Oatmeal banana bread is the perfect recipe for a quick, simple and light breakfast. Read on for step-by-step directions!
Out of all of our quick bread recipes, banana bread recipes are my absolute favorite. Our chocolate chip banana bread is a readers' favorite and for a super moist banana bread I always go to my zucchini banana bread. This oatmeal banana bread is another winner because it's a relatively healthy recipe with a familiar flavor profile.
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Why this recipe works
I love this easy banana bread because it uses less flour. In place of flour, it contains one cup of old fashioned oatmeal. Because of this, the banana bread is very light, fluffy and has an amazing taste. If you're looking for a gluten free banana bread, you can check out our almond flour banana bread and for oil-free banana bread, check out our banana bread with applesauce.
A slice of this bread toasted and served with some nut butter pairs perfectly with a cup of coffee. Nothing beats a delicious homemade banana bread, right?
The ingredients
To make this bread, you need the following ingredients:
- Vegetable oil: You can also use canola oil or sunflower oil.
- Granulated sugar
- Eggs: It's best for them to be at room temperature.
- Bananas: Make sure your bananas are ripe enough. The more brown spots they have, the better!
- Greek yogurt: This would make your banana bread moist and tasty. You can also use buttermilk or sour cream.
- All purpose flour
- Old-fashioned oatmeal: Be sure not to use quick oats for this recipe.
- Baking powder and baking soda
This recipe uses vegetable oil instead of butter and also includes old fashioned oatmeal and Greek yogurt which makes the banana bread pretty moist and tender.
A little note: Have all the ingredients at room temperature. This will help the ingredients to combine well.
Choosing the best bananas
When it comes to making any kind of banana bread, it's important to use bananas that are not green. You need bananas that have black spots on them but are still a bit firm. You don't want bananas that are brown inside because those will affect the texture and the bread will not be as fluffy.
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350F. Coat a 9x5-inch loaf pan with cooking spray and line with parchment paper.
- In a large bowl, mix vegetable oil and sugar until combined.
- Add in eggs one after another and mix, following by adding mashed bananas and vanilla extract.
- Add in Greek yogurt and mix well.
- Whisk in flour, old fashioned oatmeal, baking powder and baking soda.
- Pour the batter into the prepared loaf pan and sprinkle more oatmeal on top.
- Bake for 45 to 55 minutes until a toothpick inserted comes out with little to no crumbs.
Pro tip: Always let the banana bread cool in the pan for 15 minutes, then take it out of the pan and let it cool completely before slicing. Because of the bananas and reduced flour, this bread will be moist and very tender. Therefore, make sure it's cool before you slice it so it doesn't crumble.
Variations
This recipe is very versatile and easy to modify. Here are a few of our favorite additions:
- Chocolate chips: Add ½ cup semi-sweet chocolate chips to the banana bread batter after you mix in the dry ingredients.
- Walnuts: Add ¾ cup walnuts to the batter with the dry ingredients and you'll have a little bit of crunch in every bite.
- Coconut: ¾ cup shredded coconut added with flour and old fashioned oatmeal makes this banana bread extra delicious!
Storage and freezing
Store banana bread in an airtight container at room temperature for up to three days and in the fridge for up to a week. Heat the slices in the microwave for 10 seconds to serve them warm.
Banana bread freezes well. To freeze, slice the banana bread and wrap each slice in plastic wrap and then aluminum foil to avoid freezer burn. You can freeze for up to 3 months. To serve, unwrap the banana bread slice and place it on a plate. Reheat it in the microwave for one minute and 30 seconds or until it's heated through.
Notes and tips
- It's very important that you use the ripest bananas you can find. The darker the skin of the banana, the riper it is. Ripe bananas are easy to mash and make the bread very moist.
- You will need old fashioned oats and not quick cooking oatmeal. Old fashioned oats give texture to the bread.
- You can use sour cream instead of Greek yogurt in this recipe. Feel free to choose either regular or light sour cream or yogurt.
More banana bread recipes
- Peanut Butter Banana Bread
- Double Chocolate Banana Bread
- Healthy Pumpkin Banana Bread
- Banana Bread Muffins with Walnuts
- Sour Cream Banana Bread
Step-by-Step Recipe
Easy Oatmeal Banana Bread
Ingredients
- ½ cup vegetable oil
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 2 eggs
- 3 bananas mashed
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ¼ cup Greek yogurt
- 1 ¼ cup all purpose flour
- 1 cup old fashioned oatmeal
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350F. Coat a 9x5 loaf pan with cooking spray and line with parchment paper.
- In a large bowl, whisk vegetable oil and sugar until incorporated.
- Add in eggs one by one and mix well.
- Add in mashed bananas, vanilla and Greek yogurt. Whisk very well to make sure everything is fully combined.
- Add in all purpose flour, old fashioned oatmeal, baking powder and baking soda to the wet ingredients and mix using a spatula or a wooden spoon.
- Pour the oatmeal banana bread batter into the prepare pan and sprinkle 1 ½ tablespoon old fashioned oatmeal on the banana bread.
- Bake in the oven for 50 -60 minutes. A toothpick inserted in the middle of the banana bread should come out with little to no crumb.
- Let it cool completely before slicing.
Notes
- You can use sour cream instead of Greek yogurt in this oatmeal banana bread.
- To make oatmeal banana nut bread, add ¾ cup chopped walnuts to the batter after you mix in the dry ingredients.
- It's best to have all your ingredients at room temperature.
- It's very important that you use the ripest bananas you can find. The darker the skin of the banana, the riper it is. Ripe bananas are easy to mash and make the quick bread very moist.
- To make this banana bread recipe, you need old fashioned oats and not quick cooking oatmeal. Old fashioned oats give texture to the banana bread.
- Store the leftovers in an airtight container for up to 3 days at room temperature or in the fridge for up to 7 days.
Beth
This is perfect! I always seem to have lots of oats but there are only so many batches of no-bake cookies one can make with them so I'm excited to have this tasty banana bread to use up some of my oats! Delish!
Nellie Tracy
Delicious recipe. Love the use of oatmeal in the bread! Will be making often!
Joyce
This is a delicious banana bread! The oatmeal adds a wonderful texture and flavor. One suggestion is that it does need salt. The next time I make it (which I definitely will, and soon) I will add 1/2 teaspoon of sea salt. Thank you for this recipe. It is sooooo good! 🙂
Heather
OMG!!! This was so good! The entire family loved it and the is a feet unto itself! I am making this again 2 days later!
Donna Martucci
This was a very easy recipe to make. The only substitute I did was put in applesauce in place of the oil. It came out great. I loved this bread. Will make again.
I even made the double chocolate bread too. It was too chocolatey for me. My husband loved it. Will make it again too.
Thank you for the wonderful recipes.
Shadi HasanzadeNemati
Hi Donna, thank you for sharing your experience with us! Glad you enjoyed this recipe!
Izzy
I love a loaf of good banana bread, and this recipe just takes it to the next level! Tysm!
Sam
This banana bread was delicious! I loved the oatmeal in there.
Peggy
Hi, I made this this morning my family loves it. I used nonfat Greek yogurt, added about a tsp and a half of Saigon cinnamon. I also used half white sugar and half brown. Next time I’m going to reduce the sugar by about a quarter of a cup. Love it! This will be my go to recipe from now on.
Thanks!
Shadi HasanzadeNemati
Hi Peggy! Thank you for your review and sharing your experience baking this recipe! Since this is a banana bread recipe, lowering the amount of sugar shouldn't really affect the texture. Glad you like it!
Nina
Turned out very well. Added walnuts will definitely make again
Melissa
This is such a great recipe! I wanted a no sugar added version so I just omitted the sugar in the recipe and made sure my bananas were really ripe. Will definitely save this recipe! Thanks!
Shadi HasanzadeNemati
Thank you Melissa. This is definitely a favorite over here, too! It's so good!
Taryn
My kids have been baking so much since being home. This was a keeper! We all loved it.
Jenn
I have so many bananas on my counter right now it's ridiculous! Printing out this recipe right now - so excited to make it!
Annie
Hi! I am not a Baker, I never do it! But decided to give this a go. I didnt have bicarb, so used a whole teaspoon of baking powder, but my bread didnt rise very much 🙁 smells great, and has cooked beautifully, but it's only about 1.5 inches thick. What did I do wrong? I looked online and according to sources I found, 1 tsp of baking powder should be more than enough to rise a loaf. I'd appreciate any help! Thanks
Shadi HasanzadeNemati
Hi Annie, there are a few factors that could have contributed to the bread not rising:
1- Leavening agent: 1 tsp baking soda almost equals 1.5 tsp baking powder. So in total you need 2 tsp baking powder for this recipe.
2- Over mixing: If the batter is over mixed, it's possible that it wouldn't rise much.
3- Bananas: If the bananas are too ripe and mushy, the bread will not rise as much.
Hope these help!
Loretta
I have this in the oven right now. I used a mix of Whole wheat flour and all purpose, but otherwise followed the recipe. I noticed there is no salt in the recipe. Is that on purpose?
Shadi HasanzadeNemati
Hi Loretta, yes, that's on purpose. This bread is absolutely good without the addition of salt. But if you like, you can always add 1/4 tsp salt.