Banana Bread Without Eggs

A soft, moist banana loaf made without any eggs, studded with dark chocolate chips. Ripe bananas and a little oil keep it tender, so it's great for egg allergies or an empty fridge — and the chocolate makes it feel like a proper treat.

This is the loaf to make when the fruit bowl has gone too far and there isn’t an egg in sight. It’s genuinely foolproof — one bowl, no mixer, and very hard to get wrong. The chocolate chips are optional but highly recommended; they turn a humble use-up bake into something you’ll actually look forward to with a cup of tea.

Ingredients

• 3 very ripe bananas — about 300g, mashed
• 100ml vegetable oil
• 120g soft brown sugar
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 220g self-raising flour
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp ground cinnamon — optional
• 75g dark chocolate chips — optional, plus a few for the top
• 1 pinch salt

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 180°C (fan 160°C, gas mark 4) and line a 900g (2 lb) loaf tin.
2. Mash the bananas well in a large bowl, then mix in the oil, sugar and vanilla.
3. Add the flour, baking powder, cinnamon and salt. Fold together gently until just combined — don't overmix. Fold through most of the chocolate chips.
4. Scrape into the tin, level the top and scatter over the remaining chocolate chips. Bake for 50–55 minutes, until risen, golden and a skewer pushed into the centre comes out clean (aim for a spot without a melted chip).
5. Cool in the tin for 10 minutes, then turn out onto a rack to cool fully before slicing.

Serve it with

• A cup of tea or coffee
• A generous spread of butter
• A spoon of Greek yogurt
• Fresh berries
• A drizzle of honey

Why this works

Ripe bananas bring moisture and natural binding, so you don't need eggs to hold the loaf together. Oil keeps it tender for days, and self-raising flour plus baking powder gives a reliable rise. The chocolate chips melt into little pockets that make each slice feel like a treat rather than a basic everyday bake.

Common swaps

• Use plain flour plus 2 tsp baking powder if that's what you have.
• Swap the chocolate for 75g of chopped walnuts or pecans, or a handful of sultanas.
• Use melted coconut oil for a subtle flavour.
• Leave out the chocolate for a plain, classic loaf.

Common mistakes to avoid

• Using under-ripe bananas — they need to be spotty and soft for flavour and moisture.
• Overmixing the batter, which makes the loaf dense and chewy.
• Slicing while warm; it firms up as it cools and cuts much more cleanly.
• Tossing all the chocolate in at once — folding most through and scattering a few on top stops them all sinking.

Storage, freezing & reheating

Storage: Keep in an airtight tin at room temperature for up to 3 days.

Freezing: Freezes well for up to 3 months. Slice first, then you can defrost individual pieces.

Allergen notes: contains gluten. Always check individual product labels.

Estimated nutrition

Per serving, estimated from typical ingredient values — not a substitute for precise dietary calculation.