Peanut butter oat banana bread

Since we are all going absolutely crazy for banana bread in 2021 I thought I may as well create a breakfast banana bread filled with delicious hearty ingredients that are already sitting in your pantry. Breakfast banana bread means more excuses to eat banana bread and I think we can probably all agree thats a good thing. This Peanut butter oat banana bread is hearty, filling, wholesome and easy. You’ll love it.

Making your own oat flour

I used old fashioned rolled oats for the base of this recipe, simply blending them up in my vitamix until they resembled a course flour. If you do not own a how powered food processor, blender or grain mill then you can easily substitute the rolled oats for straight up oat flour just ensure you measure it by weight and not cups.

To make your own flour simply add the measured rolled oats to your blender or food processor and blend on high for about 30 seconds. I like to stop half way through and scrape down the sides just in case any rough oats get stuck to the blender walls. The result in a course flour- you wont achieve a fine flour unless you own a grain mill (which is totally something I hope to add to my kitchen one day). Since this peanut butter banana oat loaf is a rustic, hearty breakfast loaf course oat flour works just fine- in fact, it adds to the heart-ness. I have used my vitamix, ninja duo and magimix cook expert to grind oats with great success for all.

Sounds like too much effort? You’ll might like to try out this popular this tahini and maple banana bread.

How to avoid a gummy oat flour loaf

While I love using rolled oats in this recipe is must be noted that oat flour can and does create gummy recipes if not used correctly. Here are a few tips to creating the perfect texture when using oat flour

Use a variety of flours rather than just straight oat flour. My first loaf of Peanut butter oat banana bread used only at flour and while the taste was amazing my mouth felt slightly claggy afterwards. It was ok, but I knew we could de better. I added almond meal to balance this out and it worked perfectly.
Be gentle with your batter but do not worry about over mixing. While rolled oats may be contaminated with gluten they do not add the gluten protein into the mixture, and thus you do not need to worry about over mixing the batter. Gluten free loafs often require a few minutes of mixing, however combining the wet and dry ingredients well will be enough or this loaf
Waiting! This makes such a huge difference, so it is worth the pain of waiting. Once the Peanut butter oat banana bread has cooked turn off the oven and open the door. Allow the banana bread to stand in the oven for 3-4 minutes (this gives time for the cake to rest and set) then gently transfer the tin to a wire rack to cool. Once again, allow the banana bread to cool for 10 minutes in the tin then carefully transfer to a wire rack to cool completely before slicing into it. If you want to serve warm you can toast a slice after this but do not cut into a warm loaf.
Finally, follow the method in the recipe card that used both oil and peanut butter. I have trialled both options many times and they are both wonderful- if you want the perfect texture the addition of oil helps. I have a great recipe for oil and grain free banana muffins that you should also check out.

Ingredients for Peanut butter oat banana bread

Rolled oats– oats make up the base of this recipe, giving a hearty and wholesome feel to the end result. We make flour using the rolled oats but if this is not an option you can exchange with oat flour measured by weight not volume. Choose certified gluten free oats if needed.

Almond meal– adding almond meal to the mix helps to balance out the texture of the Peanut butter oat banana bread and creates a lighter, fluffier result. In a pinch you can substitute for extra rolled oat flour (measured by weight) however the result has a slightly gummy aftertaste. If you want to nail the texture of the healthy peanut butter banana oat bread then stick with the almond meal.

Baking powder and salt– usual baking things. Choose gluten free baking powder if needed.

Bananas. Choose ripe, spotty bananas for the best taste. You don’t want bananas that are so ripe that they are basically liquid- just look for dark spotty peel and sweet smell.

Milk of choice- I prefer almond milk like this one, though cows milk, soy milk or boxed coconut milk will all work well. Rice or oat milk have less fat and while they can be used for this recipe that are not my top choices.

Runny, drippy peanut butter. It is important that you choose a roasted, runny peanut butter (or tahini) because the stiff, thick peanut butter will not give a fluffy, moist and light loaf. I like this brand or this brand.

Light olive oil. I prefer a light, cold pressed olive oil for my baking but you could use any neutral flavoured oil. If you want a oil free version I have tried and tested one, please refer to the recipe notes below.

Apple cider vinegar or white vinegar. As this is an egg free recipe we are relying on both the apple cider vinegar and baking powder (or the baking soda present in the baking powder) for the cake to rise and be light and fluffy. You cannot omit this ingredient however lemon juice could be used if you have no vinegar on hand.

Coconut sugar. The recipe uses just 1/2 cup of coconut sugar making the final loaf just slightly sweet. If you want a sugar free version I would recommend using a monk fruit granulated sweetener like this one rather than just omitting the sugar. Sugar adds sweetness to a loaf, yes, but it also lowers the pH (making the batter more acidic) and adds moisture making it important in the baking process. You can reduce to sugar content to 1/4 cup or swap to brown or rapadura sugar if you prefer. See further down teh post for a maple syrup version.

Vanilla extract. Optional, but vanilla lawyers adds extra flavour to baked good and I prefer them with it. Not an essential ingredient.

A slice of healthy oat banana bread with yoghurt and honey — Oat banana bread with yoghurt, honey and walnuts

How to make your Peanut butter oat banana bread gluten and oil free

While oats do not contain gluten themselves they are generally contaminated with gluten via the growing and processing stages. If you are making a gluten free loaf for a person with coeliac disease it is important to first check with them that they can eat certified gluten-free oats. Some people with coeliac disease do while others do not. Generally speaking when you use certified gluten free oats like these then you can serve this loaf to people on a gluten free diet.

I have trialled this recipe making an oil free option and while I don’t like the texture as much I am still really happy with the result. You can omit the olive oil in the recipe and increase the amount of milk and peanut butter. Please refer to the recipe card notes for exact measurements.

Maple syrup sweetened oat banana loaf

Due to popular request I want to include the variation for sweetening with maple syrup or honey. It must be said I prefer the texture when using coconut sugar, but I am all for maple sweetened baked goods so I totally get why you want that swap.

Heres what you do;

omit the coconut sugar entirely and add 1/3 cup (100g) pure maple syrup instead.
Reduce the milk content from 1/2 cup to 1/3 cup + 1 Tbsp
If you have it on hand add an in 1/2 tsp baking soda when you add you dry ingredients.

Thats it! Many readers have tried and tested this version for me, and have reported back that it worked perfectly.

We hope you enjoy this peanut butter oat banana bread as much as we do. We welcome any comments or feedback below- your reviews are so helpful and others find this recipe too.

Here are some other delicious vegan baked recipes you might like to try;