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These dessert bars are so fun! With the sweet flavor of banana bread and the texture of super fudgy brownies, this recipe is a delicious combination of two classic favorites. These banana bread brownies are quick and easy to make any day of the week — and easily customizable to the ingredients you already have on hand too!
With a few new projects in the works and taking up much of my spare time recently, I fell into the bad habit of ignoring the state of my desk. Up until last week, a precarious stack of notebooks sat one side, a messy pile of papers on the other, and multiple receipts lay scattered in between. As someone who’s typically very organized and a bit of a neat freak, it started to drive me nuts!
So this past weekend, I finally tackled all of those stacks. The notebooks found their way to a shelf, the papers tucked themselves away into binders, and the receipts slipped inside of folders. I even dusted off the desk, one of my least favorite chores….
It feels like spring here with temperatures consistently near (or above!) 70°F for the past two weeks, so that must have been my motivation for cleaning!
My mom must have felt the same inspiration from the warm sunshine because she took charge of the kitchen while I slowly moved through cleaning the rest of my office. She wiped lingering flour spills from the countertops, put away the clean dishes from the drying rack, and placed my photography props back on their shelves.
While she whirled about, Mom discovered a bunch of very ripe and speckly bananas tucked away next to the toaster. Although tempted to bake banana bread, I decided to make something else — something with a little more chocolate — as a thank you to Mom for helping me. (I inherited my chocoholism from her — she was a huge inspiration for my Healthier Chocolate Treats cookbook!)
So I baked these healthy chocolate chip banana bread brownies instead! They have the same familiar flavor as banana bread, warm and sweet and fruity, but the extremely fudgy texture of my favorite brownies. It’s quite a fun combination, and when my dad told me he took in a few to share with people at the office, he reported that they all raved about these treats.
Knowing the people my dad works with, that’s quite a compliment!
HOW TO MAKE HEALTHY BANANA BREAD BROWNIES
Let’s talk about how to make the best banana bread brownies!
This easy recipe begins with white whole wheat flour. I know its name sounds a little strange… But white whole wheat flour is made by finely grinding a special type of white wheat, whereas regular whole wheat flour comes from a heartier type of red wheat. This gives white whole wheat flour a lighter taste and texture, similar to that of all-purpose flour, which makes both the banana flavor and fudgy texture of these “brownies” really shine! Even better, white whole wheat flour still has all of the same health benefits of regular whole wheat flour. How’s that for a perfect combination?
Note: Whole wheat pastry flour would be the perfect substitute! If you’d like to make your healthy banana bread brownies gluten-free, then check the Notes section of the recipe. I’ve included my gluten-free recommendations there!
Many typical banana bread or brownie recipes call for ½ cup or more of oil and a couple of eggs. Yikes! However… These sweet treats only contain 1½ tablespoons of coconut oil and absolutely no eggs! The rest of their fudgy texture comes from two key ingredients: mashed banana and Greek yogurt. Yes, the mashed banana provides both flavor and texture! It also replaces the eggs in this recipe, so it’s perfectly safe to eat the batter raw. (Not that I tried or anything…)
As for Greek yogurt, it’s one of my favorite ingredients in healthier baking! It provides the same moisture as extra oil or butter for a fraction of the calories, and it gives your healthy chocolate chip banana bread brownies a protein boost too.
Tip: For a vegan version of these healthy chocolate chip banana bread brownies, substitute additional mashed banana for the Greek yogurt! Or if your bananas are extremely large and you end up with more than ¾ cup of mashed banana, you can add the extra in place of the same amount of the Greek yogurt. This recipe is very forgiving and easily adaptable to what you have on hand!
To give these fruity brownies a little more sweetness than what’s simply in the bananas, you’ll use one of my favorite ingredients: liquid stevia. Stevia is a plant-based, no-calorie sweetener that’s clean eating friendly, and it’s very concentrated. A little goes a long way! I buy this one because I love its sweet flavor and don’t notice any strange aftertastes like with some other brands, and you can find it in many health-oriented stores. However, I’ve found the cheapest price is online here! (You’ll use it in all of these recipes of mine, too!)
Note: Many stevia brands and products have different sweetness levels, so they’re not necessarily 1-for-1 substitutes for each other. For the best results, I highly recommend using the same liquid stevia that I do!
And finally, the most important part… (Well, at least to a chocoholic like me!) You’ll use miniature chocolate chips for this recipe because their smaller size ensures that every bite contains at least a morsel of chocolate. I love these ones because they melt really well, and when chocolate is warm and gooey straight from the oven…
It’s just so hard to resist! 😉 And when you make your own, remember to snap a picture and share it on Instagram using #amyshealthybaking and tagging @amyshealthybaking IN the photo itself! (That guarantees I’ll see your picture! 🙂 ) I’d love to see your healthy chocolate chip banana bread brownies!
Healthy Chocolate Chip Banana Bread Brownies
© Amy's Healthy Baking
Yields: 16 brownies
These sweet treats have the same familiar flavors as banana bread but the extra fudgy texture of brownies. It’s such an irresistible combination, especially when you add in the chocolate chips! Leftovers will stay fresh for at least 5 days if stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator.
5 from 10 votes
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Ingredients
- 1 ¼ cups (150g) white whole wheat flour or gluten-free* flour (measured like this)
- 1 tsp baking powder
- ¼ tsp salt
- 1 ½ tbsp (21g) coconut oil or unsalted butter, melted
- ¾ cup (195g) mashed banana (about 2 large – and see Notes!)
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- ½ cup (120g) plain nonfat Greek yogurt (see Notes!)
- ¾ tsp liquid stevia (see Notes!)
- 2 tbsp (30mL) nonfat milk
- 3 tbsp (42g) miniature chocolate chips, divided
Instructions
Preheat the oven to 300°F, and lightly coat a 9”-square pan with nonstick cooking spray.
In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt. In a separate bowl, stir together the coconut oil, mashed banana, and vanilla. Mix in the Greek yogurt, stirring until no large lumps remain.* Mix in the stevia and milk. Add in the flour mixture, stirring just until incorporated. Fold in 2 ½ tablespoons of chocolate chips.
Spread the batter into the prepared pan, and sprinkle the remaining chocolate chips on top. Bake at 300°F for 17-20 minutes. Cool completely to room temperature in the pan, and let the brownies rest for an additional 3+ hours before slicing for the fudgiest texture.
Notes
IMPORTANT MEASURING NOTE – READ BEFORE BEGINNING: It’s extremely important to measure the flour correctly using this method or a kitchen scale. (← That’s the one I own and love!) Too much of will make your brownies cakey, bready, or dry, instead of moist and fudgy.
IMPORTANT BANANA NOTES – READ BEFORE BEGINNING: Use the ripest, most speckled bananas you can find! Ones that are almost purely brown or black are the best. They have a stronger, sweeter flavor and yield a fudgier brownie texture.
Measure the mashed banana by grams or tablespoons — not by “2 large bananas.” Not all large bananas are the exact same size, which often affects both the taste and texture of your brownies.
The combined amount of mashed banana and Greek yogurt should equal 1 ¼ cup. If you have slightly more than ¾ cup mashed banana, you can substitute some of the extra for some of the Greek yogurt, and vice versa.
IMPORTANT MIXING NOTES – READ BEFORE BEGINNING: Do not use a stand mixer or hand-held electric mixer! Use a whisk where explicitly instructed, and use a fork for everything else.
IMPORTANT STEP 2 NOTE – READ BEFORE BEGINNING: If the coconut oil or butter re-solidifies upon adding the Greek yogurt, microwave the mixture for 8-12 seconds to re-melt it (ONLY if your bowl is microwave safe!).
IMPORTANT BAKING NOTES – READ BEFORE BEGINNING: The brownies are ready to come out of the oven when the edges look firm but the center still looks glossy and underdone! The heat from the pan continues to cook the center while they cool. If the edges of the brownies pull away from the edges of your baking pan within 10 minutes of pulling them out of the oven, then you’ve baked them for long enough!
If you’re too impatient to wait for 3+ hours once your brownies are at room temperature, then you can stick the pan in the refrigerator for 1-2 hours after they’ve reached room temperature to speed up the process. (The brownies turn fudgier the longer they're allowed to rest. If you cut into them sooner, they'll be more cakey than fugdy.)
FLOUR ALTERNATIVES: Whole wheat pastry flour or all-purpose flour may be substituted for the white whole wheat flour. In a pinch, regular whole wheat flour will work, but the brownies will have a slight "wheat-y" flavor that may mask some of the banana flavor.
COCONUT OIL / BUTTER ALTERNATIVES + NOTE: Stick-style vegan butter may be substituted for the coconut oil or unsalted butter. For stick-style vegan butter, I really like this one and this one. (← I was surprised by how well that one melted in the microwave. It didn’t splatter or pop at all like some other brands do!)
I do not recommend substituting additional mashed banana for the coconut oil or butter. That will give your brownies a more bready or dry texture.
STEVIA NOTES + ALTERNATIVES:I highly recommend using the liquid stevia! It’s one of my favorite ingredients, and you’ll use it in all of these recipes of mine too. Many stevia brands and products have different sweetness levels, so they're not necessarily 1-for-1 substitutes for each other. For the best results, I recommend using the same one I do. I buy it online here because that’s the cheapest price I’ve found.
If you prefer, 2 ¼ teaspoons of this powdered stevia may be substituted in place of the liquid stevia. Another option is 6 tablespoons of this granular stevia or this granulated sucralose (← those two granular products dissolve down into next to nothing, which is why you can get away with substituting larger amounts of them for the liquid stevia!).
You can also substitute ¼ cup (48g) of coconut sugar, light brown sugar, or coconut sugar in place of the liquid stevia AND milk.
If substituting a different "classical" liquid sweetener (ie honey, pure maple syrup, etc.), you’ll need 5-6 tablespoons, and the baking time and texture will be different because of the added liquid volume.
MILK ALTERNATIVES: Any milk may be substituted in place of the nonfat milk.
EGG-FREE OPTION: No modifications needed!
GLUTEN-FREE OPTION: For the gluten-free flour, use as follows: ¾ cup (90g) millet flour, ¼ cup (30g) tapioca flour, ¼ cup (30g) brown rice flour, and ¾ teaspoon xanthan gum. Many store-bought gluten-free flour blends (I like this one from Bob's Red Mill) should work as well, if measured like this.
VEGAN + DAIRY-FREE OPTION: Use the coconut oil option or stick-style vegan butter (I like this one and this one), your favorite non-dairy yogurt (ie soy-based, almond-based, coconut-based, etc) OR additional mashed banana in place of the Greek yogurt, your favorite dairy-free milk in place of the nonfat milk, and vegan-friendly miniature chocolate chips (these are my favorite!).
HOW TO STORE: Store leftover brownies in an airtight container in the refrigerator. They should keep for at least five days, if not longer. They freeze and thaw well too!
{gluten-free, egg-free, dairy-free option, vegan option, clean eating, low fat, low calorie, lower sugar}
DID YOU MAKE THIS RECIPE?I'd love to hear what you think of it in a comment below! If you take a picture, tag @amys.healthy.baking on Instagram or use the hashtag #amyshealthybaking.
View Nutrition Information + Weight Watchers Points
You may also like Amy’s other recipes…
♡Peanut Butter Banana Bread Brownies
♡Banana Chocolate Chip Cookies
♡Banana Cupcakes with Chocolate Frosting
♡Banana Cake with Fudgy Chocolate Peanut Butter Frosting
♡Chocolate Chip Banana Oatmeal Cookies
♡Chocolate Chip Banana Bread
♡…and the rest of Amy’s healthy banana recipes and healthy dessert bar recipes!
