Banana bread is my go-to crowd-pleaser for an easy brunch treat or Wednesday morning office pick-everyone-up. My version of this chocolate chip banana bread has a secret ingredient – miso paste! You won’t taste the miso but it adds a subtle umami that plays beautifully with the natural sweetness of ripe bananas. Sprinkle in some dark chocolate for contrast and this Miso Banana Bread is a winner.
Making banana bread is absolutely essential when you have little kids who will demand all of the bananas when you have none and none of the bananas when you have a Costco size bunch. Hence, I keep finding myself making different versions, but I always start with my trusty brown butter banana bread.
This latest version is a chocolate chip banana bread with miso – a quick bread version of my miso banana cake – making it perfect as an easy brunch treat or a quick snack. No need for frosting, plates or utensils, just grab it and go on with your day if you wish.
Trang’s Recipe Highlights
- FLAVOR: Sweet banana meets savory miso in this miso banana bread recipe, enriched with nutty brown butter and contrasted by dark chocolate.
- TEXTURE: You’ll love the moist, tender crumbs with pockets of dark chocolate. The outer crust is crispy and caramelized right out of the oven. 😋
- EASE: This recipe is definitely on the easy scale and can be made entirely by hand with a mixing bowl and a whisk. Don’t be intimidated by the sound of brown butter, just follow my guide on how to make brown butter and you’ll master it in no time.
Things you’ll need for chocolate chip banana bread with miso
You’ll need 10 ingredients, pictured below, for this recipe. If you want to skip ahead, the complete list of ingredients with quantities and step-by-step instructions are in the recipe card, as always.
Frozen vs. fresh brown bananas
Both frozen and fresh bananas will work, as long as the frozen bananas were frozen at their peak over-ripeness. This is what I usually do when I have too many bananas going brown at once and I know I can’t use them all, I freeze them! To use frozen bananas, simply thaw and mash them up along with the liquid that releases during thawing.
Type of miso to use
Similar to my miso banana cake, I used Marukome premium white miso, which has a lower sodium content (290 mg per tablespoon), in this miso banana bread. Because of the low sodium content, I can add a generous amount – 3 whole tablespoons – to boost the umami without making the banana bread too salty.
Check the nutrition label when you’re shopping for miso paste. If your miso paste has a higher sodium level, you can still use it, you just need to adjust the amount to prevent your banana bread from being overly salty. Keep the total sodium from miso paste to around 1000 mg.
About the chocolate chips
I tested this recipe with Kirkland semisweet chocolate chips (~51% cacao), Ghirardelli bittersweet chocolate chips (60% cacao, brown bag) and Ghirardelli dark chocolate chips (72% cacao, purple bag).
I thought the dark chocolate chips were a little bit too bitter and the semisweet chocolate chips were a bit too sweet, so I settled for bittersweet chocolate chips to split the difference. Though my coworkers liked all versions and none complained about it being too sweet nor too bitter.
So depending on your sweetness preference, I would recommend using any type of chocolate anywhere between 55% to 72% cacao.
Quick tips
It can be a balancing act to keep your banana bread moist without underbaking it and fully cooked without over baking it. This chocolate chip miso banana bread needs about 60 to 65 minutes in the oven, give or take.
You want to make sure the middle is completely cooked through so you don’t have gooey center. The visual indicator is within the crack on the top of the bread, if it looks like wet batter still then it is not done yet. And when checking with a toothpick, stick it in the middle of the bread since the side will be cooked well before the center.
If you have any doubts, a slightly undercooked banana bread is much better than an overcooked one!
More banana bread
- For an earthy twist, try my Matcha Banana Bread.
- Or if you want a more refreshing flavor, I’ve got you covered with this Lemon Banana Bread.
- Want chocolate on top of chocolate? You need this Chocolate Chocolate Chip Banana Bread.
Hungry for more?
Miso Banana Bread Recipe
Equipment
Ingredients
- 4 oz unsalted butter, 113 g, brown
- 1 ⅓ cup mashed banana, 320 g
- 3 tablespoon white miso paste, 50 g, see note on sodium level
- 2 large eggs, room temperature
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- ¾ cup brown sugar, packed, 150 g
- 1 ¾ cup all-purpose flour, 230 g
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 cup chocolate chips, 55%-72% cacao, 169 g
- Melted butter or baking spray for pan
Instructions
- Brown butter – Place the butter in a light colored saucepan over medium heat. Once the butter melts, it will become foamy. When the foam subsides, you will see clear bubbles, start whisking continuously at this point to keep the milk solids from burning. When the butter is caramel in color and smells nutty – about 8 to 9 minutes – remove from heat and set aside to cool.
- Prepare wet ingredients – Mash the bananas with a potato masher in a large mixing bowl. Add miso paste, cool brown butter, eggs and vanilla. Beat with a whisk until thoroughly combined.
- Add sugar – Add brown sugar and beat again until completely incorporated.
- Combine dry ingredients – Sift flour, baking soda and baking powder directly into the bowl with the wet ingredients. Mix gently with a whisk or a spatula until about three quarters way combined with traces of flour still remaining.
- Fold in chocolate – Add the chocolate chips. Fold to thoroughly combine the remaining traces of flour and to distribute the chocolate chips evenly.
- Preheat the oven – Set the oven rack in the middle of the oven and preheat to 350°F while the batter rests.
- Prepare the baking pan – Brush a loaf pan generously with melted butter, line it with a longer piece of parchment paper leaving the excess hanging over the sides. Brush the top of the parchment paper with more melted butter.
- Bake – Transfer chocolate chip banana bread batter to the prepared pan and bake in the preheated oven for approximately 60-65 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean with no wet batter attached.
- Cool – Remove from the oven and let cool completely on a wire rack. To remove banana bread from the pan, simply lift it out using the excess parchment paper as handles.
Notes
- Choose low sodium miso paste: I used Marukome premium white miso paste which has 290 mg of sodium per tablespoon. Adjust the amount of miso as needed to keep the total sodium from miso paste to around 1000 mg.
- Storage: you can keep your miso banana bread in an airtight container at room temp for 3-5 days. Or you can freeze leftovers for 3-6 months.
- Reheating: I love serving banana bread slightly warm. Simply wrap a slice in plastic wrap or cover it with a damp paper towel, then microwave for 15–20 seconds until warmed through. If it’s frozen, heat it in short bursts, checking as you go until it’s perfectly warm.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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Can i bake it without miso and cacao
Yes, you don’t need to use miso and chocolate chips. But you’ll need to add some salt back when you take miso out, 1/2 teaspoon of kosher salt or 1/4 teaspoon of table salt. I suggest you use this brown butter banana bread recipe instead, it’s more straight forward than trying to make substitutions.