This Healthy Banana Bread is a total family favorite. It comes together in the food processor, and once cooled and wrapped, the bars store amazingly well in the fridge and freezer. It’s totally delicious for snack time, dessert, or breakfast!
Healthy Banana Bread
This quick bread is soft, moist, and sweet—and yet firm enough for little fingers to hold without it falling apart. But the thing I love most about this recipe? It’s so packed with nutrients and it tastes great. It’s a total win-win. Plus, it’s just so easy to make, even if your kitchen is crazy with the kiddos running around! We love this healthy banana bread as an everyday treat—for snacks or breakfast (because it’s really good with coffee or milk).
Easy Banana Bread Recipe
I find that baking this banana bread in an 8×8-inch pan ensures that the whole things cooks evenly and in about half the time as a standard loaf pan. Which means that you can spend less time waiting for the oven timer and more time enjoying your life. Plus, the recipe comes together in the food processor, so it’s easy to mix up…even with kids underfoot.
Ingredients You Need
To make this recipe you’ll need:
- very ripe bananas
- Rolled oats
- Eggs
- Butter (or nut butter)
- Cinnamon
- Baking powder and soda
- Pure vanilla extract
- Maple syrup
TIP: If you’re looking for a banana bread or muffin without eggs, try my Sugar-Free Banana Muffins or these Vegan Banana Muffins.
Step-by-Step Instructions
Here’s a look at the simple process involved in making this banana bread recipe. Scroll down to see the full recipe at the bottom of the post.
- Place the oats in the bowl of a food processor and grind.
- Add the rest of the ingredients and blend well.
- Pour into the prepared pan.
- Bake!
TIP: Let cool fully in the pan before slicing and serving to make sure it holds together well.
How long can I store this banana bread?
You can keep this bread, once fully cooled, in an airtight container in the fridge for 3-5 days. You can also put half of the batch into a zip top quart size freezer bag and store it in the freezer for up to 3 months. Thaw the whole bag or one slice at a time overnight in the fridge or in 15-30 second bursts in the microwave.
Flourless Banana Bread
The base for this banana bread recipe is ground up rolled oats, but you can pick up a bag of oat flour if you want to skip that step. It’s easy to make gluten-free (just buy certified gluten-free rolled oats) and it’s has similar nutrition as oatmeal.
The bread is packed with fiber and complex carbohydrates to fuel the kids with balanced energy until the next meal or snack time rolls around. It also stays moist for days when stored in the fridge, so you can make this on the weekend and enjoy it throughout the week.
Tips for Making the Best Healthy Banana Bread
- Use very ripe bananas with a lot of brown spots for the best flavor and natural sweetness.
- We like the bread plain or topped with nut butter or with a simple frosting made with combination of maple syrup and cream cheese.
- You can make this dairy-free by using nut butter, such as peanut butter or almond butter, instead of the butter.
- You can make this gluten-free by using certified gluten-free rolled oats.
- You can use honey instead of maple syrup (but avoid honey for babies under 12 months.)
I’d love to hear your feedback if you try this recipe, so please comment below and give it some stars to share!
Healthy Banana Bread
Ingredients
- 2 1/2 cups rolled oats
- 3 cups sliced very ripe bananas (about 3 medium bananas)
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 3 eggs
- 1/4 cup almond or peanut butter (OR melted and cooled butter)
- 2 tablespoons maple syrup
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Coat an 8x8-inch baking dish with nonstick spray.
- Grind the oats in a food processor for about 30 seconds, or until they resemble a coarse flour.
- Add the rest of the ingredients and process for about 1 minute, stopping to scrape down the sides of the processor as needed, until the batter is smooth.
- Pour into prepared pan, smoothing with a spatula. Bake for 25-28 minutes, or until the edges are golden and a cake tester inserted into the center comes out clean. Let cool in the pan before slicing.
- Serve chilled, at room temperature, or slightly warm.
Notes
- To store: Place in an airtight container or storage bag in the fridge for up to a week or in the freezer for up to 3 months.
- If you like coconut, you can sub ½ cup shredded unsweetened coconut for ½ cup of oats.
- Increase the maple syrup to ¼ cup to make this sweeter.
- Be sure to use very ripe bananas with brown spots for the best flavor.
Nutrition
Hello! Can a 10 month old eat this? (I omitted the salt). Thanks!
Yes just dice it up into small pieces.
So excited to try this. Can I use a blender instead of a food processor?
Sure
Very good! I love that there’s almond butter in this and yet I can’t taste it. Perfectly sweet with 2 Tbsp maple syrup. Can’t wait to feed to my toddler. My husband and I have already had 1/4 of the pan on our own.
Hi, is the measurement for the oats before or after its ground? Would the measurement be different if I use oat flour?
It’s for before grinding, but it’s very similar if using oat flour so I’d do the same amounts
Hi, can i use a loaf pan for this recipe? Thanks ☺️🌺
SO GOOD! I don’t have a food processor so I tried to mix it in my blender but it didn’t all fit. Ended up working out fine though, just had to mash the rest of the bananas and mix it all in a bowl. Next time I’ll just grind the oats in the blender, mash the bananas and mix it all in a bowl. I used two loaf pans and put chocolate chips in one for me, none in the other for my 16 month old 🙂 will definitely be making this again. Thank you!!
Omg so easy and delicious! Best for road trips with my 16 month old and mom and dad love them too! We added blueberries and omg yummmm!
I’m so glad to hear that!
Super easy to make and delicious!
Can you use steel cut oats to make the flour?
I haven’t tried that but if you can grind them up very finely I think it would likely work the same
So easy for beginners like me and super yummy! Thank you!
Super easy to make. I make it on friday afternoon and lasts me 4 to 5 days. I usually give my son a bread toasted with almond butter for breakfast on Saturday!
Can I use walnuts in this?
Sure! I’d chop them up first
Hi! If I’m needing to make this for grown up toddlers on occasion would this come out nicely in a loaf pan?
I haven’t made it in a loaf pan so I can’t say for sure but it works well in an 8×8 inch pan for any age:)
I’m a bit low on oats, could I use wheat flour with the oats?
I haven’t tried it that way but you certainly could give it a shot. It may be done a few minutes sooner so test the center with a toothpick or cake tester—you’d want it to come out mostly clean.
I wonder if I could double this and bake it in a 9×13 pan? How would that affect the baking time? My whole family loves these and I’d like to be able to make more at once!
I think that would work and the timing would be in the same general range—maybe 4-6 minutes longer? Look at the center and you should be able to see if it’s done as it will look soft and gummy and then start to firm up. Check it with a cake tester or tooth pick to be sure it’s done (you want either to come out cleanly). I’d love to know how it works if you try it that way!
Can I use infant oatmeal cereal in place of the oats? V
I haven’t tried it that way so I can’t say for sure, but let me know if you do!