Greek Yogurt Banana Bread with Chocolate Chips
When I have overripe bananas on my counter, this Greek yogurt banana bread is my go-to banana bread recipe. The chocolate chips add the right amount of sweetness to the banana flavor and the addition of Greek yogurt gives the bread a perfect texture, while also adding protein.
Traditional banana bread adds olive oil, butter, and/or sour cream and as much sugar as some cakes. This healthier banana bread variation uses no butter, no oil and is sweetened with just a touch of brown sugar, applesauce and honey.
For a chocolate-free version try my protein banana bread or for a holiday twist Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Bread. This bread is delicious in the morning alongside a bacon and mushroom quiche for a sweet and savory breakfast.
Why you’ll love this recipe
- Sweet, full of chocolate and delicious.
- Only 3g of fat per slice.
- Best way to use up leftover bananas.
Ingredients and Substitutes:
These are the main ingredients and substitutions for this Greek Yogurt Banana Bread. See the recipe card below for the full ingredient list and instructions.
- Whole Wheat Flour: you can substitute with all-purpose flour.
- Brown Sugar: light or dark work or use a sugar substitute if preferred.
- Applesauce: I would not recommend skipping this as this adds moisture to the bread.
- Greek Yogurt: any type will work.
- Honey: can be replaced with maple syrup.
Variations
- Add chopped nuts like walnuts, pecans or almonds.
- Use dark chocolate chips or milk chocolate chips.
- If you want to add protein powder, make my protein banana bread with 13 grams of protein in each slice.
Dietary Modifications
- For gluten-free, use Bob’s 1:1 Gluten-Free Flour.
- For dairy-free, substitute Greek yogurt and chocolate chips for your favorite non-dairy alternative.
How to make this classic banana bread recipe (a step-by-step visual guide):
Step 1: preheat and prep
Preheat your oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit and prepare a 9×5-inch loaf pan with non-stick cooking spray or line it with parchment paper.
Step 2: mix wet ingredients
In a large bowl, combine the mashed bananas, Greek yogurt, applesauce, honey, light brown sugar, egg, and vanilla extract (image 1).
Mix until fully combined (image 2).
Step 3: mix dry ingredients
In a separate medium bowl, combine the whole wheat flour, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon and whisk together to combine (image 3).
Step 4: mix wet and dry ingredients
Gradually add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients, stirring until just combined (image 4).
Be careful not to overmix as it can result in dense bread (image 5).
Step 5: fold in chocolate chips and bake
Gently fold the chocolate chips into the batter (image 6).
Pour the batter into the prepared pan, smoothing the top with a spatula (image 7).
Bake for 50 minutes in the preheated oven (more if needed), or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean or with a few moist soft crumbs. Bake time may vary oven to oven.
Step 6: cool
Allow the banana bread to cool in the pan for about 10 minutes before transferring it to a wire rack to cool completely.
Expert Tip!
If the top is browning too quickly, you can cover the bread with a piece of aluminum foil for the last 10-15 minutes.
Recipe FAQ’s
Store your banana bread loaf in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days. For best results, freeze pieces individually in a freezer bag, for up to 3 months.
Always use overripe bananas for optimal sweetness. They should have black spots on them and be very soft to the touch.
You sure can! I have a wonderful protein banana bread recipe that you should make vs. adding protein to this one.
I love banana bread at breakfast on top of greek yogurt or with eggs and bacon as a sweet side. Pair with other muffins and breads like Healthy Blueberry Lemon Muffins and Chocolate Peanut Butter Muffins for a baked goods spread at your next brunch.
If you make this recipe, please leave a rating and/or comment! Tag me on Instagram @ohsnapmacros, I love hearing from you!
Greek Yogurt Banana Bread
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Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cups ripe mashed bananas 310g
- 1/2 cup nonfat plain Greek yogurt 112g
- 1/4 cup unsweetened applesauce 63g
- 1/4 cup honey 75g
- 1/4 cup light brown sugar 53g
- 1 egg
- 1 tsp. vanilla extract
- 1 1/2 cups whole wheat flour 228g
- 1 tsp. baking soda
- 1/4 tsp. salt
- 1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon
- 1/2 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips 90g
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit and prepare a 9×5-inch loaf pan with non-stick cooking spray or line it with parchment paper.
- In a large mixing bowl, combine the mashed bananas, Greek yogurt, applesauce, honey, light brown sugar, egg, and vanilla extract.
- In a separate bowl, combine the whole wheat flour, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon and whisk together to combine.
- Gradually add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients, stirring until just combined. Be careful not to overmix as it can result in a dense bread. Gently fold the chocolate chips into the batter.
- Pour the batter into the prepared loaf pan, smoothing the top with a spatula.
- Bake for 50-60 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean or with a few moist crumbs. If the top is browning too quickly, you can cover the bread with aluminum foil towards the end of baking.
- Allow the banana bread to cool in the pan for about 10 minutes before transferring it to a wire rack to cool completely.
Notes
- Nutritional information is an estimate and will vary with substitutions.
- For exact grams per serving: weigh your final loaf and divide by 12 or cut into 12 equal slices.
- Swap chocolate chips for white chocolate, peanut butter chips or butterscotch for a fun new banana bread flavor.
We have an egg allergy in the house and used a flax egg and it came out delicious. I had enough extra bananas in the basket to get a loaf + 6 muffins. The muffins were eaten by the kids before the bread came out of the oven so it’s safe to say everyone enjoyed.
If you make muffins, don’t make the mistake I did- spray the liners!
This was good! And my family didn’t even notice that it wasn’t the “full fat” variety. 😁
Planning on making this tomorrow. About how many bananas is 1.5 cups?
Depends on the size of your bananas!! Approx. 3.
Delicious! Made them into muffins and they were absolutely perfect.
Yay!! So happy to hear that!
Would this work as muffins? I would think lowering the cooking time, but not sure.