Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Banana Bread

Name: Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Banana Bread
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 50 min
Total time: 1 h
Ingredients: 2 cups (195 grams) old fashioned oats (you’ll grind this amount into oat flour); 1 tsp baking soda; 1/4 tsp salt; 1 stick (114 grams) unsalted butter, softened to room temperature; 1/3 cup (65 grams) tightly packed light or dark brown sugar; 2 large eggs, room temperature; 2 large ripened (brown on the outside) bananas, mashed; 2 tsp vanilla extract; 1 tsp nutmeg; 1 tsp cinnamon; 1/4 cup (65 grams) of whole milk, full-fat Greek yogurt, room temperature; 2/3 cup (120 grams) chocolate chips

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My idea of a perfect morning includes waking up to the smell of freshly baked goods. And if that aroma comes from chocolate chip muffins or soft oatmeal chocolate cookies, I know it’s going to be a great day! Here we combine some of the best ingredients in those two desserts to make this ultra moist chocolate chip oatmeal banana bread. Like my recipe for banana cake, this loaf here is delicious and yet another way to use overripe bananas that might otherwise go to waste. The addition of chocolate chips and hearty oats takes it to the next level for breakfast.

baked banana bread in a white ceramic loaf pan

Why You’ll Love this Banana Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Bread

chocolate chip oatmeal banana bread ingredients sitting on a grey aluminum baking pan

Oats – Like I mentioned, I’m a fan of oats, and this loaf is full of them. You can read up on the nutritional value of them in this article from Healthline on the benefits of eating oats. Just a cup of oats contains 13 grams of protein and 8 grams of fiber. The recipe contains about two and a third cups of oats. That means oats add about 30 grams of protein and nearly 20 grams of fiber to this recipe. Not too shabby for a tasty breakfast treat!
Bananas – Bananas provide sweetness and moisture as well as some nutritional value. Here they contribute a couple more grams of protein, fiber, and close to 1000 milligrams of potassium.
Greek yogurt – Greek yogurt makes the loaf more moist and also gives it some added protein.
Chocolate chips – I used a combo of mini and regular-sized chocolate chips in this recipe. The small chips distribute throughout the batter more than larger ones do, meaning you get more chocolate in each bite. Who would be mad about that?! But regular-sized chips would be delicious here, too.

Easy, Healthier Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Banana Bread Recipe

While I wouldn’t exactly say that is a healthy recipe for chocolate chip banana bread, it’s got more nutritional value to it than many other banana bread recipes. That’s a large part of why I’m sharing it.

Many banana bread recipes will call for at least 3/4 of a cup of sugar in one loaf. This loaf uses less added sugar, but it’s not at all lacking in flavor. It uses only 1/3 cup of brown sugar, as well as the sugar from the chocolate chips.

inside look at chocolate chip oatmeal banana bread loaf

There’s no granulated sugar here, and the loaf is still nice and sweet. The bananas help with sweetness and moisture.

Recipes with sugar taste good, but oftentimes they contain more sugar than I really want to be eating. And sometimes sugars don’t make the flavor of the food all that much better.

As I create more recipes, I’m increasingly conscious of the amount of sugar I’m consuming and also including in recipes for you. This is one where I minimized the added sugars because there’s still plenty of sweetness from bananas and chocolate chips.

side angle of this loaf of chocolate chip oatmeal banana bread

How to Make This Oatmeal Chocolate Banana Bread

A few hours before beginning this recipe, place your eggs, butter, and full-fat Greek yogurt on your kitchen counter so they warm to room temperature.

Preheat your oven to 350°F.

Prep your 8.5 x 4.5 x 2.5 inch aluminum loaf pan with butter and flour or a baking release spray. Alternatively, you may line a straight-sided loaf pan with parchment paper for easier removal.

If you don’t have oat flour on hand, you’ll need to make it, which is what I do. Pulse your old fashioned oats in a food processor or blender. I hold back on grinding them completely so there’s a little more texture from full-sized oats scattered throughout the loaf.

In a medium-sized mixing bowl, combine oat flour, baking soda, nutmeg, cinnamon, and salt. Set aside.

dry ingredients in a mixing bowl for making banana bread recipe

Using a hand mixer or electric mixer with a paddle attachment, cream butter, vanilla extract, and brown sugar together for 5 minutes on medium-high. Scrape down bowl halfway to ensure all ingredients are incorporated.

sugar, vanilla extract, and stick of butter in mixing bowl

creamed sugar, vanilla extract, and stick of butter in mixing bowl

Into your bowl of wet ingredients, add Greek yogurt and mashed bananas. Mix for another 2 minutes on medium speed.

wet ingredients for oatmeal banana bread — Mashed bananas

Pour your eggs into the bowl one at a time, mixing the first one before adding the next. Mix on medium-high speed for two minutes.

Scrape the sides of your bowl, and add your dry ingredients to it, mixing together with the hand or stand mixer for about 15 seconds on medium high.

combining wet and dry ingredients in mixing bowl

combined wet and dry ingredients in mixing bowl, before adding chocolate chips

Fold in your mini chocolate chips, and finish incorporating all ingredients manually with a spatula to avoid over-mixing.

pouring chocolate chips into mixing bowl full of batter

chocolate chips sitting in mixing bowl full of banana bread batter

Pour batter into pan. Bake for 45 – 50 minutes or until loaf is beginning to pull away from the sides of the pan. Cool loaf in pan for 10 minutes before inverting on a cooling rack.

chocolate chip oatmeal banana bread loaf on a cooling rack

Banana Bread FAQs

Is oatmeal banana bread healthy?

This chocolate oatmeal banana bread can be a healthier breakfast option than your typical banana bread recipes. It uses ground oats instead of all-purpose flour so it includes more fiber. There’s also 1/3 cup of brown sugar added to the loaf, whereas many banana bread recipes call for 1/2 – 3/4 cups of added sugar.

The secret to the sweetness and moisture of this loaf is that the bananas were very ripe (see the photos above). This made them easier to mush and incorporate into the batter. They also released more natural sugars in the baking process as a result of their ripeness.

Can I add oats to my banana bread?

While I love oats in banana bread, I don’t recommend adding them to any banana bread recipe. If a recipe isn’t explicitly written to account for the use of old fashioned oats instead of flour, your loaf may not bake correctly. Use a recipe like this one for incorporating oats into a banana bread recipe.

Why did the center of my banana bread fall?

If you don’t keep your loaf in your oven long enough to finish baking, the center may be too wet and sink as it cools.

Excess amounts of leavening agents can also cause the bread to rise too quickly and then collapse in the middle. Measure carefully.

Also, if you often have issues with baked goods falling, this may mean your oven temperature is inaccurate. Use an oven thermometer to double-check.

It’s worth noting that with this recipe, your loaf may sink just a touch after baking. It is a wetter batter, but that’s what gives it nice moisture, too. Once you’ve flipped your loaf onto the cooling rack, it will literally fall back into place.

Pro Tip for High-Quality Baked Goods – Use a Scale!

If you’re not already, use a kitchen scale for accuracy in baking. Weighing your ingredients and writing or following a recipe using a standard metric like grams ensures consistency.

Measuring cups are great, but the problem is that yours and mine could be quite different. That can result in noticeable differences in the end product between what each of us is baking.

I highly recommend investing $30 or less in a kitchen scale. I write my recipes using grams and many other food bloggers do, too.

Recipe Tips for Making Moist Oatmeal Banana Bread

When possible, I recommend preparing it an evening or day before you actually plan to eat it. Allowing the flavors time to meld together in an uncut loaf makes the taste ultimately a stronger one.

Relatedly, hold off from cutting into this loaf immediately after baking. I know it’s tempting! But when you cut into a freshly baked loaf, you’re releasing the steam. That steam is key in making your newest baked good remain moist and delicious.

cut banana bread loaf with slices of it on white plates

How to Store Banana Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Bread

When stored properly, this loaf will stay fresh for a few days (or even longer if you freeze it).

If you’ll be eating it in the next 2-3 days, it’ll remain flavorful and safe to eat if you wrap it tightly in plastic wrap and leave it on your counter.

Want to eat it throughout the week? Store the loaf in your refrigerator in an airtight container. When ready to serve, warm individual slices in the microwave for 10-15 seconds on low power.

If you aren’t sure if your container is airtight, cover it snugly in plastic wrap for added moisture lock.

You may also wrap this loaf tightly in wax or parchment paper and store it in the freezer. It’ll be freshest within two months, but I have definitely stretched that timeline. It’s nice to bake a loaf in advance, store it for a month or two, and bring it out to eat. Choose whatever works for you!

sliced chocolate chip oatmeal banana bread loaf

Additional Breakfast Recipes

If you liked this loaf cake, you may also want to try this Nutella ganache version! It’s got chopped hazelnuts inside, along with a swirl of Nutella and a glaze to match on top.

And if you’re more into lemon than chocolate, I recommend you check out these very cute mini lemon Bundt cakes. They’re great for sharing with a crowd, and everyone gets to enjoy his or her own mini cake! They’d make for a more decadent breakfast dessert or anytime of day dessert, really.