Healthy Morning Glory Quick Bread (2024)

Healthy Morning Glory Quick Bread featuring delicious goodies like oats, grated carrots and apples, shredded coconut, raisins, and pecans. Made with oats instead of flour, natural sweeteners, and dairy-free, this easy quick bread recipe is a family favorite.

About one million years ago, I shared my recipe for Paleo Morning Glory Quick Bread made with almond flour, and the internet went WILD.

And for good reasons! Morning glory muffins and morning glory bread recipes are just so cozy and comforting.

Packed with grated carrots, grated apples, unsweetened coconut, dried fruit and nuts, you’re guaranteed a marvelous time.

For this version of Morning Glory Quick Bread, we use rolled oats instead of flour to give us an infusion of whole grains.

Where Does Morning Glory Bread Get Its Name?:

This Morning Glory Quick Bread is a riff off of classic Morning Glory Muffins.

Morning Glory Muffins were invented by Chef Pam McKinstry at a restaurant on Nantucket Island in 1978. The recipe concept went the magazine version of viral once it was published in Gourmet Magazine in 1981.

Morning glory muffins feature grated apples, carrots, sweetened shredded coconut, walnuts, raisins, and pineapple chunks.

My version is pineapple-free and I use unsweetened shredded coconut. I also use ripe bananas to cut out some of the oil and added sugar, thereby bringing moisture and sweetness to the bread without extra calories or a big sugar spike.

In this sense, my version of Morning Glory Bread includes the flavors of morning glory muffins but is not an authentic take on the traditional morning glory muffins recipe; however, it’s still delicious, brings you coffee shop vibes, and is a health-conscious treat.

Let’s discuss the simple ingredients for Morning Glory Bread.

Ingredients for Healthy Gluten-Free Quick Bread:

Rolled Oats: Taking the place of all-purpose flour, we blend oats in a blender to make our own oat flour. If you’re making gluten-free morning glory bread, be sure to use oats that are certified gluten-free. I use gluten-free sprouted oats.

If you already have store-bought oat flour on hand, you can use it instead.

If you prefer baking with a gluten-free flour blend, use 1 ⅔ cups of gluten-free flour. If you aren’t gluten-free, you can use 1 2/3 cups of whole wheat flour or a combination of whole wheat flour and regular all-purpose flour.

Ripe Bananas: While traditional morning glory recipes don’t include bananas, I like using ripe mashed bananas in this recipe to add moisture without the need for a lot of oil and sweetness without the need for a lot of sugar.

Be sure to use overripe bananas that have a lot of brown spots for the best results, as they will bring the most amount of sweetness.

If you don’t like bananas or you’re allergic to them, you can replace them with 2/3 cup unsweetened applesauce, plus 1 tablespoon of avocado oil, plus one tablespoon of pure maple syrup.

Eggs: A couple of eggs helps the bread rise and makes it nice and fluffy.

Avocado Oil: The fat portion of the recipe that brings richness and moisture. I use oil sparingly here to keep the calories and fat managed.

For moister bread with cake-like consistency, add another 2-3 tablespoons of avocado oil. You can replace avocado oil with olive oil or melted butter or coconut oil.

Pure Maple Syrup: A touch of pure maple syrup bumps up the sweet flavor of the bread without making it taste overly sweet.

If you like your treats to be very sweet, add 1 to 4 tablespoons of coconut sugar, cane sugar or brown sugar in addition to the pure maple syrup.

Grated Carrots, Grated Apple, Shredded Coconut: Raisins, and Chopped Pecans: The goodies that make a morning glory treat a morning glory treat. These are the iconic add-ins to signify we’re serious about our morning quick bread.

Pure Vanilla Extract: A splash of vanilla brings warm flavor to the bread. You can skip it if you don’t have any on hand.

Ground Cinnamon and Sea Salt: Cinnamon gives baked treats that cozy fall vibe in a perfect way and salt is a flavor enhancer.

If you have a navel orange on hand, you can grate a little orange zest into the batter for a little something special.

Now that we’ve discussed the healthy ingredients, let’s bake a loaf!

How to Make Healthy Morning Glory Quick Bread:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit and line a 9” x 5” loaf pan with parchment paper. If you don’t have parchment paper on hand, spray the bread pan with cooking spray.

Transfer the oats to a high-powered blender and blend for 30 seconds on high speed, or until a flour forms.

Mash the bananas in a large bowl until they are creamy.

Add in the eggs, avocado oil, pure maple syrup, vanilla extract and cider vinegar and whisk until all of the wet ingredients are combined.

In a separate bowl, stir together the oat flour, baking powder, sea salt and ground cinnamon (dry ingredients).

Add the flour mixture to the bowl with the wet ingredients and mix well until a thick muffin batter forms.

Stir in the grated carrots and grated apple, followed by the shredded coconut, raisins, and pecans. Mix everything together so that all the goodies are well-distributed throughout the muffin batter.

Pour batter into the prepared loaf pan and spread it into an even layer. If you’d like, sprinkle the top of the batter with more chopped pecans.

Cover the loaf pan with aluminum foil and bake for 40 minutes. Remove the foil from the pan and bake for another 20 to 35 minutes, or until the bread tests clean and is golden brown on top.

Baked goods are fully cooked once they have reached an internal temperature of 190 to 200 degrees Fahrenheit.

Insert a digital thermometer into the center of the bread and wait until the numbers stop moving to get an accurate read. Based on the temperature, bake longer if necessary.

Wrap the loaf pan in plastic wrap and store at room temperature for up to 2 days. Beyond that, transfer any leftovers to an airtight container or zip lock bag and refrigerate for up to 5 days. Freeze bread in a freezer bag for up to 3 months.

The next time you’re looking for a decadent treat, whip up some cream cheese frosting to go on top and you’ll end up with a baked good that’s similar to carrot cake.

Can I Make Muffins Out of This Recipe?:

Yes, absolutely! In fact, I have already shared my Healthy Morning Glory Muffins recipe, which provides instructions for baking in a muffin pan.

And that’s it! A cozy loaf of bread you’ll want to enjoy all baking season long.

I find this morning glory breakfast loaf to be such a marvelous treat during the fall and winter months when I’m looking for something sweet but not overly sugary.

It’s a delicious way to start the day alongside a cup of coffee and the perfect breakfast for grabbing and going too.

If you enjoy healthy quick bread recipes like this one, also try out these reader favorites.

More Healthy Quick Bread Recipes:

• Oatmeal Blueberry Banana Bread
• Almond Flour Banana Bread
• Healthy Oatmeal Strawberry Banana Bread
• Keto Cinnamon Swirl Bread
• Low-Carb Carrot Cake Bread
• Almond Flour Lemon Poppy Seed Bread
• Grain-Free Hummingbird Bread
• Double Chocolate Oatmeal Zucchini Bread

Morning glory or bust!

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