Healthy Blueberry Oatmeal Breakfast Quick Bread

 
One spring weekend during my sophomore year of high school, my dad drove me to a friend’s house a few towns away. She and I planned to spend the entire day hanging out, and we started by baking blueberry muffins from scratch.  

After washing the dishes and watching a movie, we decided to walk downtown for a late lunch. Although about two miles away, most of the path cut through her town’s extensive greenbelt, which felt very quiet and peaceful even with all of the joggers and cyclists that whizzed past us.
 

 
We arrived at the café well after the lunch rush, so the hostess seated us at one of their best tables on the front patio. My friend and I picked the same entrée from the menu: a mixed greens salad with sliced Fuji apple, feta cheese, candied pecans, and crunchy house-made croutons.

When the waitress brought out our plates a little while later, she also dropped off a basket of warm whole wheat bread topped with a light sprinkling of oats. We each grabbed a piece…

And we nearly forgot all about our salads! Light and tender, with that faint cozy oat flavor… We definitely finished off the entire basket of bread before we walked back to her house!
 

 
I never quite mastered the art of oat-sprinkled bread tops in my own baking… And I prefer a slightly stronger oat flavor anyway, like with this Healthy Blueberry Oatmeal Breakfast Quick Bread!

In this easy recipe, the oats are baked inside of the bread (not just sprinkled on top!), which gives the loaf a hearty yet cozy texture. Combine that with the sweet blueberries (just look at how juicy they are!) and only 118 calories per slice, and you’ve just found my current favorite breakfast!

I baked another loaf the same evening after I finished the previous one… I’m that obsessed! 😉
 

 
Let’s go over how to make this healthy blueberry oatmeal breakfast quick bread!

You actually start with instant oats (this kind—or these for a gluten-free version!). Instant oats are smaller and thinner than old-fashioned rolled oats. This means they soften faster, which gives your healthy blueberry oatmeal breakfast quick bread a beautiful moist and tender texture.
 

 
However, it’s extremely important that you measure the oats (and flour!) correctly, using this method or a kitchen scale. (← That’s the one I own and love!) Too much of either will dry out your healthy blueberry oatmeal breakfast quick bread… Especially too many oats. They act like little sponges and soak up as much moisture as they can!

To start the oats softening ahead of time, you’ll actually mix them with Greek yogurt, a bit of milk, and vanilla extract. Just like in my overnight oats recipes, mixing the oats with those ingredients allows them to soak up moisture before adding them to the rest of the batter—which means you won’t end up with crunchy or dry oat bits in your healthy blueberry oatmeal breakfast quick bread!
 

 
With that bowl set aside, you’ll whisk together white whole wheat flour (like this!), baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt next. I highly recommend using this type of cinnamon, if you can find it! It has a stronger, warmer, and slightly sweeter. It’s the only kind I use in my baking now!

As for the flour, such a thing actually exists! White whole wheat flour is made by finely grinding a special type of soft white wheat (hence the name!), whereas regular whole wheat flour comes from a heartier variety of red wheat. This gives white whole wheat flour a lighter taste and texture, but it still has the same health benefits as regular whole wheat flour. Win-win!
 

 
To keep this healthy blueberry oatmeal breakfast quick bread low in calories, you’ll use a mere ½ tablespoon of butter. That’s it! Other quick bread recipes call for ¼ to ½ cup (or more!) of butter or oil… Yikes!

Then the rest of this loaf’s tender texture comes from Greek yogurt! If you’ve been around my blog, then you probably know how much I love Greek yogurt already. It adds the same moisture to your healthy blueberry oatmeal breakfast quick bread as extra butter or oil, but for a fraction of the calories, and it gives your loaf a protein boost, too!

So… I think I’ll stick with this low calorie blueberry oatmeal breakfast quick bread instead! 😉
 

 
To sweeten your healthy blueberry oatmeal breakfast quick bread, you’ll use another one of my favorite ingredients: liquid stevia. Stevia is a plant-based, no-calorie sweetener that contains nothing refined or artificial (aka it’s clean eating friendly!). It’s also really concentrated. You just need 1 ½ teaspoons to sweeten this entire loaf!

This is the kind I use because I love its sweet flavor and don’t notice any strange aftertaste like with some other stevia products. Although you can find it at many health-oriented grocery stores, I actually buy mine online here because that’s the best price I’ve found. (And you’ll use it in all of these recipes of mine, too!)

Now we can’t forget my favorite part of this healthy oatmeal breakfast quick bread… The blueberries! I used fresh blueberries because (a) they’re in season right now and really sweet and juicy and (b) they don’t stain the batter a weird gray color like frozen ones do. If fresh blueberries aren’t in season, you can definitely substitute frozen—just remember to increase the baking time!
 

 
Cozy oats… Juicy berries… Moist and tender bread… How perfect does that look?? 😉 And when you make your own, remember to snap a picture and share it on Instagram using #amyshealthybaking and tagging @amyshealthybaking IN the photo itself! (That guarantees I’ll see your picture! 🙂 ) I’d love to see your healthy blueberry oatmeal breakfast quick bread!

Healthy Blueberry Oatmeal Breakfast Quick Bread

© Amy's Healthy Baking

Yields: 1 quick bread, 12 slices

I’ve lost track of how many times I’ve baked this breakfast quick bread… It’s that good! Hearty oats, juicy blueberries, a hint of cozy cinnamon—all combined in one incredibly moist and tender loaf. True breakfast (and snacking) perfection! Leftovers will keep for at least one week if stored in the refrigerator in an airtight container or tightly wrapped in plastic wrap. (This is my favorite plastic wrap because it clings so much tighter than other brands!)

5 from 3 votes

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Ingredients 

• ¾ cup (75g) instant oats (gluten-free if necessary and measured like this)
• ½ cup (120g) plain nonfat Greek yogurt
• 1 cup + 2 tbsp (270mL) nonfat milk, divided
• 2 tsp vanilla extract
• 2 cups (240g) white whole wheat flour or gluten-free* flour (measured like this)
• 2 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1 ½ tsp baking powder
• ¾ tsp baking soda
• ½ tsp salt
• ½ tbsp (7g) unsalted butter or coconut oil, melted and cooled slightly
• 2 large egg whites, room temperature
• 1 ½ tsp liquid stevia
• 1 ½ cups (210g) fresh blueberries

Instructions

• Preheat the oven to 350°F, and coat a 9x5” loaf pan with cooking spray.
• In a medium bowl, stir together the oats, Greek yogurt 6 tablespoons of milk, and vanilla extract. In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, cinnamon, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. In a third bowl, whisk together the butter, egg whites, and stevia. Stir in the oat mixture, mixing until no large lumps remain. Alternate between adding the flour mixture and remaining ¾ cup of milk, beginning and ending with the flour mixture, and stirring just until incorporated. (For best results, add the flour mixture in 4 equal parts.) Gently fold in the blueberries.
• Spread the batter into the prepared pan. Bake at 350°F for 45-55 minutes or until the top feels firm to the touch and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Cool in the pan for 10 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.

Notes

IMPORTANT MEASURING NOTE – READ BEFORE BEGINNING: Measure your oats and flour correctly, using this method or a kitchen scale. (← That’s the one I own and love!) Too much of either will make your quick bread turn out dry. This is especially true of the oats because they act like sponges and soak up lots of moisture from the batter.

 

IMPORTANT MIXING NOTE – READ BEFORE BEGINNING: Do not use an electric mixer to mix up the batter. This will result in a dense or tough cake. Use a whisk where instructed, and use a fork for everything else.

 

OATS NOTES + ALTERNATIVE: Instant oats are also known as “quick-cooking” or “one-minute” oats. They’re smaller and thinner than old-fashioned oats. They're sold in containers right next to the old-fashioned rolled oats, and they only include one ingredient: oats. (They're not the ones sold in those individual packets with flavors like "maple brown sugar" or "cinnamon apple!")

 

To make your own out of old-fashioned rolled oats, add ¾ cup (75g) of old-fashioned rolled oats to a blender or food processor, and pulse until they’re ⅛ to ¼ of their original size.

 

Do not substitute steel cut oats; they don't soften properly, even if pulsed in a food processor or blender.

 

FLOUR ALTERNATIVES: Whole wheat pastry flour, regular whole wheat flour, or all-purpose flour may be substituted in place of the whole wheat flour.

 

IMPORTANT EGG WHITES NOTE: The quick bread requires 2 full egg whites. The whites contain the majority of the protein in eggs, and that protein is required to ensure the loaf maintains its shape and texture while cooling. Without both egg whites, the loaf will collapse while cooling and turn out much denser.

 

If you prefer to use whole eggs, then use 2 large eggs and reduce the milk by 1 tablespoon to compensate for the added volume from the yolks.

 

STEVIA NOTES + ALTERNATIVES: I do not recommend substituting for the liquid stevia, if at all possible. (It’s one of my favorite ingredients, and you’ll use it in all of these recipes of mine, too!) I buy mine online here because that's the best price I've found.

 

However, if you really prefer to omit the liquid stevia from the cake, substitute ¾ cup + 2 tablespoons (120g) granulated sugar, brown sugar, or coconut sugar and reduce the milk to ¾ cup + 1 tablespoon (195mL). You may also substitute ½ cup + 2 tablespoons (150mL) pure maple syrup, honey, or agave and reduce the milk to ½ cup (120mL) instead. The baking time may vary with either of those substitutions as well.

 

MILK ALTERNATIVES: Any milk may be substituted in place of the nonfat milk.

 

BLUEBERRIES NOTE: I highly recommend using fresh blueberries! In a pinch, you can substitute frozen blueberries—just remember they typically dye the batter a grayish color. The baking time may also increase when using frozen blueberries.

 

GLUTEN-FREE VERSION: For the gluten-free flour, use the following: 1 cup (120g) millet flour, ½ cup (60g) tapioca flour, ½ cup (60g) brown rice flour, and 1 ½ teaspoons xanthan gum. Most store-bought gluten-free flour blends (I like this one from Bob's Red Milll) will work as well, if measured like this.

 

{gluten-free, clean eating, low fat, low sugar}

DID YOU MAKE THIS RECIPE?I'd love to hear what you think of it in a comment below! If you take a picture, tag @amyshealthybaking on Instagram or use the hashtag #amyshealthybaking.

View Nutrition Information + Weight Watchers Points
 
 
You may also like Amy’s other recipes…
♡  Healthy Oatmeal Raisin Breakfast Quick Bread
♡  Healthy Blueberry Oatmeal Breakfast Cookies
♡  The Ultimate Healthy Blueberry Muffins
♡  Healthy Carrot Cake Breakfast Quick Bread
♡  Healthy Blueberry Lemon Breakfast Quick Bread
♡  Healthy Blueberry Buttermilk Bran Muffins
♡  Healthy Blueberry Buttermilk Banana Bread