Oat Flour Banana Bread

Does the world need more (gluten-free) banana bread recipes? In my book, the answer is always and emphatically "yes." Especially when they require just one bowl and one gluten-free flour to whisk into tender, banana-flecked perfection.

This oat flour banana bread is dense, dark with brown sugar, and its crowning glory is a generous sprinkling of cinnamon and sugar that forms a lovely crunchy crust (for a muffin version, see my oat flour banana muffins recipe). It keeps well and freezes beautifully, and did I mention you need just one bowl to make the batter? And if you want nuts, make banana nut bread with oat flour!

Why You'll Love This Recipe

From the crunchy cap of cinnamon sugar scattered over the top of this loaf to the ease of using just one gluten-free flour, there's lots to love about banana bread with oat flour!

• Easily gluten free - Just one (one!) single-origin gluten-free flour is all you need to make this banana bread. If you don't eat oats, you can easily substitute the oat flour for sorghum or brown rice flour, a gluten-free flour blend, or any gluten-free flour you prefer.
• Nice and sweet - No skimping on the sugar here - I wanted to really play up the natural sweetness of the bananas, so there's plenty of them plus brown sugar to add a deeper caramel note of sweetness.
• Loaded with bananas - You'll need about 4 bananas to make this bread so you'll actually be able to taste them!
• Adapt away - I love making a loaf of plain oat flour banana bread and I equally love adding in chocolate or nuts See some ideas lower down for how you can adapt this quick bread.

Ingredients Needed

Scroll down to my recipe card at the end of this post for the full ingredient amounts and instruction details.

• Butter - I always use unsalted butter, but if you want to use salted butter, or to play up the salt factor as a contrast to the sweetness of the bread, reduce the added salt to ½ teaspoon.
• Brown sugar - Light or dark brown sugar is fine (I used dark brown sugar)
• Bananas - You'll need about 4 very ripe bananas.
• Eggs - Large eggs are best to use in all of my recipes!
• Salt - Either fine sea salt or table salt works.
• Cinnamon - You can use more or less cinnamon to taste or swap ground ginger.
• Rising agents - A combo of baking soda and baking powder helps the bread to rise beautifully.
• Oat flour - Learn how to make oat flour or grab a package of pre-made flour at the store. You can substitute brown rice flour or sorghum flour for the oat flour.

Variations

Add chocolate, nuts, and more to make this oat flour banana bread your own!

• Nuts - Walnuts or chopped almonds are the best in oat flour banana bread! Do 1-1 ½ cups of nuts for crunch.
• Chocolate - Your favorite chopped chocolate bar or semisweet or milk chocolate chips would be wonderful here (or just make my oat flour chocolate banana bread).
• Coconut - Big flakes of coconut distributed throughout the batter would be fantastic (a la my recipe for gluten free banana bread with chocolate and coconut) or you could try sweetened or unsweetened shredded coconut. I'd do about 1 cup.

Substitution Suggestions & Tips

If you want to use a gluten free flour blend here instead of the oat flour, go ahead. I do recommend using the weight measurement if you do this so that the ratio of dry to wet ingredients is the same (you can also try my homemade gluten free flour blend in place of the oat flour, though note that the original recipe does contain oat flour). A few more ideas for the perfect banana bread include:

• Resting the batter. Don't turn the oven on until you have assembled the batter. While the oven is preheating, the oat flour will have time to hydrate (soak up the moisture in the batter), making for a softer, better crumb after the loaf is baked.
• Try other spices. Instead of cinnamon, use ground ginger, or try a combo of ginger and cinnamon or cinnamon and cardamom. Add a pinch of nutmeg for a slightly different flavor note.
• Make the loaf refined sugar-free. Substitute coconut sugar or maple syrup for the brown sugar.
• Vegan. I haven't tried this recipe without the eggs, but I think any banana-based recipe is a good candidate for making without eggs because bananas are such a nice binder. You could also try 2 flax eggs to make this loaf vegan. And don't forget to use melted coconut oil or non-dairy butter in place of the butter.
• Add berries. Throw in a handful of fresh or frozen blueberries, raspberries, or cranberries!
• To serve: I love slices of this loaf spread with a little softened, salted butter, dairy-free butter, margarine, or cream cheese! Peanut butter or almond butter are also some of my favorite accompaniments.

Storage

• Counter – Wrap the bread in plastic or foil, or place it in a sealable bag, and keep it on the counter for up to 2 days.
• Fridge – Place the wrapped bread in the fridge or transfer it to an airtight container and store it for up to 5 days in the refrigerator. I like to eat the bread straight from the fridge, or I'll let it come to room temperature. Either way is delicious!
• Freezer – Wrap individual slices of bread in plastic wrap, place them in a freezer-safe, sealable bag, and store them in the freezer for up to 3 months. Or, wrap the whole loaf in plastic wrap then foil and freeze for up to 3 months. Defrost in the fridge before serving.