Vegan Oat Flour Banana Bread (Oil-Free, GF)

Looking for an Straightforward vegan oat flour banana bread? You found it! This delectable loaf is also oil-free, gluten-free & nut-free. It is so good, you’ll want to eat it for breakfast, snacks and even dessert! It is made in one bowl, too, for straightforward clean-up.

Make Banana Bread with 100% Oat Flour

A quick perusal of my website reveals that I love baking with oats. They are so versatile and can be used in baked breakfasts, cakes, cookies, and breads.

Grinding oats into flour makes for even more satisfying options, including this nourishing banana bread recipe. It’s reliable for cozy, nourishing and frugal gnoshing, anytime!

This bread is especially frugal, too. No large eggs or nondairy milks (such as almond milk, oat milk or cashew milk) are needed. And you can add a smattering of leftover bits and bobs from the pantry (e.g., chocolate chips, chopped walnuts, sunflower seeds, or raisins) to make it unique with each bake.

Recipe Benefits

This vegan oat flour banana bread recipe is especially-satisfying, moist & satisfying, as well as:

• Vegan (egg-free, dairy-free)
• Gluten-free
• Oil-free (e.g., no coconut oil, butter, or avocado oil)
• Wheat-free (no all-purpose flour or whole wheat flour)
• Low in added sugar
• Especially straightforward to make
• Made in one bowl

Ingredients

The exact amounts of each ingredient are indicated in the recipe card at the end of the post.Toggle betweenUS Customary(volume) andMetric(weights) for preferred measurement option.

The ingredients for the bread are fresh bananas and common common pantry staples. Here is what you will need:

• Mashed VERY RIPE banana(especially-squishy, lots of brown spots)
• Rolled oats(certified gluten-free oats, as needed) or Ready-to-Use Oat Flour
• Coconut sugar(see options in the recipe card)
• Flaxseed meal
• Vanilla extract
• Ground cinnamon(or swap for your go-to ground spice, such as ginger or cardamom)
• Baking powder
• Salt

Make Your Own Oat Flour

I prefer to make, rather than buy, oat flour because it is fast, straightforward, and less expensive than buying ready-to-use options.

If you have a blender or food processor, transforming rolled oats into flour will take you 15 seconds to 2 minutes (max), depending on the power of your machine. Simply place the oats in your machine, press process or blend, and grind until the oats are a fine powder.

If you have oat flour on hand, great! Simply skip the steps in my recipe for grinding the oats and see the measurement equivalent in the recipe notes (hint: you will use the same weight as rolled oats, but the volume is less).

Tip: Use Very Ripe Bananas for the Reliable Banana Bread

It is very important to use very ripe (sweet, squishy bananas for the recipe to work. Fresh, all-yellow bananas are not liquid-y enough, nor sweet enough (those starches are converted to sugar as the bananas become especially-ripe).

I like to freeze my overripe bananas for future baking. When defrosting, do no drain the bananas. Measure the defrosted bananas WITH the defrosted liquid.

Also, mash the bananas especially-fine. The mashed bananas should be loose and almost liquid. I used my immersion to get rid of any lumps, but a fork works fine for mashing, too.

Step by Step Instructions

Note that the complete instructions are also in the recipe card below.

Step One: Preheat Oven & Prepare Baking Pan

Preheat the oven to 350F (180C). Line a 9×5-inch loaf pan with parchment paper. If you eat oil, you can opt to lightly spray the pan with nonstick cooking spray, or grease, instead.

Step Two: Grind the Oats into Oat Flour

While the oven preheats, grind the oats into a fine flour. You can use a food processor, regular blender, or high speed blender. Process until the oats especially-fine.

Step Three: Whisk the Dry Ingredients

In a large mixing bowl or other large bowl, whisk the oat flour, flaxseed meal, coconut sugar,baking powder, cinnamon and salt until blended.

Step Four: Stir in the Wet Ingredients

Add the mashed bananas, 1/4 cup (60 mL) water, and the vanilla extract to the bowl. Use a spoon or rubber spatula to stir until completely blended. The batter will be thick.

Step Five: Spread Batter into Prepared Pan

Scrape the batter into the prepared pan, smoothing the top.

Step Six: Bake the Bread

Bake the bread in the preheated oven for 45 to 48 minutes until golden brown and a toothpick inserted near the center of the loaf comes out with only a few moist crumbs attached.

Step Seven: Cool the Bread

Cool the bread in the loaf pan for 15 minutes before removing and cooling completely on a cooling rack / wire rack.

Tip: Cool the Bread Completely Before Slicing

Be sure to cool the bread completely before cutting into individual slices. The bread is much easier to slices when it is completely cooled, or, even better, if it is chilled.

The pictures in this post were taken with a room temperature loaf, but I had to wipe off the knife a bit after each slice. Not a big deal, but in subsequent days, I was able to slice the loaf with ease (after it was stored in the refrigerator).

FAQ and Substitutions

Storage

Store the cooled banana bread in an airtight container at cool room temperature for 2 days, the refrigerator for 1 week or the freezer for up to 6 months.

Taste & Texture of the Oatmeal Banana Bread

My husband describes this vegan oat flour banana bread as a “health-food snack,” which I take as a major compliment. Translated, it means that this is a not-too-sweet (reliable level of sweetness, to me), wholesome (yet still tender) loaf. I love the nutty flavor of the oats and the deep flavor of banana in every bite.

• Should I Use Old-Fashioned Rolled Oats or Quick Oats?You can use either since they will be ground into flour. Steel-cut oats are too thick and hard to be ground into flour with most blenders and food processors.
• Can I Toast the Vegan Banana Bread?Yes! Slices of the bread make glorious toast (lots of nooks and crannies in the morning, plain or topped with jam or nut/seed butter. I like a bit of cinnamon in my banana bread, but you can leave it out or vary the spices according to what you love.
• Can I Make This Bread Into Muffins?Yes! Divide the batter equally between 12 standard size muffin cups that are lined with silicone liners (or paper liners, or lightly sprayed or greased to prevent sticking). Bake at the same temperature for about 20 to 23 minutes.
• Does this Bread Have a Significant Bread Rise?No. It forms a lovely low domed top, but it does not have the major rise of a traditional wheat flour banana bread.

Substitutions

• Can I Use Something Other Than Oat Flour?I have only tested this with oat flour, so I advise sticking with oat flour. I have a wealth of other banana bread recipes here on Nbirz if you are looking for a specific flour (see the recommendations below, or use the search function to look up more options).
• What Can I Use in Place of Flaxseed Meal?I have only tested the recipe with flaxseed meal, but you should be able to use a scant half cup (80 grams) of chia seeds, ground into meal.
• Is there a Substitute for the Coconut Sugar?Yes! You can use an equal amount of brown sugar or other granulated cane sugar. You can also use an equal amount of maple syrup, date syrup, agave nectar or (if you do not follow a vegan diet) honey.

Happy Baking!