Oatmeal Quick Bread filled with chocolate chips takes less than an hour to whip up. You don’t need a mixer or yeast for this easy and delicious sweet bread.

Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Quick Bread
I like to serve this Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Quick Bread for breakfast with Ham & Potato Breakfast Casserole or Bird’s Nest Breakfast Cups but then I end up eating it all day because it’s really good.
Both of my girls love it, which is good because they won’t eat oatmeal otherwise, so I feel good about getting *some* into them.
Given the current shortage on yeast (have you been able to find any?), I’ve been making a lot of quick breads.

Equipment you’ll need
- Mixing Bowls – My favorite mixing bowls with the grippy bottom.
- Wooden Spoons – I’ve had these for years.
- Loaf Pan – 9×5 loaf pans are cheap but TJ Maxx/HomeGoods often has really pretty ones. I like that this one has a lid.
Ingredients you’ll need
Below is a list of the ingredients you’ll need to gather to make this recipe. Scroll all the way down for the full recipe card.
- Flour – I’ve only tested this bread with all-purpose white flour.
- Oats – You can use either old fashioned or quick oats. I use old fashioned.
- Sugar – Granulated white sugar.
- Brown Sugar – I use light brown sugar, dark will work as well.
- Baking Powder & Baking Soda – Both for rise, in place of yeast.
- Cinnamon
- Salt
- Chocolate Chips – Mini chocolate chips work well to distribute through the bread. If you’re not into chocolate chips, you can skip them or include a dried fruit.
- Egg
- Butter – Melted and cooled.
- Buttermilk – If you don’t have buttermilk, you can use regular milk or use my buttermilk hack below.

How to make Oatmeal Quick Bread
- STEP ONE: To a mixing bowl, add the dry ingredients – flour, oats, sugar, brown sugar, baking powder & soda, cinnamon, salt, and chocolate chips. Whisk together.
- STEP TWO: To a small mixing bowl, add the wet ingredients – buttermilk, egg, and melted butter.
- STEP THREE: Add the wet mixture to the dry mixture and stir together until everything is just incorporated. It will be slightly lumpy.
- STEP FOUR: Pour the batter into a greased 9×5 loaf pan and bake for 40-45 minutes at 350 degrees until the top is golden and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.

What is a quick bread?
A quick bread is a bread that uses baking powder and/or soda as leavening agents in place of yeast.
Some other examples are Cinnamon Quick Bread, Apple Cinnamon Swirl Bread, and Chocolate Marble Zucchini Bread.
They don’t have to be sweet. Beer Bread is a savory quick bread.
What if I don’t have buttermilk?
If you don’t have buttermilk, you can use regular milk in this recipe. Or, you can “make” some with this hack.
Add one tablespoon lemon juice or white vinegar to a liquid measuring cup, and add enough milk until it measures 1 cup. Stir, and let sit for five minutes before using.

Tips & Suggestions
- You can use quick oats or old fashioned oats in this recipe. I usually opt for old fashioned.
- Melt and cool your butter before you whisk it together with the egg so you don’t end up scrambling your egg.
- Don’t use a mixer for this recipe – a wooden spoon or spatula is all you need, which will prevent over-mixing.
- If you don’t like chocolate chips, you can skip them altogether or substitute raisins or dried fruit.

Need more oatmeal recipes? Try these:
- Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Breakfast Cups
- The BEST Oatmeal Raisin Cookies
- Oatmeal Molasses Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Brown Butter Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies

Originally published February 22, 2013


Easy and delicious – so easy and delicious that they loaf I made yesterday is gone and I’m making another one today!
This bread looks delicious, so I plan on making a bunch of these as Christmas gifts. How long will they keep in the fridge so I can plan my baking binge?
I wouldn’t put them in the fridge. I would bake, tightly wrap, and freeze. Then just thaw on the counter the day (or day before) you need them. I think the fridge would dry them out.
It took me five minutes of scrolling through endless pictures and explanations of ingredients and ads before I finally found the actual recipe. I’m exhausted and I don’t think I’ll be back. I hate all the useless information, but understand you’re just trying to make a buck. But not on my time, sorry.
Well, Frank, you must have missed the large “jump to recipe” button that is directly under the recipe title that takes you straight to the recipe card. I put it there for those that find the pictures and explanations of ingredients to be “useless information” and are easily exhausted by scrolling to a free recipe. Happy New Year.
What a rude comment Frank! If you had really been looking, you would have seen the “Jump to Recipe” button. If you don’t like something just scroll on, but don’t be rude. The content is probably helpful to others.
Delicious & so easy to make!!
Could you add zucchini to it or would that be to much extra liquid?
I can’t say without testing but I have several zucchini bread! https://www.persnicketyplates.com/?s=Zucchini
The liquid mixture of butter, buttermilk and egg contains lots of lumpy bits that look like the butter has congealed in the cold milk. Is it OK to use? Did I do something wrong and is so, what can I do to prevent this in the future?
After you melted the butter, did you make sure to let it cool? You might have scrambled your eggs if you poured hot butter in…
UPDATE: I slowly heated the liquid mixture and it melted the butter. Whew! I think it will be OK.
Would it be ok to use something other than buttermilk? I’m wanting to make it tonight to bring in to work tomorrow for those of us unfortunately working during an ice storm haha. I have all the other ingredients on hand. Thanks.
Oh no, we’re in the snowstorm here, too. Did you see the possible buttermilk hacks I listed above?
This bread is delicious. I will definitely make it again and again. I added chopped walnuts and dried cranberries.
Thanks, Evelyn!
Could you use molasses instead of white sugar?
I haven’t tested the ratios for that.
Could you use steel cut oats?
I haven’t tested with steel cut oats.
Bread is delicious! I was wondering if I could use honey in stead of sugar and applesauce instead of butter
I haven’t tested that here though I’ve swapped oil for applesauce in other bread recipes. It changes the texture a bit but otherwise works well.
A good recipe. Thanks for making it. I added dates and walnuts cause the wife requested it. I will bake this again.
Thanks, RyeGuy 😉
Is the nutritional information for the whole loaf ?
Yes & an estimate provided as a courtesy. You’ll have to plug your actual ingredients in to get an accurate number.
I’m not a fan of chocolate so I put died cranberries & walnuts in mine. Every good!!
Thanks, Carol!
This looks really good! I’m going to make it, but I have to add nuts!
Easy addition 🙂
can this receipe be made into muffins?
Though I haven’t tried it, it should work fine. Just keep an eye on the bake time.
I want to make this today but I only have 8X4 loaf pans. Do you think it would be OK?
Thank you
Yes, that should be fine, you will just have to adjust the bake time a bit.
Yummy quick bread. I eliminated the chocolate chips (allergies) and used 1 cup of gluten free baking flour and 1/3 cup oat flour.
Sweet and moist- perfection
Thank you, Leta!
AP flour or self rising?
All purpose
it was great! thank you for the quick response!
Yay 🙂 thanks for reporting back!
I love it! Baking for a charity that feeds children & nice easy recipe! I added dried fruit as well as choco chips & it turned out great. Lol….& I Jumped to the Recipe!
Yay, gold star for baking for charity AND for utilizing the jump to recipe button 😉 Thanks for reporting back!