Instant Pot Banana Bread
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This Instant Pot banana bread tastes just like oven-baked banana bread. Use the “pot in pot” Instant Pot cooking method to get perfect pressure cooker banana bread every time!
The Instant Pot is a workhorse in my kitchen. I use it several times a week, and it gives consistently good results. From steel cut oats and berry jam to potato salad, broccoli, and beef stew, my pressure cooker has seen it all.
When it’s hot outside and I don’t want to heat up my oven, I even turn to my Instant Pot for baking.
The first time I baked banana bread in a pressure cooker, I was surprised by how similar it was to oven-baked banana bread. I thought it would be soggy because it’s basically steam-cooked in the Instant Pot. But since this is already a moist bread, the texture is very similar to the oven version.
I actually find it easier to get the right banana bread texture in a pressure cooker than in an oven. There’s no need to keep an eye on the bread and stick a toothpick in the center to see if it’s ready yet. Since you can’t possibly dry it out like you can in the oven, this recipe is really hard to mess up.
Pot in Pot Instant Pot Method
In order to bake in the Instant Pot, you need to put a smaller baking dish in the pot. Any oven-safe dish that’s smaller than the inner pot should work. I like to use round glass Pyrex containers, mini loaf pans, or silicone muffin cups, depending on what I’m cooking.
To use the pot in pot method, you first pour water into the inner pot of your pressure cooker. Then add the handled trivet that came with your pot, and place the baking dish on the trivet. Cover the pot, seal it, and set it to cook according to the recipe instructions.
With this cooking method, the inner dish typically needs to be covered with foil in order to keep the steam out of the food. I like to use parchment paper under the foil when baking banana bread so that the foil doesn’t stick to the bread after it rises.
This is the same method I use to bake my Instant Pot pumpkin bread. It comes out perfectly every time.
Why Bake Banana Bread in the Instant Pot?
This recipe isn’t exactly “instant.” It actually takes the same amount of time to make banana bread in the Instant Pot as it takes to bake it in the oven. The pot comes to pressure in about 5 minutes, and after a 45 minute cook time, the pressure is then released for 10 minutes. So it takes a total of 60 minutes in the Instant Pot, which is about how long I bake a full loaf of bread in my oven.
In that case, why bother with the Instant Pot for this banana bread? There are several reasons:
- Sometimes it’s just too hot to turn on the oven during the summer.
- This method frees up your oven for other baking.
- This is a way to get homemade bread during a kitchen renovation.
- You can bake bread this way during a camping trip if you have an outlet.
- It’s easier than the oven method because you don’t have to keep checking on it to make sure it doesn’t overcook and get dry, which is possible in the oven.
To bake this banana bread in the oven, follow my blender banana bread recipe. It’s just as delicious.
Instant Pot Banana Bread Tips
Equipment: I use the 6-quart Instant Pot Duo. These mini silicone mitts are very helpful for removing the loaves from the pot once they’re done cooking. I use mini loaf pans like these for this recipe. I also sometimes make this bread using my round 7-cup Pyrex glass container (7 inches wide by 3 inches tall).
Mixing: For a shortcut, you can mix the wet ingredients in a blender. Transfer them to a large bowl and stir in the dry ingredients.
Texture: If you make a batch of this bread and it turns out more dense than my batch, it’s likely because you used a larger quantity of mashed bananas. It will still taste good, but it’ll look darker and denser.
Substitution Options: There are several ways to tweak this banana bread recipe to suit your tastes.
- Sweetener: You can substitute organic sugar for the maple syrup if you’d like. And if your bananas aren’t very ripe with brown spots, add a little extra sweetener as needed.
- Mix-ins: Feel free to leave out the chocolate chips, or add chopped nuts.
- Flour: Because of its texture, you may not even notice that this banana bread is gluten-free. However, you can substitute wheat flour if you’d prefer.
- Dairy: Use regular milk and melted butter in place of the coconut milk and coconut oil if you’d like.
Instant Pot Banana Bread
Ingredients
- 1 ½ cups gluten free flour
- 1 tsp baking soda
- ½ tsp salt
- 2 small ripe bananas (2/3 cup mashed)
- 2 eggs
- ¼ cup melted coconut oil
- ¼ cup coconut milk
- ⅓ cup pure maple syrup
- ½ cup chocolate chips
Instructions
- Grease 2 small loaf pans (approximately 3 1/4 inches by 5 3/4 inches).
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, and salt.
- In a large bowl, mash the banana. Add the eggs, cooled melted coconut oil, coconut milk, and maple syrup. Mix to combine well. (Shortcut option: You can mix these ingredients in a blender, then transfer to the large bowl.)
- Add the flour mixture to the wet ingredients, and stir just until combined. Stir in the chocolate chips.
- Transfer the batter to the prepared loaf pans. Smooth the batter with a spatula to even it out. Place a small piece of parchment paper on top of each pan, then cover with foil.
- Add one cup of water to the Instant Pot. Then place the trivet into the pot, and place the foil-covered loaf pans on the trivet. (In my 6-quart Instant Pot, one of the loaf pans gets propped next to the other one because there isn’t quite enough space for both of them on the trivet.) Cover the pot and set the seal to Sealing.
- Set the pot to cook for 45 minutes at manual high pressure. (If using a round dish like the 7-cup Pyrex, increase the cook time to 60 minutes). Once the cook time is complete, let the pressure release naturally for 10 minutes. Then release the remaining pressure and remove the lid. Carefully remove the loaf pans from the pot using oven mitts, and place the bread on a cooling rack. Remove the parchment and foil, and allow the loaves to cool for a few minutes before removing them from the loaf pans. Enjoy within 2 or 3 days, or freeze for later.
Nutrition
Instant Pot Banana Bread Price Breakdown
This recipe costs a total of $5.41 to make, or $.45 per serving. Make these mini loaves of banana bread in the Instant Pot for a healthy dessert any time of year.
Do I need to change the cook time if I bake only 1 mini loaf as compared with two? TIA!
I haven’t made this with just one loaf, but I think it would be the same cook time. Please let me know if you try it!
If I have a springform Round pan would I still need to increase cook time to 60 minutes?
I haven’t tried it in a springform pan, but yes, I would suggest a 60 minute cook time.