Bakes up with a gorgeous, bakery-style domed top, perfect for impressing your family or guests.
Ingredients & Substitutions
Here is everything you need to make my chocolate chunk banana bread recipe:
Brown Bananas: You’ll want to use overripe bananas with big brown spots on them for the most natural sweetness.
Cottage Cheese: Adding cottage cheese creates a moist chocolate chip banana bread. You can use any variety of cottage cheese, including large curd or small curd. I prefer to use full-fat cottage cheese for the most creaminess. Substitute cottage cheese with Greek yogurt, sour cream, or mashed silken tofu for a dairy-free option.
Cane Sugar: Swap cane sugar with coconut sugar, maple syrup, or honey to maintain natural sweetness while lowering the glycemic index.
Light Olive Oil: Use avocado oil or melted coconut oil instead of light olive oil for a different flavor profile. Vegetable oil can also be used.
Vanilla Extract: You can use imitation vanilla extract, pure vanilla extract or a small amount of vanilla bean paste.
Apple Cider Vinegar: This helps provide lift for the bread. You can substitute it with white vinegar or white wine vinegar.
Large Eggs: Use flax eggs (1 tablespoon flaxseed meal + 3 tablespoons water per egg) as a vegan alternative to eggs.
Oat Flour: You can use storebought oat flour or grind your own from old-fashioned or quick oats.
Cinnamon: You can omit this or use nutmeg or allspice instead.
Chocolate Chunks: Swap chocolate chunks with dark chocolate chips, milk chocolate chips, semi-sweet chocolate chips or cacao nibs. You can also break up your favorite chocolate bar into small pieces and use it instead.
How to Make My Cottage Cheese Banana Bread Recipe
Here are easy, detailed, step-by-step instructions for making chocolate chip banana bread. The instructions are also repeated in the recipe card at the bottom of this blog post.
Step 1: Make the Banana Bread Batter
Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C). Grease a 9×5-inch loaf pan or line it with parchment paper for easy removal.
In an upright blender, food processor, or large bowl with an immersion blender, add the wet ingredients, including bananas, 1/3 cup cottage cheese, 1/2 cup cane sugar, 1/3 cup light olive oil, 2 teaspoons vanilla extract, and 2 teaspoons apple cider vinegar and mix until well blended. Pour the mixture into a large mixing bowl and add 2 eggs and whisk until well combined.
Add the dry ingredients, including 2-1/4 cups oat flour, 2 teaspoons baking powder, 1 teaspoon cinnamon, and 1/2 teaspoon salt to the banana mixture. Mix until combined, but do not overmix. Gently fold in 1/2 cup chocolate chunks with a spatula until evenly distributed throughout the batter.
Step 2: Bake the Banana Bread Loaf
Pour the batter into the prepared loaf pan, spreading it out evenly. Sprinkle some additional chocolate chunks on top of the bread and gently press them into the batter.
Bake for 45-55 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean or with just a few moist crumbs. Allow the banana bread to cool in the pan for 10 minutes before transferring it to a wire rack to cool completely.
Slice and enjoy your chocolate chunk banana bread!
Expert Recipe Tips
Ripeness of Bananas: Use very ripe bananas with brown spots for the best sweetness and flavor. The riper the bananas, the more naturally sweet your bread will be.
Oat Flour Substitution: If you don’t have oat flour, you can make your own by blending rolled oats in a high-speed blender until they reach a fine, flour-like consistency.
Sweetness Adjustment: If you prefer a less sweet banana bread, you can reduce the cane sugar to 1/4 cup or substitute it with a natural sweetener like honey or maple syrup.
Do you love quick breads? Check out more of my easy and nutritious snack bread recipes:
Chocolate Chunk Banana Bread with Oat Flour
Ingredients
- 2 bananas
- 1/3 cup cottage cheese or greek yogurt
- 1/2 cup cane sugar
- 1/3 cup light olive oil (or avocado oil)
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 2 teaspoons apple cider vinegar
- 2 eggs
- 2-1/4 cups oat flour
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 2/3 cup chocolate chunks
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C). Grease a 9×5-inch loaf pan or line it with parchment paper for easy removal.In an upright blender, food processor, or large bowl with an immersion blender, add the wet ingredients, including bananas, 1/3 cup cottage cheese, 1/2 cup cane sugar, 1/3 cup light olive oil, 2 teaspoons vanilla extract, and 2 teaspoons apple cider vinegar and mix until well blended. Pour the mixture into a large mixing bowl and add 2 eggs and whisk until well combined.
- Add the dry ingredients, including 2-1/4 cups oat flour, 2 teaspoons baking powder, 1 teaspoon cinnamon, and 1/2 teaspoon salt to the banana mixture. Mix until combined, but do not overmix. Gently fold in 1/2 cup chocolate chunks with a spatula until evenly distributed throughout the batter.
- Pour the batter into the prepared loaf pan, spreading it out evenly. Sprinkle some additional chocolate chunks on top of the bread and gently press them into the batter.
- Bake for 45-55 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean or with just a few moist crumbs. Allow the banana bread to cool in the pan for 10 minutes before transferring it to a wire rack to cool completely.
- Slice and enjoy your chocolate chunk banana bread!
Video
This is delicious!! It was wonderful to not have so much sugar in it. It tasted moist and healthy. My husband and I loved it! Thanks for sharing this!
Thank you so much for the feedback, Carolyn! I’m so glad your husband loved it, too 🙂
My family loved this!
That’s awesome, Bill!
I’m so excited for you to try this easy chocolate chunk banana bread with oat flour! Please let me know what you think 🙂