Oat Flour Banana Bread

This oat flour banana bread is moist and flavoursome. Like all the best banana bread recipes, it's comforting, delicious and satisfying. But healthy banana bread with oat flour comes with a difference. It's gluten-free, dairy-free, low in added sugar and fat, and high in healthy fibre.

Jump to:

• Why is this banana bread healthy?
• Ingredients
• How to make oat flour banana bread
• Serving and storage
• Other oat flour recipes you might like to try
• Recipe
• Comments

Why is this banana bread healthy?

This healthy gluten free banana bread recipe is packed with wholesome ingredients and is very nutrient-dense.

• Bananas are also a great source of essential nutrients potassium, magnesium and vitamin B6. They are often eaten by athletes as a healthy source of energy. And because bananas are naturally sweet, there's no need to add a lot of additional sugar or sweeteners to this healthy banana bread.
• This flourless banana bread has oats are a key ingredient, and no other flour is required. Oats are a wholegrain, which means that they are high in fibre, and a natural source of vitamins and minerals. They will help to stop your blood sugar levels spiking, and they are one of the best sources of a particular type of fibre called beta glucan which has been shown to be good for heart health.
• Although eaten in tiny amounts, spices also have a nutritional benefit. They are rich in plant compounds called phytochemicals, as well as antioxidants. Different spices have different nutrients, so it's worth including a good selection in your diet. Cinnamon, which is included in this oat flour banana bread, can help to maintain even blood sugar levels.
• This is a low fat banana bread recipe - there's just 3 tablespoons of oil in the whole cake. Even though it's low in fat, the banana bread stays moist due to the bananas.

Ingredients

Bananas You'll need really ripe bananas for this recipe to maximise their natural sweetness. It's a great way to use up bananas which are over-ripe. (You can also freeze over-ripe bananas to make this recipe.)

Rolled or Porridge Oats If you are making the recipe in a food processor, you can use rolled or porridge oats. They will be ground down into a coarse flour as you process the mixture. If you prefer to mix the banana bread by hand, then start with ready ground oat flour.

For gluten-free banana bread, make sure that you buy certified gluten-free oats which have been grown and processed separately from other grains to avoid contamination.

Eggs are a great source of protein and are very nutrient-dense. So they'll help you to feel fuller for longer and pack in extra goodness.

This recipe uses a very small amount of honey, or you can use maple syrup instead. Although honey is still a type of sugar, you'll need to add very little. So each serving of this low sugar banana bread has just one teaspoon of honey.

Cinnamon and allspice both have a sweet, rich, warm flavour which helps to further sweeten this healthy banana bread.

Olive oil. If you prefer, you could use another healthy fat such as coconut oil (soften it first so that it blends more easily with the other ingredients). This banana bread recipe is naturally dairy-free.

There's also a little baking powder in the recipe to give it a lighter texture.

Optional ingredients

If you like, you can also add half a cup of chopped walnuts which complement the slightly nutty flavour of the oats. Or add half a cup of sultanas for extra natural sweetness. You can also used mixed spice rather than cinnamon and allspice if you prefer. Or try alternative spices such as ground cloves, ginger or cardamom.

How to make oat flour banana bread

This quantity of mixture will fit perfectly in a 2lb loaf tin. (A 2lb loaf tin is approximately 21 x 11 cm, or 8 x 4.5 inches). Even if you have a nonstick tin, grease and base line the tin to ensure you can remove your banana bread easily. Just draw around the base on a piece of greaseproof or baking paper and cut to fit. Place in the bottom of the tin, and grease the sides of the tin.

If you've got a food processor, then you can blitz up this healthy banana bread mixture in no time.

Add the oats to the bowl, and process them until they look like coarse flour. Then add all of the other ingredients, and blitz until just mixed and smooth. There's no need to mash the bananas, as the processor will do that for you. You could also use a blender, but it will need to be a large one to accommodate this quantity of cake mixture.

If you want to make the banana bread by hand, then you'll need to use oat flour, and mashed bananas. (Just mash them with a fork in the bowl you are going to use for the mixture). Beat the eggs, then add them to the bananas along with the rest of the ingredients. Mix well until you have a smooth batter.

Bake the banana bread for around 50 minutes until soft and springy. You can test to see whether the cake is properly cooked with a clean skewer. Insert it into centre of the cake. It should come out clean without cake mixture stuck to it.

It's best to cook this oat flour banana bread at a relatively low oven temperature (170 degrees) as it can burn quite easily. If you are using a fan oven, reduce this to 150 degrees.

A loaf this size can be cut into about 9 slices. If you would prefer to make a smaller cake, then halve the quantity and use a 1lb loaf tin. You'll need to reduce the baking time by around 10 minutes.

Serving and storage

This healthy banana bread can be enjoyed as a nutritious snack, for dessert or even for breakfast. Maybe add a cup of oat milk hot chocolate or healthy iced coffee depending on the weather!

Oat flour banana bread is delicious moist loaf cake which can be stored in an airtight container for 2-3 days without spoiling. It also freezes well. You can either freeze the whole loaf, or freeze individual slices with baking paper between to stop them sticking. That way you can pop a slice out when you fancy a sweet, healthy snack:)

Other oat flour recipes you might like to try

Oat flour is ideal for gluten-free healthy baking, especially homemade quick breads and muffins. It's a whole grain which means it's naturally high in fibre, and it's very easy to use.

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Recipe

Please note nutritional information is per serving and is provided for guidance only.