When I am bored with eating the super healthy oats the regular way, I make this fancy & delectable banana oatmeal bread which also uses up my overripe bananas lying ignorantly around the corner!
After making my cute little banana oats muffins and loving them like crazy, I was looking for another cake/dessert kinda recipe that I can make using oats.
Then a few overripe dark bananas lying around the corner of my fruit basket caught my attention and it struck me immediately – why not make the larger version of banana oats muffin!
And hence comes this stunning banana oatmeal bread with all its glory! With the kisses of chocolate chips on top, this gluten-free banana bread is simply an epitome of deliciousness baked in a pan!
You can relish this banana oatmeal bread at breakfast with a hot cup of tea or if you are a milk-lover like me, then enjoy it with a cup of cold milk.
If you are feeling fancy, then you can also serve this healthy banana bread as a dessert with a scoop of your favorite ice cream! Just don’t miss to hit the gym the next day!
What is healthy banana oatmeal bread?
Banana bread is a universally popular quick bread and rightfully so! I made the regular banana bread a few years back and understood why people love it so much!
So when I craved that same deliciousness of banana bread, I had to look for a healthier way of making this quick bread without sacrificing much of its taste!
And hence comes the healthy banana bread which is a gluten-free banana oatmeal bread that does not contain any refined flour or refined sugar!
How amazing is that! Now you can enjoy your favorite breakfast guilt-free while sipping your sugar-free coffee or tea!
Oats by default is gluten-free and is an excellent alternative of refined flour (i.e. our very favorite maida) in cakes and quick breads such as this healthy banana bread.
Sugar, being the biggest enemy of health, is substituted with raw organic honey, but that too kept on the lower side as I don’t like my banana bread overly sweet.
All in all this guilt-free & sugar-free quick bread is a perfect win-win recipe which is why I named it my best ever healthy banana oatmeal bread!
Ingredients for healthy banana oatmeal bread
Old fashioned rolled oats: The star of this gluten free banana bread is none other than our healthy genius i.e. rolled oats, which is every fitness freak’s best friend!
Pro tip: I recommend grinding rolled oats at home to make oat flour instead of buying pre-ground oat flour as you may get fillers in it when you buy something in powdered form.
Brand I recommend in India – my very trusted True Elements (non-sponsored)!
Overripe banana: If you allow me to add another star ingredient for this recipe, then that has to be the bananas and that too the overripe ones!
When the bananas are very soft and almost completely dark on the outside, they turn very sweet and hence become perfect for any banana bread.
Baking soda: A pinch of baking soda to keep the batter fluffy and light.
Baking powder: This is the primary raising agent for your banana oatmeal bread. Use a generous amount of it to help raise your cake beautifully.
Salt: Just a tad bit of this must-have seasoning will bring out maximum flavor of all the ingredients.
Milk: A splash of milk will add softness and moisture to your gluten-free bread. You can use regular dairy milk or any unsweetened nut milk of your choice.
Eggs: Couple of eggs are needed to give your banana bread a nice risen structure. Use eggs at room temperature for easy mixing.
Honey: My sweetener of choice for my banana oatmeal bread is raw and organic honey. I don’t like overly sweet banana bread, so I just added 1⁄3 cup of it. You may increase the amount by a couple of tablespoons more if you like it on the sweeter side.
Coconut oil: I added 2 tablespoons of coconut oil to the batter but this is somewhat optional. I feel that this additional fat enhances the texture of such quick breads and also keeps it soft for a longer time.
Cinnamon powder: No banana bread is complete without a generous dash of cinnamon powder; do not skip it!
Chocolate chips: I wanted a fancy banana oatmeal bread which is why I sprinkled a generous amount of chocolate chips into the batter and also on the top. If you don’t like choco chips, feel free to skip it.
Pro tip: You may also replace choco chips with any nut of your choice e.g. walnuts, pecans etc.
How to make healthy banana oatmeal bread?
Step 1: Preheat your oven to 200 C / 400 F and place the wire rack at the middle of the oven. Line a bread pan with parchment paper or brush it with butter or coconut oil like I did. Set it aside.
Step 2: Add the rolled oats to a dry grinder and grind it until you get fine oat flour. Transfer it to a large mixing bowl.
Step 3: Now add baking soda, baking powder, salt, cinnamon powder and half of the chocolate chips to the oat flour. Using a wire whisk, mix all the dry ingredients together ensuring that the raising agents and flavoring ingredients are distributed evenly.
Step 4: In another mixing bowl, take the overripe bananas and mash it using a fork. Take your time to mash the bananas so that there is no lump left.
Step 5: Now add eggs, milk, honey and coconut oil to the mashed bananas. Using a wire whisk, mix all the wet ingredients together to create a uniform mixture.
Step 6: Now pour the wet ingredients over the dry ingredients i.e. the oat flour mixture prepared earlier.
Step 7: Using a spatula, fold the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients until the mixture is just combined and there is no dry flour left; but do not overmix. Let the banana oatmeal bread batter sit for 10 minutes on your kitchen counter.
Step 8: Pour the batter into the prepared bread pan spreading it evenly. Now sprinkle the remaining half of chocolate chips on top of the batter, distributing evenly.
Step 9: Bake the banana oatmeal bread in the preheated oven for 30 minutes at 200 C / 400 F. Then reduce the temperature to 160 C / 325 F and bake for another 20 to 25 minutes until a toothpick inserted into the center of the bread comes out clean.
Step 10: Take it out from the oven and place on a cooling rack for 10 minutes.
Step 11: Once the bread is cool enough to handle, take it out of the bread pan and place it on a wire rack to allow it to cool down before cutting.
Step 12: Slice up your healthy banana oatmeal bread, drizzle some honey on top and serve it warm! Enjoy!
More healthy Oats recipes from Flavor Quotient
- Old fashioned rolled oats - 300 gms (about 3 cups + 2 tbsp)
- Baking soda - ¼ tsp
- Baking powder - 2 tsp
- Salt - ¼ tsp
- Overripe banana - 3, large
- Milk - ¼ cup, at room temperature
- Eggs - 2, at room temperature
- Honey - ⅓ cup (preferably organic)
- Coconut oil - 2 tbsp (preferably cold pressed)
- Cinnamon powder - 2 tsp
- Chocolate chips - ¼ cup
- Preheat your oven to 200 C / 400 F and place the wire rack at the middle of the oven. Line a bread pan with parchment paper or brush it with butter or coconut oil like I did. Set it aside.
- Add the rolled oats to a dry grinder and grind it until you get fine oat flour. Transfer it to a large mixing bowl.
- Now add baking soda, baking powder, salt, cinnamon powder and half of the chocolate chips to the oat flour. Using a wire whisk, mix all the dry ingredients together ensuring that the raising agents and flavoring ingredients are distributed evenly.
- In another mixing bowl, take the overripe bananas and mash it using a fork. Take your time to mash the bananas so that there is no lump left.
- Now add eggs, milk, honey and coconut oil to the mashed bananas. Using a wire whisk, mix all the wet ingredients together to create a uniform mixture.
- Now pour the wet ingredients over the dry ingredients i.e. the oat flour mixture prepared earlier.
- Using a spatula, fold the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients until the mixture is just combined and there is no dry flour left; but do not overmix. Let the banana oatmeal bread batter sit for 10 minutes on your kitchen counter.
- Pour the batter into the prepared bread pan spreading it evenly. Now sprinkle the remaining half of chocolate chips on top of the batter, distributing evenly.
- Bake the banana oatmeal bread in the preheated oven for 30 minutes at 200 C / 400 F. Then reduce the temperature to 160 C / 325 F and bake for another 20 to 25 minutes until a toothpick inserted into the center of the bread comes out clean. Take it out from the oven and place on a cooling rack for 10 minutes.
- Once the bread is cool enough to handle, take it out of the bread pan and place it on a wire rack to allow it to cool down before cutting.
- Slice up your healthy banana oatmeal bread, drizzle some honey on top and serve it warm! Enjoy!
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