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    Home » Baking

    Healthy Banana Oat Bread

    March 19, 2021 by Agnieszka 20 Comments

    Jump to Recipe·Print Recipe

    Healthy Banana Oat Bread is 100% whole grain and uses no butter or refined sugar but the texture and flavor are out-of-this-world good! It is made with instant oats and spelt flour, wonderfully fluffy and moist at the same time. Your whole family will love it, buttered or plain!

    a loaf of banana bread with one slice cut off and a bite taken out ob white paper with a silver bread knife to the side

    I often experiment with various kinds of banana bread because somehow we always end up with leftover overripe bananas at the end of the week. It may have something to do with my habit of food hoarding. You can never have enough apples and bananas, right?

    Plus, there are SO MANY things you can do with extra bananas. Peel them, cut into chunks and freeze in baggies to make delicious smoothies, smoothie bowls or nice-cream (banana-based “ice cream”). Use them to make super easy 3-ingredient banana egg pancakes (banana, eggs & almond or regular flour).

    If you feel like baking, use them to make my Flourless Banana Peanut Butter Banana Cookies, Chocolate and Cherry Oatmeal Cookies or this banana bread, of course!

    WHAT YOU WILL NEED

    Bananas: you will need 4 large very ripe bananas (about 2 cups mashed) for this recipe. Brown spots or brown skin is fine.

    Instant Oats: also known as quick oats, these work the best for this recipe. Rolled oats will not produce fluffy texture. However, if that’s all you have, you can grind them in a food processor or a blender to make oat flour and use that instead.

    Spelt Flour: it’s similar to whole wheat flour but I like its flavor and texture better in baked goods. It can usually be found in health stores, organic section of most grocery stores or online. If you don't have spelt flour, you can use white wheat flour instead.

    Eggs: use 2 large eggs, preferably organic.

    Maple Syrup: this recipe uses ¼ cup pure maple syrup to sweeten the bread. If you like your banana bread to be on the sweeter side, you can increase the amount to ⅓ or ½ cup although personally, I think ¼ cup is just right, especially if your bananas are very ripe.

    Coconut oil: you can use refined or virgin coconut oil. I’ve tried both and didn’t notice much difference.

    Baking Powder and Baking Soda: to help the bread rise.

    Vanilla, Cinnamon (not pictured) & Salt: used to balance out the flavors. Note: I forgot to include cinnamon in the ingredients photo but make sure not to skip it!

    HOW TO MAKE HEALTHY BANANA OAT BREAD

    Step 1: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit, lightly grease a 9x5in loaf pan and line it with parchment paper.

    Step 2: Mash the bananas in a bowl. You can use a fork but I find that potato masher works best for this task.

    Step 3: Add wet ingredients to the mashed bananas: eggs, melted coconut oil, vanilla and maple syrup. Stir together.

    Step 4: In a separate bowl mix together the oats, spelt flour and all other dry ingredients.

    Step 5: Add dry ingredients to wet and stir gently to combine with a spatula. Don’t overmix the dough.

    Step 6: Transfer the dough into a prepared loaf pan and sprinkle with chopped walnuts and mini chocolate chips, if you’d like. You can also just leave it “naked” but I think toppings make it more fun.

    Step 7: Bake for about 50 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Remove from the oven and let cool for 10-15 minutes before lifting out of the pan and transferring to a wire rack to cool completely (or ALMOST completely).

    WHAT IS SPELT AND WHY IS IT HEALTHY?

    Spelt is an ancient grain that’s in the same family as wheat, rye and barley. Unlike wheat though, spelt flour is made with the entire grain which makes this flour 100% whole grain. 

    Spelt flour is commonly used in breads and baked goods in Poland, where I grew up, and I’ve always liked the nutty flavor of spelt bread.

    Spelt has been around for at least 7,000 years and unlike wheat, it has not been altered from its original form. Spelt has more protein, fiber and some nutrients compared to wheat. It is also easier to digest than wheat.

    IS SPELT FLOUR GLUTEN FREE?

    In short: no. Both wheat and spelt include gluten and should be avoided by people who suffer from celiac disease. However, the kind of gluten in spelt is different than the gluten in wheat, which apparently makes it better tolerated by people with mild gluten sensitivity.

    SUBSTITUTIONS & TOPPINGS/ADD-ONS

    If you don’t have spelt four, substitute with whole wheat flour. I highly recommend giving spelt flour a try though because it works so well in baked goods and I like the flavor and texture of spelt better than whole wheat.

    If you would like this banana bread to be oil free, you can replace coconut oil with applesauce.

    Instant oats can be swapped for oat flour in this recipe but I would not try to make it with old fashioned rolled oats or steel cut oats. They will weigh the bread down too much and it won’t come out right. See my tip above on how to make oat flour using rolled oats.

    Optional toppings include chopped up nuts (walnuts, pecans), regular or mini chocolate chips, fresh bananas cut lengthwise, rolled oats and unsweetened coconut flakes. You can also stir nuts and/or chocolate chips into the dough before baking. My kids don’t like “stuff” in their banana bread so I usually only add nuts and chocolate on top, or make it plain. It’s delicious either way!

    SERVING,  STORING & FREEZING TIPS

    Serve healthy banana oat bread sliced on its own, with butter, vegan butter, almond butter or peanut butter on top. Personally, I like to serve it in thick slices with some vanilla cashew yogurt and fresh fruit and eat it with a fork.

    Store banana bread in an airtight container or wrapped in plastic wrap at room temperature for up to 5 days. Make sure the bread is completely cooled before wrapping or placing in a container.

    To freeze, let cool completely, wrap tightly with plastic wrap or place in a freezer bag (letting most of the air out) and store in the freezer up to 3 months. When ready to serve, take out of the freezer, let thaw and slice.

    EQUIPMENT USED TO MAKE THIS RECIPE

     

    If you try this Healthy Banana Oat Bread, be sure to leave me a comment and give this recipe a rating. I would love to hear from you and see how it turned out for you! You can also share and tag me on Instagram!

    No time to make it now? Just pin it now and save the recipe for later!

    a loaf of banana bread on white paper on a black wire rack with one slice cut

    This post contains affiliate links. 

    Print
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    Healthy Banana Oat Bread


    ★★★★★

    5 from 17 reviews

    • Author: Agnieszka
    • Total Time: 1 hour 5 minutes
    • Yield: 1 loaf (10 slices) 1x
    Print Recipe
    Pin Recipe

    Description

    Healthy Banana Oat Bread is 100% whole grain and uses no butter or refined sugar but the texture and flavor are out-of-this-world good!


    Ingredients

    Scale

    1 cup quick oats
    1.5 cups spelt flour (or white whole wheat flour)
    2 eggs
    4 very ripe bananas
    ¼ cup maple syrup
    ¼ cup refined coconut oil, melted
    1 tsp baking soda
    1 tsp baking powder
    1 tsp vanilla
    2 tsp cinnamon
    ½ tsp sea salt

    Optional toppings: chopped walnuts and mini chocolate chips


    Instructions

    1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit and line a 9 x 5in loaf pan with parchment paper.
    2. In a large bowl mash the bananas with a fork or potato masher until smooth.
    3. Add eggs, maple syrup, melted coconut oil and vanilla and stir well.
    4. In a separate bowl combine all the dry ingredients: oats, spelt flour, cinnamon, baking powder, baking soda, salt and cinnamon.
    5. Add dry ingredients to the banana-egg mixture and stir with a spatula until combined. Do not overmix!
    6. Pour the batter into the prepared loaf pan, top with walnuts and mini chocolate chips (if using).
    7. Bake in the preheated oven for 50 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
    8. Place on a cooling rack and let the bread cool for at least 20 minutes. Take out of the pan and let cool more before slicing.
    9. Serve on its own or with butter or almond butter.

    Notes

    If you don't have spelt flour, you can use white whole wheat flour.

    Make sure your bananas are very ripe. Brown spots or completely brown skin is preferable. This will ensure that your bread is sweet enough and has lots of banana flavor.

    If you don't want to use coconut oil, feel free to substitute it with avocado or vegetable oil.

    • Prep Time: 15 minutes
    • Cook Time: 50 minutes
    • Category: baking
    • Method: baking

    Nutrition

    • Serving Size: 1 slice

    Keywords: banana bread, banana, oats, healthy baking

    Did you make this recipe?

    Share a photo and tag me on Instagram @whollytasteful — I can't wait to see what you've made!

     

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    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Biana

      March 24, 2021 at 9:53 am

      We love banana bread, but have not made it with oats before. Sounds so healthy and delicious!

      ★★★★★

      Reply
    2. Beth

      March 24, 2021 at 9:54 am

      Yummy! My family and I are going to absolutely love this recipe! I can't wait to give this a try!

      ★★★★★

      Reply
    3. Katherine

      March 24, 2021 at 10:03 am

      So many healthy ingredients in this amazing banana bread! Yum!

      ★★★★★

      Reply
    4. Julie

      March 24, 2021 at 10:13 am

      What a beautiful loaf of bread. Perfect for a breakfast or a snack.

      ★★★★★

      Reply
    5. Traci

      March 24, 2021 at 10:44 am

      Banana and oats are always a winning combo. Great recipe! Nice spin on a classic...thanks for sharing 🙂

      ★★★★★

      Reply
    6. Jere Cassidy

      July 14, 2021 at 1:17 pm

      I use to bake with spelt flour then stopped so I am glad to find this recipe to get me back to using that again. I love the toppings you added to this loaf for some extra crunch and flavor on top.

      ★★★★★

      Reply
    7. Debra

      July 14, 2021 at 4:46 pm

      Delicious and I loved how easy it was to make. The entire family enjoyed this one. Pinning because we will definitely make it again.

      ★★★★★

      Reply
    8. Marysa

      July 14, 2021 at 7:53 pm

      We love making banana bread, and this sounds like a nice twist on our usual recipe. I'll have to try this out some time.

      Reply
    9. Brianna

      July 14, 2021 at 9:21 pm

      Such a tasty banana bread! Love the nuttiness from the oats and the spelt

      ★★★★★

      Reply
    10. Jazz

      September 06, 2021 at 9:26 pm

      I’ve made this recipe twice, and both times have been amazing.
      I used oat flour instead of oats and avocado oil instead of coconut oil. Also, I used 1/4 cup of granulated monk fruit (Lakanto brand) instead of maple syrup (have some family members watching their sugar) and it is still sweet enough for us, not too much. Lastly, used bourbon vanilla extract from Trader Joe’s.
      Thanks for a great recipe with spelt flour! I plan on trying to do the same recipe with pumpkin instead and see how it turns out this fall.

      ★★★★★

      Reply
      • Agnieszka

        September 06, 2021 at 10:44 pm

        So glad you enjoyed the recipe! I love all your substitutions. Need to try that bourbon vanilla extract from Trader Joe's! It sounds amazing.

        Reply
    11. Shrilatha

      February 24, 2022 at 12:17 am

      Love the flavour of banana and oats.
      Thank you for this recipe.

      ★★★★★

      Reply
    12. Jeannie

      February 24, 2022 at 4:05 am

      oats and bananas make a perfect combo for banana bread, we made this and enjoyed it as an afternoon snack.

      ★★★★★

      Reply
    13. Nora

      February 24, 2022 at 4:30 am

      This oat bread turned out perfectly! Made it for my daughter and she loved it! Thank you for sharing!

      ★★★★★

      Reply
    14. Jerika

      February 24, 2022 at 4:40 am

      Healthy Banana Oat Bread is one of my favorites! YUM! I will share it with my fam. Thanks!:) So delish!

      ★★★★★

      Reply
    15. Marcellina

      February 24, 2022 at 5:57 am

      I've never used spelt flour but this banana bread looks so amazing I'm going to the store to buy the flour. Thanks!

      ★★★★★

      Reply
    16. amanda

      February 24, 2022 at 1:16 pm

      This bread turned out so delicious. I love the oat and banana bread together. Went perfect with my coffee!

      ★★★★★

      Reply
    17. nancy

      February 24, 2022 at 6:38 pm

      i can't believe this bread is 100% whole grain with no butter or sugar! so tasty!!

      ★★★★★

      Reply
    18. Ingrid

      February 27, 2022 at 2:02 pm

      I just made it but i used whole wheat flour and oat flour instead bc that’s what i had and i put avocado oil.
      It is delicious!! thank you!!

      ★★★★★

      Reply
      • Agnieszka

        February 27, 2022 at 10:17 pm

        You are welcome! Glad it worked!

        Reply

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