Simple, delicious gluten-free chocolate chunk buckwheat banana bread. Wholesome, one bowl, quick and easy to make, and so delicious. With overripe bananas, sweet honey, nutty buckwheat flour and decadent chocolate chunks, this buckwheat banana bread recipe is sure to become a favorite. Perfect for breakfast, as an afternoon snack, or even an after-dinner dessert.
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If this is your first time making gluten-free banana bread with buckwheat flour, you won’t be disappointed. Serve it up warm, slathered with your favorite nut butter, like my homemade almond butter or peanut butter. And the chocolate - yum!
It's moist with the perfect amount of sweetness and banana flavor like traditional banana bread, banana and mango bread, and this vegan plantain bread. Not to mention an ideal texture that is not crumbly, mushy or gummy like gluten-free baked goods can often be.
To create the perfect loaf, choose overripe bananas with plenty of black spots on the peel, almost too brown to use – an important element for maximum flavor, moisture and sweetness.
This recipe calls for a generous four bananas, adding richness to the bread and chocolate. Simply toss them into a mixing bowl and mash away using a fork or potato masher. The buckwheat adds a toasty, nutty flavor and soft, chewy texture perfectly complementing the richness of dark chocolate and those melty chocolate pockets.
And the best part? It's effortlessly gluten-free, ensuring everyone gets to indulge in this delicious favorite banana bread with honey.
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Why You'll Love This Recipe
- Gluten-Free Goodness: This quick bread is made with naturally gluten free buckwheat flour without the need for oat flour, almond flour, or coconut flour.
- One-Bowl: Simple ingredients and minimal effort make for an easy baking experience, and little clean-up.
- Dairy-Free: Vegan chocolate chunks make this banana bread suitable for a dairy-free diet.
- Perfectly Sweetened: Mashed banana and a touch of honey provides just the right level of sweetness without overloading on added sugars.
For other great quick bread recipe ideas try my easy vegan pumpkin bread, coconut flour banana bread, and banana chocolate bread. And if you love chocolate as much as I do, you'll love these chocolate fudge tahini cookies, gooey avocado brownies, and my fudgy sweet potato brownies, yum!
For a more savory bread recipe, try this easy flourless tahini loaf.
Recipe Ingredients
You'll need the following ingredients to make buckwheat chocolate chunk banana bread:
Ingredient Notes:
- Over-Ripe Bananas: Over-ripe, spotted and almost brown bananas mashed for natural sweetness and moisture. I have not baked with black bananas.
- Coconut Oil: Melted and cooled, adds needed moisture.
- Oat Milk or Almond Milk: Adds much moisture to the banana bread, enhancing its rich and moist texture.
- Eggs: Room temperature. I have not tried this recipe with flax eggs. If you do, let me know how it turns out!
- Honey: Is a great addition and goes really well with buckwheat, complementing it's nutty flavor profile.
- Whole Grain Buckwheat Flour: A nutritious and gluten-free alternative to traditional flour. And it works well in my apple buckwheat pancakes too!
- Dark Chocolate Chunks: I like to use dairy-free dark chocolate. Dark chocolate chips will work as well, though not as decadent as chopped chocolate chunks.
See recipe card below for all ingredients and quantities.
Substitutions and Variations
- Next time try swapping the coconut oil for olive oil or avocado oil.
- Leave out the honey or try a little maple syrup or coconut sugar.
- Chopped pecans or cashews for the walnuts. Or leave the nuts out altogether for a nut-free banana bread.
- Use dark buckwheat flour for a deeper nutty flavor or light buckwheat flour for a lighter flavor, shown in the images below:
Using dark buckwheat flour.
Using light buckwheat flour.
How to Make Double Chocolate Chunk Buckwheat Banana Bread
- Step 1: In a large bowl, add mashed bananas, melted coconut oil, oat milk, eggs, honey, and vanilla.
- Step 2: Whisk together until well combined.
- Step 3: Add buckwheat flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt.
- Step 4: Mix until just combined.
- Step 5: Fold in chocolate chunks and walnuts if using.
- Step 6: Bake at 350°F for 50-60 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out with light crumb attached. Take care not to over bake.
Expert Tips
- Banana ripeness: the browner the better – dark brown spots or black spots on the peel signal perfect sweetness and better flavor.
- Room temperature Ingredients: ensure eggs and dairy-free milk are at room temperature so they don't harden the melted coconut oil.
- Dark chocolate chunk topping: reserve a handful of chocolate chunks to sprinkle on top before baking.
- Cool before slicing: always better to cool a gluten-free freshly baked loaf before slicing for a perfect, non-crumbly slice. Though I have sliced this loaf when warm, not hot, with perfect slices.
Common Questions
This recipe has not been tested with different flours. If you would like to try other healthy quick breads, try my gluten free pumpkin loaf, chocolate banana bread, and this coconut flour banana bread for a grain-free version.
Yes! Muffins usually take only 22 to 25 minutes of baking. They will cook faster than a loaf pan.
Storage Tips
- Room Temperature: The chocolate chunk banana bread can be stored tightly wrapped in plastic wrap or in an airtight container for a day or two.
- Refrigerator: Refrigerate the fully cooled loaf in an airtight container for up to 5 days. Eat cold, at room temperature, or gently warmed in a microwave.
- Freezer: Freeze the fully cooled sweet bread in a freezer-safe container for up to 3 months. Store as a full loaf or individually sliced with a piece of parchment paper between each slice to prevent sticking.
More Gluten Free Chocolate Recipes You'll Love
📖 Recipe
Chocolate Chunk Buckwheat Banana Bread
Ingredients
- 4 overripe bananas, mashed, 484 grams mashed
- ⅓ cup (74 grams) coconut oil, melted and cooled
- ⅓ cup (83 grams) oat milk or almond milk, room temperature
- 2 large eggs, room temperature
- ¼ cup (80 grams) maple syrup, or 85g honey; 38g coconut sugar
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1 ½ cups (180 grams) buckwheat flour, light or dark
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon fine sea salt
- 1 cup (170 grams) dark chocolate chunks, I use dairy free
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Line a 9x5-inch baking dish or bread pan with parchment paper and set aside.
- In a large bowl stir together the mashed bananas, coconut oil, oat milk or almond milk, eggs, honey and vanilla until combined.
- Add buckwheat flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon and salt. Mix until just combined. Fold in the chocolate chunks.
- Bake for 50-60 minutes or until center is just set, or until a toothpick comes out with just a few crumbs.
- Cool before slicing, though I have sliced it warm (not hot) and it was perfect!
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Notes
- Ensure eggs and dairy-free milk are at room temperature so they don't harden the melted coconut oil.
- Bananas should be overripe – dark brown spots or black spots on the peel signal perfect sweetness and better flavor.
Michelle S. says
Wow- my family can not get enough of this. The richness of the chocolate combined with the nuttiness of the buckwheat is spectacular! Such an easy recipe and a guilt-free way to enjoy a chocolatey dessert. The loaf was super moist and flavorful, I will definitely be adding this to the rotation. Thanks Jacqui!
Jacqui Wilson says
Hi Michelle,
I'm so glad you enjoyed this recipe. It was really fun testing to get it right!
Andy M. says
This chocolate banana bread is as delicious as it looks! I was amazed how moist and chocolaty it came out. Thanks for the great recipe!!
Jacqui Wilson says
Hi Andy,
I'm so glad you enjoyed the banana bread.
Beej says
This turned out beautiful. The texture is amazing. I had to use what I had on hand so instead of coconut oil I used olive oil and in place of chocolate chunks I used mini dark chocolate chips. I love that the chocolate chips stayed suspended and didn't settle down at the bottom of the loaf like some recipes. Will def make again.
Wish I could add a photo!
Jacqui Wilson says
Hi Beej, I'm so glad you enjoyed the recipe, and your substitutions were perfect. I get requests to make this recipe all the time!