Oat Flour Banana Bread has an unbelievable texture you’ll love. My son has deemed it the “best banana bread ever” and I love that it uses affordable, gluten-free oat flour.
Why use oat flour? This flour is easily accessible! If you have oatmeal at home, you can make oat flour. It’s naturally gluten-free, and super affordable when compared to other alternative flours.
Ingredients You’ll Need
Can you use oat flour instead of all purpose flour? In most recipes, the answer is yes, but you’ll typically need to use more oat flour when making this substitution, because oat flour is less dense than wheat flour. That’s why I’ve done the testing for you!
Here are the basics for perfect oat flour banana bread:
- Oat flour (certified gluten-free, if needed)
- Eggs
- Coconut sugar
- Olive oil
- Ripe bananas
Since oat flour is gluten-free, it doesn’t have the same binding protein (gluten) that wheat flour does. As a result, you’ll need to use more eggs to get a familiar banana bread texture that isn’t mushy in the middle, or crumbling apart.
How to Make It
Oat flour banana bread is just as easy to make as the original! Start with ripe bananas, with plenty of ripe spots on their skin, so they’ll be nice and sweet.
I like to mash mine with a fork on a plate before I measure out the puree for this recipe.
In a large bowl, you’ll mix together all of the ingredients, until a relatively smooth batter is formed. It’s okay if there are still a few pieces of banana that aren’t totally mashed. (Yum!)
Lightly spray a 9-inch by 5-inch loaf pan with oil, then place a piece of parchment paper on the bottom of the pan to ensure this banana bread will be easy to remove later.
Pour the batter into the pan and smooth the top.
Bake until the top of the loaf has puffed up and started to crack, about 45 minutes.
This bread needs to cool completely before you slice into it, so be patient!
This bread tastes like a lightly sweet banana bread with a hint of oatmeal flavor. The addition of cinnamon is a nice touch, but you can leave that out, if you’d prefer.
You could also sprinkle some chocolate chips on top, for a chocolate chip banana bread!
Substitutions
Since I test my recipes so much, I can answer some of your substitution questions below.
Need to replace the coconut sugar? I’ve reduced the coconut sugar in this recipe to just 3/4 cup and that still works well, texture-wise. It just doesn’t taste as sweet as a banana bread you’d buy at a coffee shop. I’ve also tested this recipe with 1/2 cup of honey instead, and that turned out too sweet, and the texture was super gummy in the middle. I don’t recommend that swap. If I were to try it again, I’d probably use 1/3 cup of honey and increase the flour by at least 1/4 cup.
Need to replace the olive oil? You can use melted coconut oil or butter with similar results. I imagine you could possibly make this recipe oil-free by replacing the oil with more mashed banana, too, but the texture might not be quite as nice and sliceable.
Need to replace the eggs? I have successfully used Bob’s Red Mill Egg Replacer in this recipe, and the results are great! The egg-free banana bread is a little more flat, but it still cracks in the center and isn’t gooey in the middle with this substitution. I assume other store-bought egg substitutes will work as well, but I’m not sure that flax eggs will be as helpful. I think the “powdery” egg substitutes that involve arrowroot or tapioca starches are most effective with gluten-free baking. (FYI– using carbonated water as an egg substitute does NOT work here. I tried it, and it was inedible.)
Oat Flour Banana Bread
Ingredients
- 3 large ripe bananas (315 grams; about 1 1/4 cups mashed)
- 1.75 cups oat flour (225 grams; certified gluten-free, if needed)
- 3 large eggs (143 grams)
- 1 cup coconut sugar (169 grams)
- 1/4 cup olive oil (58 grams)
- 2 teaspoons baking powder (9 grams)
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon (3 grams; optional)
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract (4 grams)
- 1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt (3 grams; I use Real Salt brand)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350ºF. Use a fork to mash the 3 ripe bananas until no large chunks remain.
- In a large bowl, combine all of the ingredients and stir well, until a relatively smooth batter is formed. It's okay if there are still a few small pieces of banana visible.
- Grease a 9-inch by 5-inch loaf pan with oil, Press a piece of parchment paper into the bottom of the pan, to guarantee the banana bread will be easy to remove later. Pour the batter into the prepared pan, and smooth the top. Bake at 350ºF until the top rises and cracks in the middle, about 40 to 50 minutes. Mine is usually perfect at 45 minutes.
- Let the bread cool completely before slicing, then serve. I think this bread tastes best when served at room temperature, but I store it in the fridge to extend the shelf life. It will keep well in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days, and you can bring it to room temperature again 1 hour before serving.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
More Banana Recipes
- Best Ever Coconut Flour Banana Bread
- Vegan Gluten-Free Banana Bread (made with GF blend)
- Almond Flour Banana Bread (Vegan)
- Flourless Peanut Butter Banana Muffins
If you try this oat flour banana bread, please leave a comment below letting me know how you like it! And if you make any modifications, I’d love to hear about those, too. We can all benefit from your experience!
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Reader Feedback: What’s your favorite quick bread? Should we do an oat flour pumpkin bread next?
This was delicious. So easy to make and super healthy! Just the right amount of sweetness, too. I added walnuts to mine and loved the result.
I’m so glad you enjoyed it! Thanks for letting me know! The walnuts sound perfect, too.
I can’t wait to try this!! I know it will be amazing. Just curious why you decided to use olive oil in this recipe? Does it give it a better texture or taste better than coconut oil or butter?
It’s a texture thing! Coconut oil kept seizing up when I used eggs that were cold from the fridge, so the olive oil keeps the batter pourable, and you can’t taste it AT ALL. I really don’t like hints of coconut oil in my baked goods lately, so I’ve been branching out. 🙂
I’d love to try it but my child has an egg allergy. Do you think flaxseed eggs would work ok for a substitute?
I’ve tested this with Bob’s red Mill egg replacer, and it worked perfectly. I’m not sure how flax eggs would work, but the inside might be slightly more gummy that way.
This looks SO perfect! Crossing my fingers that you come up with a date-sweetened banana bread/more date-sweetened recipes in general! It can be so hard with chewy things like cookies, but breads and muffins seem to be a bit easier. I love making a date-sweetened version of your buckwheat pumpkin bread, and your PB cookies are our favorite!
This was excellent!
This turned out amazing! Great texture and flavor.
Quick tip: After blending the oats in my blender to make oat flour, I thought, “why dirty more dishes? Why not just throw all of the ingredients into my blender”. It worked perfectly. I only blended until everything was incorporated and then poured it right into the bread pan. Amazing!!
Loved the banana bread with oat flour… it was moist and not too sweet… next time my add some nuts to it!
JUST MADE YOUR DELICIOUS BANANA OAT BREAD.
I ONLY HAD 2 LARGE BANANAS THEREFORE I SUBSTITUTED HOMEMADE APPLESAUCE FOR THE REMAINDER.
I ALSO ADDED CHOPPED WALNUTS AND MINI CHIPS ON TOP AND BAKED IN MY 4 LOAF PAN FOR 30 MINUTES.
DELISH. THANK YOU.
Another great recipe, Megan. I made this bread this morning, and my family and I loved it! I also love how easy it is to make. I think I’m going to need to blend more flour, because another loaf is in our future. 😊
Thank you so much for this recipe,Megan! I LOVE oats and always look for ways to use them… This banana bread has an amazing moist texture, and I would be happy to get this at any fancy coffee shop.
Plus, it only has 9 ingredients, and is easy to make! I really love it, best kind of recipe! Thanks for all the testing you do for us, we can tell by the perfect result! 🙂 Greetings from the Netherlands!
This was so quick and easy to make and was absolutely delicious! Thank you for yet another amazing recipe, Megan!
This is really good. It is moist and not too sweet. Thank you for another healthier recipe, with 3 teenagers, the recipe has to taste good to be able to compete with a bowl of chips. This recipe definitely does that!
Hi Megan, I’m a huge fan of your recipes. I tried to make this recipe and the middle remained gummy and uncooked. I left baking for over an hour ☹️ Can you tell me what I must have done wrong?
Sorry to hear that! My best guess is that the oven temperature is off. I don’t know why it would still be underbaked after a full hour. Mine nearly burns if it’s in there for 50-55 minutes. Did you make any substitutions?
Must one use coconut sugar instead of cane sugar. Have you tried it with Splenda brown sugar?
I avoid Splenda completely, but I think cane sugar would be a perfectly fine substitution for the coconut sugar. It will just turn out slightly more sweet that way– and probably even more delicious!
This is so good!! Love that it uses oat flour which is so economical. My husband and toddler both loved it. I actually decreased the sugar amount to half cup and put in less salt too and they still loved it. I added a sprinkling of chocolate chips on top too. I’ve tried a few of the banana bread recipes on here and my husband said the flavor of this one is his favorite.
Hi Megan!
I was wondering if I can use carrots instead of bananas.
Thank You 😊
What an awesome recipe! Thank you so much. We are vegetarians with no egg policy so when I see people who put effort to give alternatives and substitutes for an eggless option it shows the effort and love they show for their passion. Thank you so much!
Excellent recipe for any type of banana bread. I’ve made this a few times now and it always turns out great. I’ve subbed applesauce for part of the oil, but it still turned out great. I just had to bake longer than stated in the recipe
This is the best banana bread I have ever had in my life. It’s so delicious.
I’ve tried this recipe a few times and each time it turns out a little doughy in spots, usually at the bottom. Any idea? I’ve baked for well over the required time! It tastes well. Oat flour seems to do this I find…
The cake was amazing. I added some raisins and ginger powder. I also replaced the coconut sugar with ⅓ cup dark brown sugar.. This is my go to snack as a lactating mom. Thanks
Great. Video l. Like. Your ideas of. Not. Using flour for. A. Change great. Rest for. Digestive issues. Thanks Pauline aged. 60 still like home. Cooking but most. People. Tell me it’s. To. Bland lol
I made this for clients at work, I work with special needs individuals, we only had two bananas and we used 1/4 cup of Stevia and we grinded up the oats to make the flour, but it turned out amazing. Great texture, great flavor. The guys will love it. Thank you.
i only have stevia also and wanted to know if it was an acceptable sub. thanks for letting us know that it worked!
So moist and the delicious! I love that it packs a lot of flavor but isn’t overly sweet!!
This banana bread is delicious. Going to be making more of your oat flour recipes, as the flour is affordable and I can make nut free baked goods for school. Would love to see more oat flour recipes (because I’ve tried other sites and yours are the best). 🙂
Thanks for the kind words, Krista! I hope to work on more oat flour recipes soon. Glad this one was a hit!
My son is on a big banana bread kick, and he LOVED this. I made with coconut oil and it was great. Moist, and the top cracked beautifully.
I made it using instant oats as flour and halved the sugar cause i like it less sweet and i successfully made my first banana bread. It is simply divine
Very good! Only sub I made was butter in place of the olive oil. Will definitely make again!
This recipe is PERFECTION. Even as a relatively advanced baker, I’ve made tons of oat flour baked goods that are gummy or don’t bake properly. This recipe was SO delicious. I followed it but used only 1/4 cup brown sugar and 1/4 cup white sugar and I thought it was plenty sweet. Thank you!!!!
Absolutely perfect! We make it every week
Love your recipes.
This recipe was so good and worked out perfectly! I added chocolate chips as an extra treat!
So perfect!! I added semi-sweet chocolate chips.
Yum yum yum another perfect recipe
This recipe is really, really good. You will not regret this lovely treat.
Where can I find coconut sugar? I haven’t seen it in stores. Can I use regular sugar or will that mess up the bread? Sorry I read the recipe first before asking.
I find it at Target on the top shelf of their baking aisle, but you can use any other granulated sugar instead. I would use a little less sugar if you’re using white or brown sugar, because they are slightly sweeter than the coconut sugar. Hope you enjoy it!
This is the best banana bread I have ever made and at 70 I’ve been baking a long time.I didn’t have coconut sugar but substituted dated sugar and cut to 2/3 cuop.
Just made this! I used maple syrup instead of the sugar and added chocolate chips. It turned out so delicious!! Currently eating with my cup or coffee.
Question, is possible to leave out the sugar altogether? I even find 50% dark chocolate too sweet.
his recipe you wrote is very good and the picture shows well how much to expect the bread to rise.
This bread is so delicious and easy to make. I can’t believe it’s gluten free. My whole family loved it so much that we’re already making it again for the second time this week. Thank you so much for the recipe!
I just made this recipe, only modification I made was to add walnuts and honestly, it is the best banana bread I’ve made. So good. This one isn’t going to last very long in my house! Definitely will make it again, thank you for this recipe!
I doubled the recipe and made a loaf and some mini muffins. I replaced the oil with applesauce, and it turned out really well. It is a great recipe~