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Easy-to-make, nutrient-packed, double chocolate chickpea flour banana bread tastes so decadent! No one will believe that it is vegan, grain-free and gluten-free.
Make Chocolate Chickpea Flour Banana Bread ASAP
We keep buying bananas. And eating them. But regardless of our family’s affection for the fruit, we always end up with plenty of brown ones, too.
Sound familiar?
If so, I’ve got yet another use for them: Double Chocolate Chickpea Flour Banana Bread!
This is a riff on two recipes: (1) my chickpea flour banana bread, and (2) a chocolate banana bread recipe, clipped from a magazine ad, that I used to make often when I was a poor graduate student.
I make the former often, but it’s been many years since I have made, or even looked at, the chocolate banana bread recipe.
Chocolate Banana Bread with a Fraction of the Sugar
I made it so often because I almost always had the ingredients on hand, and it was invariably gobbled up at get-togethers and potlucks (granted, the other offerings were invariably hummus, pizza or chips). I remembered it as being rich and chocolate-y, with a pleasant banana flavor, so I was surprised when I unearthed the recipe and realized that much of the flavor was just sugar.
Specifically 1 and 1/4 cups of sugar for a single loaf. Moreover, the recipe calls for a measly 1/4 cup of cocoa powder and 2/3 cup vegetable oil. Also, I had not noticed until now, but the recipe indicates that the entire loaf serves 6 to 8! Perhaps I tore the recipe out of Hungry Lumberjacks Digest.
Hence, while the memory of that chocolate banana bread sparked the idea for this recipe, it is definitely my fresh, new take on what a very chocolate take on banana bread can be.
Recipe Benefits of Vegan Chocolate Chickpea Flour Banana Bread
- Vegan (no eggs, no dairy)
- Gluten-free
- Grain-free
- Oil-free option
- Quick and easy to make
- Made without refined sugar
Ingredients
The exact amounts of each ingredient are indicated in the recipe card at the end of the post.
- chickpea flour
- unsweetened cocoa powder
- baking soda
- salt
- mashed very ripe bananas (about 3 to 4 large bananas)
- maple syrup or coconut sugar
- avocado oil (or oil of choice; see notes for oil-free option)
- water
- vanilla extract
- miniature semisweet chocolate chips (optional)
Use Plenty of Cocoa Powder for a Rich Chocolate Taste
The bread derives its depth of flavor from a generous 1/2 cup of unsweetened cocoa powder. It’s rich, but also balanced thanks to 1-1/2 cups of banana, which do triple duty, delivering moisture, sweetness and plenty of banana flavor (banana bread should taste like banana bread, right?).
Step by Step Directions
Note that the complete directions are also in the recipe card below.
- Preheat the oven to 350°F (180C). Line a 9 by 5-inch loaf pan with parchment paper, leaving a 2-inch overhang on two opposing sides. Grease or spray the paper and exposed sides of the pan.
- In a large bowl, whisk the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda and salt.
- In a medium bowl, stir together the bananas, maple syrup, oil, water and vanilla until blended.
- Add the banana mixture to the flour mixture and stir until just blended. Spread the batter evenly in the prepared pan. Sprinkle the top with the chocolate chips.
- Bake for 43 to 48 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
- Let the bread cool in the pan on a wire rack for 10 minutes, then hold onto the paper overhang to transfer it directly to the rack to cool completely. Peel off the paper, slice and serve.
Two tablespoons of miniature semisweet chocolate chips sprinkled over the top delivers decadence in every bite while still keeping this bread in the universe of healthy breakfasts and snacks.
Last, if you have had any problem convincing anyone of the wonders of chickpea flour (yourself included), this is an excellent recipe for changing hearts, minds, and palates. Why? Because there is zero indication of beans. Zero. No one who has tasted this bread has ever had a clue that this is a healthy recipe, let alone a bean-based one.
Happy baking, everyone!
Related Posts:
- Vegan Almond Flour Banana Bread {5 ingredients, oil-free}
- Healthy Chocolate Banana Oat Cookies {vegan, oil-free, GF}
- Coconut Almond Flour Banana Bread {4 ingredients, vegan, oil-free}
- Chocolate Coconut Flour Cookies {Vegan, Keto Option}
- Chocolate Chickpea Flour Muffins {vegan, grain-free}
Chocolate Chickpea Flour Banana Bread
Decadent double chocolate banana bread that is vegan, grain-free and gluten-free because it is made with chickpea flour! Healthy for breakfasts or snacks on the go, it can also double as dessert.
Ingredients
- 1 and 1/4 cups (150 g) chickpea flour
- 1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt
- 1 and 1/2 cups mashed very ripe bananas (about 3 to 4 large bananas)
- 3 tablespoons maple syrup or coconut sugar
- 3 tablespoons avocado oil (or oil of choice; see notes for oil-free option)
- 2 tablespoons water
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 tablespoons miniature semisweet chocolate chips
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line a 9 by 5-inch loaf pan with parchment paper, leaving a 2-inch overhang on two opposing sides. Grease or spray the paper and exposed sides of the pan.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda and salt.
- In a medium bowl, stir together the bananas, maple syrup, oil, water and vanilla until well blended.
- Add the banana mixture to the flour mixture and stir until just blended. Spread the batter evenly in the prepared pan. Sprinkle the top with the chocolate chips.
- Bake for 43 to 48 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Let the bread cool in the pan on a wire rack for 10 minutes, then hold onto the paper overhang to transfer it directly to the rack to cool completely. Peel off the paper, slice and serve.
Notes
Storage: Store the cooled bread in an airtight container at cool room temperature for 1 day, the refrigerator for 1 week, or the freezer for up to 6 months.
Double Chocolate Banana Muffins: Divide the batter among 16 greased muffin cups (in 2 standard muffin tins). Bake for 10 to 15 minutes until toothpick inserted in centers comes out clean.
Oil-Free Option: To Make the bread oil-free, replace the oil with 3 additional tablespoons of water or mashed banana.
Nutrition Information
Yield 12 Serving Size 1 sliceAmount Per Serving Calories 129Total Fat 3.9gSaturated Fat 0.7gTrans Fat 0gUnsaturated Fat 0gCholesterol 0mgSodium 161mgCarbohydrates 20.2gFiber 2.7gSugar 10.1gProtein 3.8g
Liz
Monday 11th of March 2024
This recipe turned out super delicious, with a tender texture and just enough sweetness. I baked mine in an 8x8 glass pan for 30 minutes. Thanks for a great recipe that makes healthy eating fun.
Camilla
Wednesday 13th of March 2024
That's wonderful, Liz! I am so glad it was such a success :)
Jennifer
Saturday 22nd of April 2023
I really like the texture is this loaf, and the chocolate flavour is fantastic. The banana flavour didn’t really come through, however. Perhaps my bananas weren’t quite overripe enough. I will definitely make this loaf again. Thanks for sharing such a great recipe!
Camilla
Wednesday 24th of May 2023
Hi Jennifer! Oh good, I am glad you like the bread! Yes, the ripeness of the bananas makes a big difference in the banana flavor. I wait until mine are scary: a lot of black on the peels, super soft. I then throw them in a bag and defrost when I need them Tip: You can freeze them in their peels! Then defrost the whole bananas and squeeze out the insides (top not drain off any of the liquid). It looks gross (make sure other people leave the room) but it makes for super banana-y baked goods :)
Melissa
Saturday 8th of April 2023
Have you tried replacing the banana with applesauce? I recently made (and loved) the chickpea flour applesauce muffins and have leftover applesauce to use up…maybe with this sub, omit the additional water?
Camilla
Sunday 16th of April 2023
I think this would be GREAT with applesauce, Melissa!
Kerryn
Thursday 15th of September 2022
Made this today. Really nice texture. Had to use a couple of alternatives. So for the avocado oil I used coconut oil and instead of maple syrup I used agave syrup. Turned out lovely. Took a bit longer to cook though. Maybe another ten minutes.
Camilla
Thursday 15th of September 2022
Wonderful, Kerryn, I am glad you enjoyed it! Thanks for sharing your substitutes, too, I know that it is always a boon for other readers.
Veronica
Wednesday 5th of January 2022
Hi Camilla! Love your recipes!! I have so many saved already. This I will bake later today and turn part of it into cake pops covered in white chocolate. ?
A tip for everyone out there, that might be a little hesitant to use chickpea flour in sweet recipes, is to toast the chickpea flour before using it, it reduces the chickpea flavour. (Perhaps you have already mentioned it somewhere.) I carefully toast the whole bag of flour, let it cool until completely cool and pour into a glass jar that I store in the fridge. That way I always have it ready for when I want to bake. :)