Instant pot banana bread is the perfect way to cook up the classic treat we all love and have it come out perfectly every time. Instant pot banana bread cooks incredibly evenly and comes out super moist thanks to the uniform pressure and moisture of using a pressure cooker, so it’s an excellent cooking method for this sweet bread.
No comfort food is as comforting as warm banana bread with a healthy layer of butter on it, so keep reading to find out how to make this easy recipe that’s full of banana flavor and always perfectly done and perfectly moist.
Banana Bread is a Household Staple
Banana bread has been a staple in homes since time out of mind. Whenever anyone thinks of sweet bread, they almost always conjure up images of banana bread first
And why wouldn’t they? If you look in almost any home across the country, you’ll probably find bananas sitting on the counter. They make a great, healthy snack, but they don’t last very long. What do we do with those bananas that have gotten all smushy and overripe?
We make banana bread, of course.
The Perfect Way to Use Overripe Bananas
Banana bread is the perfect way to use up all those overripe bananas that you’d normally just throw out. Overripe bananas may not be good eating, but their higher sugar content and extra mushiness thanks to aging make them really shine in sweet bread.
Of course, the heightened sweetness of being overripe is perfect in a bread like this, but many people don’t realize that the texture of those mushy bananas makes them perfect for adding both flavor and moisture to the bread, resulting in a sweet bread that is delicious, sweet, and moist.
A Treat with Tasty Possibilities
On its own, banana bread is delicious, and it makes the perfect quick breakfast or snack at any time of day. Don’t just stop at plain banana bread, though. There’s so much you can do with pressure cooker banana bread.
By adding in extra ingredients, you can take your banana bread to the next level, giving it new flavors that match oh so well with that classic banana flavor.
Nuts
You can add any kind of nut for some crunch in your banana bread. Pecans, almonds, pistachios, and even cashews are great additions. The sky’s the limit when it comes to nuts.
Baking Chips
Baking chips also make a great addition to your pressure cooker banana bread. Milk chocolate morsels are a classic, but you can also add in semi-sweet or dark morsels. Get creative and try butterscotch or even toffee. The mellow banana flavor works with almost anything.
An Easy Glaze
You can even make a glaze of confectioner’s sugar, milk or water, and vanilla extract to drizzle over the top after your banana bread is baked.
Instant Pot Banana Bread
Pressure cooker banana bread is prepared exactly the same as traditional oven-baked banana bread. The methods and ingredients used are identical, it’s only the cooking method that is different.
The exceptional uniformity of the heat in the pressure cooker and the steam created by adding water to the bottom of the Instant Pot make for a cooking environment that almost guarantees a perfectly-baked, super moist bread that everyone in the family will love.
Ingredients Needed to Make Banana Bread
- Bananas
- All Purpose Flour
- Butter
- Sugar
- Eggs
- Vanilla
- Baking Soda
- Baking Powder
- Cinnamon
- Salt
Full List of Ingredients and Measurements in Recipe Card
How to Make Instant Pot Banana Bread
Making Instant Pot banana bread doesn’t require any special prep. You’ll prepare the batter in the same way that you would for your oven-baked banana bread. It’s an incredibly easy process that even beginners can do easily.
Smash the Bananas
Using a fork, smash up your overripe bananas. You want it to be nice and gooey so it mixes easily with the other batter ingredients. The more evenly mashed the better, but don’t feel like you have to make banana soup out of your bananas.
Combine Your Pressure Cooker Banana Bread Ingredients
After your bananas are nice and mushy, combine the remaining batter ingredients and mix just until you have a batter. There may be some lumps. That’s okay. Remember, do not overmix the batter.
If you’ve chosen to add something like nuts or baking chips, do so after you’ve mixed the batter. Using a spatula, gently fold the additional yumminess into the batter. Remember fold, don’t mix.
Bake
Pour your batter into a springform pan prepared as directed in the recipe below and put it into the Instant Pot, also prepared as directed below. Follow the baking time and release instructions, and in a little over an hour, you’ll have tasty banana bread instant pot style.
Cool and Serve
Let your banana bread cool after removing from the Instant Pot and then serve up the deliciousness. It’s always a crowd pleaser.
If you don’t have an Instant Pot or it’s just not available, don’t worry. You’ll also find traditional oven-baked banana bread heat and times below, as well.
Air Fryer Banana Bread Cooking Instructions
Since I created this recipe I have been messing around making it also in the air fryer. So I figured I would update this recipe and include directions for making air fryer banana bread as well. The process of making the banana bread is the same but here is the correct cooking time and temperature that I find successful in the air fryer.
Air Fryer Cooking Time and Temperature
Preheat Air Fryer to 310 Degrees
Place Banana Bread in the pan in Air Fryer
Do Not Cover the pan with foil if cooking in an air fryer
Cook Banana Bread for 40 to 45 minutes or until toothpick in center comes out clean.
Kitchen Essentials and Items Used in Recipe
Instant Pot Duo Evo Plus 9-in-1 Electric Pressure Cooker
Instant Pot 5252051 Official Springform Pan, 7.5-Inch
365 Everyday Value, Organic All-Purpose Flour, 5 lb
365 Everyday Value, Organic Ground Cinnamon, 1.9 oz
Other Recipes You’ll Love
Oven Roasted Tri Tip
Instant Pot Deli Roast Beef
Instant Pot Chicken Adobo
Instant Pot Easy Banana Bread
Ingredients
- 3 Over Ripe Bananas Mashed
- 1/3 Cup Melted Butter
- 3/4 Cup Sugar I Used Cane Sugar
- 1 Egg Whisked
- 1 tsp. Baking Soda
- 1 tsp. Baking Powder
- 1 tsp. Vanilla Extract
- 1/2 tsp. Ground Cinnamon
- 1/3 tsp. Salt
- 1 Tablespoon Brown Sugar to Sprinkle Top before baking.
- 1 1/2 Cups Unbleached All Purpose Flour
- 1 1/2 Cups Water (For Instant Pot)
Instructions
Step 1
- Grease a 7 in Springform Pan with some butter.
- Use about 2 Tbsp. Of Sugar to sprinkle the greased pan. (Optional)
Step 2
- In a bowl mash the bananas. I use a fork to mash.
Step 3
- Mix in all other ingredients and mix by hand until it is all incorporated and looks like batter. Do not over mix. Some lumps is ok.
- Use a rubber or silicone spatula to get all the batter into the springform pan.
- Smooth out ingredients in pan with spatula to spread even.
- Leave about 2 inches from top of pan.
Step 4
- Cover pan tightly with aluminum foil.
- Place 1 1/2 cups water in Instant Pot
- Place Trivet in Instant Pot
- Place Springform Pan in Instant Pot
- Put Lid on Instant Pot and Turn valve to SEAL
Step 5
- Cook on High Pressure 70 to 75 Minutes.
- Natural Pressure Release 20 Minutes.
- Do Toothpick Test. (Make sure toothpick comes out clean)
Remove and Let Cool
- Remove from Instant Pot
- Let cool 15-20 Minutes.
- Remove from Springform Pan
Oven Baked Banana Bread Instructions
- The process for preparing this recipe in the oven is basically the same. Use a 9 inch loaf pan instead or you can use a 7 inch springform. Follow step 1 thru 3 exactly the same.Preheat oven to 350 DegreesBake 45 to 55 minutes. Remember to do toothpick test to check for doneness.
Instant Pot Banana Bread is Perfect and Perfectly Easy
With such easy prep and baking, Instant Pot banana bread is the perfect sweet bread to make for your family. And with so many creative ways to add to the flavor, it’s a recipe that never gets old.
So go ahead and buy up all the bananas you think you’ll eat. Of course, you won’t eat them all, but you will have plenty of bananas just waiting to make the most delicious pressure cooker banana bread you’ve ever tried.
