I have had a bunch of icky bananas staring at me for days. I’ve already made a few different variations on banana bread with things like blueberries or chocolate chips, but this weekend I decided to just do something simple. No crazy add-ins (although you could certainly add your own), nothing fancy – just tasty, fluffy, and oh so delicious banana bread.
I love the simple addition of rolled oats to this loaf – it gives it just a bit more texture and nuttiness, not to mention that oats pack a nutritious punch. This batch didn’t even make it through the weekend – oops.
Whole Wheat Oatmeal Banana Bread
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 55 minutes
Ingredients (1 loaf)
- 1/2 cup brown sugar (loosely packed)
- 1/4 cup maple syrup
- 1/4 cup coconut oil
- 1/4 up unsweetened applesauce
- 4 ripe bananas, mashed
- 1/4 cup soy milk
- 1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 2 cups whole wheat flour
- 1/2 cup rolled oats
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1.5 teaspoons cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
Instructions
Add sugar, syrup, applesauce, and coconut oil to stand mixer and beat until well combined. The oil won’t get fluffy like butter, but that’s okay. Don’t panic.
In a separate bowl, combine soy milk (or other non-dairy milk) with the apple cider vinegar. This is a trick for making vegan buttermilk. If you don’t have apple cider vinegar, you can also sub with lemon juice – I just thought the AC would compliment the applesauce.
Since I don’t get many opportunities to cook with two free hands these days, I came up with a new solution this weekend – cooking lessons with Cullen!
I strapped him on facing forward in the Moby wrap, and told him all about what I was doing while I baked. Doesn’t he look pumped?
Back to the bread – add the soy milk, vanilla, and mashed bananas to the mixer and combine. In another bowl, mix together your dry ingredients – whole wheat flour, rolled oats, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt.
Slowly add the dry ingredients to the stand mixer, and mix until just combined.
Grease a loaf pan and spoon in batter evenly. Bake for 55 minutes on 350 degrees…
Slice and serve!
I prefer my banana bread with a big hunk of Earth Balance smeared on top, but it certainly doesn’t need it.
This isn’t an overly sweet banana bread, which allows the great flavor of the banana to stand out. And as much as I hate using this word, I’m going to suck it up and tell you that this bread is incredibly moist – melts in your mouth.
Enjoy!
81 Comments so far
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Banana bread is my absolute favorite and this looks delicious! I have several old bananas in the freezer that I have been saving to make bread…I think this is a sign!
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Banana bread always hits the spot! Glad I’m not the only one with an aversion to the ‘M’ word. ;)
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Katie G Reply:
March 5th, 2012 at 5:06 pm
haha me tooo! Can’t stand that word …
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This is great as I was just looking for recipes to use up some old bananas!! Just one question: what can I use in place of the coconut oil? I don’t have any on hand. Thanks in advance!
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Jacquelyn Reply:
March 5th, 2012 at 9:01 pm
I’m wondering this too! And btw, Cullen’s face in the second picture is priceless!
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Clare Reply:
March 6th, 2012 at 5:47 pm
You can substitute canola for coconut oil. Cup for cup.
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My grandma always told me that you know the bread is done (and good) when there’s a big crack in the center. So judging by just that alone, this looks delish! Can’t wait to try this recipe!
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Looks amazing!
Question (probably a dumb question)…can the all-purpose flour be used instead of the whole wheat flour? If so, I have all the ingredients to make at home! haha
Thanks!
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Emily Malone Reply:
March 5th, 2012 at 9:57 pm
Absolutely!
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Haha I have a friend who hates that word too. I can’t wait to make your incredibly moist bread!
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Emily Malone Reply:
March 5th, 2012 at 9:57 pm
Haha!
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THAT IS MY LEAST FAVORITE WORD ALSO! However, I can forgive since the bread looks awesome – now if only I could let my bananas get to the point of banana-bread-worthy-ripeness without eating them…
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On that whole not lasting the weekend thing, we almost always double recipes to make two loaves (if not more) — some for now and some to freeze for later.
We recently made some zucchini bread that came out with such a creamy texture that we dubbed it “zucchini custard bread.” Sounds like this might be similar — yum!
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I love that Cullen was helping you out. My son absolutely loves to help cook with me. I used to have him propped up in the kitchen, in his high chair, so he could see everything. He’s become quite the little foodie since then. He actually hums when he is eating something he likes.
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OMG. I have learned my lesson, I can’t make banana bread, pumpkin bread, etc because I eat the entire batch in less than 2 days. But if I had any self control, I would make this, it looks great!
LOVE the pictures of Cullen :)
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I’ve never used coconut oil, is there anything else that can be subbed?
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Emily Malone Reply:
March 5th, 2012 at 9:56 pm
Canola oil or Earth Balance would be fine!
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What a coincidence! I made banana bread too this weekend! This time I tried adding some Greek yogurt for some extra protein, and I’m happy with the way it turned out. Yours looks fabulous as well!
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This looks great Emily! Especially with your helper. I don’t know much about stand-mixers. With something that only needs to be “just” mixed, it’s still good to use? Not too many dishes!?
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Emily Malone Reply:
March 5th, 2012 at 9:56 pm
You could mix in a bowl if you want to, but you’d want to make sure the wet ingredients got pretty well blended together.
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Hey girly! Could spelt flour be used as a sub to the whole wheat?
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Emily Malone Reply:
March 5th, 2012 at 9:56 pm
I don’t see why not!
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Hey Emily! Would you consider doing a video tutorial of how to work the Moby wrap? My 2-month-old is too big for the positions I know, but this front facing would work well. I just get so frustrated with the endless amounts of fabric that comes with the Moby… It looksas if you can do that one well, so would greatly appreciate any sort of tutorial!
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Emily Malone Reply:
March 5th, 2012 at 9:55 pm
Haha sure. I’ll see if I can get Casey to film one. :) I also hate all the long fabric!
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yum! i love how versatile banana bread can be! you can do so much to mix things up.
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That second picture with Cullen is absolutely hysterical. I actually laughed out loud at his expression.. I guess he’s not particularly find of his momma’s job yet. Seriously too funny though. Great way to end a long Monday!
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Rachel Reply:
March 5th, 2012 at 3:25 pm
*fond
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The next time I have overripe bananas, which is about every week, I’m making this!
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Nothing beats good ol banana bread, unless of course its whole wheat. I love bananas and therefore they never ripen to the point where they can be made into banana bread :( But sometimes my grocery store packs up bruised bananas and sells a pack of like 8 for 79 cents so I take up the opportunity to make this delicious bread!
P.S how did you put the bread in the oven (and take it out) with Cullen strapped on to your front?
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Emily Malone Reply:
March 5th, 2012 at 9:55 pm
I just turned to the side and slid it in so that he was faced away from the oven. You learn all these tricks so you can figure out how to do things! :)
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It is so sweet to imagine if he might catch the baking passion himself. Good for your for including him. Might as well… :)
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oh yum!! Banana Bread is my favourite!
Cullen is too cute.
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This looks GREAT :)
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Is it difficult to do things with Cullen strapped facing out? I have no babies, but I am not tall, so of course my reach is equally short…so do you find it difficult sometimes to reach things with him strapped on like that? Just curious ;)
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Emily Malone Reply:
March 5th, 2012 at 9:54 pm
Depends on what I’m trying to do… I wouldn’t use a knife to cut things or anything, since he can be grabby these days. But it’s kind of just like being really pregnant again. Haha!
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I find banana bread to be a great comfort food. I will have to try your recipe. I have a bunch of bananas in my freezer just waiting to be used.
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Oh the pictures of you and Cullen are priceless! So adorable. Did you notice in Hawaii how there are stands EVERYWHERE selling banana bread? On the road to Hana they are all over the place.
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Emily Malone Reply:
March 5th, 2012 at 9:54 pm
Yes totally! I may have bought a few pieces…
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ha! that second shot of cullen is great…he looks overly stoked ;)
me on the other hand? i’ll take a slice with extra butter (or peanut butter!) please!
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this bread looks great and I LOVE seeing Cullen’s reactions of watching you cook – too cute! :)
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I did the same thing with my kids although one would be in the wrap and the other would be in a bouncy seat on the counter as I baked/cooked. They loved it especially when they could get their hands into things. They really love to help out now that they are able to mix batter, etc.
I love adding different things into banana or zucchini bread but you can never go wrong with it plain either!
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I hate the word ‘moist’ too! Delicious banana bread is one of the few times that it is borderline okay to use, but even then… I don’t know. Hah!
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Cute! He actually looks really interested! Maybe you’re on to something…
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awww! culler’s first baking adventure. and it looks delicious to boot :)
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I’m not a big banana-bread person, but I think you just convinced me to reconsider. This looks amazing!
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Awww! I love Cullen’s expressions!
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Hey Emily,
How important is the coconut oil? Could you sub it w/ another oil?? I know coconut oil is all the rage on food blogs, but its not something I use enough to justify the cost and this looks delicious! Either way, keep the recipes coming (but I love the cullen updates as well)
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Emily Malone Reply:
March 5th, 2012 at 9:53 pm
You can sub in canola oil or Earth Balance! Either one should work fine.
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I think I’m the only weirdo in the world that actually loves that word! If a baked good isn’t “moist” it’s no good!
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Aw I sense a future cook blossoming. Thanks for the recipe!
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This sounds amazing and I will sooo be making this soon! Question, however, if you do not have coconut oil, can you sub any oil?
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Emily Malone Reply:
March 5th, 2012 at 9:52 pm
You can sub in canola oil or Earth Balance!
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yum!!! and he certainly looks entertained… ;)
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Cute little chef…starting the learning early :-) Yummm that banana bread looks fantastic
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Looks amazing! Bookmarked! I love cooking with my little girl in the moby too… my moby is kind of gross and covered with flour now, but it works for home stuff!
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The bread looks amazing and I love the pictures of you and Cullen!
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This looks like another wonderful recipe. Last week when your site was down I was desperately searching through the Recipage site trying to find one of your recipes, is there an advanced search tor something that I could use to find just Daily Garnish recipes? Are all of your recipes over there?
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I just love quick breads. Somehow, I always seem to have a few bread-worthy (read: blackened) bananas ready to go. I recently made them into muffins last week. So good!
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Cullen looks like he’s enjoying himself :)
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I think this is going on my adgenda for this coming weekend. Looks yum. I love the looks that your assistant is making – he’s so cute. Wait till the arms start to assist! Then you’ll have to have the highchair helper :)
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This looks delicious. I love it when u cook – it’s inspiring.
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This looks yummy. Have you ever considered including nutritional information with your recipes? Just wondering.
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This looks amazing! Thanks so much for the great recipe!
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I love banana bread fresh out of the over, with cream cheese on it! I know a lot of people think it is kind of weird, but my mom and dad always did it- so I guess it just stuck. This looks so yummy! I love your little sous chef :)
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Banana bread is my all-time favorite. I always make it when I see my bananas are nearing death by blackness.
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This sounds so healthy and yummy…now I just have to see if I’m patient enough to let my bananas ripen! I just threw away two bananas that were literally black…darn, shoulda made banana bread.
Culllen looks so adorable watching you bake!
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This looks delicious. I will definitely be making this soon!
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Looks like Cullen is becoming quite the baker!!! Must try this b-bread asap :)
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Hi Emily! Looks so yummy!! I bought a bunch of ripe bananas yesterday and this recipe is healthier than my usual banana bread recipe!
What could I use instead of the applesauce? 1 egg?
Cullen seems to enjoy watching you baking, so cute!
Thanks!!
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I just found your blog through Jen at PBR! I love banana bread and I love trying different recipes for it! I can’t wait to try this one! :)
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Perhaps not the most useful recipe review since I made a bunch of substitutions with what I had on hand (canola oil instead of coconut, 1 egg instead of applesauce, regular milk) — but this recipe came out FANTASTIC. Thanks for sharing it Emily!
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Just had a slice of this banana bread warm out of the oven – it was wonderful! I followed the recipe exactly except I used coconut milk instead of soy milk and white whole wheat flour instead of regular whole wheat. Sooo delicious with peanut butter spread on top!
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This recipe is perfect! Easy to make, and delicious! The way things are going, it won’t last the night, much less the weekend! Yum! And Thanks!
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Made this tonight and it was amazing!!! My boyfriend hates healthy and loved this! Thank you!
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Emily Malone Reply:
April 23rd, 2012 at 7:21 pm
Glad to hear it! :)
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I LOVE, LOVE this recipe. But I have a question about the coconut oil. I usually melt it and measure it in the liquid form. Do I need to do that, or can I just measure it as a solid out of the jar?
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Hi Emily! I wanted to make this into muffins instead of a loaf. Is there anything I should change? Can you suggest a baking time?
Thanks!!
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I’ve just started reading your blog. I found your pregnancy posts and that’s what hooked me. I’m currently 10 weeks along (and anxious to be a bit further so I can finally announce to the world!). I made this banana bread over the weekend. I crave bread, pasta and any other carbs I can get my hands on. This recipe was very tasty – and I like the use of rolled oats for some additional nutrion. I feel like I haven’t been eating well this first few weeks, so I’m happy to get in any tiny bit of nutrition I can!
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