Gluten-free Chocolate Chunk Banana Bread

Gluten-free Chocolate Chunk Banana Bread
gluten-free | dairy-free option | tree nut free | refined sugar free
by Alexa Lehr | The Pioneer Chicks | April 17, 2025
This post may contain affiliate links. See our Disclosure for more information.

My dad does not eat fruit… and that includes bananas. But if there’s one way I can get him to eat bananas, it’s when they are hidden in this beautiful loaf of soft banana bread that is also loaded with pockets of melted chocolate! Warm, soft, perfectly sweet, and bursting with flavor… this banana bread is everything a classic banana bread should be, but without the gluten or the dairy. Now you have the perfect recipe for that bunch of quickly-ripening bananas sitting in your homestead kitchen, and it’s one that modern pioneers of all ages will love!

Modern Pioneer Recipe

While making homemade bread is certainly a pioneer skill, I still consider this banana bread to be a modern pioneer recipe. Bananas wouldn’t have been a common food to find out on the American frontier. Nonetheless, bananas are one of my favorite fruits so I am thankful we have access to them and I can use them in my baking in my modern pioneer kitchen! You will love this modern pioneer recipe for several reasons:

Allergy-friendly– This gluten-free chocolate chunk banana bread is not only free from gluten, but it is also free from other common allergen foods. Even if you have dietary restrictions, you can still enjoy a slice of warm banana bread! This recipe is…

• gluten-free
• dairy-free
• tree nut free
• coconut free
• refined sugar free
• corn free

Need a banana bread recipe that is grain-free? Check out my grain-free chocolate chip banana bread recipe!

Super Simple– There’s nothing complicated about this banana bread recipe. It’s almost a one-bowl recipe if you didn’t have to mash the bananas in a seperate bowl before adding them to the batter. Regardless, you will find that you can whip up this bread in just minutes. The longest part is waiting for the loaf to bake!

Prevents Food Waste– Overly ripe bananas are not the best for munching on, they don’t usually slice well to add to cereal or oatmeal, and they don’t generally work well in smoothies either. So what options do you have left? Baking with them! Some recipes need fairly firm bananas, but for banana bread, the bananas can be various levels of ripeness without affecting the recipe results significantly! Instead of throwing out those over-ripe bananas…. make a batch of banana bread!

Tips for Baking with Bananas

Bananas are such a versatile fruit to bake with. They can be used in breads, cakes, cupcakes, cookies, muffins… you get the idea. In most cases, a recipe will call for bananas with a certain ripeness, so it’s helpful to know how to evaluate the ripeness of your bananas.

Here are some guidelines to follow when figuring out what level of ripeness your bananas are at:

• unripe– green peels, very firm
• eating ripeness– yellow peel, firm
• ripe– yellow peel with a few brown specks, firm
• very ripe– yellow peel 50% covered in brown speckles, soft
• overly ripe– brown peel, very soft

The ripeness of the bananas will affect the consistency of the batter you are baking the bananas in. Ripe bananas can easily be mashed, but they don’t have as much moisture content as very ripe or overly ripe bananas. For this banana bread recipe, you can use bananas ranging from ripe to overly ripe. Here’s how to adjust the recipe as needed based on the bananas you use:

• ripe bananas– follow the recipe as is
• very ripe bananas– follow the recipe as is but if the batter seems too moist, add 1-2 tablespoons of additional gluten-free flour
• overly ripe bananas– add 2-3 tablespoons of gluten-free flour to prevent the banana bread from sinking after it has risen and baked

A few other delicious banana recipes that you might want to check out include these gluten-free banana pancakes or these grain-free banana muffins!

Recipe Questions

How mashed should the bananas be?

The bananas should be thoroughly mashed and almost like a puree. I like to use a fork to mash the bananes thoroughly in a shallow bowl. Leaving chunks of banana may affect the consistency of the batter since the chunks of banana won’t add as much moisture to the batter. They may also brown in the bread once it is sliced.

Have some leftover mashed banana? Make the banana cookie recipe in The Pioneer Chicks Cookie Cookbook to help use up those leftovers!

What is the correct batter consistency for this banana bread?

The batter consistency for this banana bread should be thick but still pourable. It should almost be like a thick pancake batter. The batter should fall off your spatula when you scoop it but it should not be runny. If the batter seems too thick and you can’t pour it into the bread pan, add a few tablespoons of water until the batter it the correct consistency. If the batter seems too thin, add a few tablespoons of additional gluten-free flour.

Can I make this banana bread egg-free?

I have not tried making this banana bread egg-free. Gluten-free baked products benefit greatly from the additional protein added by eggs in a recipe. The eggs can help give the bread lift when it rises and prevents the bread from being too crumbly when sliced.

How can I tell if the banana bread is done?

The banana bread should be richly browned on the top. The center of the loaf should be set and should have risen nicely. You can also use a cake tester to poke into the center of the loaf, if the tester comes out with moist batter on it, then the bread needs to bake for longer. However, it can be tricky to tell the difference between unbaked batter and melted chocolate on the cake tester.

Can I use chocolate chips instead of chopped baking chocolate?

Yes! You can easily just use chocolate chips instead of chopping up a baking chocolate bar. The pockets of melted chocolate won’t be as big in the bread, but you will still have bursts of warm, melty chocolate chips in every slice. To keep the bread allergy-friendly, I recommend Enjoy Life chocolate chips or dark chocolate mega chunks. For baking chocolate, I like to use Lily’s Sweets baking chocolate bars. They are also refined sugar free!

NOTE: If baking with chopped chocolate bar, it is best to slice the banana bread while it is still warm. Slice up the whole loaf after it has cooled for 20-40 minutes. Once the chocolate chunks in the banana bread cool completely, it can be hard to get pretty slices of banana bread unless you have a very sharp knife.

This gluten-free chocolate chunk banana bread will quickly become a staple on your homestead! It is the perfect solution for overripe bananas that doesn’t take a lot of time to make.

Where to Find the Ingredients:

• King Arthur gluten-free all-purpose flour
• Chosen Foods avocado oil
• 100% pure maple syrup
• Madhava coconut sugar
• Lily’s Sweets chocolate baking bar
• Redmond real salt
• Simply Organic cinnamon
• Supplies: 9×5″ loaf pan, unbleached parchment paper

This gluten-free chocolate chunk banana bread is perfectly soft, moist, sweet, and bursting with chunks of melted chocolate! Whether you’re looking for a reliable banana bread recipe that is gluten-free, or simply needing a solution for those overripe bananas sitting on your counter… this recipe is the perfect solution for either scenario. A slice of this sweet, flavorful banana bread is perfect to accompany breakfast, be enjoyed as a mid-morning snack, or even used as an after-lunch dessert!

Don’t miss any of our other delicious modern pioneer recipes! Join our modern pioneer newsletter community so you can get more recipes straight from our chuckwagon!