This moist delicious quick bread has twice the protein and fiber as most banana bread. One of the best uses ever for overripe bananas! JUMP TO RECIPE
Quick breads are no-yeast breads that can be made in a wide variety of sweet and savory flavors. These easy-to-make loaves are not only super-fast to make, as the name implies, but are a lot less finicky than bread made with yeast because you don’t need to be concerned about proofing the yeast (a process whereby you test the yeast ahead of time to make sure it’s active/alive) or whether you have the right climate for your bread to rise properly. Banana bread is by far the most popular in the quick bread category but most recipes you’ll come across call for all-purpose flour and refined sugar. This recipe for Chickpea Chocolate Chip Banana Bread is a bit healthier. It swaps out all-purpose flour for gluten-free, protein and fiber rich chickpea flour, uses coconut sugar in place of a refined sweetener, and throws in some dark chocolate chips to make it even more decadent. If you’re like me, and you stopped making banana bread once you decided to cut back on gluten and refined sugar, you can say HELLO to banana bread again! This rendition of traditional banana bread is every bit as tasty as any you’ve ever had – I promise!
The term “healthy” is vague and gets thrown around a lot these days. The fact is, “healthy” can mean different things to different people. When I use the term “healthy” in my blog posts I admit, I’m using it loosely, but always in relative terms. That is, I attempt to highlight when a particular food/dish/recipe is “healthy” relative to what one might normally consume in its place. So, is a slice of Chickpea Chocolate Chip Banana Bread healthy compared to a plate of broccoli? Of course not! But compared to conventionally made banana bread, a slice of this moist delicious treat has at least twice the protein and fiber! That’s quite a big nutritional difference with very little sacrifice in taste.
This recipe is a fantastic use for all of your overripe bananas. As bananas ripen, their starches turn to sugars so the riper bananas are, the sweeter they are, which makes them perfect for baking. If you have a bunch of overripe bananas but no time to bake, simply peel them, wrap them individually in plastic wrap, and store them in a zip-lock bag in the freezer. Frozen bananas defrost quickly, so with a stash of perfectly ripe bananas in your freezer you can make Chickpea Chocolate Chip Banana Bread any time. Conversely, if you find yourself craving banana bread without bananas that are ripe enough, read this article for some creative tips on how to speed up the ripening process.
Check out these other recipes which also use overripe bananas as their key ingredient: Dark Chocolate Avocado Banana Brownies, Healthy Banana Fudge Cakes, and Banana Cashew Blender Cake.
If you make Chickpea Chocolate Chip Banana Bread don’t forget to snap a pic and tag me over on Instagram @QueenofMyKitchen. I’d love to see your creation!
- 1½ cups (180 grams/6.3 ounces) chickpea flour (also known as garbanzo bean flour)
- ½ cup coconut sugar
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 2 eggs
- 1½ cups (7½-8 ounces) well mashed bananas from 2 or 3 overripe bananas
- 3 tablespoons avocado oil
- 3 tablespoons butter, melted and cooled
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- ⅔ (4 ounces) cup dark chocolate chips
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and line a 9 x 5-inch loaf pan with parchment paper so that it’s overhanging slightly on the long sides. Spray liberally with cooking spray and set aside.
- In a large mixing bowl whisk together to chickpea flour, coconut sugar, baking powder, and cinnamon. Add the eggs, mashed bananas, avocado oil, butter, and vanilla. Stir until smooth. Set aside some of the chocolate chips (about 1 ounce or 20-25 chips). Fold in the remaining chocolate chips and arrange the reserved chips decoratively on top.
- Transfer the batter to the prepared loaf pan and bake in the bottom third of the oven for 50-60 minutes until golden brown on the top and a toothpick inserted into the center of the loaf comes out clean.
- Let cool completely before removing from the pan and cutting into slices.
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