Chocolate Hazelnut Banana Bread Made Lighter

Though a bit more involved than my usual banana bread, this chocolate hazelnut banana bread is totally worth the extra effort when you’re in the mood for a treat. While it’s great for breakfast or brunch, I often enjoy it as “cake.” Try it for dessert, lightly warmed in the microwave, with a small scoop of light vanilla ice cream, frozen yogurt, or a dollop of Greek yogurt.

I’ve adapted the recipe slightly from this NYT Cooking version to make it lighter and lower in sugar.

It uses browned butter, which is simply butter that’s been melted and cooked until it turns golden brown and develops a nutty aroma. This process adds a rich, toasty flavor that pairs perfectly with the bananas and Nutella in this bread.

Fresh baked chocolate hazelnut banana bread

How Many Calories and WW Points in this Recipe for Nutella Banana Bread?

According to my calculations, each serving has 176 calories and 9 WW Points. To see your WW Points for this recipe and track it in the WW app, Click here!

Recipe Ingredients

Unsalted butter – this recipe uses unsalted butter, that is browned in a skillet to provide a richer, nuttier flavor. All-purpose flour – white wheat flour would also work if you prefer using whole grains. Your favorite gluten free flour such as Cup4Cup will also work. Baking soda – the preferred rising agent in many banana breads and quick breads. Salt Mashed bananas – be sure to use very ripe bananas with lots of brown spots. Not only will they be easier to mash, but they will add a lot of natural sweetness to the banana bread. Truvia Baking Blend – my current favorite zero calorie sweetener, but you could substitute your favorite (Swerve, Monkfruit, Stevia in the Raw, etc. keeping in mind that this may affect the flavor/texture.)You could also use regular granulated sugar as in the original recipe Plain nonfat Greek yogurt – light sour cream would also work. Eggs – an important ingredient providing structure in this quickbread. Vanilla extract – a commonly called for flavoring in many recipes, sometimes it serves as a flavor enhancer and sometimes as a flavor balancer. But to be honest, you could probably skip it Chocolate hazelnut spread – there’s lots of options to choose from aside from Nutella. I used Bonne Maman because it happened to be on sale when I was shopping. Bonne Maman Hazelnut Chocolate Spread

How to Make Nutella Banana Bread Step by Step

Step 1: Gather and prepare all ingredients.

Ready to make Chocolate Hazelnut Banana Bread

Step 2: Preheat oven to 350F degrees. Lightly grease and flour a 9×5-inch loaf pan and set aside.

Step 3: In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda and salt until well combined.

Step 4: Brown the butter. In a small skillet over medium heat, add butter. Using a silicone spatula, occasionally scrape sides and bottom of pan until butter is melted, has a slightly nutty smell and turns golden in color. Be careful to not burn the butter, it can happen quickly if not paying attention. Transfer the browned butter to a large bowl and let it cool.

Browning the butter

Step 5: After a few minutes when the butter is slightly cooled, stir in the bananas, sweetener, yogurt, eggs and vanilla until well mixed. Add the flour mixture and stir just until combined, being careful to not overmix the batter.

Stir the batter, being careful to not overmix

Step 6: Add half the batter to the prepared loaf pan and carefully spread into an even layer. Using a spoon, drop half of the chocolate hazelnut spread in several mounds over the batter. Using a fork or toothpick, swirl it into the batter.

Swirl chocolate hazelnut spread over half the batter

Step 7: Add the remaining batter to the loaf pan and spread into an even layer. Repeat dropping the remaining chocolate hazelnut spread by spoonfuls over the top and swirl into the batter as before.

Step 8: Bake the bread until golden brown and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, about 50-60 minutes.

Fresh baked chocolate hazelnut banana bread

Step 9: Remove from oven and place plan on a wire rack to cool for about 10 minutes, then remove the bread from the pan and place it directly on the wire rack to cool completely.

Chocolate hazelnut banana bread cooling on wire rack

Step 10: Cut into 12 slices. Store any leftover banana bread wrapped tightly with plastic wrap or in an airtight container.

Sliced chocolate hazelnut banana bread

Recipe Notes

To lower the sugar in this recipe I replaced the suggested ⅔ cup granulated sugar with ¼ cup Truvia Baking Blend).

To make the Nutella easier to dollop and swirl warm it for 10 seconds or so in the microwave.

More Substitution & Variation Ideas:

Replace the vanilla with 1 tablespoon bourbon or rum. Sprinkle chopped hazelnuts on top before baking. Substitute chocolate tahini, melted chocolate, or mini chocolate chips for the chocolate hazelnut spread. Make a pan of muffins instead of bread. They should be done in 20 – 25 minutes. Sliced chocolate hazelnut banana bread

How to Store Leftover Banana Bread

Store any leftover banana bread wrapped tightly with plastic wrap or in an airtight container. You could also wrap individual slices in plastic wrap, and place them in a freezer bag tucked into the freezer for better portion control.

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Recipe source: adapted from New York Times Nutella Banana Bread

If you like this Lightened Up Nutella Banana Bread, you might also like

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