Banana brownies are a great way to use up leftover bananas (especially when you’re sick of banana bread!). My recipe uses just one bowl and takes only 15 minutes to prep.
Chocolate Banana Brownies
Burnt out on banana bread? Maybe I can interest you in these banana brownies, instead. This creative way to use up leftover produce yields a brownie with a distinct banana flavor that pairs perfectly with the chocolate. This recipe comes together quickly and easily, and is a great way to avoid banana waste!
Since my kids have become so fickle about their banana consumption (devouring them some weeks, leaving them entirely untouched to turn brown others), I’ve had to get creative with ways to use up browning bananas. Aside from making sourdough banana bread or banana pancakes, my most recent and favorite method has been to toss them into a batch of brownies.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- One bowl recipe that is just as easy to make as a box mix!
- Uses up that lonesome brown banana that nobody wants to eat. While most of my recipes use at least two or three bananas, this is perfect for those situations when you only have one lonely leftover!
- Can handle some nuts (toasted pecans would be amazing) or peanut butter chips if you are feeling a bit adventurous.
- Chocolate and banana are a perfect match! You’ll know this if you’ve tried my chocolate banana bread 💛
Ingredients
You need just 10 ingredients to make these banana brownies. Let’s go over a few before we begin.
- Bananas. Like most banana recipes, these banana brownies are perfect for using up brown, spotty bananas. Really the riper the better–that’s where the most flavor is! I find I typically need to use just one banana to get ½ cup.
- Chocolate. I melt a semisweet chocolate bar for the brownie batter itself and use semisweet chips later on. You could use chips for both though; I provide instructions for this in the recipe notes below.
- Cocoa powder. While you could technically use either dutch process or natural cocoa in this recipe, I like the flavor of natural cocoa here best.
- Eggs. Use room temperature eggs for the easiest mixing. If you forget to set yours out ahead of time, use my trick to quickly bring eggs to room temperature.
SAM’S TIP: Peanut butter chips would be a tasty substitution for the semi-sweet chips we stir in at the end.
Remember, this is just an overview of the ingredients I used and why. For the full recipe please scroll down to the bottom of the post!
How to Make Banana Brownies
- Melt the chocolate and butter together, then stir in the cocoa powder and whisk until smooth. Adding the cocoa powder while the butter and chocolate are still hot will help to enhance its flavor; this technique is called “blooming” the cocoa.
- Stir in the remaining wet ingredients and salt until the batter is cohesive.
- Add the flour, then stir in the chocolate chips. I reserve some of my chocolate chips for sprinkling on top of the batter after I spread it in the pan.
- Bake until a toothpick shows fudgy crumbs, then let cool completely before slicing and enjoying.
SAM’S TIP: If you like crinkly brownie tops, mix the wet ingredients together (particularly the eggs) really well. This helps to create a meringue -like top layer on the brownies.
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes! If you need even more banana brownies (or have two bananas to use up), you can double the recipe and use a 9×13″ pan. Your bake time may be different though.
Yes! Pecans would be a great choice (I use them in my banana nut muffins), but walnuts, peanuts, or really any nut you enjoy would work! I’d recommend adding no more than ¾ cup, and you can stir them in with the chocolate chips.
Banana brownies don’t cut as cleanly as most of my other brownies. If you want clean lines, then make sure to let them cool completely (they fall apart if cut into warm). When they are cool, run your knife under very hot water and wipe it dry before cutting. All that being said, these are deliriously delicious warm so don’t let the messy cuts deter you too much!
For more fun brownie variations check out my Oreo brownies or rocky road brownies!
Enjoy!
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Banana Brownies
Banana brownies are a great way to use up leftover bananas (especially when you’re sick of banana bread!). My recipe uses just one bowl and takes only 15 minutes to prep.
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Servings: 12 servings
Calories: 337kcal
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Instructions
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Preheat oven to 350F (175C) and line a 9×9” square baking pan with parchment paper. Set aside.
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In a large microwave-safe mixing bowl, combine butter and chopped chocolate and heat in the microwave in 10-second intervals, stirring well in between, until butter and chocolate are completely melted and mixture is smooth.
10 Tablespoons (141 g) unsalted butter, 4 oz (113 g) semi-sweet chocolate
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Add cocoa powder and whisk until smooth.
½ cup (50 g) natural cocoa powder
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Add sugar, mashed banana, eggs, vanilla and salt and stir until well combined.
1 ¼ cups (250 g) granulated sugar, ½ cup (123 g) mashed banana, 2 large eggs, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract, ½ teaspoon table salt
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Stir in flour, mixing until combined. Add chocolate chips, reserving a few for the top if desired, and stir until chips are evenly distributed through the batter.
⅔ cup (83 g) all-purpose flour, ¾ cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
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Spread batter evenly into prepared baking pan and scatter reserved chocolate chips over the top of the brownies.
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Transfer to center rack of 350F (175C) oven and bake for 30-33 minutes and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean or with moist fudgy crumbs (not wet batter)..
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Allow to cool completely in pan before slicing and enjoying (they tend to fall apart when still warm!).
Notes
Chocolate
I like to use a semisweet chocolate bar, but if you prefer to use chocolate chips you will need ⅔ cup of chocolate chips.
Baking pan
If using a glass baking dish note the brownies will take longer than indicated to bake completely.
Storing
Store covered or in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days.
Nutrition
Serving: 1serving | Calories: 337kcal | Carbohydrates: 41g | Protein: 4g | Fat: 19g | Saturated Fat: 11g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 5g | Trans Fat: 0.4g | Cholesterol: 54mg | Sodium: 112mg | Potassium: 227mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 30g | Vitamin A: 348IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 26mg | Iron: 2mg
Nutritional information is based on third-party calculations and should be considered an estimate only. Actual nutritional content will vary based upon brands used, measuring methods, cooking method, portion sizes, and more.
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