Made with overripe bananas, cocoa powder, and chopped semi-sweet chocolate, this marbled chocolate banana bread has a strong banana flavor with ribbons of chocolate running through every slice. Vegetable oil and sour cream keep the loaf tender and moist for days, while a simple swirl creates pockets of melted chocolate throughout. Sweet enough for a treat but still right at home on the breakfast table.

Chocolate banana bread with a tender crumb, bold banana flavor, and just enough chocolate to feel like a treat.

The Simple Swirl That Makes Every Slice Different

If you like banana bread but shy away from sugary breakfasts, this one hits a nice middle ground. The bananas really carry this loaf, so you taste banana first and chocolate right behind it, with enough sweetness to feel like a treat without going overboard.

Vegetable oil and sour cream keep the bread unbelievably moist, even on day four or five.

It won’t be as dense as a banana bread made with butter and it’s not as rich as one made with a cream cheese swirl. But what you get is chocolate!

You make one basic banana batter, then split it and stir cocoa into half so you get a plain portion and a chocolate portion.

Scooping them into the pan in a loose checkerboard pattern gives you that marbled look once you run a knife through. Every slice comes out different, with some bites leaning more chocolate and others mostly banana.

Every couple of bites you’ll bite into a pocket of chocolate from chocolate chunks added to the batter.

Serve it plain, toast a slice, or add a thin layer of sweetened vanilla butter it’s heavenly. However you cut it, you’ll get that soft crumb, the marbled swirls, and little pockets of melted chocolate that make this feel like more than just regular banana bread.

For more chocolate at breakfast, try some chocolate chip biscuits dipped in chocolate, they’ll satisfy anyone’s chocolate craving.

Loaf of chocolate banana bread on parchment with a few slices cut, showing the marbled crumb and chocolate pockets.

//If you want to serve it straight from the pan, try this beautiful stoneware loaf pan//

What You’ll Need for Moist Chocolate Banana Bread

You can find the full ingredient list with exact amounts in the recipe card at the bottom, but here are a few helpful notes before you start.

Bananas: Use overripe bananas with lots of brown spots. The softer they are, the more flavor and moisture they bring to the loaf. Save the slightly green bananas for a creamy pie.
Semi-sweet chocolate: I like using semi-sweet chocolate here, chopped into chunks so you get bigger pockets that melt into the crumb. If you prefer dark chocolate, you can swap that in. Chocolate chips work too if that is what you have in the pantry, they just won’t melt as much as a chocolate bar.
Demerara sugar: A coarse sugar sprinkled on top for a light crunch and pretty, golden finish. Turbinado sugar can also be used.

Swirl, Bake, Slice

Step One: Make the Plain Batter

Glass bowl filled with mashed bananas, eggs, sour cream, oil, and vanilla before mixing, with a pile of ripe banana peels in the background. — Mash the bananas, then add the rest of the wet ingredients.

Glass mixing bowl of smooth banana bread batter with a whisk resting inside on a blue surface. — Whisk everything until combined, it won’t be smooth.

White bowl with flour, baking powder, cinnamon, and nutmeg ready to be whisked together, with a whole nutmeg and microplane grater nearby. — Add the dry ingredients to a bowl.

Glass bowl of banana bread batter with dry ingredients partially folded in using a spatula, showing flour still visible on top. — Fold the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients until combined.

Step Two: Make the Chocolate Batter

Two glass bowls of banana bread batter, one plain and one with cocoa powder added on top, ready to be stirred into chocolate batter. — Scoop about half of this batter into another bowl and add in the cocoa powder.

Two bowls of batter on a blue surface, one plain banana batter and one thicker chocolate banana batter ready to be layered in the pan. — Stir until the cocoa dissolves into the mixture.

The chocolate batter will be a little thicker due to the cocoa powder.

Step Three: Layer and Marble the Batters

Do not over-swirl: One gentle figure eight is enough. Too much swirling will blend the batters and you will lose the distinct marbling.

Loaf pan lined with parchment, filled in a checkerboard pattern with plain and chocolate banana bread batter, with messy batter-coated scoops beside it. — Alternate scoops of plain and chocolate batter in the pan in a loose checkerboard pattern.

Loaf pan filled with plain and chocolate banana batters arranged in a checkerboard pattern before marbling. — Repeat with a second layer on top.

Loaf pan with banana bread batter swirled into a marbled pattern and sprinkled with sugar, ready to bake. — Run a knife through the batter in one gentle figure eight to swirl the two batters together. Sprinkle with coarse sugar.

Step Four: Top, Bake, Cool, and Slice

Freshly baked chocolate banana bread still in the loaf pan on a cooling rack, with a golden, crackly sugar top. — Bake until a toothpick comes out clean.

Whole loaf of chocolate banana bread on a parchment-lined tray with a knife beside it and chocolate pieces in the background. — Lift the bread out of the pan and slice.

It’s great served at room temperature or you can warm it for a few seconds in the microwave.

A collage of desserts in a block promoting baking equipment.

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Close-up overhead view of sliced chocolate banana bread, highlighting the chocolate swirls and chunks in the crumb.

Marbled Chocolate Banana Bread That Stays Moist for Days

Print Recipe Pin Recipe Rate Recipe

Prep Time: 15

Cook Time: 50

Total Time: 1 5

Servings:

Calories: 351kcal

Author: Barbara Curry

Equipment

loaf pan

Ingredients

4 very ripe medium bananas
1 cup dark brown sugar
⅔ cup vegetable oil
2 eggs
⅓ cup sour cream
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 ½ cup flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon cinnamon
¼ teaspoon nutmeg
2 ounces semi-sweet chocolate bar chopped into chunks, about ½ cup
¼ cup cocoa powder
2 teaspoons Demerara sugar

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 350º. Spray a 9 x 5 inch loaf pan with cooking spray and line with parchment paper.
In a large bowl, mash the bananas with a potato masher or fork. Add brown sugar, oil, eggs, sour cream, and vanilla and whisk until well combined.
In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, soda, salt, cinnamon and nutmeg. Fold into the banana mixture until just combined. Add chocolate chunks and stir to combine. Pour half of the batter into a separate bowl and add the cocoa powder to one of the bowls, stirring until combined.
Use two ice cream scoops or ¼ measuring cups and scoop 1 scoop of plain batter into the corner of the pan. Next add a scoop of chocolate batter next to it and continue like a checkerboard. Continue with a second layer.
Take a knife and run it through the batter in a figure 8, just 1 time so that you get a marbled affect. Sprinkle with Demerara sugar and bake for 48-50 minutes until the top springs back and there is no batter on a toothpick. Allow to cool completely. Use the parchment paper to remove it from the pan and cut into slices.

Notes

Store: Once the bread is completely cool, wrap it tightly or place it in an airtight container and keep it at room temperature. It stays soft and moist for about five days on the counter. Slices hold together well for lunchboxes or snacks.
Freeze: If you know you will not finish the loaf within a few days, freeze the extra rather than refrigerating it. The refrigerator tends to dry the bread out faster, so freezing is the better option for longer storage.
For the best flavor, use very ripe bananas.