A healthier take on banana bread, this Banana Applesauce Oatmeal bread doesn't include oil, butter or sugar in the recipe but you'd never know from the flavor!
Update: This recipe was originally shared in January 2014. The recipe ingredients and photos have been updated and the republished in May 2021.
Banana bread is such a quick, classic recipe to make. But if you're tired of the same old banana bread, let me introduce you to the secretly healthy version. Banana Applesauce Oatmeal bread has no sugar, no oil, and no butter. However, you'd never know it from the taste.
Why I love banana applesauce oatmeal bread
I am a huge fan of quick bread recipes. There's a time and place for baking with yeast, but lately, I don't have that kind of time. So this recipe, made with bananas, applesauce, oats, flour, almond milk and a few other ingredients comes together so quickly and is made with ingredients that I usually have on hand.
🥘 Ingredients for this recipe
- ripe bananas
- applesauce
- almond milk
- egg
- honey
- vanilla
- all purpose flour
- old fashioned oats
- cinnamon
- baking soda
- salt
🔪Instructions for this recipe
- First, preheat the oven. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and spray a 9 inch loaf pan with cooking spray.
- Then, prepare the wet ingredients. In a medium bowl, mash the bananas. Then whisk in the applesauce, milk, egg, honey and vanilla.
- Next, combine the dry ingredients. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, oatmeal, cinnamon, baking soda and salt.
- After that, combine wet and dry. Slowly add the wet ingredients to the dry and mix until no lumps remain. Pour the batter into the prepared baking dish. Sprinkle the remaining oatmeal on top.
- Finally, bake that bread! Bake for 60-70 minutes or until browned and cooked through. Let cool on a wire rack before slicing and serving.
FAQ's for the best healthy bread
- Can I make banana bread with no sugar? Yes! The recipe doesn't call for any sugar and only uses a small amount of honey. The honey can be omitted if you prefer not to use it. The sweetness comes from the bananas and the applesauce. I've made this recipe with both unsweetened and sweetened applesauce and it's delicious both ways.
- Why did my banana bread sink in the middle? The bread did not cook all the way through. Make sure to check your bread with a toothpick inserted in the center. If it doesn't come out clean, the bread isn't cooked through.
- How do you know when banana bread is done? When a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. The bread will be golden brown and there may be some cracks across the top of the bread.
- Can I make this bread into muffins? Yes, scoop batter into a muffin pan lined with paper liners. Fill each liner ¾ of the way full. Bake for 20-25 minutes.
- How do you freeze banana bread? Wrap this bread tightly in plastic wrap and then place in a container or ziplock bag. Freeze for 3 months. Otherwise, the bread will last for 1 week if in an airtight container.
Substitutions for this oatmeal bread
- Almond Milk: you can replace this with any type of milk; cow or plant based
- Applesauce: homemade or store-bought in unsweetened or sweetened both work for this recipe
- Egg and honey: replace the egg with a flax egg and omit the honey to make this recipe vegan
- All Purpose Flour: replace with whole wheat or do a 50/50 split between whole wheat and all purpose
If you like this recipe, you'll love some of my other quick bread recipes like Double Chocolate Zucchini Bread / Honey Oatmeal Bread / Cranberry Apple Pecan Bread
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Recipe
Banana Applesauce Oatmeal Bread
Ingredients
- 2 medium bananas ripened
- ¾ cup unsweetened almond milk *see notes
- ⅔ cup unsweetened applesauce *see notes
- 1 large egg
- 2 tablespoon honey
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 1 ½ cups all purpose flour
- 1 cup old fashioned oats plus more for sprinkling
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 and spray a 9 inch loaf pan with cooking spray.
- In a medium bowl, mash the bananas using a potato masher or a fork. Then whisk in the almond milk, applesauce, egg, honey and vanilla. Set aside.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, oats, cinnamon, baking soda and salt. Add the wet ingredients into the dry, folding until no lumps of flour remain. Pour the batter into the prepared loaf pan.
- Sprinkle a tablespoon more of oats on top of the batter.
- Bake for 60-70 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center of the bread comes out clean. Transfer bread in loaf pan to a wire rack to cool completely.
- Then remove bread from the loaf pan and cut into 10 slices.
- To store: place slices in an airtight container for up to 1 week. Or tightly wrap in plastic wrap, place in an airtight container and freeze for up to 3 months.
sarah
Do you use Quick Oats or regular oats?
NicholeL
Regular oats, the ones that say Old Fashioned on the container.