Healthy One-Bowl Chocolate Chip Banana Bread
©: 
Yields: 1 loaf, 12 slices
 
This is one of my all-time favorite banana bread recipes! Sweet fruit flavor, plenty of decadent chocolate morsels, a moist cake-like texture, simple to make… What’s not to love?? Leftover banana bread will keep for at least one week if stored in the refrigerator in an airtight container or tightly wrapped in plastic wrap (this is my favorite plastic wrap because it seals tighter than other brands!). Individual slices will freeze and reheat really well too!
  • ½ tbsp (7g) unsalted butter or coconut oil, melted and cooled slightly
  • 3 large egg whites, room temperature
  • ¼ tsp salt
  • 1 cup (260g) mashed banana (about 2 medium; see Notes!)
  • 2 tsp vanilla extract
  • 1 tsp liquid stevia
  • ¼ cup (60g) plain nonfat Greek yogurt
  • 2 tbsp (30mL) plain white vinegar
  • 6 tbsp (90mL) nonfat milk
  • 2 ¼ cups (270g) white whole wheat flour or gluten-free* flour (measured like this)
  • 1 ½ tsp baking powder
  • ¾ tsp baking soda
  • ¼ cup (56g) miniature chocolate chips, divided
  1. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line a 9x5” loaf pan with foil, and coat the foil with nonstick cooking spray.
  2. In a medium bowl, whisk together the butter, egg whites, and salt. Add the banana* (see Notes!), stirring until fully incorporated. Add the vanilla, stevia, and Greek yogurt, stirring until no lumps remain. Stir in the vinegar until fully incorporated. Stir in the milk. Pour the flour evenly over the top of the batter, and evenly sprinkle the baking soda and baking powder on top of the flour. Stir until the flour is just incorporated. Gently fold in 3 ½ tablespoons of chocolate chips.
  3. Spread the batter into the prepared pan. Gently press the remaining chocolate chips on top. Cover the top with foil, crimping the edges around the pan’s rim to seal, and try to push up the foil in the center to ensure it doesn’t touch the batter while baking. Bake covered at 350°F for 35 minutes. Acting very quickly, remove the pan from the oven, and carefully remove the foil. Immediately put the pan back in the oven, and continue baking the banana bread for an additional 30-35 minutes (for a total of 65-70 minutes) or until the top feels firm to the touch and looks golden or a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean or with a few crumbs attached. Cool in the pan for 10 minutes before carefully lifting out and transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.
Notes: For best results, use the ripest, darkest, most spottiest bananas you can find! The ones that are purely brown or with more brown color than yellow are ideal. They have a stronger and sweeter banana flavor than pure yellow bananas. Measure the bananas by cups or grams, not by “two medium bananas.” Not all “medium” bananas are the same size!

There are two options for adding the banana in Step 2! You can mash the banana ahead of time in a separate small bowl, or you can add the chunks of banana to your one big mixing bowl and mash it with the egg whites, coconut oil or butter, and salt. Both will work!

The mashed banana and Greek yogurt combined need to measure 1 ¼ cups. If you have slightly more than 1 cup mashed banana, then reduce the Greek yogurt by the same amount, and vice versa.

For the gluten-free flour, use as follows: 1 ¼ cups (150g) millet flour, ½ cup (60g) tapioca flour, ½ cup (60g) brown rice flour, and 2 teaspoons xanthan gum. Many store-bought gluten-free flour blends (like this one!) will also work, if measured like this.

Whole wheat pastry flour, regular whole wheat flour, or all-purpose flour may be substituted for the white whole wheat flour.

Remember to measure the flour with this method or a kitchen scale. (← That’s the one I own and love!) Too much will make your banana bread dry.

I do not recommend substituting for the liquid stevia, if at all possible. (It’s one of my favorite ingredients, and you’ll use it in all of these recipes of mine, too! I buy it online here.) However, if you really prefer to omit the liquid stevia from the banana bread, substitute 6 tablespoons (72g) of coconut sugar, brown sugar, or granulated sugar and reduce the milk to 3 tablespoons (45mL). Alternatively, substitute 6 tablespoons (90mL) of pure maple syrup, honey, or agave and omit the milk. The baking time may vary with any of these substitutions.

The vinegar reacts with the baking soda to help the banana bread rise and create a more tender texture. Don’t skip it! (And I promise you can’t taste it!)

Any milk may be substituted for the nonfat milk.

You must cover the batter with foil during the first stage of baking. This allows the center to cook through without the top turning overly brown or burnt. Work very quickly when removing the foil! If you leave the pan out of the oven for too long, the loaf will start to collapse, and it won’t recover to fully rise properly.

To see how this banana bread is made, watch my video here located directly above the recipe. (It's a video of a very similar recipe!)

{gluten-free, clean eating, low fat, lower sugar}
Recipe by Amy's Healthy Baking at https://amyshealthybaking.com/blog/2020/01/12/healthy-one-bowl-chocolate-chip-banana-bread/