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My Chunky Monkey Banana Bread recipe is moist and tender with an intense banana flavor, sweet chocolate chips, and crunchy walnuts.

We’ve been having a bit of a rainy season here in Southern California, which for me means baking season! Our kitchen has been busy keeping us warm as we bake up delicious favorites like Starbucks Copycat Lemon Loaf and Zucchini Carrot Oatmeal Muffins.

A loaf of just baked chunky monkey banana bread in the pan.

Chunky Monkey Banana Bread

I have always been a bit obsessed with banana bread. We love to customize our banana bread recipe with fun additions like chocolate chips, caramel, and even maraschino cherries. I have a feeling though, that this Chunky Monkey version is going to be the running favorite for years to come. As you may have guessed, it’s based on the popular Ben & Jerry’s Ice Cream flavor!

What’s in Chunky Monkey Ice Cream?

Chunky Monkey Ice Cream is a creamy blend of soft banana ice cream, chocolate chunks, and chopped walnuts. It’s a classic Ben & Jerry’s flavor and one of their most popular and longest running.

A loaf of chunky monkey banana bread sliced.

How To Make Chunky Monkey Banana Bread

  1. Start by preheating your oven to 325 degrees. Prepare a 9-inch loaf pan that’s lined with parchment paper. Just before adding the batter, you’ll want to also spray that with nonstick cooking spray.
  2. Cream together the butter and sugar until it’s light and fluffy. I always use my stand mixer for this, or at least a hand mixer. Unless you want those big arm muscles, I recommend investing in at least a hand mixer if you don’t already have one.
  3. Stir in the eggs one at a time just until they are incorporated into the butter mixture and then add the mashed bananas.
  4. Combine the dry ingredients in a separate bowl so that they are evenly dispersed, then mix the dry with the wet, just until the flour has been incorporated. It’s important to not over-mix because it can make your bread dense and chewy instead of fluffy and tender. Very gently fold in the chocolate chips and walnuts just until they are combined.
  5. Pour the batter into the prepared loaf pan and bake the bread for about an hour. Actual time can vary based on the temperature of your oven, but the top should be golden brown and when you insert a toothpick into the center it should come out clean with a few moist crumbs.

An overhead shot of four slices of chunky monkey banana bread on a cutting board.

What do you eat Banana Bread with?

Banana Bread is totally delicious on its own, but you can take it to the next level and slather it with butter, cream cheese, jam, or even Nutella.

Does Banana Bread need to be refrigerated?

Generally you do not need to refrigerate banana bread. It will hold up quite well on its own sitting on the kitchen counter, stored in a ziploc bag or wrapped with plastic wrap to keep it moist.

Can you make muffins with this Banana Bread recipe?

Absolutely! This Chunky Monkey Banana Bread recipe will make about a dozen muffins. Spray a muffin pan with nonstick cooking spray and fill the cups about 2/3 full and bake for 20-30 minutes. You may want to only add chocolate chips and walnuts to the top of the batter, as they can tend to fall to the bottom of the muffins.

A slice of chunky monkey banana bread surrounded by walnuts and chocolate chips.

More Bread and Muffin Recipes You’ll Love

Recipe
A piece of chocolate chip banana bread

Chunky Monkey Banana Bread

4.86 from 7 votes
My Chunky Monkey Banana Bread recipe is moist and tender with an intense banana flavor, sweet chocolate chips and crunchy walnuts.
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 1 hour
Total Time 1 hour 10 minutes
Servings 8 Slices

Ingredients
  

  • 1 cup granulated sugar
  • 1/2 cup butter (1 stick) room temperature
  • 2 large eggs
  • 3 ripe bananas
  • 1 tablespoon milk
  • 2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 2/3 cup chocolate chips
  • 2/3 cup chopped walnuts
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Instructions
 

  • Preheat oven to 325 degrees F and spray a 9" loaf pan generously with cooking spray or line with parchment paper.
  • Cream together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Stir in eggs one at a time until well combined.
  • In a separate bowl, mash the bananas with a fork. Stir in milk. Add the banana mixture to the butter mixture and stir until combined.
  • In another bowl, sift together the flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt. Add the dry mixture to the wet mixture and still just until combined - do not overmix.
  • Gently fold in chocolate chips and walnuts.
  • Pour batter into the prepared loaf pan. Bake for 1 hour or until golden brown and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
  • Cool in the pan for half an hour before removing and transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.
Keyword banana bread, chunky monkey

Nutrition

Calories: 508kcalCarbohydrates: 71gProtein: 7gFat: 23gSaturated Fat: 10gCholesterol: 74mgSodium: 557mgPotassium: 301mgFiber: 3gSugar: 40gVitamin A: 476IUVitamin C: 4mgCalcium: 67mgIron: 2mg

Nutritional Disclaimer Kristin Maxwell of "Yellow Bliss Road" is not a dietician or nutritionist, and any nutritional information shared is an estimate. For accurate calorie counts and other nutritional values, we recommend running the ingredients through your preferred online nutritional calculator. Calories and other nutritional values can vary depending on which brands were used.

Chunky Monkey Banana Bread recipe photo and title.

Kristin Maxwell

Kristin Maxwell is the creator and main recipe developer, writer, and photographer of Yellow Bliss Road. A self-taught cook and self-appointed foodie, she specializes in easy, flavorful and approachable recipes for any home cook.

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Comments

  1. DeChant says:

    I made this but I put in muffin cups. So good same temp but 35 mins

    1. Kristin says:

      Love the feedback DeChant! Thanks for stopping by.

  2. DeLinda says:

    So good! My new favorite way to use my over ripe bananas. I made a peanut butter cream cheese butter to go with! Awesome!

    1. Kristin says:

      Nice! Thank you so much DeLinda for stopping by. (awesome feedback)

  3. Sylvia Streza says:

    How much of the batter do you put into mini loaf pan’s, and how long do you back the mini’s?

    1. Kristin says:

      You want to fill the mini pans about 3/4 of the way with batter. It will depend on the size of your pans.

  4. La Visa says:

    My family loves this recipe!

    1. Kristin says:

      That’s so Awesome La Visa! So happy that you and your family loved this recipe! and thank you so much for sharing your positive vibes.