This one bowl low carb chocolate chip banana bread makes an irresistibly moist and tasty loaf cake, perfect for any tea-time treat. This recipe has a lower (diabetic) carb count as it uses almond flour, a little oat flour for added fibre, and is almost sugar-free which is always good for blood sugar levels.
I love the combination of banana and chocolate as you may have noticed. It features quite heavily in my sweet treat recipes like in my Low Carb Chocolate Muffins and Peanut Butter Banana Oat Cookies
So I felt that it was only right to share my chocolatey version of my low carb banana bread which I seem to be baking on repeat.
This banana bread is full of deliciously ripe bananas and intense dark chocolate chunks. Perfect for a tasty tea time treat. It uses a combination of almond and oat flour to add a little extra dietary fibre and it is also almost sugar free. These ingredients help to reduce the overall carb count of this loaf cake and make it a little kinder on blood glucose levels.
What makes this Chocolate Chip Banana Bread better for Diabetes Management
This recipe includes chocolate chunks however which do contain some sugar. But I only use chocolate that has a 70% or above cacao content which means there’s less added sugar and you get a more intense chocolatey flavour
Bananas are also really nutritious! They are full of key vitamins and minerals like potassium and vitamin B6
Lastly, this recipe doesn’t use any additional fats like oil or butter. Its moistness comes from the healthy fat in the almonds and the greek yoghurt.
This banana bread recipe is made with a mixture of almond and oat flour rather than traditional wheat flour.
Almond flour is low in carbohydrates and is carb count free for a type1 diabetic. It also has a low Glycemic Index (GI) which means that it doesn’t have the same impact on blood glucose levels compared to grain flour. But you can read more about this fantastic ingredient in the article below:
Baking with Almond Flour
This article looks into the benefits of using almond flour in baking and for diabetes management, how to use it, along with plenty of top tips.
Oat flour is a countable carbohydrate, however, it is also a great source of dietary fibre and is higher in protein and healthy fat than most other grains. It also boasts a rich nutritional profile which makes it a healthy addition to this chocolate chip banana bread.
This banana bread is sweetened with a natural white sweetener, xylitol. This is my sweetener of choice due to its low glycaemic index and not being a countable carbohydrate as it doesn’t cause a rise in blood sugar levels.
You can find a list of my recommended products for xylitol, almond and oat flour on my shop page!
Diet and Diabetes Management
All of the above ingredients work together to not only make this a healthy banana bread but also a good option for diabetes management, as it shouldn’t send blood sugar levels sky high (as long as you bolus correctly of course!)
We have found making some ingredient changes works really well, alongside some other tweaks we have made in our diet, to support our daughter’s overall diabetes management. If you would like to read more about this then check out my blog posts on THE BENEFITS OF A WHOLE FOOD DIET AND DIABETES and TYPE 1 DIABETES AND OUR RELATIONSHIP WITH FOOD.
Using Sugar Alternatives for Diabetics
In this recipe, I use a white sweetener, xylitol. This is a nutritive 1:1 substitute for sugar and I find it works really well in baking and cooking.
This is my sweetener of choice due to its low glycaemic index, it doesn’t have a funny taste profile and we found that it doesn’t cause a rise in blood glucose levels.
You could also use an erythritol-based sweetener if you prefer. This is also a 1:1 sugar replacement and doesn’t cause a rise in blood glucose levels, but I personally find it can alter the taste profile of your food.
You can find a list of my recommended products that I use on my shop page!
If you prefer to use other sweeteners like sucralose or stevia, remember to convert your quantity. Most brands have this information on their websites. And if you would like to read more on sugar substitutes and diabetes then make sure to read this post.
Sugar Substitutes and Diabetes Management
The world of sugar substitutes and type 1 diabetes can be confusing. This guide explores substitutes in the UK and diabetes management
However please also feel free to use good old-fashioned caster sugar if that is your preference. Just remember to carb count for it!
Don’t be afraid to experiment with different sweeteners and quantities in my sweet treat recipes. It may take a few attempts to find your preference as we all have different palates.
What you will need to make this Chocolate Chip Banana Bread
- Ripe Bananas
- Have a low to medium Glycaemic Index
- A great source of potassium and vitamin B6
- Eggs
- A key component to any bake and should be free-range
- Greek Yoghurt
- Adds a little tangy sourness and moistness to the cake
- Make sure it is a greek yoghurt and not greek style yoghurt, which is too runny
- Vanilla Extract
- Adds an intense sweetness to bakes and cakes
- Sugar Replacement
- I used Xylitol but you could also use erythritol
- See above for recommendations and suggestions
- You can find a list of my recommended products that I use on my shop page!
- Almond flour/ground almonds
- Gluten-free and net carb count free
- This flour adds a lovely nutty flavour and is a great no-carb-count option for cakes and bakes
- Read more about using almond flour in this article!
- You can find a list of my recommended products that I use on my shop page!
- Oat flour
- Another gluten-free flour alternative and has a great nutritional profile
- You can find a list of my recommended products that I use on my shop page!
- Baking powder
- A key ingredient to help make this cake so light and fluffy
- Ground Cinnamon
- Has a warm sweet flavour
- Pairs beautifully with banana
- Dark Chocolate chunks 70% or above
- Try and use chocolate that has a cocoa content of 70% or above as this really makes the difference with these brownies.
- Plus the higher the cocoa content the lower the sugar!
How to make Easy Low Carb chocolate chip Banana Bread
The great thing about this recipe is that it can all be done quickly and easily in just 1 bowl
Start by preheating the oven to 190C/170C Fan. Then grease and line the base of a standard loaf tin.
In a bowl weigh and then mash your bananas with a fork. This will allow for more accurate carb counting as the sizes and weights of bananas can vary greatly. Then add the eggs, greek yoghurt, vanilla extract and xylitol and whisk everything well.
Now add the flours, baking powder and cinnamon. Whisk everything well to create a batter but you don’t need to overmix it. So stop when everything looks well combined. Now sprinkle in most of your chocolate chips and fold them in gently ensuring they are well spread through the batter
Finally, pour the cake batter into the loaf tin and sprinkle over the remaining chocolate chips . Then place the banana bread in the oven and cook for 50 – 55 minutes, but I would start testing after 50 minutes. Your skewer should come out clean (as long as you don’t hit a chocolate chunk!)
Leave to cool in the tin for 10 minutes and then transfer to a cooling rack and leave to completely cool
If you love loaf cakes then why not try these other recipes:
How to store banana bread
I always like to store my cakes wrapped in parchment paper and placed in an airtight container. This cake will happily keep at room temperature for 2-3 days. After this, I tend to put whatever is left in the fridge to keep it fresh. It will be fine in the fridge for up to 1 week.
Can you freeze banana bread?
Yes, you can!
Just wrap the cake tightly with a layer of parchment paper and then another layer of tin foil so that it is airtight. Then freeze for up to 3 months.
Top tip – slice the loaf before you freeze it so you can grab a slice as and when you fancy a delicious treat!
Diabetes Note
This easy low carb chocolate chip banana bread is full of deliciously ripe bananas and is incredibly light and moist, It is gluten free, has almost no added sugar and is even a little gentler on blood sugar levels
Carb Counting
The overall carb count for a slice of this chocolate chip banana bread based on the ingredients we would count for is:
- 3 ripe bananas (approx 240g) = 48.7g of carbs
- 75g of full fat Greek youghurt= 3g of carbs
- 50g of Oat Flour = 31.1g of carbs
- 100g of 70% Dark Chocolate Chunks (Dr Oetker) = 30g of carbs
Now add all the carbs together – 48.7+3+31.1+30= 112.8g of carbs
Finally divide this by the serving size, 10 – 10/113 = 11g of carbs per portion
For a more accurate carb count you can weigh your total loaf and then your portion/ slice and use the formula below:
Please note this carb count amount per portion is based on the ingredients listed above and may differ depending on what you use and how much you choose to eat.
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Low Carb Chocolate Chip Banana Bread
This one bowl low carb chocolate chip banana bread has a lower (diabetic) carb count and is almost sugar-free great for blood sugar levels.
10
servings10
minutes50
minutes1
hourKeep the screen of your device on
Ingredients
3 ripe 3 bananas (approx 240g)
3 large 3 eggs
75 g 75 Greek yoghurt
1 tsp 1 vanilla extract
90 g 90 xylitol
250 g 250 almond flour
50 g 50 oat flour
1 1/2 tsp 1 1/2 baking powder
1 tsp 1 ground cinnamon
100 g 100 dark chocolate chunks/chips, 70% or above
Directions
- Preheat the oven to 190C/170C Fan. Grease and line the base of a standard loaf tin
- In a large bowl weigh and then mash your bananas with a fork. This will allow for more accurate carb counting as the sizes and weights of bananas can vary greatly.
- Add the eggs, greek yoghurt, vanilla extract and xylitol to your mashed banana and whisk everything well.
- Now add the flours, baking powder and cinnamon. Whisk everything well to create a batter but you don’t need to overmix it. So stop when everything looks well combined
- Sprinkle in most of your chocolate chips and fold them in gently ensuring they are well spread through the batter.
- Pour the cake batter into the loaf tin and sprinkle over the remaining chocolate chips
- Place the banana bread in the oven and cook for 50 – 55 minutes, but I would start testing after 50 minutes.
Your skewer should come out clean (as long as you don’t hit a chocolate chunk!) - Leave to cool in the tin for 10 minutes and then transfer to a cooling rack and leave to completely cool
Equipment
Tips and Notes
- Weigh and then mash your bananas. This will allow for more accurate carb counting as the sizes and weights of bananas can vary greatly.
- Diabetes note – This easy low carb chocolate chip banana bread is full of deliciously ripe bananas and is incredibly light and moist. It is gluten free, has almost no added sugar and is even a little gentler on blood sugar level – See above for carb counting info.
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