Vegan Raspberry Banana Bread with Chocolate Chips

 Use up ripe bananas and make this indulgent vegan raspberry banana bread with chocolate chips. Perfect for breakfast or as a snack and great toasted too.

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Vegan Raspberry Banana Bread with Chocolate Chips

This mouthwatering banana bread recipe combines the sweetness of bananas, the tangy burst of flavour from fresh raspberries, and little pockets of melted dark chocolate.

Raspberry banana bread is just that extra bit fruity and the added dark chocolate takes it over the edge.

Give it a try next time your bananas are looking a bit too ripe.

Is banana bread worth making?

Banana bread is lovely stuff.

A soft fruit bread with a good crust.

We love it slathered in butter (vegan of course) for a snack or for breakfast.

However, it's also rather fabulous toasted and yes once more slathered in butter.

I wonder if that's a Scottish thing?

Do you butter banana bread?

Raspberry bread ingredients

Here are the simple ingredients you need to make this raspberry banana bread.

1. Bananas - make sure they are ripe
2. Milk - I use oat milk, but you can use whichever type you usually buy
3. Sugar - caster sugar, soft brown sugar, or demerara sugar
4. Vanilla extract - worth spending the extra money on
5. Flour - plain flour, also known as all-purpose flour
6. Cinnamon 
7. Baking powder
8. Salt
9. Raspberries
10. Chocolate chips

Variations

Here are a few tweaks you can make to this deliciously fruity bread.

• Strawberries - instead of raspberries
• Blueberries - instead of raspberries
• Blackberries - which we also call brambles in Scotland
• Ground ginger - instead of cinnamon
• White chocolate chips - vegan of course

How ripe should the bananas be?

When making banana bread you need ripe bananas.

You want them to be mushy and almost juicy when you mash them.

1. Absolutely no green bananas, they are unripe and too hard.
2. Yellow bananas are getting there but are not quite ripe enough yet.
3. However, once they start to go brown with speckles across the skin they are ready.

That was a bit like Goldilocks and the Three Bears, wasn't it? 

The first two bowls of porridge she tried weren't right but the third was just perfect.

Three bowls of porridge and three levels of ripeness for bananas.

Go on make this healthy vegan bread! Goldilocks would approve.

Mashing bananas for banana bread

If your bananas are ripe, then mashing them is super easy.

I mash them with a fork, but you could use a potato masher.

You want to mash them until they are very soft and mushy for an even finish to your dairy-free banana bread.

Don't leave big lumps. 

Make sure it's all well mashed.

Fresh or frozen raspberries?

I use fresh Scottish raspberries when making this gorgeous raspberry bread, but you can use frozen raspberries.

If fresh raspberries are out of season or very expensive where you are, just buy frozen berries.

Just pop them into the mix instead of the fresh raspberries, there's no need to defrost them.

They will defrost as they bake.

Love raspberries? Try these easy no-bake raspberry almond bars next.

Choosing the right chocolate for banana bread

First of all, you want dark chocolate.

Never, ever use baking chocolate. It's nasty, cheap stuff that's quite unpleasant.

Use a good quality bar of chocolate or chocolate chips.

You have probably noticed how expensive chocolate has become, so if you want a cheaper option, use chocolate chips.

They are just as good but still cheaper.

Just check the ingredient list on the back as even dark chocolate can sometimes contain milk.

Baking tins for banana bread

Banana bread is traditionally baked in a loaf tin.

I've never tried it in a round cake tin, so I can't recommend that or say don't do it.

I always make banana bread in a 2lb (900g) metal loaf tin.

The 2lb loaf tins can vary a bit in depth and width, but they will all work for this banana bread recipe and my other banana bread recipes.

I like to use a 2 lb loaf tin liner to line my loaf tins, it saves so much fuss as it just slips in and no measuring and cutting non-stick baking paper/

Have you tried my chocolate orange banana bread; my banana bread made with oat flour (just whizzed-up porridge oats) or my chocolate banana bread?

They are all delicious and easy to make.

Lining a loaf tin

I don't know about you, but I can't be faffed measuring and lining a loaf tin.

I prefer to slip in a pre-made loaf liner.

Much quicker and so convenient.

Lining tips

Whether you are measuring and cutting or using a pre-shaped loaf tin liner, you should butter the tin.

Use a piece of kitchen paper to rub some vegan butter or spread it around the inside lip of the loaf tin.

This will allow the liner or baking paper to stick to the tin, which means it won't flap about while you are trying to spoon the banana bread batter into the tin.

If you've ever tried to pour cake batter into a cake tin and the baking paper is moving about and it pours down behind the lining paper, you'll realise how good this tip is.

It's infuriating when that happens and so messy.

Cool your bread in the tin

When your raspberry banana bread is baked, take it out of the oven and pop it on a baking rack to cool.

Leave it in the tin for 10 minutes to begin the cooling process.

This will give it a chance to firm up and prevent it from falling apart as you take it out of the tin.

Remove it from the tin and allow it to continue to cool on the rack.

It will slice better if you can resist cutting into it while it is still warm, although I know it is hard to wait, so you will probably cut it while it is still warm.

I know you!

Storing banana bread

Freshly made vegan banana bread never lasts in my house.

I leave it in the loaf liner and wrap in in tin foil to be toasted the next day.

However, you could pop it in an airtight container instead.

It will keep for a few days, but I think it's best the day it is made and toasted after the first day.

Can you freeze banana bread?

Once cool, slice the banana bread, then you can store it in freezer bags or a tub and freeze for 3-4 months.

Use freezer-friendly baking paper to separate the slices, so they don't stick together and you can take out just what you need.

Pop in the fridge to defrost.

It may be a bit denser after it's been in the fridge, so remember my tip about toasting it.

Serving banana bread

Serve it for breakfast, for a snack, for afternoon tea, or in lunch boxes.

But how to serve it?

My son loves banana bread plain, with nothing spread on it.

But most people I've spoken to like it spread with something.

It just makes it extra special.

You could spread it with vegan butter, homemade peanut butter, almond butter or homemade chocolate peanut butter.

This reminds me, my son has been asking me to make more of the chocolate peanut butter as he loves it. 

I bought a really nice jar of hazelnut chocolate spread for him from a farm shop and he says "mum, your chocolate peanut butter is much nicer".

I'll take that!

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How to make this vegan raspberry banana bread with chocolate chips

A step-by-step photo guide followed by a full printable recipe.

I hope you enjoy this homemade raspberry and banana bread.

Step 1

• Preheat the oven and line a 2 lb (900g) loaf tin.
• Mash rip bananas in a large mixing bowl.
• Add the spices.

Step 2

• Now add the milk (I use oat milk), vanilla extract, and sugar and mix well.
• Then add the flour.

Step 3

• Add the baking powder and the salt.
• Next, add the raspberries and the chocolate.
• Fold in until just combined. Do not overmix and don't worry about any little bits of flour.
• If you overmix it the banana bread will be rubbery.

Step 4

• Pour the batter into the lined loaf tin and top with extra choc chips and raspberries to make it look bonnie.
• Bake until it is golden and baked through (full recipe below).
• Leave to cool in the tin for 10 minutes, then remove and leave to cool completely on a baking rack.
• Serve and enjoy!

banana bread, raspberry bread, choc chip banana bread, vegan banana bread

dessert

British, vegan

Yield: 8-10 slices

Author: Jacqueline Meldrum

Vegan Raspberry Banana Bread with Chocolate Chips

Use up ripe bananas and make this indulgent vegan raspberry banana bread with chocolate chips. Perfect for breakfast or as a snack and great toasted too.

Prep time: 10 MinCook time: 1 H & 10 MTotal time: 1 H & 20 M

Ingredients

• 3 large ripe bananas
• 120g (1/2 cup + 2 tablespoons) caster sugar
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 200ml (5/6 cup) oat milk (or your regular milk
• 450g (2 cups + 1 tablespoon) plain flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 pinch salt
• 150g (1 cup) raspberries
• 100g (2/3 cup) dark chocolate chips (you can use less if you like)

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 180c/160c fan/350f/gas mark 4.
2. Line a 2 lb loaf tin with non-stick baking paper or a loaf tin liner.
3. Mash the bananas in a large mixing bowl with a fork until soft and mushy.
4. Add vanilla extract, sugar, cinnamon, and oat milk and mix well.
5. Next add the flour, baking powder, and salt.
6. Now add the raspberries and chocolate chips (reserving a few for decoration).
7. Use a silicone spatula or wooden spoon to fold the dry ingredients into the wet until just combined. Do not overmix or your bread will be rubbery.
8. Pour into the lined loaf tin and bake for an hour and 5 or 10 minutes.
9. Check it after an hour with a skewer or toothpick, inserted into the centre of the loaf, if any batter clings to it, it's not ready yet and needs to bake longer.
10. You can also cover it with foil if it starts to brown too much.
11. It usually takes the full hour and 10 minutes for me, but I like quite a crisp crust.
12. Remove from the oven when it's baked and leave in the tin for 10 minutes before you carefully turn it out onto a baking rack to cool completely.
13. Slice once cool and serve plain or buttered.
14. Enjoy!

Notes

• If you don't like cinnamon, try ground ginger instead.
• You can use frozen raspberries instead of fresh, just add them at the same time in the recipe.
• Loaf tin liners save a lot of faff, but do rub a little vegan spread around the inside the top of the loaf tin, to stick the liner to the tin, so it doesn't flap about as you are pouring in the batter.
• Wrap leftover banana bread in tin foil to be toasted the next day or in an airtight container. It will keep for a few days, but I think it's best the day it is made and toasted after the first day.
• Once cool, slice the banana bread, then you can store it in freezer bags or a tub and freeze for 3-4 months. Use freezer-friendly baking paper to separate the slices, so they don't stick together and you can take out just what you need. Pop in the fridge to defrost. It may be a bit denser after it's been in the fridge, so remember my tip about toasting it.

Calories

8 slices = 368 calories per slice

9 slices = 327 calories per slice

10 slices = 294 calories per slice

Nutrition Facts

Calories

294.45

Fat (grams)

2.5 g

Sat. Fat (grams)

1.57 g

Carbs (grams)

62.39 g

Fiber (grams)

3.62 g

Net carbs

58.78 g

Sugar (grams)

21.13 g

Protein (grams)

6.02 g

Sodium (milligrams)

62.86 mg

Cholesterol (grams)

0.05 mg

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