Heartier than normal banana bread, this Banana Oat Bread makes the perfect breakfast bread! Just sweet enough with great texture, this bread is the best way to start the day.
Serve a slice of this Banana Oat Bread up with some Egg Muffins and a Smoothie Bowl for a delicious and healthy breakfast!
For some reason, I have a hard time picking one banana bread recipe as a favorite and just sticking to it.
Maybe it’s because I have been blogging for so long, and it has just become habit to keep trying new things.
Or maybe it’s because there is not one banana bread recipe that is perfect for every circumstance.
You need a good, traditional Banana Bread. And how about Peanut Butter Banana Bread with Chocolate Chips for when you are craving something that will really stand out. You also need Brownie Mix Banana Bread that tastes more like dessert than a bread. And a recipe that makes the perfect banana bread for an after school snack, like this Peanut Butter and Jelly Banana Bread. That’s just the tip of the iceberg – there really is a reason for banana bread under every circumstance.
I’d call this Banana Oat Bread the perfect breakfast banana bread. The oats give it a heartier texture that I think makes it perfect for breakfast. It’s a recipe that will stick with you for a bit and give you the energy to make it through your morning.
And while it is sweet, it’s not overly sweet. Let’s also not forget to mention the amount of bananas in this bread, as well. All those bananas make a perfectly moist banana bread.
My kids all loved this banana bread version, and I’m sure I ended up eating my weight in it over the last week!
Ingredients
- Brown Sugar: I like the deeper flavor that the brown sugar brings. I use light brown sugar.
- Oil: I use vegetable oil, but feel free to sub in another neutral oil. You could also use melted butter.
- Milk: I use 2% milk.
- Eggs: I always use large eggs.
- Bananas: This recipe uses 4-5 very ripe bananas. You need 2 cups of mashed bananas, which is about 460 grams.
- Flour: I have only used all-purpose flour, but feel free to experiment with other flours of your choice.
- Oats: I use old fashioned oats.
- Baking Powder & Baking Soda: I like to use the combination of baking powder and baking soda in this recipe to give this bread some extra lift, since the oats make it more dense. The recipe calls for 1 tablespoon of baking powder, which I’ve never had an issue with, but some people say that it made their bread bitter. Make sure you are using double acting baking powder. And again – feel free to experiment with less.
- Salt: The salt balances the flavors.
- Cinnamon & Nutmeg: I love the warmth of both of these spices. You can always use one or the other, or substitute 3/4 teaspoon of pumpkin pie spice to change it up.
How to Make Banana Oat Bread
WET INGREDIENTS: In one bowl, mix together the brown sugar, oil, milk, and eggs. Once combined, stir in the mashed bananas.
DRY INGREDIENTS: In another bowl, mix the oats, flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg.
COMBINE: Combine both the wet and the dry ingredients and mix everything together just until it is combined.
BAKE: Transfer the batter to a prepared loaf pan and transfer to the oven until the loaf is baked through.
Tips for the perfect banana bread
- Make sure those bananas are ripe! I like to wait until they are almost all the way black on the peel, ensuring that bananas are super sweet.
- Make sure you are using a true 9×5-inch loaf pan. Many loaf pans are just smaller than this, but you need the full 9×5-inch pan. If you are not sure if your pan is large enough, measure out 8 cups of water and add it to the pan. It should fit the full 8 cups. If in doubt, though, use 2 pans, or use one pan and make the remaining batter into muffins.
- Don’t mix the batter any more than you have to. The less you mix, the more tender your bread will be.
- Keep an eye on it as it is baking, as you’ll want to cover it with foil once it starts to brown. If you don’t cover it, by the time the loaf is finished baking, the edges will be quite dark.
- All ovens cook differently, so start checking your bread around 45 minutes. You’ll know it’s done when a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. The top will also be fairly firm and not jiggly at all.
More recipes that use those overripe bananas
Banana Cheesecake Cookie Bars
Banana Split Cupcakes
Peanut Butter Banana Bran Muffins
Frosted Banana Cake
Banana Brownies with Peanut Butter Banana Frosting
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Banana Oat Bread
Ingredients
- 1 cup packed brown sugar
- 1/2 cup vegetable oil
- 1/2 cup 2% milk
- 2 large eggs
- 2 cups mashed ripe bananas, about 4-5 medium bananas
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 cup old fashioned oats
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350ºF. Grease a 9×5-inch loaf pan. You can also line the pan with parchment paper and then spray that with nonstick cooking spray.
- In a large bowl, combine the brown sugar, vegetable oil, milk and eggs. Mix until combined. Stir in the bananas.
- In another bowl, combine the oats, flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon and nutmeg. Add the dry ingredient to the wet ingredients all at once and stir until combined.
- Pour the batter into the prepared loaf pan. Transfer to the oven and bake until a tester inserted in the center comes out clean, about 60 minutes. You will probably need to cover the top with foil about halfway through the baking time to avoid over-browning the loaf.
- Let the loaf cool for 10 minutes before removing from the pan. Allow to cool completely before cutting.
Marie says
This recipe is wonderful! So easy to make and so delicious. We all loved it! I will definitely make this again and again!
Deborah says
I’m so glad you loved it, Marie!
A W says
I made this this morning – added olive oil in place of butter as it’s all I had. Turned out to be the best banana bread I’ve ever made. So light and moist 🤍
Deborah says
I’m so glad you enjoyed it!
Suzanne. says
I just made this recipe tonight. I only changed a few things. I cut the sugar to 3/4 cup, cut the baking powder to 2 tsp and added 1/4 c yogurt to 1/4 c milk because I usually use buttermilk in my banana bread and didn’t have any. I also added 2 tsp vanilla. I think it came out wonderfully! I filled my loaf pan 1/2 way and got 7 muffins. I’ll definitely make it again!!
PJ says
Ok I made the recipe adding 1/3 brown rice flour to make a total of two cups flower. I added vanilla more nutmeg and more cinnamon. I added one apple chopped up because i didn’t have enough bananas. It turned out as one of the best I have ever made.
Deborah says
I’m so glad you were able to make it work for you! Your substitutions sound delicious.
Heba Rabie says
I made them as muffins and I put 2 cups of oats flour and 1 cup of regular flour, they were so delicious 😋
Nicole says
I agree with you Shana. Same thing is happening to me right now……
Judith Speakes says
This is our new favorite, esp with walnuts.
Batter rises and made 1 9×5” pan plus 2 small pans.
AC says
This bread is so good and moist!
Ginger Nosbusch says
I love this recipe. I have tried many banana bread recipes and this is by far my favorite. I now make muffins and sometimes add chocolate chips.
Christine Lemmer says
Tasty, but when I cut into the bread it crumbles completely. Not sure how to fix it? Maybe another egg?
Deborah says
Hi Christine, sorry you ran into problems. It shouldn’t be overly crumbly, so I’m not quite sure what went wrong.
Ralph Clark says
I tried it and it makes a very satisfying dessert bread. Mine did come out a bit heavy though and the structure was a bit weak, perhaps I need to use stronger flour?
Could you tell me if the 350ºF oven temperature you recommended was for a fan-assisted oven or an old-fashioned range oven without a fan?
Deborah says
Hi Ralph – the bread is a little bit more dense because of the oats. And I use a regular oven, not a convection oven.
Eliana says
That happened to me too, but after refrigerating it for a few hours, it became more stable