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Instant Pot Banana Bread turns out delicious and moist. I will show you step-by-step how to make banana bread in the Instant Pot. This pressure cooker banana bread recipe is a moist, dense bread, so making it in the instant Pot is perfect!
Originally posted 4/26/18
Instant Pot Banana Bread
Banana Bread is the comfort food of bread. At least for me. I enjoy making quick breads in the Instant Pot®. Being able to “bake” and having the oven available for other recipes is great!
Start with fully ripe bananas. If your bananas are not ripe, there’s a hack for that!
How to Quickly Ripen Bananas in the Oven
- Set the oven temperature to 300°F.
- Place the unpeeled unripe bananas on a parchment lined baking sheet.
- Bake them for about 10-25 minutes.
- Keep an eye on them as they can ripen fast and even leak (Oven temps and times may vary)!
- They are ripe as soon as the peels are shiny & black.
How to make Banana Bread in the Instant Pot
The very best pan to use for this recipe is a 6-cup bundt style pan. The banana bread comes out very evenly cooked. You can use a 6″ or 7″ cake pan, but the cook time will be longer due to how the pressure cooker cooks (and not having the hole in the center).
With quick breads you’ll want to be careful not to over mix the batter. Once you get the dry ingredients in with the wet, stir just until they are combined.
Instant Pot Banana Bread is cooked using the Pot-in-Pot (or PIP) method of pressure cooking. That just means the food is in a pot/pan within the pot of the pressure cooker. The pan with the food in it will sit on a rack above the water in the pot.
This method works for any recipe that is too thick to put directly in the pressure cooker pot, and/or can’t be watered down.
Serve this delicious Instant Pot Banana Bread warm with some butter, or try my Vanilla Icing Glaze for a special presentation!
It’s a little unusual to put icing on banana bread, but I like the presentation. The bit of extra sweetness is delicious, especially when warmed up with some butter on it!
Vanilla Icing Glaze
Instant Pot Bread Pudding
Pressure Cooker Dreamy Orange Cheesecake
You can also make Banana Bread Bites in the Instant Pot by using the silicone mold that we use for the Egg Bites.
Instant Pot Banana Bread Bites
If you make this yummy pressure cooker Banana Bread recipe, please let me know!
Just leave a comment below with a star rating. I’d love to know how you liked it.
Instant Pot Banana Bread
Ingredients
- 3 Ripe Bananas, mashed
- ½ cup Butter, softened
- ½ cup Brown Sugar
- ½ cup White Sugar
- 2 Eggs, beaten
- 1 tsp Vanilla
- ¼ cup Buttermilk (or Sour Cream)
- 2 cups All Purpose Flour, sifted
- 1 tsp Baking Soda
- 1 tsp Baking Powder
- ¼ tsp Cinnamon
- ½ tsp Salt
Tools You'll Need
- 6 qt or 8 qt Electric Pressure Cooker
- Trivet with handles
- Mixing Bowls
- Hand Mixer
- 6 cup Bundt or Cake Pan (7" is ideal)
- Baking Spray
- Foil
Instructions
- Add 1 1/2 cups of water to the inner liner of the pressure cooker (2 cups if using the 8 qt).
- Spray the cake pan with baking spray and set aside.
- In a mixing bowl, mash the ripe bananas using a fork.
- In another mixing bowl, use a hand mixer to cream the butter and sugars together.
- Add the beaten eggs and vanilla to the creamed butter/sugar mixture. Use a spoon to mix well.
- Stir the bananas and sour cream/buttermilk into the butter/sugar mixture and mix well.
- In another mixing bowl, sift together the flour, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon and salt.
- Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and gently stir by hand, until just moistened.
- Spoon the batter into prepared cake/bundt pan and cover with foil, leaving some room for the bread to rise a little. Gently crimp the edges.
- Set the trivet on the counter, and put the cake/bundt pan on it. Carefully place it in the pot using the handles. Close the lid and set the steam release knob to the Sealing position.
- Press the Pressure Cook/Manual button or dial, then the +/- button or dial to select 50 minutes for a bundt style pan, and 55 minutes for a regular 7" pan. High pressure.
- After the cook time is finished, let the pot sit undisturbed for 15 minutes (15 minute natural release). Then turn the steam release knob to the Venting position to release the remaining steam/pressure.
- After all of the pressure is out and the pin in the lid drops down, open it and use silicone mitts or pot holders to very carefully remove the cake/bundt pan from the pressure cooker, using the trivet handles.
- Carefully remove the foil, and let the banana bread sit for 10-15 minutes to cool a bit. Then release the bread from the pan onto a plate. Either invert the pan, or with a push pan, set it on a can and gently push the pan down.
- Serve the banana bread warm, slathered in butter, or let it cool and drizzle with my Vanilla Icing Glaze.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Resources to Make Instant Pot Banana Bread Recipe and More
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I followed the recipe to a t with the bunt pan 7″ but the middle of the bread was uncooked should I leave it in longer? Not sure why it went well for a couple but my last two were undercooked!
Thanks in advance.
Jeff
Hi Jeff. So the first two you made were fine, and this last one wasn’t? I don’t know what would cause that unless your pot was set to Low pressure, or was leaking steam while cooking. Maybe not enough natural release time? A fluke?!
HI Jeff, did you figure out why? I just made this- the wife loves banana bread and mine was also raw in the middle. Thinking of increasing both the cooking time and NR time next time.
Which pan did you use?
It’s a 7 Inch springform pan..
I am making another batch right now and I am going for 60 this time.
Let me know how it goes.
I have 4 inch bundt pans how do you figure out how long and temp to cook them in the instapot?
Maybe half the time as the pans are roughly half the size?
I followed the recipe to a tee. Tastes great. The bread came out very dense. Is that the way it is supposed to be?
I wouldn’t say VERY dense, but denser than in the oven. Be sure your baking powder is fresh, and that you cover the pan. I have some in my pot right now!
How would you bake this in a conventional oven (temp. and time)?
350° for 35 to 50 minutes.
Follow up question on baking this on a conventional oven, does the toothpick test work as well with banana breads? I want to try this both on my IP & oven, but I’ll be using rectangular bread pans for the one I’ll cook in the oven. I may have to adjust the time because of the size of the pan I will be using. So I want to know if toothpick test works as well to see if the bread is already baked. I haven’t made banana bread but it is one of my favorites, so I want to try using your recipe 🙂
Yes, I do use a toothpick or a butter knife. I hope it works well for you!
Hi! what kind of flour is used…plain, white, all purpose? TIA!
All purpose is fine.
I made this using sour cream and it was absolutely delicious. My search for the best Instant Pot banana bread has ended.
That’s great, Helen! Thank you!
If I want to add chocolate chips, about third to half a cup, do I change anything?
No, don’t change anything.
I have the 6 qt instant pot & the bundt pan did not fit in it like you explained- do you have a larger instant pot?
Is yours a 6 cup size? You need a 6 cup Bundt or Cake Pan (7″ is ideal), per the instructions. I have a link to the one I use below the recipe card.
Is there a way to make it without the other pan? Just use the bundt pan…
Not in the pressure cooker. The pressure cooker cooks with steam from the water, so you need the other pot to hold the water. Also, ALWAYS use that inner liner pot when cooking with your pressure cooker. You could bake it in the oven, but I’m not sure if that is what you are asking.
Can I use whole wheat pastry flour instead of white flour?
Also, can I add some chopped walnuts?
Yes to both!
Hi,
I’d like to make this, but can’t eat gluten. Would you happen to know the conversion of regular flour to gluten free all purpose flour? Thank you.
It’s a 1:1 ratio to substitute GF flour, such as Bob’s Red Mill All Purpose Baking Flour. Also add a small amount of one of these: Arrowroot, Gelatin, or Agar Agar. You’ll have to look up the amount for quick breads.