Banana Brownies

Craving brownies with a little something extra? Look no further than these Banana Brownies. They are chewy, fudgy, and have a delightful sweetness and flavor from the ripe bananas.

Are the extra bananas on your counter getting riper by the day? Not craving old fashioned banana bread, or have you made it twice already? Don’t worry, I have the perfect solution for you! These Banana Brownies are rich, fudgy, and truly indulgent. They are made with pantry ingredients, are super easy to make, and you will have brownies in the oven in under 20 minutes! 

Looking for new ways to fall in love with bananas? I have you so covered! Try my banana pudding, nutella banana bread, or double chocolate banana muffins. And for a healthier snack, you can make my banana bran muffins or peanut butter banana energy bites!

Professional Tips for Making Banana Brownies

• Whisk your eggs and sugar to the ribbon stage. Since the eggs are the leavening in these brownies, you want to make sure you whisk them long enough. The mixture will triple in volume and become a pale yellow color. 
• Sift your dry ingredients. Sift the dry ingredients into a bowl or on top of a piece of parchment. You will be folding in the dry ingredients and this will ensure the cocoa powder has no lumps and, therefore, your brownies won’t have any packets of unmixed cocoa powder. 
• Taste and smell your bananas. You know from my banana cream pie and banana cake that you should smell and taste your bananas to ensure they are at optimal ripeness. Once peeled and maybe even before, they are ready if you can smell that wonderful banana smell! The peel will also have small brown spots.

Ingredients

• Semi-Sweet Chocolate: The semi-sweet chocolate adds flavor and adds to the texture of the brownie. You could substitute a 55-65% dark chocolate if you would like. 
• Unsalted Butter
• Vanilla Extract
• All-Purpose Flour: All-purpose flour has just the right amount of gluten. Measure your flour by fluffing it in the bag and spooning it into a measuring cup. Level it off with a knife. Be careful not to tap or compress the flour. Not measuring correctly will lead to cake-like brownies. 
• Cocoa Powder
• Kosher Salt
• Granulated Sugar: Granulated sugar plays many roles in brownies. It adds sweetness, helps create that fudgy texture, and gives these brownies that classic crackle top. 
• Whole Eggs: The eggs add fat, moisture, and leavening. Beating in the eggs until the ribbon stage will add all the leavening instead of baking powder or baking soda.
• Ripe Bananas: In an ideal world, I choose bananas that are ripe but only just beginning to spot. This is the peak flavor for these, banana crumb bread,  and vegan chocolate chip banana bread! 
• Chocolate Chips: Semi-sweet chocolate chips are ideal for these brownies, but you could substitute a mixer of semi and bittersweet or dark chocolate chips. Save any leftover chips for a batch of brownie cookies!

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

Variations

• Add some mix-ins. You could make these brownies with nuts like walnuts or pecans, Reese’s pieces, butterscotch, or cinnamon chips. Stir them into the batter, and be sure to put more on top. 
• Top with a frosting or ganache. Pipe or spread cream cheese frosting, chocolate fudge glaze, caramel swiss meringue buttercream, or a chocolate ganache on top of these banana brownies. Get some inspiration from my peanut butter stuffed chocolate cupcakes!
• Make an Elvis Brownie. Fold in some chopped extra crispy bacon and swirl in peanut butter for a salty, sweet, deliciously dangerous dessert! You could even add some homemade marshmallow frosting on top…
• Add a SWIRL. Swirl in a nut butter like peanut butter, almond butter, or cashew butter. I’d also love these with salted caramel sauce, Nutella, or easy cherry preserves. Pipe or dollop them on top of your brownie batter and swirl them in with a toothpick or butter knife.

How to Make This Banana Brownie Recipe

Use these instructions to make the perfect banana brownie every time! Further details and measurements can be found in the recipe card below.

Make the Brownie: 

Step 1: Preheat the oven to 350°F. Spray and line a 9×13 baking pan with parchment paper. 

Step 2: In a medium bowl, combine the all-purpose flour, cocoa powder, and salt. Whisk to combine and set aside. 

Step 3: Place a pot of water on the stovetop and bring it to a simmer. 

Step 4: Combine the chopped chocolate, butter, and vanilla in a heat-proof bowl over a pot of simmering water. Heat until the mixture just melts (you don’t want it hot), then set aside.

Step 5: Add eggs and sugar to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment. Whisk on high speed until you reach the ribbon stage. 

Step 6: Mash the bananas with a potato masher, fork, or immersion blender. 

Step 7: Turn off the mixer,  remove the bowl, and pour the chocolate mixture in all at once. Make sure the chocolate mixture isn’t hot. Then, fold the chocolate with a large spatula, followed by the mashed bananas.

Step 8: Sift the flour mixture into the bowl and fold it into the egg mixture until a few streaks of flour are still visible. 

Step 9: Add the chocolate chips and fold to incorporate. Then, pour the batter into the prepared pan and spread evenly with an offset spatula. 

Step 10: Bake for 30-40 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean or with a few clinging crumbs. Sprinkle with flaked sea salt and allow to cool before removing from the pan and slicing. 

Frequently Asked Questions

Before You Go

I hope you enjoyed this professional chef tested recipe. Check out our other delicious, chef-developed bar recipes, or try my one bowl variation next with my one bowl brownies recipe!