The Best Chocolate & Chia Loaf (Gluten Free, Vegan)

This delicious Chocolate & Chia Loaf is wonderfully gooey, nutrient dense and just bursting with chocolate chips.

This is essentially my take on a chocolate banana bread, however, because this loaf is so deliciously moist and fudgy I would say its texture is closer to that of brownies than a traditional cake or loaf. If you would like a travel friendly version of this recipe why not make my Chocolate & Chia Muffins perfect to grab on the go. If you are looking more a banana bread with a more traditional texture you may like my Chocolate Chip & Chia Banana Bread that is based on this recipe.

I like to use a food processor when blending my bananas to use in this loaf as it eliminates the risk of finding unmashed pieces of banana in the loaf once baked. If you do not have a food processor or blender you can simply add the peeled bananas to a large jug or bowl and mash them using the back of a fork, or even a potato masher, until smooth.

I like to make this dessert really packed with chocolate and tend to use a bar of dairy free milk chocolate I have chopped into chunks myself as opposed to chocolate chips. I like to hold just under half of the chocolate back and scatter this across the top of the loaf once it has finished baking, however, if preferred you can simply throw all of it into the batter. Feel free to increase or decrease the amount of chocolate used if desired.

I have made this loaf using a high percentage dark chocolate and enjoyed it, however, I would not recommend doing this if you have a really sweet tooth. I use no sugar or maple syrup, etc, in this loaf and rely solely on the bananas and the chocolate chunks for sweetness, therefore, substituting the dairy free milk chocolate for a dark chocolate may result in a bake that is a little too bitter for some tastes.

Make sure you allow the coconut oil to cool before adding it to the blitzed bananas. Do not substitute this ingredient for other types of oil, eg olive oil, as they are heavier and will result in a much denser bake with a greasy texture. When you mix the water and chia seeds together set aside for ten to fifteen minutes and allow the mixture to form a gel like consistency.

I use a 21 x 11 cm (8.5″ x 4.5″) loaf tin lined with parchment paper when baking this loaf.

Due to the gooey consistency of this loaf it will stay moist in an airtight container for up to five days. If eaten after this point I would recommend warming it up and serving with a scoop of ice cream.

If you like my gooey Chocolate & Chia Loaf you may also like my Sneaky Tahini Brownies, my Fudgy Black Bean Brownies, my Gooey Chocolate Brownies, my Almond Flour Blondies or my Chickpea Cookies. For more recipes using chocolate and bananas why not try my Chocolate Banana Pancake Poppers or my Banana Bread Breakfast Bars which you can find here.

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