This Oatmeal Banana Nut Bread is a gluten-free recipe, but is made entirely with common ingredients found in most kitchens. So many gluten-free dessert recipes have a daunting list of ingredients that are often expensive and difficult to find. With the holidays coming up, I thought an easy gluten-free dessert that used standard pantry items would be helpful to many readers.
I often use ground oatmeal in my baked goods, but usually in conjunction with another flour. This time, as I was about to add some brown rice flour, I thought about how few of my readers have this on-hand, and how it didn't really seem to improve most of the baked goods I have used it in. I'd been curious about how the results of going with straight oat flour would be, and I was about to find out.
The result was incredibly moist and damn delicious! Forget the gluten-free flour, and just grind old fashioned oats in your food processor.
Oats are actually quite flexible for use in gluten free recipes. Oatmeal pizza crust or Oatmeal Blueberry Pancakes are great examples.
If gluten is not a concern, try my banana date nut bread or banana oatmeal cookies.
Oatmeal Banana Nut Bread ~ Easy Gluten Free Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 cups old fashioned oats* (1 ⅔ cups oat flour)
- 1 tsp. baking soda
- ½ teaspoon Kosher salt
- ½ teaspoon cinnamon
- 2 eggs
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 ripe bananas mashed, approx. ¾ cup
- ½ cup applesauce
- ½ cup low fat buttermilk
- 2 tbs butter melted
- 2 tbs. canola or olive oil
- ¾ cup light brown sugar
- 2 tbs. honey
- ¾ to 1 cup chopped walnuts I like it with a cup, but that is probably a little too nutty for many people
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
- Pulse the oatmeal in food processor until consistency of flour.
- Add the baking soda, salt and cinnamon, and pulse to mix.
- Beat eggs in a large mixing bowl. Add vanilla, bananas, apple sauce, buttermilk, butter, oil, brown sugar and honey. Mix well.
- Add the oat flour mixture to the bowl and mix thoroughly.
- Fold in the nuts, until evenly distributed.
- Coat loaf pan with non-stick cooking spray, and pour batter in.
- Bake approximately 1 hour. Outside will start to brown up, but it will stay moist.
Notes
Donna says
That looks divine! I love banana nut bread, and oatmeal raisin cookies, so I'm sure I'd love this!
TerriAnn @ Cookies and Clogs says
I love banana nut bread! Add in oatmeal and moist yumminess and I'm in! Thanks for the recipe.
Maria says
Hi! Can I substitute the buttermilk with almond milk and some vinagre?
Robin Gagnon says
I haven't tried it, but I don't foresee an issue in this recipe.
Shanan says
Hi Maria, I always use almond milk with this recipe and it’s divine!
Robin says
Bananas give me wicked heartburn, but that would never stop me from eating something so delicious looking!!
Liz @ A Nut in a Nutshell says
I'm so glad you mentioned that about all the intimidating ingredients. Thanks for the workaround with that!
HilLesha says
This looks really good! 🙂
Marcie W. says
Can old fashioned oats be subbed quick oats?
I love that this bread is GF and since I love a lot of nuts as well, I'm going to use the amount that you did. YUM!!
Robin Gagnon says
I never have quick oats in the house, so I really couldn't tell you.
Shanan says
Hi Marcie, I always use old fashioned oats with mine and it’s fantastic!
Yum Girl says
That looks fantastic! If I may, I’d like to invite you to submit your photos to the new YumGoggle, a photo sharing site with the philosophy that if you worked hard to cook it and photograph it, we should show it off! Hope to see you there soon!
http://www.yumgoggle.com/gallery/
Karen says
This looks very good. I'm bookmarking it so I can make it next time I have bananas in the house.
Danielle says
Just so you know, old fashioned oats and quick oats are NOT gluten free! They are often grown in rotation with wheat, processed in the same facilities, on the same machines and transported in the same trucks. If you are GF for health reasons, do NOT use old fashion oats unless you have found a certified gluten free product!
Robin Gagnon says
While oats contaminated with wheat are common, most of my gluten-free friends eat them. It is a good point though, that if cooking for a guest who is GF labels should be carefully checked for compliance.
Bonnie says
Just to let you know, Bob's Red Mill makes gluten free old fashioned oats.
Robin Gagnon says
They offer GF quick oats as well.
Doreen says
I made this recipe and was wondering if it can be frozen?
Robin Gagnon says
I don't see any reason why not. It doesn't last long enough around my house to find out though.
Emily says
I have old fashioned oats but nothing to grind them with! However I have almond flour almond meal and coconut flour would any of these work? (Gf is all new to me and I've never really baked....like ever haha....help)
Robin Gagnon says
Ground oats, almond flour and especially coconut flour all have very different properties & are not easily substituted for each other. Oats are easily ground in a food processor or even a blender. Just one note though, if you are doing a GF diet due to a significant allergy, make sure your oats are certified gluten free. Most are processed in plants that also process wheat, and the two get a little intermingled, so they may not be fully gluten-free.
Deb says
I made this today and they are delicious. I made a couple of changes. I used Almond Milk instead of buttermilk and date syrup instead of honey. I baked it in muffing tins, it yielded 12 muffins. Baking time was 25 minutes in a preheated oven 350'. I put it into my diet organizer and the calorie count is 235 per muffin (I used .5 cup of nuts). I also froze 8 of the 12 since I live alone.
Robin Gagnon says
Thank you very much for sharing the changes you made, along with muffin cooking time. I am certain this will come in handy for another reader.
Runningpups says
Wow, is that good!!! Especially warm . . . Not too sweet, wonderful texture, great way to use frozen over-ripe bananas and leftover buttermilk.
Reenie says
This is a terrific recipe. Made 12 muffins instead of a loaf and they came out great!!! Cut the sugar down and they tasted fine. Very moist. Have made them a number of times and they disappear!!! Thanks for sharing.
Robin Gagnon says
Glad to hear the recipe has worked out well for you. I tend to use a bit less sugar in my muffins and such these days as well.
Ilse says
Made it but added 1/2 cup of flour to thicken the batter. Came out perfect so happy to have found your recipe.Thank you?❤️
Carol says
This looks delicious. Are the 2 cups of oatmeal supposed to be grounded 2 cups or 2 cups whole oats and then grounded? Thanks!! 🙂
Robin Gagnon says
in this recipe the oats are measured prior to grinding
Sue says
If I'm using Bob's Red Mill gluten free oat flour instead of oatmeal, do I use 2 cups?
Thanks!
Robin Gagnon says
I am not sure what your exact measure would be using that product, but you would use less. The oats do reduce in volume when ground, I think it was by about 25%.
Rosalind d yawn says
Can you use regular buttermilk instead of low-fat roz
Robin Gagnon says
yes, absolutely.
Victoria Bush says
Banana bread is a favorite in just about every household. I happened to find this recipe several years ago and have been eating gluten-free since I have inflammatory issues. This is honestly the best banana bread I have ever eaten. It’s moist, nutty, and so delicious. It’s almost impossible to eat just one slice. Since I’ve been baking it, I’ve never made any other kind of banana bread. This is the best. I cut back the brown sugar to 3/8 a cup and everyone including grand children love this bread.