Oatmeal Blueberry Banana Bread

Oatmeal Blueberry Banana Bread with less added sweetener. This moist, fluffy, berry studded banana bread is perfect for those who love the combination of blueberries and banana together.

This oatmeal blueberry banana bread was inspired by my Blueberry Oatmeal Banana Muffins, but in loaf form for those who prefer baking quick bread recipes over muffins.

In case you haven’t tried the muffins, the gist of this recipe is we’re getting a nice fluffy moist loaf of banana bread that is only lightly sweet. It is also dairy-free, lower in fat, and a great option for a healthier treat. 

I designed the recipe to be a delicious celebration of both banana bread and blueberry muffins combined into one yummy treat.

The majority of the time, I keep my baked goods low in added sweetener so the bread is sweetened mostly with ripe bananas and a touch of pure maple syrup to bump up the sweetness a little.

If you’re looking for a truly decadent blueberry treat, try my Gluten-Free Blueberry Muffin Bread with Streusel Topping!

For those of you who follow a low-carb diet, try out my Keto Blueberry Coffee Cake or my Keto Cinnamon Swirl Bread.

Now let’s chat about the simple ingredients in this moist oatmeal blueberry banana bread.

Ingredients for Blueberry Banana Oat Bread:

Rolled Oats: We blend up some old-fashioned oats in a high-speed blender to make our own whole grain homemade oat flour.

This oat flour takes the place of all-purpose flour and generates a dense banana bread with a lovely nutty flavor.

You can use quick oats or instant oats instead of rolled oats, but I find rolled oats provide the best texture. I use sprouted gluten-free oats that are also glyphosate-free.

Ripe Bananas: Mashed bananas serve as moisture, volume and natural sweetness in this recipe. Because the majority of the sweetness comes from the bananas, be sure to use extra ripe bananas that have plenty of brown spots. 

Eggs: A couple whole eggs help to fluff up the bread for a lovely texture. Take the eggs out of the refrigerator 10 minutes before making the recipe to bring them to room temperature if you have the time.

Avocado Oil: While I have baked this bread without avocado oil and it still comes out, I do prefer it with a little oil to add moisture to the bread. This results in the best texture. If you prefer, you can use melted coconut oil or use ⅓ cup of melted butter.

Pure Maple Syrup: Lightly sweetened with pure maple syrup, this healthier banana bread recipe is refined sugar-free and lower in added sugar.

If you look at the nutrition facts in the recipe card below, you’ll notice there is a decent amount of sugar in each slice of banana bread. This is primarily due to the ripe bananas. 

For a sweeter banana bread, you can add any type of granulated sugar to your heart’s delight. I would start with 2 to 4 tablespoons of either cane sugar, brown sugar, coconut sugar, or sugar-free sweetener and adjust up if necessary.

Baking Powder, Baking Soda, Apple Cider Vinegar: The leavening agents here. Both baking powder and baking soda bring rise to the banana bread and generate that golden brown layer on top. Combining baking soda with an acid like apple cider vinegar or lemon juice ensures we’re getting the right chemical reaction.

Sea Salt & Ground Cinnamon: Salt enhances all of the flavors in the bread and cinnamon brings that yummy warmly spiced flavor that we all love so much in traditional banana bread.

Fresh Blueberries: Little bursts of juicy blueberries studded in each slice of banana bread makes such a fresh tasting treat! Frozen blueberries also work but I recommend thawing them first because they tend to hold more water.

Recipe Adaptations:

• If you’re a chocolate lover like me, feel free to add up to 1 cup of chocolate chips in addition to or in lieu of the blueberries.
• Add ⅔ to 1 cup of chopped walnuts or pecans if you like banana nut bread.
• For sweeter banana bread, add 2 to 4 tablespoons of brown sugar, regular cane sugar, or sugar-free sweetener of choice.
• Toss in ⅓ cup to ⅔ cup of raisins, dried cranberries or other dried fruit.
• If you already have oat flour at home, measure out a scant 2 cups (just under 2 cups) to replace the whole oats.
• If you prefer using gluten-free flours over oats, make my Gluten-Free Blueberry Banana Bread. 
• For a vegan option, make my Vegan Oatmeal Banana Bread and swap the chocolate chips for blueberries (or leave the chocolate chips, because party).

Now that we’re experts on the ingredients, let’s bake a loaf of bread!

How to Make Oatmeal Blueberry Banana Bread:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit and line a 9” x 5” loaf pan with parchment paper. You can also spray the pan with cooking spray if you don’t have parchment paper.

Transfer the oats to a high-powered blender and blend for 30 seconds on a high speed or until a flour forms. 

In a large mixing bowl, mash the bananas until they’re nice and creamy. Add in the avocado oil, vanilla extract and cider vinegar and whisk until the wet ingredients are well-combined.

Pour in the oat flour, baking powder, baking soda, sea salt and cinnamon (dry ingredients). Mix the dry ingredients into the wet mixture until a thick batter forms.

Gently fold the blueberries into the batter.

Pour batter into the prepared baking dish. If you’d like, top the batter with extra blueberries.

Cover the bread pan with aluminum foil and bake on the center rack of the preheated oven for 40 minutes. Remove the bread from the oven, take off the foil and bake for another 20 to 35 minutes uncovered (for a total of 60 to 75 minutes in the oven).

Bread is considered fully cooked when it reaches an internal temperature of at least 190 degrees Fahrenheit. To verify the bread is cooked through, you can insert an instant read thermometer into the center of the bread to get an accurate temperature read. 

Allow the bread to cool for at least 30 minutes before slicing and serving.

I love enjoying a thick slice of this delicious banana bread warm with a pat of butter on top. Fresh fruit is a lovely sidekick too!

To store the bread, wrap the pan tightly in plastic wrap (or use the foil you used to bake the bread) and refrigerate for up to 5 days. You can also store leftovers in an airtight container. Cut any remaining bread into slices, transfer to a zip lock bag and freeze for up to 3 months. 

This bread tastes even better after it has had a chance to sit overnight as it becomes sweeter and the flavors develop more. If you’re able to bake it ahead of time, it’s not a bad idea!

And that’s it! A cozy, comforting healthy blueberry banana bread recipe that can easily become a household staple. Whip it up for a healthy breakfast, snack, or sweet treat.

If you’re a big fan of quick bread recipes, also try out these gems.

More Quick Bread Recipes:

• Cassava Flour Banana Bread 
• Gluten-Free Apple Bread 
• Grain-Free Hummingbird Bread 
• Chocolate Oatmeal Banana Bread 
• The Best Almond Flour Zucchini Bread 
• Healthy Cinnamon Swirl Banana Bread 
• Low-Carb Carrot Cake Bread 

Enjoy slices of this tasty blueberry oatmeal banana bread with a mug of coffee or tea!

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