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Oat Flour Banana Bread (No Wheat Flour)

Reviewed by the CupOrGram Editorial TeamSources: King Arthur Baking, USDA FoodData CentralMethodology

Written gram-first — every cup equivalent checked against our ingredient density database.

Prep 15 minCook 55 minTotal 1 hr 10 minOne 9x5-inch loaf, 10 slicesBreakfast

Oat flour is the single most error-prone flour to measure by volume — it compacts badly, and our density tests found a 25% swing between a light spoon-and-level cup and a scooped one. That's the difference between tender banana bread and a brick, and it's why this recipe leads with grams. Ripe bananas carry the sweetness so the added sugar stays modest, and a spoonful of Greek yogurt keeps the crumb from drying out, which oat flour is prone to.

Ingredients

Grams first — cup equivalents use our measured densities.

Method

  1. 1

    Prep

    Heat the oven to 175°C / 350°F. Grease a 9x5-inch loaf pan and line with a parchment sling.

  2. 2

    Dry ingredients

    Whisk the oat flour, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt in a medium bowl.

  3. 3

    Wet ingredients

    In a large bowl, mash the bananas until nearly smooth (a few small lumps are fine), then whisk in the eggs, brown sugar, yogurt, melted coconut oil, and vanilla.

  4. 4

    Combine and rest

    Fold the dry mixture into the wet until no dry pockets remain, then let the batter sit for 10 minutes. Oat flour hydrates slowly; this rest thickens the batter and improves the crumb.

  5. 5

    Bake

    Scrape into the pan and bake 50–55 minutes, until a skewer from the center comes out clean. Cool in the pan for 15 minutes, then lift out with the parchment sling and cool fully — oat flour loaves firm up as they cool.

Baker's notes

The 10-minute batter rest in step 4 is the difference between gummy and tender — oat starch absorbs liquid far more slowly than wheat. If you grind your own oat flour from rolled oats, sift it after grinding and weigh after sifting; home-ground flour runs coarser and denser than store-bought.

Why this recipe works

  • Oat flour has no gluten, so this loaf gets its structure from eggs and the pectin in ripe bananas instead — which is why the banana weight (300 g) is load-bearing, not a suggestion.
  • Oat starch absorbs liquid far more slowly than wheat starch. The 10-minute rest lets the batter finish hydrating before it hits the oven — skip it and the crumb bakes up gummy.
  • Greek yogurt carries fat and water into a flour that tends to bake dry, keeping the loaf moist through day three.
  • Modest added sugar works because very ripe bananas are already 20–25% sugar by weight — the freckled ones are sweeter than the yellow ones by a wide margin.

Ingredient notes & swaps

Oat flour

Store-bought is finer and more consistent than home-ground. If you grind your own, blitz rolled oats fine, sift, and weigh after sifting — coarse flour hydrates even slower and bakes denser. Use certified gluten-free oat flour if that matters for your kitchen.

Bananas

Very ripe — heavily freckled or blackening. And weigh them: 'three bananas' can mean anywhere from 240 g to 400 g, which is the difference between tender and sunken.

Greek yogurt

Full-fat, for both moisture and richness. Sour cream swaps 1:1; a thick plain yogurt works if you drain it briefly.

Brown sugar

Light brown, packed. Out of it? 70 g white sugar plus 5 g (1 tsp) molasses is the same thing — or use white sugar alone and accept a slightly less caramel loaf.

Coconut oil

Melted, and cooled enough not to scramble the eggs. Melted butter swaps 1:1 by weight and adds a dairy note the coconut version doesn't have.

Full substitute guides:Oat FlourBaking SodaGreek YogurtBananaBrown Sugar (packed)Vanilla Extract
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Storage & make-ahead

Wrapped at room temperature the loaf keeps 3 days and actually improves on day two as moisture equalizes — oat loaves get moister, not staler, at first. Refrigerate up to a week, or slice and freeze up to 2 months; frozen slices toast beautifully without thawing.

Variations

Add-ins

Fold in 80–100 g of toasted walnuts, pecans, or chocolate chips after the rest in step 4. More than that and the batter can't carry the weight.

Muffins

Divide into 12 lined muffin cups and bake 20–22 minutes. The rest in step 4 still applies.

Warmer spice

Add 1 g (½ tsp) grated nutmeg or 2 g (1 tsp) ground ginger with the cinnamon — oat flour's nutty base carries spice well.

FAQ

Can I make my own oat flour?

Yes — blitz rolled oats in a blender until fine, then sift. You'll need about 200 g of rolled oats to yield 180 g of sifted flour. Weigh the flour after sifting, not the oats before.

Is this gluten-free?

Only if you use certified gluten-free oat flour. Oats themselves contain no gluten, but standard oat flour is usually processed alongside wheat.

My loaf sank in the middle — why?

Almost always under-baking or too much banana. 300 g of mashed banana is the ceiling; 'three bananas' can mean anywhere from 240 g to 400 g depending on size, which is why we give the weight.

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