Chocolate Chip Banana Bread Without Baking Soda

⭐ Why You’ll Love This Recipe 

I often turn to various types of banana bread or cake when I have a few brown-spotted fruits languishing on the counter. My Raspberry Banana Sour Cream Muffins, Banana Cake with Brown Butter Buttercream, and Coconut Banana Bread Cupcakes are just a few of my favorites! 

But what’s a girl to do when she’s fresh out of baking soda? Why, make my chocolate chip banana bread with no baking soda, of course! Swapping in baking powder and using the creaming method means this gorgeous loaf gets nice and lofty, all without the soda bicarbonate most recipes call for. How great is that?

While you will need more than one bowl, this chocolate chip banana bread easy recipe comes together in a snap. With just about 10 minutes of prep work, you’ll have the batter ready for baking. Make a loaf this weekend and enjoy a sweet treat for breakfast all week long!

🍴Ingredients

You don’t need much for this simple recipe without baking soda. Here’s your list:

• All-Purpose Flour - A go-to ingredient in this kitchen!
• Baking Powder - Oftentimes, it is inadvisable to swap baking powder for baking soda. To get the same amount of loft from your baked goods, you need 2-4x as much baking powder as soda, which can sometimes impart a bit of a bitter flavor in your baked goods. Luckily, this sweet banana bread is a perfect spot for the swap to work.
• Sea Salt - If you’re working with a different type of salt (e.g. kosher), you’ll want to reference this salt conversion chart for proper measurement.
• Ripe Bananas - The spottier, overripe bananas the better! You can also swap in mashed sweet potato or pumpkin purée in the fall instead of medium bananas as a great way to mix things up. YUM!
• Unsalted Butter - Look for butter that is grass-fed, cultured, and/or organic for the best flavor. 
• Brown Sugar - I love the sweet, caramelly notes that brown sugar imparts on this simple banana bread recipe rather than white sugar. Feel free to use either light or dark, or swap in plain granulated sugar in a pinch. 
• Eggs - Let them come to room temperature for easier mixing. 
• Milk - Feel free to use dairy or plant-based milk here. Allow it to come to room temperature to keep the batter from seizing. 
• Vanilla Extract - You can also use vanilla paste or powder. 
• Chocolate Chips - I’m a semisweet Guittard chocolate chip kinda gal, but feel free to swap in your own favorites here. You can also swap in chopped toasted nuts if you prefer!

⏲️ Substitutions & Variations

I’m pretty sweet on this chocolate chip banana bread just the way it is, but there’s always room for customization! Here are a few of my favorite variations:

• Make Chocolate Chip Banana Muffins. Line a muffin tin with 12 paper liners and equally divvy your banana bread batter into muffins or cupcakes for easy sharing. Bake at 375F for about 30 minutes!
• Swap the chocolate chips for a different mix-in. Toasted nuts like walnuts or pecans make for a very tasty banana nut bread indeed. 
• Make it dairy-free. Use plant-based butter and milk to keep your lactose intolerant friends happy!

No bananas in your kitchen? No problem!

Best Substitutes for Bananas in Baking

Discover how to keep your baking recipes deliciously moist and flavorful even when you've run out of bananas or need a banana replacement. Explore some favorite substitute for bananas in baking that perfectly captures the texture and taste you crave!

Get the guide →

⚒️ Equipment

This easy banana bread without baking soda really only requires two pieces of specialty equipment:

• Hand- or Stand-Mixer - Since we aren’t getting a rise out of baking soda in this chocolate chip banana bread, we are going to use the creaming method where sugar is beaten into butter, creating tiny air pockets. Make your life easier by getting a little electrical assistance!
• Standard Loaf Tin - Either 9x5” or 8.5x4.5” will work here. Just note that you’ll need a bit longer bake time with the smaller tin! To get the crisp, square edges you see below, I've used a pullman loaf pan.

📖 Step by Step Instructions

You’ll love how easy this chocolate chip easy banana bread recipe is to make. Here’s how it’s done:

Step 1: Cream Butter & Sugar. Place the butter and sugar into the bowl of a standing mixer, and cream together using a paddle attachment until light and fluffy. This should take about 4 minutes – then add eggs one at a time, scraping the bowl between additions.  

Step 2: Add dries & bananas. Add the mashed bananas and vanilla extract, mixing until combined. Finally, add the flour mixture and milk in two separate stages, mixing gently before finally folding in the chocolate chips.

Step 3: Bake & Cool. Pour the batter into the prepared loaf pan. Bake for about 60-65 minutes or until you’ve checked for doneness with a toothpick or cake tester and it comes out with little to no crumbs.

Step 4: Garnish & Enjoy! Top with ganache and chocolate chips if desired. Serve with a mug of coffee, tea, or milk for breakfast, brunch, or an after-school snack!

👩🏻‍🍳 Expert Tips

• Don’t skip the creaming step. Creaming sugar into butter helps to create air pockets, which helps to give this moist banana bread with no baking soda the right amount of lift. 
• Check your baking powder. Baking powder tends to lose its lifting power more quickly than baking soda, so you’ll want to test it if its been sitting in your pantry for awhile. Add a small amount of baking powder to a small bowl and add a small amount of water. If it starts bubbling and foaming, it’s still good. If it doesn’t, you’re sadly out of luck. 
• Allow to cool in the pan first. This banana bread recipe yields a wonderfully tender loaf, which is a delight to eat, but can pose a threat to its structural integrity. Give it a chance to cool for at least 25 minutes in the pan first to help give it time to firm up.
• If you aren’t topping with ganache, save a handful of chocolate chips to scatter on top. Saving a few chips for the top means you’ll have quite a lovely loaf!
• Pre-heat the oven before you get started. Baking powder starts acting as soon as it hits liquid, so be sure to preheat your oven first or you’ll lose out on some of the lifting power before it goes in the oven.

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