Low calorie brownie stuffed banana bread

Get ready to be blown away by this low calorie brownie stuffed banana bread. It is the most indulgent low calorie dessert you’ll ever try! The banana bread is moist, tender and filled with chocolate chips with the fudgiest, rich brownie center. Each slice is just 148 calories and paired with a cup of coffee, this is the breakfast weight loss dreams are truly made of.

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Only good things can come from combining your favorite desserts and you all know by now, I love me a good dessert mashup. Everyone loves banana bread and everyone loves brownies so why not put the two together for twice the yum? I put my classic low calorie fudgy brownies in the centre of my insanely popular low calorie chocolate chip banana bread and voila – a little slice of heaven!

This recipe couldn’t be easier to make but each slice of this low calroie brownie stuffed banana bread is so out of this world delicious, you would think it took forever to make. Plus, each slice being just 148 calories seems so ridiculous – I genuinely calculated the calories a million times just to be sure. It’s so good you’ll have a hard time believing it’s so low in calories. And good luck trying to eat just one slice 😉

Love a good dessert mashup? Try these low calorie cheesecake brownies or these low calorie cheesecake stuffed chocolate cookies.

Ingredients in low calorie brownie stuffed banana bread

Exact ingredient quantities can be found at the bottom of this page.

To make this low calorie brownie stuffed banana bread you will need:

Very ripe bananas – To make the best low calorie banana bread, you need two large, very ripe bananas. The weight is roughly 245-260g. The spottier the bananas, the better! If you’ve only got yellow bananas, set them in a dark cupboard sealed in a ziplock bag for a day or two to ripen them quickly.

Eggs – This recipe calls for two room temperature eggs. They provide structure and stability to both the banana bread and the brownie. To get refrigerated eggs to room temperature, set on the kitchen counter for at least 30 minutes. To get them to room temperature even quicker, place in a bowl of warm water for at least 10 minutes.

0% fat greek yogurt – Used in both the brownie batter and the banana bread to add moisture, richness and volume. You will get a very moist and tender crumb as greek yogurt is much thicker than regular yogurt.

Stevia or 0 calorie granulated sweetener – You can use any 0 calorie sweetener for both the banana bread and the brownie but be mindful of the conversion. The stevia I used is a 1:2 ratio of stevia to sugar.

Vanilla – Enhances the flavor of both the banana bread and brownie.

Self-raising flour – Has a blend of baking powder, baking soda and salt that creates a perfectly soft, light and tender crumb in the banana bread. You can sub for plain/all-purpose flour with the addition of baking powder, baking soda and salt.

Plain/all-purpose flour – For the brownie batter.

Baking powder – Helps both the banana bread and brownie rise but the brownie will still be fudgy and rich.

Ground cinnamon – Adds warmth and a little spice to the banana bread.

Unsweetened cocoa powder – Creates a deep, rich and intensely chocolaty brownie batter. The better quality your cocoa powder is, the better the brownie batter will come out. Use a minimally processed, unsweetened cocoa powder for the perfect brownie layer.

Salt – Balances the sweetness.

Dark chocolate chips – Folded into both the banana bread and the brownie batter for pieces of melty chocolate in every bite.

How to make low calorie brownie stuffed banana bread

1. Pre-heat oven to 180ºC (350ºF). Line a 1lb loaf tin with parchment paper and set aside.

Make the brownie filling:

1. In a medium bowl, whisk together the egg and stevia until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Add the yogurt, milk and vanilla and whisk to combine.
2. Add the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder and salt and whisk until smooth and well combined.
3. Fold in the chocolate chips and set aside.

Make the banana bread:

1. In a medium bowl, mash the bananas until very few lumps remain. Add the egg, yogurt, stevia and vanilla and whisk until well combined.
2. Add the flour, baking powder and ground cinnamon and whisk to combine. Fold in 2/3 of the chocolate chips.

Assemble:

1. Pour half the banana bread batter into the prepared loaf tin.
2. Pour the brownie batter directly into the centre of the banana bread batter and cover with the remaining banana bread batter. Smooth over to cover the brownie batter. Top with the remaining chocolate chips.
3. Bake for 45-55 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the centre comes out clean or with very few crumbs. The top should be golden brown – if it’s browning too quickly, then cover with foil to finish baking.

Top tips

Use room temperature ingredients – Room temperature ingredients incorporate better which results in smoother batter without over mixing. This gives the classic moist and tender crumb we’re after. Use room temperature eggs, yogurt and milk.

Use very ripe bananas – The riper the bananas, the sweeter and more flavorful the banana bread will come out. Use bananas that have lots of brown spots for the perfect low calorie banana bread.

Use good quality cocoa powder and chocolate chips – Using good quality ingredients takes your baked goods from good to great. Use a high quality, dark, unsweetened cocoa powder for a rich and indulgent brownie batter. Use good quality dark chocolate chips too with a high percentage of cocoa solids. This gives the indulgent pockets of melty chocolate goodness in the low calorie brownie stuffed banana bread.

Don’t over mix – Over mixing either batter isn’t good but especially the banana bread, it will come out tough, dry and rubbery if you over mix it. The banana bread batter will likely have some lumps from the mashed banana so don’t worry about the lumps. Mix until everything is combined and no more.

Cool before serving – Allow the loaf to cool before slicing and serving otherwise it’ll be too soft and may fall apart. Allow the loaf to sit in the pan for 10-15 minutes before removing and transferring to a cooling rack. You can cut into it once it’s mostly cool – about 20 minutes.

Storage

This low calorie brownie stuffed banana bread is best served warm, the day it’s made but there are a few ways to keep it fresh. Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days or in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days. You can also freeze the slices individually, place in a ziplock bag and freeze for up to 2 months. To re-heat, simply microwave for 30 seconds and serve. If it’s not warm after 30 seconds, warm in 10 second spurts until its soft and warm.

more low calorie desserts…