These chocolate chip banana bars are super easy to make and perfect to serve as a snack or dessert. All of the flavor of your favorite banana cake in bar form!
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I love using bananas in baked goods! They keep them really moist and I love the natural flavor and sweetness. I can also trick myself into thinking I’m eating one of my daily portions of fruit!
Perfect to serve up as a mid afternoon snack or as a family dessert.
If you love these bars, be sure to check out my Banana Muffins and Brown Butter Banana Bread!
Why you will love these chocolate banana bars!
- Easy: It takes just 10 minutes to make the batter for these bars and then into the oven it goes!
- Fluffy and light: These cake bars rise wonderfully and aren’t at all heavy. They are very cake like!
- Perfect for a crowd: This recipe makes 12 squares, so it’s a perfect treat if you have guests.
How to make chocolate chip banana bars
Be sure to scroll down for the full recipe!
- Prep: Pre heat the oven and grease a baking pan.
- Combine: Beat together the butter sugar and eggs. Mix in the other wet ingredients. Stir in the dry ingredients and fold in chocolate chips.
- Bake: Pour the batter into the pan, sprinkle chocolate chips on top and bake until cooked through.
Can you use underripe bananas?
It’s best to use ripe or overripe bananas in these bars. They will be much sweeter and more flavorful than underripe. They will also be easier to mash.
How long do they keep?
Once the cake is cooled and cut into bars, transfer to an airtight container. They will keep well at room temperature for up to 3 days and will keep for up to 7 days in the fridge. They make a great addition to daily lunchboxes!
Can you freeze them?
Yes! You can freeze these banana bars either in the dish, or wrap them individually and place in freezer bags. You can thaw them at room temperature or in the fridge.
Recipe Notes and Tips
- The more ripe your bananas are the sweeter and more banana flavored these bars will be.
- If you don’t have buttermilk on hand you can add a tablespoon of lemon juice to ¾ cup of milk. The acid in the lemon juice ferments the milk and acts as a raising agent.
- Don’t over mix the batter, the dry ingredients should be just combined.
- Let the cake cool completely before cutting into bars.
More Easy Baking Recipes
- Strawberry Oatmeal Bars
- Oatmeal Cream Pies
- Strawberry Lemonade Sugar Cookie Bars
- Skinny Cranberry Bliss Bars Recipe
- Cranberry Orange Biscotti
- Lemon Raspberry Bars Recipe
Chocolate Chip Banana Bars
Equipment
- Kitchen Scale (optional)
- 9×13 Baking Pan
- Hand Mixer (optional)
Ingredients
- ½ cup unsalted butter 113 grams, melted (1 stick)
- 1 cup granulated sugar 200 grams
- 2 large eggs 100 grams, room temperature
- 3 bananas mashed
- ¾ cup buttermilk 170 grams, room temperature
- 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract 8 grams
- 2 cups all-purpose flour 240 grams
- 2 teaspoons baking powder 8 grams
- 1 teaspoon baking soda 6 grams
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt 3 grams
- 1½ cups mini chocolate chips 266 grams, divided
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease a 9×13-inch baking pan with nonstick spray. Set aside.
- In a large bowl, with a whisk or hand mixer, beat the butter, sugar, and eggs together.½ cup unsalted butter, 1 cup granulated sugar, 2 large eggs
- Add the banana, buttermilk, and vanilla and mix well.3 bananas, ¾ cup buttermilk, 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- Stir in the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.2 cups all-purpose flour, 2 teaspoons baking powder, 1 teaspoon baking soda, 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- Fold in 1¼ cups of the chocolate chips.1½ cups mini chocolate chips
- Pour the batter into the prepared pan.
- Sprinkle the remaining chocolate chips over the top.
- Bake for 30 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean.
- Allow to cool completely in the pan before cutting into squares.
Video
Becky’s Tips
- The more ripe your bananas are the sweeter and more banana flavored these bars will be.
- If you don’t have buttermilk on hand, you can add a tablespoon of lemon juice to ¾ cup of milk. The acid in the lemon juice ferments the milk and acts as a raising agent.
- Don’t overmix the batter, the dry ingredients should be just combined.
- Let the cake cool completely before cutting into bars.
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Did you make this? Leave a comment!
Very good. Easy recipe
Love this recipe. I don’t regularly add the sugar, as the bananas sweeten the mixture enough for my family on their own!
It’s so delicious!! I doubles the recipe amd I made two “cakes” for an event. Inded it’s so cakey and moist. I’ll be so happy and confident that people are going to love this! Thabks so much!
Could you make these into muffin/cupcakes? If so does the baking time need to change?
Yes, we would start checking them at about 15 minutes!
DELICIOUS & easy to make!! Will make again!! Yum.
These look amazing! We don’t use cow’s milk, do you know of anything else we can substitute for the buttermilk? We typically drink oat, almond, or coconut milk, so I’m unsure if the vinegar trick will work on those.
I can’t wait to figure out a way to substitute so we can make these!
You can try a vegan sour cream?
Yes, you can add lemon juice to oat milk to substitute buttermilk and it works just fine. 1tsp lemon juice in half cup of oat milk :)
very good.i used half the sugar and added an extra banana. i am always looking for recipes to use up old bananas. Hate to waste food. This was perfect!
Thanks for sharing, Bridget!
Easy recipe, great tasting.
Thank you for sharing!
I made these to bring to work and they didn’t even last past lunch time! These are so amazingly good. I have two more in the oven to take to people. Thanks for an amazing recipe.
Sounds like a success, Jenny!
So yum and great way to switch it up from banana bread. I didn’t have buttermilk so I used the milk and lemon trick. Worked out perfect! Thanks for sharing that trick.
Great improvising!