Whole Wheat Banana Bread with Oats

This easy, healthy whole wheat oatmeal banana bread recipe will become a quick family favorite. I love this recipe because the bread is super moist, and the recipe is both dairy free and egg free.

This healthy banana bread with oats goes fast in our house, and sometimes it barely makes it out of the oven before it’s eaten.

I love that the oats and wheat flour keep you full longer than the ingredients in traditional banana bread–like all purpose flour. This bread is wonderful by itself, with butter, or my personal favorite–peanut butter on top.

I love making these as blender muffins, too! This banana bread with oats and honey is a healthier alternative to other recipes and it’s perfect as a mid-day snack, breakfast, or even dessert.

Where is the recipe?

Here at My Crazy Good Life, we write our recipes so that anyone can easily make them. Lots of tips, details, and even special diet information are included. If you don’t need all of the extra information, simply scroll down to the bottom of the post to view the basic ingredient list and instructions for this Whole Wheat Banana Bread recipe.

Ingredients in this Oatmeal Banana Bread

• Rolled Oats: A great source of vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants. Studies how that oats can lower blood sugar. They’re also very filling!
• Whole Wheat Flour: Unlike white flour, whole wheat flour is less processed and contains all of the fiber found in wheat. Using white flour in this recipe will not product a delicious bread. I do not recommend using all purpose flour in this recipe. You can, however, use whole wheat pastry flour if you have it.
• Salt: All baked goods call for salt because It brightens the color and flavor, can help prevent staleness, and helps the dough rise but not overflow in your pan.
• Baking Soda: Used in this recipe to neutralize the acid.
• Baking Powder: This ingredient helps the dough rise in this recipe.
• Cinnamon: Cinnamon adds a traditional flavor, and it’s a natural antioxidant.
• Mashed Bananas: The riper the banana, the sweeter it is. Overripe bananas give this bread a great flavor.
• Chia Seeds: A fantastic source of magnesium, and a great egg replacement. I’ve been using chia eggs in all of my recipes that call for eggs.
• Vanilla: Be sure and grab the pure extract, not the imitation.
• Avocado Oil: Much like avocados, it’s a healthy fat that is great for heart health. I tried using unsweetened applesauce in place of the oil but it doesn’t come out quite right–I’m still working on it.
• Honey: A great way to add sweetness without processed sugars. Usually, honey and maple syrup are pretty swap-friendly, but I think honey is a better fit for this recipe. This is a replacement for brown sugar.
• Chocolate chips are optional, but delicious :) I use Enjoy Life dairy free chocolate chips. You could also add 1/2 cup of chopped walnuts if you’d like.

You’ll also want to use a food processor or blender if you have one. If not, that’s ok–just follow the directions below.

Recipe Tips

• You can save a step by not processing the oats, but I think the bread is drier without that step.
• You can replace oats with equal amounts of oat flour
• Your bread is done when a toothpick or butter knife inserted comes out clean.
• This recipe calls for no eggs. I use chia eggs, but you could also use flax eggs. You can also replace the chia seeds with two real eggs if you’d like. The bread stays together and is perfectly moist with any of these options.
• If you prefer to make healthy banana muffins, simply divide the batter into 8 muffin cups and bake at 325 degrees for 15-20 minutes.
• Very ripe bananas work best for banana bread. Look for bananas to be very brown and soft for the best sweet banana flavor.
• Feel free to use almond milk in place of water for the chia seeds.
• You can use a blender instead of a food processor–blender banana muffins are my favorite–and so easy!

How to make this healthy banana bread

These directions are for a loaf of bread. If you’d like to make whole wheat banana muffins, see the recipe tips!

1. Preheat your oven to 350º. Lightly grease a loaf pan with any minimally processed oil.
2. Add chia seeds and water to a small bowl and set aside until they turn into a gel-like substance. You might have to stir them a few times as you’re preparing the rest of the recipe. This is your egg replacement.
3. Process your oats by adding them to a blender or food processor. Process them until it looks like thick flour–the more you blend, the less chunky your bread will be.
4. Add whole wheat flour, oat flour, salt, baking powder, baking soda, and cinnamon to the oats in your food processor or blender and combine. Transfer ingredients to a large bowl.
5. Add the wet ingredients into your food processor–bananas, chia seeds, vanilla extract, avocado oil, and honey. Process until the bananas are smooth.
6. Combine wet and dry ingredients together in a large bowl and stir well. If you’re adding chocolate chips, do that now.
7. Pour the batter into a prepared loaf pan.
8. Bake for 40-45 minutes, or until golden brown and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
9. Allow your bread to cool completely to room temperature before slicing. Store banana oat bread in an airtight container in the fridge for up to a week.

Healthy Eating Plans

While banana bread isn’t considered a weight loss food, the whole grains in this recipe (oats and 100% whole wheat flour) will keep you full for longer and leave you with slow burning energy.

• Weight Watchers: For each serving without chocolate chips, count 3 Points in the 2023 Plan using sugar free maple syrup | 6 Blue Plan Points | 6 Green Plan Points | 5 Purple Plan Points. If using the optional semi-sweet chocolate chips, count 4 Points on the 2023 Plan | 10 Blue Plan Points |10 Green Plan Points | 9 Purple Plan Points.
• 21 Day Fix/Ultimate Portion Fix: For the entire recipe count, 8 Yellow Containers, 6 Purple Containers, 1 Orange Container, 7 1/2 Teaspoons, 12 Sweetener Teaspoons. Per Serving (there are 8): 1 Yellow Container, 3/4 Purple Container, 1/8 Orange Container (I do not count this), 1 Teaspoon, 1 1/2 Sweetener Teaspoon.
  • If using optional chocolate chips each slice is 1 Yellow Treat Swap.
• 2B Mindset: This is a great recipe for 2B! Fill your plate with 50% protein for a complete breakfast.

More Healthy Recipes

• How to make Chia Pudding
• Vegan Whole Wheat Pancakes
• Chocolate Overnight Oats
• Instant Pot Lemon Bars
• Amish Baked Oatmeal
• Pumpkin Overnight Oats

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Whole Wheat Oatmeal Banana Bread

Created by: Becca Ludlum

Prep Time 15 minutes mins

Cook Time 45 minutes mins

Total Time 1 hour hr

Approximate Serving Size: 1 slice (whole loaf is 8 slices)

Servings 8

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This Whole Wheat Oatmeal Banana Bread is a filling recipe that you can feel good about making! Egg free, dairy free, and no refined sugar–just honey! Dairy free chocolate chips are optional.

Equipment

• Mixing Bowls
• Food processor

Ingredients 

US CustomaryMetric

• ▢ 2 tsp chia seeds
• ▢ 2 tbsp water
• ▢ 1 cup rolled oats
• ▢ 1 cup whole wheat flour
• ▢ 1/8 tsp salt
• ▢ 1/4 tsp baking powder
• ▢ 1/2 tsp baking soda
• ▢ 1 tsp cinnamon
• ▢ 3 bananas ripe
• ▢ 1 tsp vanilla extract
• ▢ 2 1/2 tbsp avocado oil
• ▢ 1/4 cup honey
• ▢ 1/2 cup chocolate chips optional

Instructions

• Preheat your oven to 350º.
• Add chia seeds and water to a small bowl and set aside until they turn into a gel-like substance. You might have to stir them once or twice while you're assembling the dry ingredients. This is your egg replacement. 2 tsp chia seeds 2 tbsp water
• Process your oats into flour. You can do this in a food processor or blender. You can also leave them whole, check our recipe tips for info on this. 1 cup rolled oats
• Add whole wheat flour, salt, baking powder, baking soda, and cinnamon to the oats in your food processor or blender and combine together for 30 seconds or so. Transfer all dry ingredients to a large bowl. 1 cup whole wheat flour 1/8 tsp salt 1/4 tsp baking powder 1/2 tsp baking soda 1 tsp cinnamon
• Add bananas to the food processor or blender, and add in chia seed mixture, vanilla extract, avocado oil, and honey. Process until everything is combined. 3 bananas 1 tsp vanilla extract 2 1/2 tbsp avocado oil 1/4 cup honey
• Add your wet ingredients to your dry ingredients and stir well. If you're adding chocolate chips, fold them in now. Pour your batter into a lightly greased loaf pan. 1/2 cup chocolate chips
• Bake your banana bread for 40-45 minutes, or until golden brown.
• Allow your bread to cool before slicing. Store in an airtight container for up to a week.

Notes

Recipe Tips:

• You can save a step by not processing the oats, but I find that the bread is a bit drier without that step. 
• Your bread is done when a toothpick or butter knife inserted comes out clean.
• This recipe calls for no eggs. You can use 2 regular eggs or flax eggs if you’d like. 
• If you prefer muffins, simply divide the batter into 8 muffin cups and follow baking instructions.
• Overripe bananas work best for banana bread. Look for bananas to be very brown and soft.

Healthy Eating Plans:

• • For each serving without chocolate chips, count 3 Points in the 2023 Plan using sugar free maple syrup | 6 Blue Plan Points | 6 Green Plan Points | 5 Purple Plan Points. If using the optional semi-sweet chocolate chips, count 4 Points on the 2023 Plan | 10 Blue Plan Points |10 Green Plan Points | 9 Purple Plan Points.

• • 21 Day Fix/Ultimate Portion Fix: For the entire recipe count, 8 Yellow Containers, 6 Purple Containers, 1 Orange Container, 7 1/2 Teaspoons, 12 Sweetener Teaspoons. Per Serving (there are 8): 1 Yellow Container, 3/4 Purple Container, 1/8 Orange Container (I do not count this), 1 Teaspoon, 1 1/2 Sweetener Teaspoon.
    • • If using optional chocolate chips each slice is 1 Yellow Treat Swap.

• • 2B Mindset: This is a great recipe for 2B! Fill your plate with 50% protein for a complete breakfast.

Nutrition

Calories: 262kcal | Carbohydrates: 45g | Protein: 5g | Fat: 9g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Cholesterol: 2mg | Sodium: 234mg | Potassium: 270mg | Fiber: 5g | Sugar: 21g | Vitamin A: 54IU | Vitamin C: 4mg | Calcium: 41mg | Iron: 1mg

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