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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.
Loved this! I subbed browned butter for the coconut oil and brown sugar for the maple syrup because that was what I had. The bread is so good. Subtly sweet and very fall. I only put in around 1/2 cup of chocolate chips bc that was all I had, but I thought that amount was perfect!
Hi Christine,
Perfect! I appreciate you making this recipe and sharing your feedback, I am so glad it was a hit! xx
Great base of ingredients and instructions! Made with whole wheat flour, added walnuts. Did not have all spice so tossed 1 tsp turmeric with spice mix and increased cardio man. Substituted choco chips for keto dark chocolate with almond and sea salt. Shared with neighbors, all declared yummy yet ‘healthy’ all things considered.
Hey Lilly,
Happy Monday!! I am delighted to hear that this recipe was tasty for you! Thanks for making it:) xx
I’m usually not a fan of banana bread but I loved this recipe. Super yummy and pretty easy!
Do you have a suggestion about how to reheat these after baking? Microwave vs oven?
Hey BreAnna,
Awesome! I am so glad to hear that this recipe was tasty for you, thanks for making it! I typically don’t reheat my banana bread, but I would just pop a slice in the microwave. Hope you’re off to a great weekend! xx
This is so good! I saw the recipe and knew I had to try it. I’m so glad I did! Spices are super well balanced, pleasantly sweet even though the added-sugar is reasonable. Yum! Perfect with a cup of chamomile on a cold fall night! I used Namaste cup for cup organic gluten free flour because we’ve got a lot of gluten allergies at our house and it worked perfectly 🙂
Hey Hadley,
Thanks so much for your feedback and making this bread. I’m so glad the gluten free flour worked well for you! Have a great weekend! xx
First time trying your recipe and was really happy with the results! Surprisingly I had all the ingredients I needed for the chai mixture in my spice cabinet-win! I was expecting a something a little sweeter, but I would also call that a win too, so I don’t have as much guilt consuming 1/4 of the loaf at 1 go! Yummy fall banana bread twist-thanks!
Hi Emily,
Awesome!! I am so glad to hear that this recipe was enjoyed and appreciate you giving it a try! Have a great Thursday:)
My husband liked this recipe. I felt the the bread wasn’t sweet enough or have a strong enough banana flavor for me. With the maple butter it was better but I think I would want to add another banana next time? Maybe some more maple syrup? I do appreciate a recipe with no refined sugar for sure! And the bread achieved a lot of height. I was happy to see how it puffed up.
Hey Sara,
Wonderful!! I love to hear that this recipe was a winner, thanks so much for making it and sharing your review! Sure, you could do another banana. xT
This turned out great for me! The only thing I did different was using avocado oil instead of coconut oil. I used 1.5 tablespoons of of chai spice, but next time I make it I think I’ll use two!
Hi there,
Wonderful!! So glad to hear that this recipe was enjoyed, thanks so much for making it! xT
Made two loaves, one for home and one for friends–they’re delicious. I definitely went heavy on the chai spice as it is my favorite, and it did not disappoint. The perfect combination of sweet and spice. Plus, whole wheat flour and bananas always give a “healthy” vibe.
I don’t think I’ve ever made a recipe from this site that wasn’t a hit. Thank you for all you do!
Hey Cait,
Thanks so much for your kind message and making so many recipes:) I love to hear this was a hit! Happy Wednesday! xT
Hey Tieghan,
Is this recipe made for high altitude baking or sea level? I just moved to a town with an elevation of 5,500ft & I’m struggling to find good recipes that will work for me. Or alternatively how to convert all of my favorite recipes so they don’t collapse on me! Thank you!
Hi Allison,
You can follow this recipe as written:) I don’t ever adjust recipes for the altitude. I always cook/bake as if I was at sea level. When baking, I always under-bake by a few minutes and I find this “fixes” most issues that can be caused from the altitude. I hope this helps! xx
Delicious! Subbed flour for 1 to 1 gluten free flour and they came out fantastic! The Chai spice makes it so warm and cozy. Perfect with coffee 🙂
Hi Kylie,
Happy Wednesday! I love to hear that this recipe was tasty for you, thanks so much for making it!
If I wanted to do muffins instead of a loaf, what would you suggest I reduce the cook time to? 20 mins??
Hi Aimee,
Yes, I would start checking for doneness at 20 minutes! I hope you love this recipe! xT
Could you use pumpkin or applesauce in place of bananas if you don’t have any on hand?
Hi Ashley,
Sure, that should work well for you! I hope this recipe turns out amazing, please let me know if you have any other questions! xx
This was amazing! I served it as a dessert because it was so rich!
Hi Mary Ann,
Thanks so much for making this bread! I love to hear that it was enjoyed:) Happy Tuesday!
Don’t skip the maple butter. It truly makes this even more delicious.
Thanks so much Kori!
Delicious! used all the spice and made gluten free by using 1 cup almond flour and 1/2 cup brown rice flour…and added 1/4 cup almond milk for extra liquid:):) and yes not a strong banana flavor and my bananas were ripe with brown spots as you recommended…may do again and throw in an extra banana:):)
Hi Kara,
Awesome!! I love to hear that this recipe turned out well for you, thanks for making it! xx
Nice fall bread recipe with the spices. However, the banana flavor was mild/overpowered by the chocolate.
Hi there,
Thanks for making this bread and sharing your feedback! Sorry to hear you didn’t get much banana flavor! You might like this recipe better:
https://www.halfbakedharvest.com/chocolate-chunk-coconut-banana-bread/
Happy Monday! xx
Followed everything exactly and it came out delicious! Maple butter is amazing with it. My kiddo hates bananas but loved this! Wonderful fall bread, thanks Tieghan!
Hey Shannon,
Fantastic!! Thanks a lot for making this recipe! I love to hear that it was a hit! xTieghan