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Looking for an EASY 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 easy clean-up.
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 delicious options, including this wholesome banana loaf. It’s perfect for cozy, healthy and frugal January gnoshing!
Recipe Benefits
This vegan oat flour banana bread is super-delicious, moist & satisfying, as well as:
- Vegan (egg-free, dairy-free)
- Gluten-free
- Oil-free
- Wheat-free
- Low in added sugar
- Super easy 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.
The ingredients for the bread are minimal and easily acquired. Here is what you will need:
- Mashed VERY RIPE banana (super-squishy, lots of brown spots)
- Rolled oats (you will grind into a flour) or Ready-to-Use Oat Flour
- Coconut sugar (see options in the recipe card)
- Flaxseed meal
- Vanilla extract
- Ground cinnamon
- Baking powder
- Salt
How Do I Make Oat Flour?
I prefer to make, rather than buy, oat flour because it is fast, easy, 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 resemble super-fine flour.
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 Best 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 super-ripe).
I like to freeze my super-ripe bananas for future baking. When defrosting, do no drain the bananas. Measure the defrosted bananas WITH the defrosted liquid.
Also, mash the bananas super-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.
How to Make Vegan Oil-Free Banana Bread
Step One: Preheat Oven & Prepare Baking Pan
Preheat the oven to 350F (180C). Spray a 9×5-inch loaf pan with nonstick baking spray.
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 or blender, but if using the former, take an extra minute to grind the oats super-fine.
Step Three: Whisk the Dry Ingredients
In a 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 Five: 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 Five: Cool the Bread
Cool the bread in the loaf pan for 15 minutes before removing and cooling completely on a cooling rack.
Tip: Cool the Bread Completely Before Slicing
Be sure to cool the bread completely before slicing it. 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
How Should Vegan Banana Bread Be Stored?
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.
What is the Taste & Texture of the 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 (perfectly sweet, to me), wholesome (yet still tender) loaf.
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 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 powerhungry® 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.
Happy Baking!
Related Recipes
Vegan Oat Flour Banana Bread (Oil-Free, Nut-Free, Gluten-Free)
Looking for an EASY 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 easy clean-up.
Ingredients
- 2 and 1/2 cups (250 g) rolled oats (see note for using oat flour)
- 3/4 cup (78 g) flaxseed meal
- 2 and 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 2 cups mashed VERY RIPE bananas
- 1/4 cup coconut sugar (see notes for options)
- 1/4 cup (60 mL) water
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350F (180C). Spray a 9x5-inch (22.5x12.5 cm) loaf pan with nonstick cooking spray.
- While the oven preheats, grind the oats into a very fine flour (use a food processor or blender).
- In.a large bowl, whisk the oat flour, flaxseed meal, baking powder, cinnamon and salt until blended.
- Add the mashed banana, coconut sugar, water and vanilla, stirring until completely blended and smooth.
- Spread batter evenly in prepared pan, smoothing the top.
- Bake in the preheated oven for 45 to 50 minutes until deep golden brown and a toothpick inserted near the center comes out with only a few moist crumbs attached.
- Cool the bread in the pan for 15 minutes before removing to a cooling rack. Cool completely before slicing.
Notes
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.
Ready-to-Use Oat Flour: Skip step two in the direction. Use the same weight of oat flour (250 grams) as rolled oats, which is 2 cups plus about 1 tablespoon.
Sugar Options: An equal amoun of brown sugar or natural cane sugar can be used in place of the coconut sugar.
Bananas: Be sure to use VERY ripe, squishy bananas. Mash the bananas very fine.
Nutrition Information
Yield 14 Serving Size 1Amount Per Serving Calories 128Total Fat 3gSaturated Fat 0gTrans Fat 0gUnsaturated Fat 3gCholesterol 0mgSodium 166mgCarbohydrates 23gFiber 4gSugar 8gProtein 3g
Janice
Thursday 7th of December 2023
Hi Camilla, 2 cups of banana is how many in grams? Could I omit the sugar or use half of it? Thank you.
Camilla
Friday 8th of December 2023
Hi Janice,
It is about 600 grams. You can certainly try reducing the sugar, it would be an experiment (I have not tried it). Cheers.
Kay
Tuesday 10th of October 2023
Hi, this is baking in my oven right now, can’t wait to try it! Thank you for this recipe!
Aarti
Friday 25th of August 2023
Do you think I could substitute oat milk for the water?
Camilla
Thursday 31st of August 2023
Hi Aarti,
Yes, absolutely!
Natalie
Wednesday 8th of March 2023
Hello, can I make this as muffins in a muffin pan instead ?
Camilla
Friday 17th of March 2023
Hi Natalie--absolutely! I would fill all 12 cups of a standard-size muffin tin (line with liners or spray with nonstick spray, or grease the cups). Bake at 375 for about 13 to 17 minutes (check at the earliest time) :)
s
Wednesday 22nd of February 2023
if I am using store bought oat flour...how many cups of ready made oat flour do I use?
Camilla
Friday 3rd of March 2023
Hi s, Apologies, I thought I hd included that in the notes--added now! It is the same weight (250 g), which is 2 cups plus about 1 tablespoon.