Easy Oatmeal Banana Bread

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.

Jump to:

• Why this recipe works
• The ingredients
• Choosing the best bananas
• Instructions
• Storage and freezing
• Notes and tips
• Step-by-Step Recipe

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

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Step-by-Step Recipe