This Vegan Chocolate-Matcha Banana Bread Is the Best Part of Waking Up

Chloe Coscarelli, famed vegan chef and cookbook author, recently shared her recipe for a vegan matcha banana bread that's quite literally melt-in-your-mouth good. Not only does it only use staples you probably already have at home right now, but it also finally gives you a way to use the bananas sitting on your kitchen counter. (You know, the ones that are seconds away from going bad or attracting a swarm of fruit flies.)

"This matcha banana bread can work for breakfast, a snack, or dessert, so you can pretty much munch on it all day long and get a nice hit of energy from the matcha," Coscarelli says. "It also gets better each day as it sits and the flavors develop, so milk those leftovers for all they're worth."

In the recipe, Coscarelli uses ingredients like matcha powder for an anti-inflammatory boost (you only need one tablespoon to turn it this green!), flour, coconut milk (or another non-dairy milk), chocolate chips, sliced almonds for a crunch, and ground ginger. After mixing everything together and popping it in the oven for an hour, you're left with a loaf of bread you can enjoy for days.

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When you're ready to beat breakfast boredom, whip up Coscarelli's must-try recipe below.

Matcha banana bread

Ingredients
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup sugar
1 tablespoon matcha powder
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
1 cup mashed bananas (about 2 very ripe bananas, mashed on a plate using the back of a fork)
1 cup canned coconut milk (or other non-dairy milk)
½ cup vegetable oil
1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
1 tablespoon pure almond extract (optional)
1 cup vegan chocolate chips
1/2 cup sliced almonds (or other chopped nut)

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Lightly grease a large loaf pan and line with parchment.
2. In a large bowl, whisk together flour, sugar, matcha, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, and ginger. In a separate bowl, whisk together banana, milk, oil, vinegar, vanilla, and almond extract.
3. Pour the wet mixture into the dry mixture and whisk until just combined. Do not overmix.
4. Fold in chocolate chips and nuts, and save some to decorate the top of the batter.
5. Fill the prepared pan evenly with batter. Sprinkle some chocolate chips and nuts on top.
6. Bake for about 60 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center of the cake comes out dry with a few crumbs clinging to it.
7. Rotate the loaf halfway through baking time. Let cool completely before unmolding.

These are all the benefits to matcha, according to a dietitian:

For more matcha-loaded goodies, try these matcha Rice Krispies treats. Then make a batch of these matcha pancakes.