Foolproof One-Bowl Oat Flour Banana Bread Recipe

Got a few overripe bananas on the counter and need a gluten-free recipe that actually tastes good? This one-bowl oat flour banana bread is soft, moist, naturally sweetened with honey, and easy enough to mix up in minutes.

No complicated flour blend, no dairy, and no pile of dishes, just a tender loaf with rich banana flavor and a simple method that works.

Why This Recipe for Oat Flour Banana Bread?

The best thing about this recipe is its simplicity. This oat flour banana bread only requires eight ingredients and one bowl. Unlike some gluten-free recipes, it doesn’t require a complicated mix of flours and starches or a store-bought “gluten-free flour mix” with potentially questionable ingredients.

Best of all, it requires only about 20 minutes to mix the dough, a 30-minute rest, and about 40-45 minutes to bake. So you could pull this bread out of the oven in less than an hour. Plus, it tastes great with simple toppings like a pat of butter or vegan butter!

Equipment Needed for Oat Flour Banana Bread

• Large Mixing Bowl
• Fork
• Wooden Mixing Spoon
• Digital Kitchen Scale
• Bread Pan
• Parchment Paper
• Wire Cooling Rack

About These Ingredients

While you should already have most of these ingredients somewhere in your kitchen, it’s understandable if you’re curious about a few of them. Feel free to print or save the recipe card below for easy reference if you need to pick up one or two ingredients at the grocery store.

Bananas

3 ripe bananas

I like the bananas to be as ripe as possible without having gone bad. They’re sweeter and easier to mash that way. The banana peels should be mostly brown or black. A couple of small brown spots on the bananas aren’t complete deal-breakers, but may mean you need to use them up fast!

The cool part about using ripe bananas is that they provide much of the liquid this bread needs. They just won’t look like it before you mash them up.

Eggs

2 large eggs

Eggs are pretty much the default binding agent for many baked goods. When combined with other ingredients, the proteins form a gel that traps moisture and air in the bread.

Honey

1/4 cup honey

The honey provides additional sweetness and a little more liquid. The thing to remember about honey is that it is generally sweeter than sugar, so if you’re replacing sugar with honey in a recipe, you’ll typically only need 1/2 to 2/3 the amount of honey.

The ingredient list should include only pure honey. Bonus points if the honey has labels like USDA Organic, “raw,” or “unpasteurized.” It’s okay if the honey has a bit of foam on top or if the label says some of the honey might have settled before packaging. In fact, that’s normal for honey that’s been minimally processed before packaging.

Pure Vanilla Extract

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Vanilla extract adds a smooth, slightly creamy flavor with a hint of rum to any sweet baked good it’s added to. This helps make the flavor more complex and interesting.

Oat Flour

120 grams (about 1 cup plus 3 tablespoons) oat flour

Oat flour has the right balance of protein, dietary fiber, and starches you’ll need for this gluten-free recipe. The USDA’s FoodData Central database reports that 100 grams of oat flour contains 13.2 grams of protein, 12.9 grams of dietary fiber, and 53.4 grams of starch. This helps replace gluten’s normal function of supporting the structure and texture of bread.

Baking Powder

2 teaspoons baking powder

When making a gluten-free recipe, you will often need more leavening agents, such as baking powder, to produce the carbon dioxide bubbles that give breads like this one the right texture.

Xanthan Gum

1/2 teaspoon Xanthan gum

Xanthan gum is a powdery substance typically used as a binder and thickener in gluten-free recipes. It basically keeps the bread from falling apart.

Salt

1/2 teaspoon salt

Salt helps give this bread more flavor. At only 1/2 teaspoon, it can do this without overdoing it with the saltiness.

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Step-By-Step Method for Making Oat Flour Banana Bread

Making this bread is super easy and just requires a bit of patience. I know some people can be eager for a fresh slice of banana bread with some butter spread on it. However, it turns out much better if you take your time with it.

Step One: Line Bread Pan with Parchment Paper

Line the inside of a bread pan with parchment paper. Lightly spray the parchment paper with cooking spray. Alternatively, you can spray the inside of the pan with cooking spray or grease the sides and bottom with a light application of Crisco.

Step Two: Mash Bananas

Peel the bananas, discard the peels, and place the bananas in a large mixing bowl. Mash the bananas with a fork until no noticeable chunks of solid banana remain.

Step Three: Add Eggs and Vanilla Extract

Add eggs and vanilla extract to the mashed bananas. Mix well.

Step Four: Add Dry Ingredients

Measure the oat flour with the digital kitchen scale for the best results. Add the oat flour, baking powder, xanthan gum, and salt to the banana mixture. Mix with a wooden spoon until the dry ingredients are just incorporated. This should take about 30 seconds to a minute.

Step Five: Transfer Bread Dough to Bread Pan

Transfer the bread dough to the prepared bread pan.

Step Six: Let the Bread Dough Rest for 30 Minutes

Set the pan with the bread dough on your counter to rest for 30 minutes. This gives the ingredients time to combine more fully. The baking powder should be doing its work of adding air bubbles during this time.

Step Seven: Preheat Oven

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit (176 degrees Celsius) while the bread dough is resting.

Step Eight: Bake Bread

Bake the bread for 40-45 minutes until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.

Step Nine: Cool on Wire Rack

Remove the bread from the oven and place it on a wire cooling rack to cool for 20 minutes.

Step Ten: Remove Bread from Pan

Remove the bread from the pan onto the cooling rack. Allow it to cool until you can handle it without burning your fingers.

Step Eleven: Slice Bread and Serve With Butter

Slice the bread into twelve slices and serve fresh with softened butter.

Substitutions for This Oat Flour Banana Bread Recipe

Maple syrup can be substituted for honey if you want your banana bread to have a bit more of a maple syrup flavor. Like the honey, you do want to make sure the maple syrup is authentic! Pure maple syrup is a bit more expensive than “imitation” maple syrup, and will usually have a complex flavor with hints of caramel and vanilla.

Psyllium husk powder is the best replacement for xanthan gum. Here’s a good guide to xanthan gum substitutes.

To replace the eggs, mix two tablespoons of flaxseed meal with six tablespoons of water. Let the mixture sit for a few minutes to form a gel.

It is feasible to cut the salt in half or leave it out. However, the banana bread will have a slightly less complex flavor.

FAQs for Oat Flour Banana Bread

While making this oat flour banana bread is fairly easy, we do get questions sometimes! I tried to answer the most commonly asked ones here. If you think of one I haven’t asked yet, feel free to ask in the comments section.

Why did my gluten-free banana bread turn out gummy in the middle?

This is actually a fairly common problem with gluten-free recipes! This can happen if you add too little flour or too much liquid, which is one important reason to use a digital kitchen scale to measure the flour in grams. With banana bread, it may mean the bananas were a smidge bigger than average.

Gummy bread may also be underbaked. When it’s done baking, a toothpick stuck into the center should come out clean. It also helps to let the bread cool on the wire rack, which allows the interior to finish setting.

Why is my banana bread too dry?

Dry banana bread can be caused by too much oat flour, not enough banana, or overbaking. Check the loaf a few minutes early, use a digital kitchen scale to measure the oat flour, and use very ripe bananas for the best moisture and flavor.

Why didn’t my banana bread rise very much?

Banana bread might not rise as much as expected if it’s overmixed, the baking powder is old enough to start losing effectiveness, or the dough wasn’t allowed to rest long enough. The 30-minute rest time lets the flour absorb moisture, and the baking powder begins forming the carbon dioxide bubbles that make the bread rise.

Why is my oat flour banana bread too dense?

Dense banana bread can mean too much flour or banana was added. Again, the digital kitchen scale can save your bread by getting an exact measurement for the oat flour. The bananas might also have been larger than expected.

Why is my banana bread falling apart when I slice it?

Did you remember to add the xanthan gum or a decent xanthan gum replacement? Adding this helps keep gluten-free baked items from falling apart. It also helps to let the bread completely cool before you slice it.

Can I make oat flour at home?

Yes, and it’s a great option if you don’t want to purchase premade oat flour. Process gluten-free oats in a food processor for 5-6 minutes until they reach a fine texture.

Do I have to let the banana bread batter rest?

I highly recommend letting the batter rest for 30 minutes before baking. If you put it straight into the oven, the bread won’t rise properly.

Should I refrigerate the dough while letting it rest, or leave it on the counter?

It’s better to leave it on the counter. Covering it isn’t strictly necessary, but if you think things might fall into the dough, you can cover it lightly with a towel.

Can banana bread be frozen?

Yes! If you want it to last longer, slice the banana bread and keep it in the freezer. Defrost in the microwave for 30 seconds to 1 minute and enjoy!

Let Us Know How It Turned Out!

If you made this recipe, we’d love to hear how it went. Leave a comment below to share your results, any helpful tips, or your favorite variation. And if you run into questions along the way, let us know; we’re happy to help.