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    Home » Recipes » Breakfast

    Vegan Oat Flour Banana Bread (Oil-Free)

    Posted: Jul 23, 2020 by Lori Last Updated: Jan 19, 2021 · This post contains affiliate links.

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    Are you ready for vegan banana bread that's actually healthy enough for breakfast? It tastes so good you might want to eat it for dessert, too! Lightly spiced, naturally sweetened, and made with oat flour, this banana bread has an irresistibly tender and moist crumb.

    Vegan, gluten-free, and WFPB oil-free; Nut-free option.

    overhead view of bread in a metal pan

    Made with my favorite baking flour, the texture of this oat flour bread manages to be both hearty and light, which I love. It's also surprisingly tender, not at all gummy or dense.

    With room for customization in toppings, sweetness, and the nut/seed butter, I hope this will become your new go-to healthy banana bread recipe.

    buttered banana bread on a plate

    How To Make Vegan Banana Bread

    Originally, I'd planned to make a caramelized banana bread, which definitely added a couple of steps. But after the first test batch I decided easier is almost always better.

    And during the next test batch I realized easy did indeed outweigh any flavor benefit added by caramelization. So easy it is!

    Making vegan banana bread is as simple as this:

    1. Combine dry ingredients in one bowl.
    2. Mash the bananas and whisk wet ingredients in another bowl.
    3. Stir the wet and dry ingredients together, then pour the batter into a parchment-lined loaf pan.
    4. Sprinkle on the nuts or other topping, and bake in a preheated 350 degree oven for one hour or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

    That last part is pretty important. Underdone banana bread still tastes great, but texture-wise it's actually pretty sad.

    So don't be afraid to stick that tooth pick (or chop stick or butter knife) in there and really make sure it's done, okay?

    ingredients laid out on a large baking sheet

    Substitutions and FAQs

    Can I make it without nuts?

    Absolutely. The recipe uses a small amount of almond butter for added richness and moisture, but you can also use sunflower seed butter or tahini. And instead of walnuts on top you can add chocolate chips, raw pumpkin seeds, or slices of banana.

    Can I add chocolate chips?

    By all means! And if you're interested in a double chocolate banana bread, check out the one linked below.

    Can I sub a different kind of flour?

    Oat flour is the only flour I've tested so far with this recipe, so I can't say for sure, though I have heard from others who subbed whole wheat pastry with great success.

    Do I need an egg substitute to make vegan banana bread?

    Nope! The bananas and almond butter work together to add moisture, binding, and fat, while baking soda and baking powder cause the bread to rise.

    dry ingredients and wet ingredients in separate bowls
    batter in parchment lined pan sprinkled with walnuts
    Oil-free vegan banana bread ready to go into the oven.

    Serving Suggestions

    Aside from enjoying a slice of oat flour banana bread for breakfast, you can easily transform this healthy banana bread into an amazing dessert. Imagine this...

    Warm up individual slices of banana bread. Top with a scoop of Butter Pecan or Vanilla-Maple Oat Ice Cream, a drizzle of maple syrup, and a dash of cinnamon. Oooooh, that's my kind of dessert, friends!

    You can also gift loaves of this vegan banana bread to friends, pack slices in your lunch box, or take it with you on a hike. Honestly, I can't think of an occasion or time of day where I wouldn't want to eat this banana bread.

    showing texture of sliced banana bread

    More vegan oat flour recipes to try:

    Vegan Chocolate Banana Bread
    Oil-Free Vegan Banana Brownies
    Vegan Peanut Butter Brownies
    Oil-Free Peanut Butter Cookies
    Golden Milk Muffins
    (also oil-free)
    Oil-Free Chocolate Cake With Strawberries
    Loaded Breakfast Muffins
    (oil-free)
    Double Chocolate Chip Cookies

    close up overhead of healthy banana bread in a loaf pan

    Oat Flour Banana Bread (Vegan, Oil-Free)

    Author: Lori Rasmussen, My Quiet Kitchen
    Oat flour banana bread that's so good you might forget how healthy it is! Lightly spiced with an irresistibly tender and moist texture. Vegan, WFPB oil-free, and gluten-free; nut-free option.
    Servings: 8 servings
    4.92 from 37 votes
    Print Recipe Pin Recipe SaveSaved!
    Prep Time: 15 mins
    Cook Time: 1 hr
    Cooling time:: 1 hr
    Total Time: 2 hrs 15 mins

    Equipment

    • parchment paper
    • 8.5 x 4.5 loaf pan
    • cooling rack

    Ingredients 

    • 2 cups oat flour (180 g); see Notes about measuring - Make your own by blending rolled oats.
    • 2 teaspoons baking powder
    • 1 teaspoon baking soda
    • ¾ teaspoon cinnamon
    • dash of nutmeg, optional
    • ¼ teaspoon fine sea salt
    • 3 medium very ripe bananas, when mashed should equal 1 ⅓ cups
    • ¼ cup maple syrup
    • ¼ cup coconut sugar - Sub cane sugar or brown sugar, if desired.
    • ¼ cup smooth almond butter - Or other nut or seed butter; will alter flavor.
    • ¼ cup non-dairy milk
    • 2 teaspoons apple cider vinegar
    • 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
    • ⅓ cup walnut or pecan halves, optional - For reduced fat or nut-free option, sub sliced banana.
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    Instructions
     

    • Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (176 C). Line an 8.5 x 4.5 inch loaf pan with parchment paper. The paper doesn't have to cover the ends; just make sure there's enough overhang to easily lift the loaf from the pan after baking.
    • In a large mixing bowl whisk together the oat flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt.
    • In a medium-size bowl, mash the bananas until mostly pureed (a few larger bits are okay). Measure to make sure you have 1 ⅓ cups. If you have extra banana, either eat it, discard it, or set it aside to drizzle on top of the loaf just before baking.
    • To the 1 ⅓ cups mashed banana add maple syrup, coconut sugar, nut butter, milk, vinegar, and vanilla. Stir very well until nut butter is completely incorporated. Pour wet ingredients into dry, and stir to combine. Pour batter into pan. If you had extra banana puree, place dollops of it on top of the batter, if desired. Arrange nuts on top - feel free to chop the nuts or break them up with your hands. I like to leave a few whole for appearance.
    • Bake for 55 to 65 minutes or until a tooth pick inserted in the center of the loaf comes out clean. Allow to cool in the pan for 15 to 20 minutes, then use the parchment to lift the loaf out onto a cooling rack. Allow to cool completely before slicing (about 1 hour).

    Notes

    Measuring Oat Flour
    There are contradictory weights for oat flour depending on the package or online source. I have measured and weighed Arrowhead Mills organic oat flour (90 g per cup) and my own oat flour I blended in the Vitamix with similar results. Some sources indicate that a cup of oat flour weighs up to 130 grams - ignore that!
    For the best results use a kitchen scale and weigh exactly 180 grams oat flour for this recipe. If you don't have a scale, whisk the oat flour first, then spoon it into a measuring cup and level off the top. 
    If you use a measuring cup to scoop the oat flour straight out of a bag, you'll likely scoop up too much which will result in a dry bread.
    Storage
    Store banana bread in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 days or refrigerated for up to 5 days. Can also be frozen.

    Estimated Nutrition (per serving)

    Calories: 254kcalCarbohydrates: 40gProtein: 6gFat: 9gCholesterol: 0mgSodium: 92mgFiber: 5gSugar: 18gVitamin A: 45IUVitamin C: 5.7mgCalcium: 70mgIron: 1.5mg

    Nutrition information is an estimate and will vary depending on the exact amounts and specific products and ingredients used. We calculate this information using the online calculator cronometer.com.

    Did you try the recipe?I LOVE hearing from you! Comment below to let us know.
    « Vegan Double Chocolate Oat Flour Cookies
    EASY Instant Pot Red Lentil Curry »

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    Comments

    1. Cindy

      May 06, 2022 at 4:31 pm

      I've been looking for a lower fat banana bread that will please the non-vegan members of my household This one is great and pretty flexible if you don't have all the ingredients. I didn't have oat flour and substituted a combination of almond, chia and wheat flour. I didn't have apple cider vinegar and used a different type. I didn't measure the volume of the bananas. I exchanged date syrup in for some of the nut butter and the sugar. And I stirred in vegan chocolate chips and some chopped walnuts at the end. Delicious! The whole family agrees. It came out of the oven fifteen minutes ago and it's half gone.

      Reply
    2. Debbie Frazier

      March 24, 2022 at 10:36 am

      I love this recipe. I made a couple of modifications: doubled the maple syrup because I didn't have coconut sugar, unsweetened applesauce instead of almond butter, and two large bananas instead of three medium. I also used a 10 inch pie pan instead of the loaf pan. It was soooooo good and very moist! OMG! Thank you!!!

      Reply
    3. Susie

      February 19, 2022 at 8:47 am

      This is the only banana bread I will make now! My whole family approved! This is so healthy and easy to make as well. Thanks for sharing such a wonderful recipe.

      Reply
    4. stephanie

      January 11, 2022 at 7:40 am

      Loved it. Tweaked it a bit as in no maple syrup nor vinegar nor vanilla as did not have on hand, no spices ( as my little one did not want them and nut free… it turned out to be a perfect simple morning bread ✨

      Reply
    5. Julie

      November 20, 2021 at 2:52 pm

      Super delicious! I didn't expect it to be soooooo perfect! Even a bit of a sweet crumble on the outside like coffee cake. My new favorite banana bread!🤩😍

      Reply
      • Ally

        January 10, 2022 at 8:32 pm

        I made this today, turned out beautifully so perfect, tastes great, will make again, thank you for a great recipe.

        Reply
    6. Lisa

      November 11, 2021 at 9:09 am

      I made this recipe this AM before work. Followed the directions closely, and accurately! 55 minutes in my new silicone bread pans and …. Perfection!! Thanks so much!!

      Reply
    7. Tatum

      October 06, 2021 at 6:09 pm

      absolutely loved your recipe for a loaf!! is it possible to use this same recipe for muffins or do you suggest altering anything?

      Reply
      • Lori

        October 07, 2021 at 9:48 am

        Hi Tatum, so glad you like the recipe! It will be great as muffins, and also much quicker. 🙂 I recommend bumping up the oven temperature to 370 degrees F, and check for doneness around the 18 to 20 minute mark.

        Reply
    8. Joyce

      August 30, 2021 at 9:11 am

      I loved this recipe, the oat flour tastes great. My only concern is that it has a lot of baking powder and baking soda, not the healthiest of ingredients. Have you tried lowering them to a more standard banana bread recipe amount or do you think you need to keep them high to account for the lack of gluten in the oat flour?

      Reply
      • Lori

        August 30, 2021 at 9:39 am

        Hi Joyce, I'm so glad you enjoyed the flavor of the bread.
        For eggless recipes we do need a bit more to help the bread rise (plus the gluten issue), but even still these amounts are pretty similar to other recipes I've used.
        Of course you can always reduce both and see how it turns out. The bread may be a little more dense and not rise as much, but it will still be delicious. I hope that helps!

        Reply
    9. Janine

      August 24, 2021 at 7:27 pm

      I just made this and made a few alterations to suite my dietary needs. It came a little dense but still perfect!!! I omitted the plant milk (b/c all I had was almond milk and my daughter can't have nuts), omitted the nuts, substituted applesauce for the nut butter for lower fat, increased the cinnamon to 2 tsp. OMGeeee this is one I will be making again and again!

      Reply
      • Lori

        August 27, 2021 at 6:44 am

        Wonderful! I love that even with the substitutions it still turned out great. So glad you loved it, Janine!

        Reply
    10. Rachel

      July 22, 2021 at 9:23 am

      My daughter has many life threatening food allergies so everything I make for her and my family has to be free of dairy, egg, wheat, soy, peanuts and tree nuts. Not only does this recipe fit meet all of those but it is AMAZING. Seriously, the best tasting banana bread I’ve possibly ever had. I can’t wait to make it again. Thank you so much for this recipe!

      Reply
      • Lori

        July 22, 2021 at 9:51 am

        Rachel,
        Your comment makes my heart so happy. I'm thrilled it helps and that you all loved it so much. Thank you for the lovely feedback!

        Reply
    11. Ada

      March 16, 2021 at 1:08 pm

      Hi , I was wondering if it’s possible to make the batter the night before ?

      Reply
      • Lori

        March 16, 2021 at 6:49 pm

        Hi Ada, that's a great question. I've never tried making the batter in advance, but it might work. My only concern is that the baking soda would lose its leavening power causing the bread not to rise as much. But you may be able to offset that with extra baking powder and possibly not mixing in the soda and vinegar until just before baking. Let us know if you give it a try!

        Reply
        • Ada

          March 18, 2021 at 5:06 am

          Hi Lori,
          I made the batter the night before and did what you told me to do and add the soda and vinegar before baking And OMG it turned out fantastic’ I even omitted the sugar and the sweetness was just right for me.
          Thank you so much

          Reply
        • Luz

          July 19, 2021 at 12:46 pm

          I made and it was absolutely delicious. The only I made was flaxseed one teaspoon for baking soda and it turned out just great!

          Reply
    12. Laura

      March 10, 2021 at 3:24 am

      So delicious and healthy. Kids all loved it.

      Reply
    13. Robert Parsons

      January 19, 2021 at 7:36 am

      I love the taste as it is the best I’ve made and I’ve been baking for 38 years. I measured all ingredients perfectly however when I took the bread out and cut it; after a couple of hours of sitting on a rack, it was very crumbly and fell apart. It still tasted great. I did not use the parchment paper as I greased it with organic spectrum shortening and put a little oat flour in there to make sure that the loaf would pop out more easily. Wondering what I did that caused the bread to crumble so much when I cut it. Any help or guidance you could provide would be much appreciated. Thanks for all your recipes.

      Reply
      • Lori

        January 19, 2021 at 8:20 am

        Hi Robert, I'm so glad you loved the flavor! As for the crumbliness you experienced, oat flour does tend to be more fragile since it doesn't have gluten like wheat flours, but it sounds like yours was more than just a bit fragile. It's difficult to say exactly what caused it. Here are a few things you could try next time: replace 1/4 cups of the oat flour with white whole wheat or whole wheat pastry flour. You can also try tapioca flour if you'd rather keep it gluten-free. Making sure your bananas are nice and ripe and moist is important, too. You could also increase the banana just a bit, and that should help with binding.
        Thanks so much for the feedback! If you try it again I'd love to hear how it goes.

        Reply
    14. Alyssa

      December 24, 2020 at 12:57 pm

      Can I add cacao powder for double chocolate banana bread

      Reply
      • Lori

        December 24, 2020 at 2:23 pm

        Absolutely! I would go with about 1/2 cup cocoa, and you can increase the maple syrup and almond butter both by about 1 Tbsp to maintain the moisture and sweetness.

        Reply
        • Bre

          October 20, 2021 at 8:48 pm

          Absolutely delicious! In addition to the cinnamon I added some pumpkin spice and about half a teaspoon more of vanilla extract. I'll definitely be keeping these in rotation!

          Reply
    15. Alyssa

      December 23, 2020 at 10:19 pm

      Can I sub apple cider vinegar

      Reply
      • Lori

        December 24, 2020 at 7:01 am

        Hi Alyssa, yes you can use another vinegar or lemon juice if you have that.

        Reply
    16. Estee

      December 22, 2020 at 3:19 pm

      This bread has such great flavor!! I made it the first time with oat flour and I noticed it didn't rise like I wanted. This time I made it with whole wheat pastry flour and it rose beautifully. Thank you for such a great recipe.

      Reply
      • Lori

        December 22, 2020 at 3:39 pm

        You're very welcome, Estee! Glad the pastry flour worked out better for you.

        Reply
    17. Mandy

      August 03, 2020 at 1:44 pm

      Love this bread any ideas on how to convert it to zucchini bread?

      Reply
      • Lori

        August 04, 2020 at 7:44 am

        That's a great idea, Mandy! Do you mean a plain zucchini bread or a banana-zucchini combo? Plain zucchini would mean a complete re-working of the recipe because we would need extra sweetener and moisture to replace the banana. But a combo could probably be pretty easy to toss together! As long as the shredded zucchini is squeezed and fairly dry, I think you could fold it right into this recipe as is. Let me know if you give it a try! 😀

        Reply

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    Lori Rasmussen, Owner/Creator

    Hi, I'm Lori. Welcome to My Quiet Kitchen where I share easy vegan recipes with a healthier twist. Many are special diet-friendly or easily adapted. I also have a passion for veganizing classic desserts, and sometimes even those get a healthy-ish makeover.

    Learn more about me →

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