Banana Brownies

This easy recipe for Banana Brownies combines two favorite flavors and is the perfect way to use up those ripe bananas!

Banana brownies with chocolate chips.
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🔎 A quick look at this recipe

  • What It Is: Rich chocolate brownies infused with ripe bananas and melty chocolate chips.
  • Prep Time: 15 minutes
  • Cook Time: 45 minutes
  • Total Time: 1 hour
  • Servings: 16 brownies
  • Calories: 200 calories
  • Cooking Method: Oven
  • Good For: Using up overripe bananas, Potlucks and bake sales, Lunchbox treats, Casual family desserts.

Get even more quick info about this recipe on…

⭐️Why this recipe works

This easy recipe for banana brownies was born out of the fact that somehow there are always, always, ALWAYS brown and smooshy brownies on my kitchen counter.

These Banana Brownies are a mashup of rich chocolate brownies and ripe banana bread, designed to turn those overripe bananas into the perfect dessert or snack.

The brownies are moist, tender, and chocolatey, with just enough banana flavor to make people start wondering what you put in those brownies to make them so addictively delicious.

This recipe is simple, scrumptious and the answer to all your elderly banana issues! 🤩

Ingredients you need 🍌

Ingredients needed to make banana brownies.

See the recipe card for full information on ingredients and quantities and nutritional information.

Ingredient notes and substitutions 📝

  • Bananas: You need about a cup of mashed bananas, which is about 2 medium sized ones (nice and ripe!). Don’t worry if it isn’t totally exact.
  • Cocoa Powder: You are needing unsweetened cocoa powder, which you can find in the baking aisle (not to be confused with powdered hot cocoa).
  • Chocolate Chips: The mini ones work the best to hold these tender brownies together. They are also in the baking aisle.

💡 Ingredient substitution ideas

Missing something or want to swap in something different? Check out the links below to find more ingredient substitution ideas. 👇🏻

👩🏻‍🍳 How to make this recipe

Step 1: Preheat your oven to 350 F and grease and line an 8×8-inch square pan with parchment paper. (The parchment paper is going to make getting the brownies out of the pan So Much Easier!)

Butter and banana mixture in a mixing bowl.

Step 2: Put ¾ cup of melted butter, 1 ½ cups of sugar, 2 eggs, a teaspoon of vanilla extract, and 2 ripe mashed bananas in a mixing bowl and whisk whisk whisk until they are all combined.

Cocoa and flour mixture in a bowl.

Step 3: Take another mixing bowl and whisk together ¼ cup of unsweetened cocoa powder, 3/4 cup of flour, ¼ teaspoon of salt, and ½ teaspoon of baking powder.

Brownie batter in a mixing bowl.

Step 4: Fold the flour mixture into the bowl with the butter mixture with your handy spatula until they are all mixed together.

Banana brownie batter ready for the oven.

Step 5: Fold in the mini chocolate chips.

Banana brownies on a wooden counter.

Step 6: Scrape the batter into the baking pan and bake it up for 45 minutes or until a toothpick poked into the center of the brownies comes out clean.

Cool the brownies in the pan for about 15 minutes before moving them to a wire rack to cool completely – you should be able to slide a big spatula right under the parchment paper, or if you have parchment paper coming up out of the sides of the pan, lift it out that way.  Seriously…cool ‘em completely, or they won’t cut obediently.

Slice into 16 squares and serve them up!

🧐 Recipe FAQs

Can I use regular size chocolate chips instead of mini ones?

These brownies are pretty moist (yum!) to begin with because of all that delightful banana, so mini chocolate chips help them hold together better than the regular sized ones.

How can I cool these brownies fast?

I know, the waiting is the hardest part! Put them on a cooling rack and in your fridge for 30 minutes and that should speed things up.

What is cocoa powder and where do I find it?

Cocoa powder is made of cocoa beans (otherwise known as where chocolate comes from!) that are dried and ground into a fine powder. It is not sweetened…that chocolate bar you know and love has sugar added in to get that sweet chocolate taste. You can find cocoa powder near the chocolate chips in the baking aisle of your supermarket.

Have a question that I didn’t cover?

Pop your question in the comments section below the recipe card and I will answer you pronto!

Now, I’m not saying you’ll never want to make banana coffee cake muffins out of your elderly bananas again…but these banana brownies are about to give your other banana recipes a run for their money!

🍽️ What to serve with this recipe

We love a cool refreshing strawberry lemonade or mint iced tea lemonade in the summer, and in the winter we like some warm mint tea! And when we want to be all-out chocolate decadent, we break out the mint cocoa floats!

❤️ Other brownie recipes we love!

⭐️ We want to know what you think!

If you try this recipe, we would love to hear how it came out for you! I’d be super grateful if you could leave a star rating (you pick how many stars! 🌟 ) and your thoughts in the Comments section below the recipe.

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Banana Brownies

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5 from 2 reviews

This easy recipe for Banana Brownies combines two favorite flavors and is the perfect way to use up those ripe bananas!

  • Author: Kate Morgan Jackson
  • Prep Time: 15 minutes
  • Cooling Time: 1 hour
  • Cook Time: 45 minutes
  • Total Time: 2 hours
  • Yield: 16 1x
  • Category: Dessert
  • Method: Oven
  • Cuisine: American
  • Diet: Vegetarian

Ingredients

Scale
  • ¾ cup butter, melted
  • 1 ½ cups sugar
  • 2 eggs
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1 cup mashed ripe bananas (approximately 2 bananas)
  • ¼ cup cocoa powder
  • ¾ cup flour
  • ¼ teaspoon salt
  • ½ teaspoon baking powder
  • 1 cup mini chocolate chips

Instructions

  1. Preheat the oven to 350 F and grease and line an 8×8-inch square pan with parchment paper or nonstick foil.
  2. Put the butter, sugar, eggs, vanilla extract, and mashed banana in a mixing bowl and whisk until they are all combined.
  3. Take another mixing bowl and whisk together the cocoa powder, flour, salt, and baking powder.
  4. Fold the flour mixture into the bowl with the butter mixture until they are all mixed together.
  5. Fold in the mini chocolate chips.
  6. Scrape the batter into the baking pan and bake for 45 minutes or until a toothpick poked into the center of the brownies comes out clean.
  7. Cool the brownies in the pan for about 15 minutes before moving them to a wire rack to cool completely.
  8. Slice into 16 squares and serve.

Notes

    • Bananas: You need about a cup of mashed bananas, which is about 2 medium sized ones (nice and ripe!). Don’t worry if it isn’t totally exact.

    • Cocoa Powder: You are needing unsweetened cocoa powder, which you can find in the baking aisle (not to be confused with powdered hot cocoa).

    • Chocolate Chips: The mini ones work the best to hold these tender brownies together. They are also in the baking aisle.

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3 Comments

  1. Loved it! I added some cashews for some crunch and switched white sugar to turbinado raw cane sugar, brownie tasted so good. Such a quick and great recipe! Thank you!

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