Hearty Oat Chocolate Chip Banana Bread (GF)
After going on the Paleo diet for a year, I was excited to try oatmeal/oats again. Before Paleo, I would eat oatmeal for breakfast regularly so I missed it very much. I worked on developing a Paleo banana bread recipe for quite sometime, which I will share. However, I am especially proud of this gluten free version because it has a lovely texture with the added oats/oat flour and I prefer it to the Paleo version. My goal was to use only fruit to sweeten and of course ripe bananas are already sweet, but I wanted a little more. That is where dates come in. Dates are one of my favorite snacks (especially stuffed dates) and nature’s caramels. I found that if I turn them into a date paste and add that to the mixture, it adds sweetness that pairs wonderfully with the banana. Of course I had to add chocolate chips for the perfect bite!
If you are gluten free or if you are looking for a “healthier” banana bread alternative, this is your recipe! Along with flavor, nutritious ingredients are always a huge factor when I am concocting my recipes. That is exactly why I used a combo of oat flour/oats, almond flour and flaxseed for the bulk of the loaf. Oat flour is higher in protein than other flours and has added fiber for digestion. Almond flour is a great addition with minerals like Vitamin E, magnesium and fiber. Finally, flaxseed is full of omega-3 fatty acids to support overall health. It’s always a great feeling to satisfy your sweet tooth while nourishing your body.
Ingredients you’ll need for this hearty oat banana bread
- Dates: You will need approximately 8 medjool dates or 3/4 cup. Make sure they are pitted before adding them to a blender. Be sure to soften them in warm water prior to using. If not, you can microwave them for 30 seconds or so.
- Bananas: You will need 3-4 overripe medium bananas mashed. The more brown spots, the sweeter and the better! This equates to about 1 and 1/4 cups.
- Coconut Oil: Feel free to use refined or unrefined coconut oil. Unrefined will have a bit of a coconut taste, so if you do not like that, go with refined.
- Baking Soda: This helps the bread rise.
- Baking Powder: This additionally helps give the bread its rise.
- Cinnamon: Cinnamon adds a hint of spice.
- Sea Salt: Baked goods should always have a little salt to balance the sweet. I love Redmond’s Real Salt!
- Eggs: Since this is gluten free bread the eggs bring structure to the bread.
- Vanilla: Vanilla will add that lovely hint of flavor.
- Oat Flour: Oat flour will make up half of the batter. If you don’t have oat flour, you can make your own by blending rolled oats.
- Almond Flour: The rest of the batter will be almond flour for this banana bread recipe. Be sure to buy blanched almond flour and not almond meal.
- Rolled Oats: Rolled oats add a nice texture to the bread and make it more filling.
Flaxseed Meal: You will need a small amount of flaxseed meal to add to the batter. - Chocolate Chips: I personally love Hu No Added Sugar Keto Baking Chips since they are sweetened with dates. Lily’s is another great option if you prefer to stay away from sugar. You can optionally leave them out if you desire.
Hearty Oat Chocolate Chip Banana Bread
Equipment
- Standard Loaf Pan
- High Powered Blender
Ingredients
- 3/4 cup medjool dates approx. 8
- 2 tbsp water or almond milk
- 3-4 mashed bananas approx. 1 1/4 cups
- 1/4 cup coconut oil melted and cooled to room temp.
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- 1/2 tsp sea salt
- 3 large eggs room temp.
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 cup oat flour
- 1 cup almond flour
- 1/3 cup rolled oats
- 1/4 cup flaxseed meal
- 1/2 cup chocolate chips plus more for topping
Instructions
- Pre-heat your oven to 350° F. Line a standard loaf pan with parchment paper and set aside.
- First, make the date paste – in a high powered blender or food processor, add in the dates and water/ milk and pulse until you get a paste-like texture. It’s okay if there are chunks/pieces remaining.
- In a large bowl, whisk the mashed bananas, date paste, coconut oil, eggs and vanilla until well combined and set aside.
- In a medium sized bowl, mix the oat flour, almond flour, rolled oats, flaxseed meal, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon and sea salt. Make sure you do not pack these flours, instead spoon them into cups and level off with a knife.
- Add the dry ingredients to the wet and mix with a wooden spoon until you get a cohesive mixture. A few dry lumps here and there is okay (be careful not to overmix). Next, add the chocolate chips and give it another stir. Scoop the batter into the loaf pan and add more chips to the top.
- Bake for approx. 1 hour to 1 hour and 10 minutes or until a thermometer inserted into the center reaches 200° F. You may need to add a piece of tin foil to the top at around the 40 minute mark so it doesn’t get too browned.
- Take it out of the oven and let the bread cool for 15 minutes before transferring to a wire rack. Then let it cool completely until slicing.
- Store at room temperature for 4-5 days or in the fridge for about a week. Slice and store in the freezer for long term!
