Vegan Chocolate Banana Bread

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If you love the combination of chocolate and banana, then you need to make this Vegan Chocolate Banana bread. It's moist, tender, and bursting with intense chocolate and sweet banana flavors.

Homemade banana bread is definitely one of my all-time favorite desserts and yes, sometimes breakfast. Adding chocolate just makes it even better and this Vegan Chocolate Banana Bread has me hooked!

It was so easy to make, too... I just adapted my Vegan Banana Bread Recipe and turned it into this chocolatey creation. It's heavenly!

• Ground Flaxseed + Water - when combined, it will thicken and create an egg-like consistency. This helps bind everything together.
• Bananas - It is very important that you use spotty, overripe bananas or the loaf will not have much banana flavor.
• Brown Sugar - this will yield a moister crumb and add a hint of caramel flavor. However, cane sugar works nicely, too.
• Neutral-Flavored Oil - such as grapeseed, avocado, canola, sunflower, vegetable, etc. will all work well.
• All-Purpose Flour - I haven't tried it with gluten-free flour yet, but it should work with a 1.1 gluten-free variety.
• Dutch-Process Cocoa - yields a rich chocolate flavor that complements the banana perfectly. Regular cocoa powder can be used too, just note that it will yield a lighter color and the chocolate flavor will be less intense.
• Baking Powder + Baking Soda - together they yield a tender loaf with the perfect rise.
• Cinnamon + Vanilla Extract - together they enhance the chocolate flavor and complement the banana really well. However, they are both optional.
• Vegan Chocolate Chips - these are optional but really kick up the chocolate flavor.
• Sea Salt - this helps bring everything together so don't skip this. You can reduce it though if preferred.

• Combine the ground flax and water in a small bowl. Set aside for 10 minutes.
• In a medium mixing bowl, whisk the flour, cocoa, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt together to combine.
• In a large mixing bowl, mash up the bananas using a fork or potato masher. Whisk in the oil, brown sugar, granulated sugar, vanilla, and flax eggs.
• Add the dry ingredients into the wet and fold with a spatula until just combined. Gently fold in the chocolate chips.

• Pour batter into the loaf pan, and gently spread it out evenly using a spatula. Sprinkle the top with chocolate chips and bake for 55-65 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.
• Remove from oven and let the loaf cool for 10-15 minutes before transferring it to a cooling rack. Let the loaf completely cool before cutting.

Baking tips for the best Vegan Chocolate Banana Bread

Here are my top baking tips to ensure success:

• For accurate results, don’t scoop the flour with a measuring cup directly from the flour container. Instead, Aerate the flour first, then scoop the flour out of your container with a spoon and then into a measuring cup. Don’t pack or tap the cup. After filling, lightly sweep a butter knife across the top to remove the excess flour.
• If you only have whole flaxseed, you can grind the seeds in a coffee grinder. Make sure to measure the flaxseed in its ground form.
• Start checking your loaf around the 50-minute mark. You don't want to overbake or it will get dry. The loaf will also continue to cook when it comes out of the oven.
• Do not Overmix while combining the dry and wet mixtures together, just stir and fold the batter gently. Overmixing causes too much gluten to develop which can create a tough and rubbery texture.
• Lining the loaf pan with parchment paper will help prevent sticking and makes removing the loaf a breeze. Here's a quick visual tutorial on how to line a loaf pan.

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Vegan Chocolate Banana Bread

If you love the combination of chocolate and banana, then you need to make this Vegan Chocolate Banane bread. It's moist, tender and bursting with intense chocolate and sweet banana flavors.

Prep Time15 mins

Cook Time55 mins

Total Time1 hr 10 mins

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: American

Servings: 10 people

Calories: 290kcal

Author: Melissa Huggins

Ingredients

US CustomaryMetric

• ▢ 2 tablespoons ground flaxseed + 5 tablespoons water
• ▢ 1 ½ cups overripe mashed bananas (about 4 medium bananas)
• ▢ ¾ cup brown sugar
• ▢ ⅓ cup avocado oil or any neutral-flavored oil (canola, grapeseed, sunflower, etc.)
• ▢ 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• ▢ 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
• ▢ ½ cup Dutch-process cocoa powder (sub regular cocoa powder)
• ▢ 2 teaspoons baking powder
• ▢ ½ teaspoon baking soda
• ▢ ¾ teaspoon cinnamon
• ▢ ¾ teaspoon sea salt
• ▢ ½ cup vegan chocolate chips + more for topping

Recommended Equipment

• 1 Loaf Pan (8.5 x 4.5)
• 2 Mixing Bowls
• 1 Whisk
• 1 Spatula

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Instructions

• Preheat oven to 350 ° F (177 ° C). Line a loaf pan (8.5 x 4.5) with parchment paper or lightly grease. (9X5 will work too).
• Combine the ground flax and water in a small bowl. Set aside for 10 minutes. It will thicken and gel up.
• In a medium mixing bowl, add the flour, cocoa, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt. Whisk to combine and set aside.
• In a large mixing bowl, mash up the bananas using a fork or potato masher. Now add the oil, brown sugar, vanilla, and flax eggs. Whisk well to combine.
• Add the dry ingredients into the wet and fold with a spatula until just combined. Don't overwork the batter. The batter should be very thick. Gently fold in the chocolate chips.
• Pour mixture into loaf pan, then gently spread it out evenly with a spatula. Sprinkle the top with chocolate chips. Place on the center rack in your oven. Bake for 55-65 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean (check in 3 places). Small crumbs are ok, just not wet batter. Don't confuse melted chocolate for wet batter.
• Remove from oven and let the loaf cool for 10-15 minutes before transferring it to a cooling rack. Let the loaf completely cool before cutting. Enjoy!

Notes

Measuring Flour: For accurate results, don’t scoop the flour with a measuring cup directly from the flour container. Instead, Aerate the flour first, then scoop the flour out with a spoon and then into the measuring cup. Don’t pack or tap the cup. After filling, lightly sweep a butter knife across the top to remove the excess flour.

Dutch Process Cocoa: yields a rich chocolate flavor that compliments the banana perfectly. Regular cocoa powder can be used too, just note that it will yield a lighter color and the chocolate flavor will be less intense. You can add 1-2 teaspoons of instant espresso powder to bump up the chocolate flavor though. 

Nutrition

Serving: 1slice | Calories: 290kcal | Carbohydrates: 47g | Protein: 4g | Fat: 12g | Saturated Fat: 3g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 5g | Sodium: 138mg | Sugar: 25g

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