Make moist, delicious banana bread without turning on the oven! Instant Pot Banana Bread with a cinnamon sugar crust is the ultimate pressure cooker bread recipe.
Comfort food is king, especially when you don’t need an oven. Try our favorite Instant Pot Zucchini Bread in the pressure cooker, or this moist, delicious Instant Pot Cinnamon Roll bread recipe!
Why this Recipe Works
You all know how much I love my Instant Pot right? It’s a lifesaver, not only for quick dinners like Instant Pot Sweet and Sour Chicken and easy side dishes but for baked goods, too.
This pressure cooker banana bread recipe is my latest favorite!
With the weather getting warmer every day, I get more and more reluctant to turn on my oven. The last thing I want on a hot summer day is to generate even more heat in my house while I bake.
My love of baked goods doesn’t magically diminish when the sun is beating down on my house, though. So a girl has to get creative!
When a batch of ripe bananas needed to be used, I decided to go ahead and try something I’ve wanted to do for a while: make banana bread in the InstaPot!
The end result was beyond my expectations! Using a push cake pan and a high pressure steam cooking method created a bread that was every bit as delicious as my favorite sour cream banana bread recipe.
Banana Breads: Blueberry Banana Bread | Zucchini Banana Bread
Step by Step Instructions
The batter for this bread starts with overripe bananas (use our guide on how to ripen bananas in 20 minutes), softened butter and sugar. I also used sour cream here to make the bread ultra moist!
Similar to my favorite snickerdoodle banana bread, you can sprinkle the top of this bread with a cinnamon sugar mix. This is an optional addition but I highly recommend it if you like cinnamon.
Don’t be intimidated by the number of steps in this Instant Pot Banana Bread recipe. If you’re familiar with pressure cooker baking, this is a breeze. Even if you’re new to baking or cooking with the Instant Pot, it’s not difficult to master this technique.
First, prepare the batter:
After mashing the bananas, you beat them with softened butter, white and brown sugars in a mixing bowl. Then, add an egg, sour cream, vanilla and the dry ingredients until just combined.
Pressure cook:
Pour the batter into a greased push pan and cover with foil, then add water to the bottom of your instant pot.
Make sure you allow a little extra room in your foil for bread expansion!
Lower the cake pan into the pot on a trivet or sling, seal and cook on HIGH PRESSURE for 55 minutes.
Release and cool:
Let the pot naturally release for 15 to 20 minutes, then turn the knob to VENTING to release any remaining pressure. Remove the pan from the pot, remove the foil and let the banana bread cool in the pan for 10 minutes.
How to remove bread from push pan
One of the trickiest parts of baking in a pressure cooker is getting the bread out of the pan in one piece.
To remove the bread from the pan, I use a sturdy glass jar or cup. Put the pan on top of the jar, and then push the cake plate up to remove it from the rimmed pan.
From here you can slide the bread out onto a platter or slice and serve directly from the plate. Your choice!
Storage
Keep your loaf of banana bread in an air tight container and enjoy within 3 days for best taste and texture.
This banana bread also freezes well.
If keeping in the freezer, wrap it tightly in plastic wrap and foil and eat within 3 months.
Variations
The recipe below creates a moist and flavorful loaf of classic banana bread. It’s delicious sliced and enjoyed on its own, with a pat of warm butter or any other spreads you like.
For some fun twists, try adding mix-ins to the batter before baking. Here are some of my favorite ideas:
- Mini chocolate chips
- Chopped walnuts
- Chopped pecans
- White chocolate chunks – Cut into small pieces
Add up to 3/4 of a cup of any of these additions or mix and match! The sweet additions of chocolate can turn banana bread into a treat worthy of a place on the dessert menu.
Serve your bread with a slather of butter or warm with fresh whipped cream.
You can never go wrong with banana bread, served for breakfast with your morning coffee or an anytime snack. Learning how to make banana bread in the instant pot means you always have a way to use those extra ripe bananas!
Make them into muffins or bites
Want to turn your bread into bread bites? It’s so easy if you have silicone muffins pan for the Instant Pot.
Not only is it great for making copycat Starbucks Instant Pot egg bites, but for muffins too!
- Start by making the batter as directed above.
- Add 1 cup of water to the bottom of the pressure cooker. Fill muffin cups about 1/2 full, cover with silicone lid or loosely with foil.
- Place on trivet and lower into the Instapot.
- Select “HIGH PRESSURE” and cook for 14 minutes.
- Do a quick release of the pressure and lift trivet out of the pot.
- Allow to cool 5 minutes, then invert and pop the bites out onto a cooling rack.
- Recipe makes about 21 bites. ENJOY.
Instant Pot Baking
While I find myself relying on my Instant Pot recipes for baking in the summer, there are plenty of other times when it’s handy to know how to make pressure cooker banana bread.
If you’re oven is out of commission (we’ve all been there!), Instant Pot recipes make it possible to still make all your favorites.
I also use my pressure cooker a lot when I’m planning a big meal in which a LOT of different dishes need to go in the oven all at once. Dinner parties, holidays or marathon baking days when I’m prepping things to freeze all see a lot of Instant Pot action.
More Easy Bread Recipes
- Apple Cinnamon Bread
- Blueberry Zucchini Bread
- Amish Friendship Bread
- Orange Bread
- Instant Pot Apple Cobbler
Love this recipe? Please leave a 5-star 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟 rating in the recipe card below & a review in the comments section below!
Instant Pot Banana Bread
Equipment
Ingredients
- 3 medium ripe bananas about 1 1/2 cups mashed
- ½ cup unsalted butter softened
- ¾ cup granulated sugar
- ¼ cup light brown sugar packed
- 2 large eggs
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ¼ cup sour cream
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 2 Tablespoons cinnamon sugar blend optional
Instructions
- In a large mixing bowl, blend mashed bananas with softened butter. Add in both sugars and beat until combined.
- Add eggs, one at a time, and vanilla extract. Beat in the sour cream.
- Add flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, and cinnamon. Using a rubber spatula, mix just until combined.
- Spray a 7×3-inch push pan with baking spray. Pour in batter. If you like, top with the extra cinnamon sugar blend (or leave plain). Cover with foil (leaving room for expansion), but pinch the edges tight.
- In the Instant Pot, add 1 1/2 cups water. Place cake pan on trivet or sling and lower into the pot.
- Secure the lid and make sure the vent valve is set to "sealing."
- Select HIGH PRESSURE for a cook time of 55 minutes.
- Once the cook time ends, allow to naturally release for 15-20 minutes, then release the remaining pressure by turning the valve to "VENTING"
- Remove pan by lifting the trivet or sling out of the pot. Immediately remove the foil. Allow bread to cool in pan for 10 minutes.
- Using a sturdy jar or cup, place push pan on top, pushing the cake plate up and lifting the bread out of the pan. Slide the plate to a cake platter (you can remove the bread from the push pan plate or serve with it on there, your choice).
- Store in airtight container at room temperature. Best within 3 days. Or freeze for up to 3 months. ENJOY.
Notes
- Recipe tested in a 6qt Instant Pot.
- Add up to 3/4 cup mini chocolate chips or nuts for a delicious twist!
I made this yesterday, flavour is great, but the centre didn’t cook. I put it on for another 15 minutes and it came out great. I used a 7″ springform pan in an 8 qt pot. I will definitely be making it again, I’ll just add extra time when cooking. Great recipe
I don’t own an 8 quart, so I haven’t tested it in that size, thank you for letting us know!
For some with mushy bread, how long has it been since you changed the silicone ring? If it’s old, it may not be sealing well.
Haven’t tried the recipe yet but I love sweet breads. Especially banana bread.
~Sharon
The part that was cooked was super tasty but the middle was raw. I scooped out about a cup of gooey batter from the center and what’s left tastes great. I’m a seasoned instant pot user who understands IP terminology, has all the right pans and gadgets and trivets, and doesn’t go rogue with ingredients or directions for baked goods, so I’m mystified. I’ll try again with some more cooking time.
Hi Aimee
Made your banana bread in my instant pot yesterday. I used my springform pan (lined with parchment paper-‘just in case’). It turned out so good. Will definitely be doing more baking in the instant pot with the summer coming soon.
Thank you Aimee
This sounds amazing! I’ve been wanting to try a cake/bread in the Instapot! I have a bundt pan for the Instapot wonder if I could use this…
I followed this recipe exactly, and my bread looks beautiful, but is still wet throughout. I’m trying to save it in the oven as well, but I don’t know if it will work.
I have a 6 qt IP, and used a 2″ trivet. I cooked for the full time on high pressure, and let it natural release for 21 minutes. I removed the foil right away and let it cool for 10 minutes. Still super wet.
Baked for 35 minutes in 350 degree oven, and bread was no longer mushy, but still quite damp/moist.
It tastes great, but will probably skip the IP part next time. It took forever, and didn’t fully cook.
I have just made it and it came out great! I divided my dough in two and I did one half in the traditional oven and the other in my Instant pot and both were equally delicious; although it was quite interesting to see the differences in them due to the type of cooking. The one in the oven was slightly lighter in color, with a very nice bread-like density, the one in the instant pot had a darker color, it was moister and it had the consistency of a browni. Both delicious! Try it!
Followed directions to the letter, including release time. Totally uncooked in the center. It’s in my oven now hopefully to save it. As I was putting in it in the pan I was thinking this was WAY too much batter for one pan. Should’ve followed my instincts.
We make this at least once a month. I’m not sure why it’s not working for you. What size Instant Pot are you using and what size pan?
Hi Aimee,
Do you think a springform pan would work with this recipe? Thanks!
That’s what I always use works perfectly
This worked perfect in my instant pot!
I made these as bites and they are amazing! They made way more than 21, but that’s fine. Thanks for sharing this!
I tried this today and it turned out great! Not mushy/undercooked at all. Next time I will add choco-chips and nuts too. Yum! Thanks for the recipe!
This looks so much easier than the recipe I currently use. I have to put the dry ingredients in a separate bowl and sift it, among other things. Will have to try it.
Would a bundt pan work for this recipe? I have made cornbread in a Bundt in my 6 qt with good results. Would the directions change in any way?
I’m making this for the first time and added the water at the bottom. However, I had to add more water at two different times while cooking because it would run out and my IP would say …”burn food”. Any tips on what I can do next time? It is a 6qt pot.
That’s bizarre. Sounds like maybe something is wrong with your instant pot? Do you have the cake pan on a trivet or sling with the water underneath?
I made the banana bread a couple days ago and it turned out great, even though I forgot to put the foil on top. The bread was very moist and “dense” and tasted good. I thought I would make a couple to give to neighbors for Christmas! I made the recipe again today and this time I put in walnuts and remembered the foil, however it came out all mush inside. I tried putting it in the oven for about 20 minutes and it was still mush on the inside but got crispy on the outside. I’m sure I followed the recipe correctly. Can someone identify what happened? I had just started to like my Instant Pot that I’ve had for several years and never used!
I tried this recipe one more time. I CAREFULLY followed the directions and it turned out more MUSHY than before. It looks like raw dough, even though I followed the instructions to a T. I do not recommend this recipe at all. It is HEARTBREAKING.
Hi Aimee
Can I use the cheesecake pan with this recipe? I am going to make it with a bunch of kindergarteners!
Can this recipe be made without a push pan. Can I just spray my inner pan like you would if you baked it and sprayed it first and waited for it to cool and then released it from the pan?
No, because with the instant pot you need the water in the pot to create the pressure.
Where do you find the pan you mentioned in the recipe for banana bread ?
Amazon!
I made this today, the only change I made was using 4 bananas instead of 3. OMG! It is absolutely delicious! Extremely moist and tasty.
I never dreamed of making banana bread in the instant pot, but I was looking for a recipe to use up my bananas and not have to turn on my oven in this heatwave. Thank you!
So glad you enjoyed the bread!!
Hi Aimee,
I just made this banana bread and it looks perfect, and smells heavenly. I can’t wait to taste it.
I’m thinking that the reason it may not have cooked all the way through for some people is that perhaps they didn’t let it naturally release for long enough? I let mine go for a full 20 minutes and the pin was down already so all I had to do was open it up to find that very beautiful, fully cooked bread inside 🙂
So next I’ll make your zucchini bread, can’t wait!
Thanks