Best Instant Pot Banana Nut Bread Recipe

This simple Instant Pot banana nut bread recipe makes a moist and delicious quick bread. The texture is phenomenal. This will spoil you from ever eating dry banana bread.

Once you try baking in the Instant Pot, you will never bake banana bread in a regular oven again.

When baking in the Instant Pot, our home becomes alive with the fragrant smells of homemade goodness. It truly makes our home a cozy refuge from the hustle and bustle of the outside world.

Baking in the Instant Pot is so easy. And the results are absolutely remarkable.

Can you make banana bread in an Instant Pot?

Yes and it’s easy.

There are just a few extra steps that make baking banana bread in a pressure cooker different from baking in a traditional oven. But it’s worth it!

The bonus is that if the weather turns warm, you don’t have to heat up your kitchen with an oven.

This is my classic recipe that I modified for the Instant Pot.

How To Make Banana Nut Bread In An Instant Pot

1. Start with ripe bananas. Mash them using your favorite method. I either use a fork or a potato masher. Set aside.
2. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, salt and sugar.
3. Add eggs, vegetable oil and sour cream. Using a spoon, mix these together but don’t over mix. This could result in a tough batter.
4. Fold in the mashed bananas and add nuts if you’d like to.
5. Pour the batter into a greased 6 cup bundt pan. Top with aluminum foil.
6. Add water to the inner pot of the Instant Pot. Lower the bundt pan inside with a sling or trivet.
7. Using the high pressure setting, cook for 50 minutes.
8. When cooking is complete, allow the Instant Pot to do a natural release for 10 minutes. Then do a quick release to finish releasing the steam.
9. Remove the bundt pan and check for doneness using a toothpick. There should be just a few crumbs on the toothpick.
10. Allow to cool in the pan for ten minutes before turning out onto a cooling rack.

Steamed Not Baked

The whole premise behind baking in the Instant Pot ( or any pressure cooker) is steam. The concept is that a pressure cooker cooks with steam not direct dry heat like an oven.

Granted you don’t save a lot of time by using the Instant Pot over the oven in this case, but the difference in texture is phenomenal. So soft and delicious.

Banana bread cooked in the Instant Pot is very dense and moist. Unlike the traditional banana bread baked in the oven.

With steaming baked items, the flavor is intensified. The best reason to use steam is the banana bread turns out with a soft crumb that will melt in your mouth. It is not dry.  Just the opposite, in fact.

Truly, a cake like quick bread packed with loads of banana flavor.

Timing: Traditional Oven Versus The Instant Pot

Using a traditional oven, banana bread will bake for about an hour and ten minutes. The Instant Pot version cooks for 50 minutes plus the 15 minutes of coming up to pressure. The difference is minimal at best.

So, in this case, time is not the reason to make banana bread in the Instant Pot. However, the texture and flavor is!

Use Ripe Bananas

I think my family deliberately lets the bananas in our house turn brown. Just so we will have plenty of bananas for this recipe. I could be wrong but there always seems to be lots of leftover bananas in my house. Kind of seems like a conspiracy to me. A good kind of conspiracy, though.

As you can see, I do let my bananas get very ripe. That just makes this quick bread even more flavorful.

Use A 6 Cup Bundt Pan

This is not your traditional loaf of banana bread. For this recipe, I used a 6 cup bundt pan. This size bundt pan fits perfectly into the 6 quart Instant Pot. This makes a cute round quick bread.

I use this same 6 cup bundt pan to make a delicious chocolate chip pumpkin bread in the Instant Pot.

Learn more about my favorite accessories for the Instant Pot in this article:

The 5 Best Instant Pot Accessories That Won’t Break The Bank

My favorite bundt pan is by Nordic Ware. I have a serious infatuation with Nordic Ware products. Here’s some of my favorite pans that I have made cakes and quick breads in. I purchased this particular pan at Target but Amazon carries them as well.

Expert Tips

• Yogurt: I use sour cream in this recipe but you could use greek yogurt or plain yogurt.
• Vegetable Oil: Do not change the vegetable oil. It is important to the success of the banana bread.
• Nuts: Use any nut you have on hand. Pecan or walnut work well. If you don’t like nuts, they can be left out.
• Mashing Bananas: To mash the bananas all you need is a fork or a potato masher.
• Bundt Pan: Use a 6 cup bundt pan for the 6 quart Instant Pot. I do not recommend using a round cake pan for this recipe. This recipe specifically calls for a bundt pan.
• Ripe Bananas: Make sure your bananas are properly browned for the best flavor.
• Eggs: Bring eggs to room temperature for ease in beating. This will also ensure a finer crumb to the banana bread.
• You must allow for a 10 minute Natural Release. The banana bread is still cooking during this time.

Cooking banana bread in the Instant Pot has revolutionized the way I think about baking. I can hardly wait to try another recipe to challenge the traditional oven.

If you own an Instant Pot, this is one recipe you have got to try.

Did you make this Instant Pot Banana Bread recipe? Please rate this recipe in the comment section below.