A delicious guilt-free yet decadent banana bread made with healthier ingredients such as coconut oil, maple syrup and unsweetened cocoa. Every bite will be chocolate-y, with the crunchiness of Pecan nuts and the sweetness of ripe bananas. It will be your favorite breakfast, snack, dessert!
This Chocolate banana bread with pecans is a healthier version that's perfect for a nutritious breakfast or a guilt-free snack. This delightful recipe swaps out traditional ingredients for healthier alternatives without sacrificing flavor, making it a hit among both adults and children. By using ripe bananas and maple syrup, this bread is refined sugar-free. The addition of pecans not only provides a satisfying crunch but also infuses the bread with healthy fats and proteins. These nuts complement the soft, moist texture of the banana bread, creating a harmony of flavors and textures that make each bite a delightful experience.
The secret to this healthier chocolate banana bread lies in its carefully selected ingredients. Whole wheat flour replaces the usual all-purpose flour, adding fiber and nutrients while maintaining a tender crumb. Coconut oil is used in place of butter, contributing to the bread's moistness while keeping it light and low in fat. Dark chocolate chips, which are naturally lower in sugar, are sprinkled throughout the bread, offering little bursts of rich, chocolatey goodness that pair beautifully with the subtle sweetness of the bananas and the earthiness of the pecans. This recipe is not only a healthier alternative but also a testament to how nutritious ingredients can come together to create a delicious treat that's perfect for a family breakfast or a comforting snack any time of the day.
For more breakfast recipes, check out also this Chocolate Pecan Granola and this Roasted Rhubarb Oatmeal.
Ingredients Substitutions
If you made banana bread before, you'll know that there are thousands of recipes out there. You can substitute almost every ingredient depending on what you have available.
See below a list of the essential ingredients to make a good chocolate banana bread with pecans and the suggested substitutions.
- Bananas: This is the only ingredient that you cannot substitute of course.
- Flour: You can use many different types of flour, from the standard all-purpose to gluten-free, whole wheat, spelt, oat, and so on. The quantity to use should be the same, but it may take some trial and error with more particular flours.
- Fat: Fat is essential in any baking recipe but it can be easily substituted with other ingredients. You can use vegetable oil, butter, avocado oil, or even applesauce. The quantity for all substitutions is 1:1.
- Raising Agent: A raising agent is also essential in every baking recipe. The most common are baking powder and baking soda. You can either use 1 teaspoon of baking soda or 2 teaspoon of baking powder.
- Sweetener: Even though ripe bananas are already sweet, I prefer to add a little bit of more sweetness. You can use sugar, coconut sugar, honey, agave syrup, or date syrup. But you can also avoid additional sweetener altogether.
- Eggs: If you don't want to use eggs and want to make this banana bread vegan, you can substitute them with 2 tablespoon of flaxseed meal mixed with 6 tablespoon of water.
- Milk: You can use any dairy or non-dairy milk of your choice. Try it with almond, oat, or even goat milk.
- Salt and Vanilla: These 2 guys are really essential to balance all the flavors and I wouldn't avoid them nor substitute them.
- Other additions: This is the fun part, you can add to the bread other extra ingredients such as spices, nuts, dried fruit and chocolate chips.
Related Recipes
If you like this recipe, try also these other breakfast recipes:
If you tried this recipe, please take a moment to rate it and share your thoughts in the comments. Your feedback means a lot to me! ★★★★★
📖 RECIPE
Healthy Chocolate Pecan Banana Bread
Ingredients
- 1 ¼ cup Whole Wheat Flour
- ½ cup Cocoa powder, unsweetened
- 3 Ripe Bananas
- ⅓ cup Maple Syrup
- ¼ cup Coconut Oil, melted
- 2 Eggs
- ½ cup Coconut Milk
- 2 teaspoon Vanilla extract
- 2 teaspoon Baking Powder
- ½ cup Pecan nuts, chopped
- Chocolate Chips, optional
- ½ teaspoon Salt
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C).
- In a large bowl, mash the bananas with a fork or with a potato masher. You can choose if you want to leave chunks.
- In the same bowl then add the maple syrup, coconut oil, eggs, vanilla and coconut milk. Mix well with a fork or a whisk.
- In another bowl, mix the sifted spelt flour with the cocoa powder, baking powder, salt and chopped pecan nuts.
- Add the dry ingredients to the large bowl while mixing until you have a smooth batter.
- Grease a loaf pan and then pour the batter in it. Top it with some chocolate chips if you'd like.
- Transfer the pan to the middle rack of the oven and bake for 25 minutes. After this time, cover with aluminium foil and bake for another 20-25 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean.
- Allow to cool completely before serving.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
April
omg this looks so good!! I can't wait to make this. I think my kids would even eat it lol
Jessica - Cooking my Dreams
Thank you April! Let me know if you try it! 🙂