Name: Chocolate Chip Banana Bars
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 25 min
Total time: 35 min
Ingredients: 1 cup GF flour (I used Bob's Red Mill 1:1 GF flour); ½ cup super fine blanched almond flour; 1 tsp ground cinnamon; 1 tsp baking soda; ½ tsp baking powder; ¼ tsp salt; 1 cup overripe bananas (mashed (~2 medium bananas)); 2 large eggs; ⅓ cup coconut sugar (packed); ¼ cup coconut oil (melted & cooled); 1 tsp vanilla extract; ⅓ cup chocolate chips + more for topping; ⅓ cup walnuts + more topping

Moist and fluffy Chocolate Chip Banana Bars with crunchy walnuts studded throughout. A deliciously healthy take on the classic banana bread, these banana bars are my latest favorite. Enjoy them crumbled over yogurt at breakfast, as a midday snack, or with a glass of milk for dessert. Truly perfect for any time the sweet tooth strikes!

Two chocolate chip banana bars are stacked on top of more bars. The bars are topped with melty chocolate chips and walnuts.

I used super ripe bananas for these bars, making the texture more moist and adding extra banana-y sweetness. Paired with rich chocolate and nutty walnuts, the flavors of these banana bars are truly delicious!

If you’re looking for more dessert bar options, check out these Chocolate Chip Zucchini Bars. They’re moist, fluffy, and have melty chocolate chips in every bite. Perfect for on-the-go breakfast or a healthy snack!

Sliced chocolate chip banana bars rest on parchment paper. One of the bars is laid on its side to show the fudgy texture.

Ingredients in Healthy Chocolate Chip Banana Bars

Gluten-Free Flour – Using a mixed gluten-free flour blend results in the best texture for gluten-free baking. My favorite brands for this are either Bob’s Red Mill or King Arthur.

Almond Flour – Make sure to use a super fine, blanched almond flour to get the best texture.

Bananas – The riper the bananas, the better! I’ll include some tips below for how to ripen bananas in a pinch.

Eggs – Add structure to these banana bars while baking. If you try a vegan egg substitute, please share your experience in the comments below!

Coconut Sugar – A natural, refined-sugar free sweetener with a slight caramel-esc flavor.

Coconut Oil – A great healthy fat to bake with. Using refined coconut oil adds moisture and structure to the banana bars without giving any coconut flavor.

Chocolate Chips – You can never have too many chocolate chips! I love using semi-sweet or dark chocolate chips in these bars, but you could also opt for a chopped chocolate bar and get bigger chunks of chocolate.

Walnuts – For added flavor, try toasting the walnuts before adding the batter. It brings out the natural oils in the walnuts to heighten their nutty flavor!

How to Make Chocolate Chip Banana Bars

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and line a 8×8” cake pan with parchment paper.
In a small bowl, whisk together the gluten free flour, almond flour, baking soda, baking powder, ground cinnamon, and salt. Set aside.
In a large mixing bowl, combine mashed bananas and eggs. Stir until well combined. Whisk in coconut sugar, melted coconut oil, and vanilla extract. Stir again until smooth.
To the mixing bowl, fold in dry ingredients just until moistened. Fold in chocolate chips and chopped walnuts.
Add batter to the parchment-lined 8”x8” pan and spread in an even layer. Optional: top with extra chocolate chips and chopped walnuts
Move to the oven and bake for 20 – 25 minutes (mine took 23 minutes) or until the cake top is browned, edges are pulling away from the sides of the pan, cake center bounces back, and a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out completely crumb-free.
Let cool completely and enjoy!

Freshly baked banana bars with melty chocolate chips and walnuts. The bars are sliced into squares and rest on parchment paper.

How to Quickly Ripen Bananas

The key to any great banana-baked good is in the ripeness of the bananas. Unfortunately, our baking endeavors don’t always align with the ripeness of the bananas and that’s when we have to take action.

Whether you actually need to ripen the bananas or you just want them extra soft and sweet for baking, this is the trick you need. Preheat the oven to 350F and place the bananas on a baking sheet. Bake in the oven for 10-15 minutes until the peel turns black and they look a little “puffy”. Remove from the oven and let cool before peeling open the bananas.

The result should be a super soft and sweet banana perfect for baking. I swear, the riper the banana, the better these chocolate chip banana bars will be!

A fudgy chocolate chip banana bar rests atop more banana bars.

How to Toast Walnuts

Another flavor hack to make these banana chocolate chip bars even tastier is toasting the walnuts. Toasting nuts release their natural oils which in turn, make the nutty flavor all the more prominent. It only takes a few minutes and will make these banana bars even more delicious!

There are two simple ways to toast walnuts. The first option is stovetop; simply add the walnuts to a saute pan and let toast over medium heat for a few minutes or until fragrant. Make sure to stir them as needed to prevent over-toasting/burning.

The other option is to spread the walnuts on a baking sheet and toast at 350F for 5 – 10 minutes. You’ll know they’re toasting by the wonderful nutty aroma! Once the walnuts have cooled, you can mix them right into the banana bar batter and continue on with the recipe.

A parchment paper lined cutting board is covered with chocolate chip banana bars. The bars have walnuts added for crunch. A small bowl with more chocolate chips sits to the side of the bars.

Healthy Banana Recipes

If you’re looking for more tasty ways to use ripe bananas, you’re in the right place. I love a good banana baked good and have so many recipes for you to try!

Peanut Butter Banana Bread Cake – This fluffy banana cake pairs perfectly with rich chocolate and salty peanut butter frosting. The iconic banana + peanut + chocolate flavor combination gets taken to a whole new level with this banana cake!

Double Chocolate Banana Bread – What’s not to love about chocolate banana bread with chopped peanut butter cups swirled into the batter for warm and gooey pockets of deliciousness in every bite? The extra chocolate cups atop the banana bread add *extra* chocolate peanut butter goodness!

If you try this recipe, please let me know by leaving a comment and rating in the boxes below! I always love to hear from you, and it also helps other people find this recipe when they search online for the BEST EVER Chocolate Chip Banana Bars 🙂