Oat & Banana Bread – No Flour or Added Sugar

This Oat & Banana Bread is the kind of simple loaf you can make from what's already in the kitchen: two spotty bananas, a canister of rolled oats, a couple of eggs and a splash of plant milk. The oats are ground into a quick homemade oat flour, the bananas bring the sweetness, and a little cinnamon makes the kitchen smell like a bakery while it bakes.

Here's what to expect: this is a moist, tender and slightly dense banana loaf with a modest rise. It won't be tall and airy like a wheat-flour banana bread, and it makes one small, low loaf. That's exactly what makes it so good toasted for breakfast or packed for a snack.

Why You'll Enjoy This Recipe

• Seven simple ingredients, one of them optional.
• No separately added flour. The rolled oats are ground in a blender and become the flour.
• No added sugar, honey or syrup. Ripe bananas do the sweetening.
• No oil or butter. Bananas and eggs keep the crumb moist, and parchment paper means the pan doesn't need greasing.
• One blender, two bowls. Grind, stir, rest and bake.
• Easy to make gluten-free with oats labeled gluten-free (see below).

What "No Flour" and "No Added Sugar" Mean Here

No flour means there is no wheat flour or any other separately added flour in the recipe. The flour comes from the 2 cups of rolled oats that you grind yourself during preparation.

No added sugar means there's no sugar, honey, maple syrup or other sweetener in the batter. The loaf is still sweet, because ripe bananas contain naturally occurring sugars. That's why it isn't called sugar-free.

This bread contains eggs, so it isn't vegan.

Ingredients and Notes

You'll find exact amounts in the ingredient list above. A few notes on choosing them:

Ripe bananas. Use 2 medium bananas, 7 to 8 inches long, that are heavily speckled with brown, about 8 ounces (225 g) once peeled. Mashed, that's about 1 cup. The riper the bananas, the sweeter and more flavorful the loaf, which matters when they're the only sweetener. If your bananas are small, use a kitchen scale or measure 1 cup mashed and add a bit of a third banana to make it up.

Old-fashioned rolled oats. 2 cups, about 160 g. Rolled oats grind into a fine, soft flour in a blender. Avoid steel-cut oats, which stay gritty. Quick oats grind easily too, but the recipe was written for rolled oats.

Eggs. 2 large eggs bind the loaf and give it structure. Room-temperature eggs blend more evenly into the banana; set them out for 20 to 30 minutes, or put them in a bowl of warm tap water for 5 minutes.

Unsweetened plant milk. ¼ cup (60 ml) of almond, soy or oat milk loosens the batter so the ground oats can hydrate. Make sure it's labeled unsweetened, since sweetened and vanilla plant milks contain added sugar.

Baking powder. 1 teaspoon (about 4 g) gives the loaf its gentle lift. Old baking powder loses strength, so check the date on the can.

Salt. A pinch, about ⅛ teaspoon, brings out the banana flavor without making the bread taste salty.

Ground cinnamon (optional). 1 teaspoon adds warmth. Leave it out for a plain banana-oat loaf.

For a Gluten-Free Loaf

Oats are naturally free of gluten, but they're often grown and processed alongside wheat, barley and rye, so regular oats can pick up gluten. If you're baking for someone who avoids gluten, use oats labeled gluten-free or certified gluten-free, and check that your baking powder and plant milk are also labeled gluten-free. People with celiac disease should follow their own healthcare provider's advice about oats.

Equipment and Pan Size

• An 8x4-inch loaf pan. This is a small batch, and the batter fills an 8x4-inch pan only about halfway. The baked loaf is low, roughly 2 to 2½ inches at the center, good for small slices but not a tall sandwich loaf. A larger 9x5-inch pan spreads the batter thinner and gives a flat loaf that bakes faster.
• Parchment paper, cut to line the bottom and the two long sides with a little overhang.
• A blender or food processor to grind the oats.
• Two mixing bowls, a fork or potato masher, a whisk and a spatula.
• A wire rack for cooling.
• An instant-read thermometer (optional, but the most reliable doneness check).
• A serrated knife for clean slices.

Using an 8½x4½-inch pan? It works too. The loaf will be a little lower and may finish about 5 minutes sooner, so start checking at 30 minutes.

Recipe Notes

• Times at a glance: about 10 minutes of hands-on prep, a 10-minute batter rest, then 35 to 45 minutes in the oven.
• Total time: the 1 hour 5 minutes on the recipe card uses the longer bake time. Allow at least 1 more hour of cooling before slicing.
• Yield: 1 small loaf (8x4 inches), cut into 8 slices about 1 inch thick.
• Oven temperature: 350°F (175°C), conventional (not convection) setting.
• Baking times vary. Ovens run hot or cool, and banana size changes the batter. Go by the doneness cues, not the clock.

How to Tell When It's Done

Start checking at 35 minutes. The loaf is ready when:

1. The top is golden brown and springs back when you press it lightly in the center.
2. A toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean or with a few moist crumbs, but no wet, shiny batter.
3. The center reads 200 to 205°F on an instant-read thermometer pushed straight down through the top. This is the most reliable check, because a toothpick can come out clean before a moist loaf is fully set.

If it isn't ready, bake for 5 more minutes and check again. If the top is browning too fast before the center is done, lay a piece of foil loosely over the pan.

Why Cooling Matters

Oat banana bread keeps setting as it cools. Cut it hot and the center will seem gummy and the slices will crumble. Cool it in the pan for 15 minutes, lift it out by the parchment, and let it cool completely on a wire rack, at least 1 hour. Use a serrated knife and a gentle sawing motion.

Troubleshooting

Gummy center. Usually underbaking or slicing too early. Bake until the center reads 200 to 205°F, and let the loaf cool completely before cutting. Very large bananas can also add extra moisture; weigh them next time, or bake a few minutes longer.

Low rise. Some is expected, because oat flour has no gluten to trap air. A very flat loaf can come from old baking powder, a pan larger than 8x4 inches, or batter left to sit much longer than 10 minutes before baking. Use fresh baking powder and get the pan into the oven after the short rest.

Dry loaf. Often from overbaking, packed oats or underripe bananas. Weigh the oats, use well-speckled bananas, and start checking at 35 minutes.

Crumbles when sliced. Most often the loaf was still warm. It can also mean the oats were ground too coarsely or the batter was too dry. Cool it completely, grind the oats finely, and use a serrated knife. Chilled slices also tend to hold together better than slices at room temperature.

Serving Suggestions

The loaf is complete as it is. These extras are optional and not part of the base recipe or its no-added-sugar description, so check labels if you're keeping it that way:

• Toasted: warm a slice in the toaster or a dry skillet until the edges crisp.
• Spreads: natural peanut butter or almond butter with no added sugar.
• Fruit: fresh berries or banana slices on the side.
• With breakfast: alongside plain Greek yogurt or a Peanut Butter & Banana Oatmeal Bowl.

Optional mix-ins, folded into the batter just before it goes into the pan: up to ½ cup chopped walnuts or pecans. Mix-ins change the texture and slicing a little; the recipe card is written for the plain loaf.

Looking for more oat-based breakfasts? Try Baked Oatmeal with Berries, No Flour, No Sugar Oatmeal Breakfast Bake or No-Flour Cinnamon Apple Breakfast Muffins.

Storage and Freezing

Room temperature. Wrap the completely cooled loaf, or store the slices in an airtight container, and keep it at room temperature for up to 2 days. Because it's very moist and made without added sugar or oil, it keeps better chilled after that.

Refrigerator. Store it in an airtight container for up to 5 days. Line the container with a paper towel to absorb moisture. Chilled slices are firmer and slice more neatly, and they're very good toasted.

Freezer. Wrap individual slices in plastic wrap or parchment, then place them in a freezer bag. Freeze for up to 3 months for best quality. Thaw slices at room temperature for about 30 minutes, or toast them straight from frozen.