This 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 healthy banana bread recipe is vegan, gluten-free, and WFPB oil-free, with a nut-free option.
Made with my 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, too.
And if it does, you won't be alone! Be sure to check out the rave 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 make it nut-free, decorate the top with sliced banana.
See the recipe card below for amounts and full step-by-step instructions.
How To Make Oat Flour Banana Bread
First, preheat the oven to 350°F (176°C), and line a loaf pan with parchment paper. Combine the dry ingredients in one bowl. In a separate bowl, mash the bananas until creamy, then whisk in the other wet ingredients.
Stir the wet and dry ingredients together, and transfer the batter to the prepared loaf pan.
Sprinkle with chopped walnuts or other topping (like chocolate chips or sliced banana), and bake for about 1 hour or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
Top Tip
That last tidbit 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 (a chop stick also works well) in there to make sure it's done!
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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.
Serving Suggestions
For breakfast: Enjoy a slice of warm banana bread topped with a dollop of cashew yogurt or almond yogurt and fresh fruit on the side.
For dessert: You can easily transform this healthy oatmeal banana bread into an amazing dessert! Imagine this... Gently reheat individual slices of banana bread. Top each one with a scoop of Vegan Butter Pecan or Vanilla Oat Milk Ice Cream, a drizzle of maple syrup, and a dash of cinnamon. Oooooh, that's my kind of dessert, friends!
Afternoon snack: Enjoy a slice of oat flour banana bread with a cup of coffee or tea at your desk for a pick-me-up. Or pack some to-go before you head out shopping or running errands.
Honestly, I can't think of an occasion or time of day where I wouldn't want to eat this banana bread.
For gifting: This vegan banana bread also makes a lovely gift! Nothing says "I care" quite like healthy homemade banana bread.
How to Store
Store oat flour banana bread in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 days or refrigerate for up to 5 days.
It also freezes well. Let cool completely, wrap well to protect from air, and freeze for up to 1 month.
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
- 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 - should equal 1⅓ cups when mashed
- 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 chopped walnuts or pecans, optional - For reduced-fat or nut-free option, sub sliced banana
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°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 1⅓ cups. If you have extra banana, you can drizzle on top of the loaf just before baking.
- To the 1⅓ 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. Transfer batter to the 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.
- 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.
Notes
Estimated Nutrition (per serving)
Nutrition information is an estimate and will vary depending on the exact amounts and specific products and ingredients used.
Jess says
By far the best banana bread recipe I've made yet. I added two flax eggs and removed maple syrup for personal taste (bananas are sweet enough) and added in homemade chocolate chunks. Delicious!
chris says
Hi Lori - can I sub whole wheat flour for the oat flour? Thank you for your recipes!!
Lori Rasmussen says
Hi Chris - I haven't tried it with whole wheat but have heard from others that it works. I would use the same amount of flour by weight, so 180 grams, which is closer to 1.5 cups. Hope it turns out perfect for you!
chris says
thank you!!!!
Shaundi says
Such an easy recipe! So tasty, soft and moist! Was a hit at the church potluck today! Even beat out another banana bread that wasn’t vegan or GF!
Jennie says
Hi,had this at a friends and was fantastic. Can I use an air fryer for this? New to this cooking. Thanks
Lori Rasmussen says
So glad you loved it, Jennie! That's a good Q about the air fryer. You would definitely need to modify some things, like smaller pans, depending on the size of the air fryer. And cook time would be reduced. Adding that to my to-do list!
Pat says
Hi, can I substitute lemon juice for the vinegar?
Lori Rasmussen says
Hi Pat - Yes, lemon juice is great. I'd increase to 1 Tbsp.
Christina Gomez says
I do not say this lightly: this is the best banana bread I have ever made! Holy smokes it's delicious. My husband and I devoured half the loaf the night I baked it!!
Deba says
This came out perfect. I use gluten free oats and make the flour for a dear friend. Thank you for your amazing baking,
Linda says
I made this recipe using Monk fruit instead of Coconut sugar.
It was really good 👍
Lexi says
Very good!! I lean for slightly less sweet recipes out of preference so I left out the coconut sugar and it was still great! Lori has my new favorite recipes to follow!
Aru says
The whole family loved it. Guilt free bread. Had it for breakfast and it was just perfect since it was oat flour and not a gluten option. Thank you. I am already checking out your other recipes as well.
Afia says
Absolutely delicious, the texture is perfect as well. Moist on the inside and a bit crunchy on the corners. I added a touch more sugar to suit my tastes better, as well as a handful of chocolate chips along with the walnuts. However I don't think it needed the chocolate chips! This recipe would surely be just fine without it.
Monica says
This bread was yummy! I replaced 1/3 C of the banana with applesauce and added tons of cinnamon 😁 I didn't have apple cider vinegar and used pumpkin cider vinegar instead. It was the right amount of sweetness and moist texture. Thank you for this awesome recipe! Definitely making this again!