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Simple, delicious, Chocolate Chunk Chai Banana Bread. One bowl, simple ingredients, super quick to mix up, wholesome, and SO DELICIOUS! With over-ripe bananas, sweet pure maple syrup, and a homemade chai spice blend, this is sure to become your favorite banana bread to bake throughout the fall. It’s warming and just want we want to sink our teeth into on a chilly day.
Look, I know everyone and their mother is already baking with pumpkin, but I just can’t do it. I’ve never fully understood why everyone rushes to bake with pumpkin all September long. By November they’re over the pumpkin craze and just move straight into Christmas baking.
That I can kind of understand, but I’m someone who likes to celebrate Thanksgiving. Personally, I really don’t want to get sick of pumpkin before Turkey Day even rolls around.
In September, I stick to baking with apples and chocolate instead. I know this may not be the popular thing to do. But something in me just feels like we have to wait for October to embrace the pumpkin season.
Don’t worry though, come October 1st I’ll be baking and cooking up a pumpkin storm. I’ve already been brainstorming.
Right now, we have a comforting autumn banana bread. It’s made with my favorite blend of warming spices commonly found in a steaming cup of chai.
Details
The chai spice mix is key. It really brings the aromas of fall into the kitchen and into the bread.
Before you start the banana bread, make the chai spice mix. It’s a blend of cinnamon, ginger, cardamom, nutmeg, all-spice, cloves, and the tiniest bit of black pepper. You will not need all of the spice blend, just 1-2 tablespoons.
I sometimes mix the remaining spice with sugar and use it like cinnamon sugar. Delicious on buttered toast.
Next, locate some very ripe bananas. Ideally, they should have black spots all over them. These bananas will make the very best banana bread.
Mash up the bananas and then mix them with a little coconut oil, maple syrup, a couple of eggs, and a splash of vanilla. Next, add whole wheat flour, the chai spice, and a dash of salt.
Stir in chocolate chunks or chocolate chips and bake. An hour later your house will smell incredible and you’ll have the prettiest deep golden, chocolate-filled loaf of banana bread.
While the bread bakes, I usually make the maple butter. It’s simply butter and maple whipped together. So easy, but really delicious when spread over a warm piece of bread.
Each bite is filled with sweet chai-spiced cake and melty chocolate. The sweet, creamy butter just adds a specialness that’s fitting for fall days.
Looking for other chai spiced recipes? Here are a few ideas:
Vanilla Chai Pumpkin Latte Cupcakes with Cinnamon Brown Sugar Frosting
Vanilla Chai Pumpkin Cream Cold Brew
Chai Spiced Maple Sugar Cookies with Browned Butter Frosting
White Chocolate Chai Pumpkin Snickerdoodles
Lastly, if you make this Chocolate Chunk Chai Banana Bread be sure to leave a comment and/or give this recipe a rating! Above all, I love to hear from you guys and always do my best to respond to each and every comment. And of course, if you do make this recipe, don’t forget to tag me on Instagram! Looking through the photos of recipes you all have made is my favorite!
Chocolate Chunk Chai Banana Bread
Servings: 1 loaf
Calories Per Serving: 384 kcal
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
Ingredients
Chai Spice
- 4 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 2 teaspoons ground ginger
- 1 teaspoon ground cardamom
- 1/2 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
- 1/2 teaspoon all-spice
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
- 1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper
Banana Bread
- 4 overly ripe bananas, mashed (1 1/4 cup mashed)
- 1/4 cup melted coconut oil
- 1/4 cup pure maple syrup
- 2 eggs
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1 1/2 cups whole wheat pastry flour, or all-purpose flour
- 1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 cup semi-sweet or dark chocolate chunks
Whipple Maple Butter
- 6 tablespoons salted butter
- 1/4 cup maple syrup
Instructions
- 1. To make the chai spice. In a shallow bowl, combine the cinnamon, ginger, cardamom, nutmeg, all-spice, cloves, and pepper. You will not need all of this, save the blend for another use. 2. Preheat the oven to 350° F. Grease a 9×5 inch bread pan.3. In a bowl, stir together the bananas, coconut oil, maple, eggs, and vanilla until combined. Add the flour, baking soda, 1-2 tablespoons chai spice, and salt, mix until just combined. Fold in the chocolate chunks. 4. Spoon the batter into the prepared pan. Bake for 50-60 minutes, or until the center is just set. Remove and let cool slightly. 5. To make the butter, whip together the butter and maple syrup until light and creamy, about 3 minutes using a hand whisk. Spread over the warm bread. Trust me it's delish.
These are heavenly. I had chai spice so I used that versus making my own with the individual spices. I was worried the chai spice would overwhelm the flavor of the bread, but after my first bite, I realized the chai spice is a secret ingredient hero in this recipe. I used extra large chocolate chips but these could easily be omitted and the end result would still be a deliciously moist and flavorful banana bread. The bread was perfection on its own so I did not make the maple butter.
Hey Athina,
Happy Monday!! I truly appreciate you trying this recipe and sharing your feedback, so glad it was enjoyed! xx
Just made this and it’s delicious! So good when it’s still warm with the gooey chocolate. My guys love banana bread and I was nervous they wouldn’t like the addition of the chai spices but they love it. Definitely one I will be baking again and again!
Hey Tasmin,
Happy Sunday! I am so glad to hear that this recipe turned out well for you, thanks a bunch for making it:)
Making this today! How long will the bread stay fresh? Should it last a couple of days? If so I’ll make a few loaves to share with friends 🙂
Hey Leah,
You bet, it’s good for up to 1 week in an airtight container. I hope you love this recipe, please let me know if you give it a try! xx
This was perfect!
Thanks for making this recipe Jamie, so glad to hear it was enjoyed:) xT
Really yummy twist on the classic banana bread. After a bit of research I actually used 2 chai tea packets for the spice ingredients since I didn’t have them individually on hand and it turned out great as well. Bonus points for the chocolate. It all comes together and smells soo good! Thanks!
Hey Leah,
Perfect! So glad to hear this recipe worked well for you, thanks so much for trying it out! xT
I made two loaves today and they are absolutely delicious. I passed on the chocolate chunks because I don’t care for chocolate in my banana bread and I don’t think the recipe suffers for that.
I made one other tweak – I prefer cardamom to cinnamon so I reversed the quantities in the chai spice mixture.
Hey there,
Happy Saturday! Thanks so much for making this bread, I’m so glad to hear it was enjoyed!! xx
Love this recipe! Tastes best straight out of the oven, or warmed up afterwards.
Hey Bethany,
Awesome!! I am so glad to hear that you enjoyed this recipe, thanks for making it! Hope you’re off to a great weekend! xT
This looks DELICIOUS and I’m excited to make it, but I only have two (large) overripe bananas instead of the 4 required. I’ve thought about adding some pumpkin puree to round out the 1.25 cups of fruit. Any thoughts on how else I would need to add to balance (more flour/sugar)? Usually banana bread isn’t too finicky so I think it could work….
Hey Sidney,
That should work just fine for you! I hope you love this recipe, please let me know how it turns out! xx
Tieghan,
Are your baking recipes for high altitude? I’ve recently moved to Boulder and I need to know if I should make HA mods and if so, what are your recommendations? Thank you!
Shanna, I’m only 5 minutes from Boulder and I bake all of Tieghan’s recipes as directed, no adjustments necessary. I believe Tieghan is in Breckenridge.
Hey Shanna,
You can follow all of my recipes as written, no need to adjust anything! I hope you love this recipe, please let me know if you give it a try! xT
would choco chips work for a substitute for choco chunks
Hey Rand,
You bet! I hope you love the recipe!! xx
MADE THIS LAST NIGHT AND IT WAS SOOO GOOD!
Hey Brigette,
Happy Friday!! I am thrilled to hear that this recipe was a hit, thanks a bunch for giving it a go!? xT
This was delicious!! My husband says it’s his new favorite banana bread ? could this recipe be made into muffins?! I’d like to give them to my littles for breakfast or snacks, and think it would be a little easier for them to eat in muffin form. If so, how long should I bake them for?
Hey Joelle,
So glad to hear your family enjoyed this recipe! You could totally make these into muffins, I would reduce your bake time and start checking for doneness at 20-25 minutes. xx
Can vegetable or canola oil be subbed for coconut oil (or any other substitutions for coconut oil)?!
Hi Maddie,
You bet! I hope you love this recipe, please let me know if you have any other questions! xx
Holy Moly, this is FANTASTIC!!
I made it gluten-free by simply using King Arthurs GF Measure for Measure flour.
I did the recipe exactly as is, but simply substituted with the GF Flour.
The bread is outstanding!! My husband told me I have to hide it or he’ll eat the whole thing. So I hid it 😉
Hey Jessica,
Awesome!! So glad to hear that the gluten free flour worked for you, thanks so much for making this recipe! xT
Hi Tieghan! I was hoping you might be able to help me troubleshoot from afar… I made this today and while it smells delicious, unfortunately the loaf is really bitter ?. I checked the expiration date of my baking soda and it’s fine, wondering whether to maybe try again with just one teaspoon? It doesn’t look like anyone else encountered this so I’m sure the proportions are correct, just wondering what I did wrong / what I can adjust next time as I’d love this to work!
I just took my first bite and mine is really bitter too. I came back to make sure I didn’t forget sugar, but it could be something I did wrong. Hoping to troubleshoot!
So sorry to hear this Ashley! Was there anything you adjusted in the recipe or were any of your ingredients expired?
Hi Stephanie,
Thanks for trying the recipe and sorry to hear this! What about your flour? Is it expired? xx
Just made this bread – sooo delicious! This will become a fall staple for me. I never would’ve thought to put chai seasoning in there, but it works so well. Thank you for this recipe!
Hey Danielle,
Perfect!! So glad to hear that this recipe was delicious! Thanks for making it:) xTieghan