This healthy oat flour banana bread is so good you'll want to enjoy it for breakfast, snacks, and dessert! It's lightly spiced, oil-free, naturally sweetened, and studded with crunchy walnuts. You'll fall in love with the irresistibly tender and moist crumb!
This recipe is vegan, gluten-free, and WFPB oil-free, with a nut-free option.
Made with our favorite baking flour, the texture of this oat flour banana bread manages to be both hearty and light, which I love. It's also surprisingly tender and moist, even without eggs, oil or butter!
With room for customization in toppings, sweetness, and the nut/seed butter, I have a feeling this will become your new go-to healthy banana bread recipe.
And if it does, you won't be alone! Be sure to check out the reviews below.
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Ingredients
- bananas - make sure to use bananas that are very ripe. They should be fragrant, sweet, with plenty of dark spots. Using bananas that are ripe enough is important for moisture and overall flavor.
- oat flour - you can use store-bought oat flour or make your own by blending regular rolled oats until fine.
- nut or seed butter - though this recipe is free from extracted oils, a little bit of fat improves the texture. I like to use smooth raw almond butter for its neutral, nutty flavor. Feel free to substitute another nut or seed butter if needed. Keep in mind that it will alter the flavor.
- leavener - eggless banana bread gets its rise from baking powder and soda.
- sweeteners - a combination of coconut sugar and maple syrup creates the perfect amount of sweetness while balancing the moisture added. Another granulated sugar can be used instead of coconut sugar.
- additions - we love sprinkling walnuts or pecans on top of the loaf. To reduce the fat or avoid nuts, decorate the top with sliced banana.
How To Make Oat Flour 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:
- Combine dry ingredients in one bowl.
- Mash the bananas and whisk together with the wet ingredients in another bowl.
- Stir the wet and dry ingredients together, then pour the batter into a parchment-lined loaf pan.
- 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.
Top Tip
That last tidbit I mentioned in step 4 is pretty important, about using a toothpick to test for doneness. Underdone banana bread still tastes great, but texture-wise it's not going to win any hearts.
So don't be afraid to stick a tooth pick or knife (or even a chop stick) in there and really make sure it's done, okay?
Substitutions and FAQs
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.
By all means! And if you're interested in a double chocolate banana bread, check out the one linked below.
Oat flour is the only flour I've tested so far with this recipe, but I have heard from readers who used whole wheat pastry with great success.
Not necessarily. In this recipe the bananas and almond butter work together to add moisture, binding, and fat, while baking soda and baking powder help the bread rise.
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Serving Suggestions
For breakfast a slice of warm banana bread topped with a dollop of cashew yogurt or almond yogurt is pure bliss!
You can also easily transform this healthy banana bread into an amazing dessert. Imagine this...
Warm up individual slices of banana bread. Top each one 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 healthy banana bread.
How to Store
Store oat flour banana bread in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 days or refrigerated for up to 5 days.
It also freezes well. Once cool, wrap well to protect from air, and freeze for up to 1 month.
More Oat Flour Recipes
- Banana Zucchini Bread
- Vegan Chocolate Banana Bread
- Oat Flour Pancakes
- Vegan Peanut Butter Brownies
- Oil-Free Peanut Butter Cookies
- Golden Milk Muffins
- Oil-Free Chocolate Cake With Strawberries
- Breakfast Oat Flour Muffins
- Double Chocolate Chip Cookies
Recipe Video
I hope you enjoy this oat flour banana bread. If you try the recipe be sure to comment below and let us know!
Recipe
Oat Flour Banana Bread (Vegan, Oil-Free)
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/large very ripe bananas, when mashed should equal 1 â…“ 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.
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 on the sides 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 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. 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. Let cool completely before slicing (about 1 hour).
Notes
Estimated Nutrition (per serving)
Nutrition information is an estimate and will vary depending on the exact amounts and specific products and ingredients used.
Lisa
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!!
Tatum
absolutely loved your recipe for a loaf!! is it possible to use this same recipe for muffins or do you suggest altering anything?
Lori
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.
Joyce
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?
Lori
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!
Janine
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!
Lori
Wonderful! I love that even with the substitutions it still turned out great. So glad you loved it, Janine!
Rachel
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!
Lori
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!
Ada
Hi , I was wondering if it’s possible to make the batter the night before ?
Lori
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!
Ada
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
Luz
I made and it was absolutely delicious. The only I made was flaxseed one teaspoon for baking soda and it turned out just great!
Laura
So delicious and healthy. Kids all loved it.
Robert Parsons
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.
Lori
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.
Alyssa
Can I add cacao powder for double chocolate banana bread
Lori
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.
Bre
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!
Alyssa
Can I sub apple cider vinegar
Lori
Hi Alyssa, yes you can use another vinegar or lemon juice if you have that.
Estee
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.
Lori
You're very welcome, Estee! Glad the pastry flour worked out better for you.
Megan
Can i omit the vinegar?
Lori
Hi Megan,
The vinegar reacts with the baking soda to help the bread rise, but baking powder also helps with that. So yes, I think it would be okay to omit both the vinegar and baking soda. Even if it's a bit more dense it will still taste great!
Mandy
Love this bread any ideas on how to convert it to zucchini bread?
Lori
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! 😀