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    Home » Bread » Air Fryer Banana Bread

    Air Fryer Banana Bread

    Published: Sep 18, 2021 · Modified: Sep 18, 2021 by Sula · This post may contain affiliate links · 20 Comments

    Jump to Recipe

    Banana bread is the very best use of over ripe bananas. But in summer, I really hate to fire up my oven unless absolutely necessary.

    And even though I freeze my ripe bananas until I’m ready to bake(you can read about how I do this below), after a while I start to feel that there’s a real buildup of frozen bananas waiting to be used.

    That’s where the air fryer comes in. Once I realized I could use mine to bake banana bread, I was happy to make it, even on the hottest days of summer.

    Air Fryer Banana Bread all summer long!

    Ingredients needed

    banana bread ingredients: flour, bananas, egg, vanilla, sour cream, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt

    Using frozen bananas for baking

    First, let me explain my freezing process for overripe bananas. Once a banana is past its prime, I put it in the freezer. Peel and all.  This recipe only calls for a half cup of banana, which is about 1½ medium bananas.

    When you thaw a frozen banana, you will find that the fruit has become semi-liquid. Which eliminates the need to mash an unfrozen banana, so I find this method superior. 😁

    Once the banana has thawed (still inside the intact peel), simply snip off the end of the banana peel and squeeze the puree into a measuring cup. As I said, you’ll probably need more than one to make a half cup, so plan accordingly.

    slice of bread on a red plate, sitting on a napkin with a small vase of yellow flowers and some bananas behind

    Using an air fryer to make banana bread

    I started with my favorite banana bread recipe and modified it for the air fryer.

    It is important to note that I use an Instant Pot Air Fryer Lid. This lid has some specific features (like a bake setting) that may or may not be present in other brands. It took multiple attempts to get the timing and settings figured out for this, so if you have a different model, please understand that it may (probably) perform differently.

    With any air fryer, there are certain things you need to figure out to make banana bread - here are the questions I had, which needed to be figured out:

    Question #1 was: how do you fit a loaf pan in a round air fryer basket?

    Answer: you don’t! I use a 6-inch round cake pan. 😀

    And since you can only fit one at a time in the air fryer, I decided to reduce the size of my recipe, which originally made 2 loaves. But that was easy enough.

    Question #2 was: do I use the air fryer basket?

    My answer: no. The basket feels redundant when using a cake pan. The Instant Pot liner alone does the trick. I do however use a trivet to raise the cake pan from bottom of the Instant Pot liner and to promote air circulation all around it.

    Question #3: time and temperature settings.

    This took the longest to figure out. I did start out using the air fry function and it does make a good banana bread. If you want to try this, I air fried for 30 minutes at 350F. The top crust was VERY brown and the inside was slightly under done. If I try again, it will be at 325F for 35-40 minutes.

    But after that first attempt, I realized that the air fryer lid has a BAKE setting, so I started using that. We are, after all, trying to replicate the baking process normally used for banana bread.

    I found that using the bake setting with a combination of uncovered and covered (with foil) of the bread produces the best result: moist and flavorful banana bread. Every bite brings a smile. 😀

    round loaf of banana bread ready to serve

    How to make the banana bread

    Banana bread is considered a “quick bread”, a term used to describe a bread that uses a leavening agent such as baking powder or soda instead of yeast, which permits immediate baking of the batter rather than waiting for it to rise.

    Simply mix the dry ingredients separately from the wet, then combine them all together.  Transfer the batter to the baking pan and bake.

    For the air fryer lid, start with the cake pan uncovered and bake for 30 minutes at 325F. Then remove the pan, cover with foil and return it to the Instant Pot. Use the lid to bake an additional 25 minutes at 325F.

    Let the bread cool in the pan for 15 minutes, then remove and finish cooling on a wire rack. The smell will drive you crazy, and yes you can have some while it’s still warm – I find it irresistible!

    Apart from being in a round pan, this bread is no different from the version I make in the oven: wonderful sweet banana taste in every tender bite, with a terrific crusty top. Have with a cup of coffee or tea – you’ll love it!

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    slice of air fryer banana bread on a small red plate
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    Air Fryer Banana Bread

    Your favorite banana bread flavors, using an air fryer!
    Prep Time10 mins
    Cook Time55 mins
    Total Time1 hr 5 mins
    Course: Breakfast
    Cuisine: American
    Servings: 8
    Calories: 192kcal
    Author: Sula

    Ingredients

    • ½ cup mashed ripe banana about 1½ medium
    • ½ cup sour cream
    • 2 tablespoons butter softened
    • ⅔ cup white sugar
    • 1 egg
    • ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
    • 1 cup flour all purpose
    • ½ teaspoon baking soda
    • ½ teaspoon baking powder
    • ⅛ teaspoon salt

    Instructions

    • Prepare 6-inch cake pan by lining with parchment paper, or grease and flour.
    • Combine banana and sour cream. Set aside. In a large bowl, cream together the butter and sugar until smooth. Beat in the eggs one at a time, then stir in the vanilla and banana mixture. Combine the flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt; stir into the banana mixture. Spread the batter evenly into the prepared pan.
    • Use the Bake setting on the air fryer lid. Set the cycle for 30 minutes at 325F, with the cake pan uncovered. Remove pan, cover with foil and return to the Instant Pot. Bake again for 25 minutes covered at 325F. When done, a toothpick inserted in the center should come out clean.
    • Allow to cool in pan for 15 minutes, then remove and finish cooling on a wire rack.

    Nutrition

    Calories: 192kcal | Carbohydrates: 32g | Protein: 2g | Fat: 6g | Saturated Fat: 4g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 2g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 25mg | Sodium: 146mg | Potassium: 118mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 19g | Vitamin A: 201IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 32mg | Iron: 1mg

    Nutrition values are estimates only, using online calculators. Please verify using your own data.

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    Filed Under: Bread

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Mihaela | https://theworldisanoyster.com/

      January 10, 2022 at 3:43 am

      5 stars
      We just bought an air fryer. I need to check what baking option it has (if any!) and use it for this purpose, too, because it seems to consume less electricity than the oven and it needs less time to prepare food. Thanks for the recipe and tips!

      Reply
      • Sula

        January 10, 2022 at 12:24 pm

        You're welcome! Have fun with your new air fryer!

        Reply
    2. nancy

      January 09, 2022 at 3:15 pm

      5 stars
      totally agree with you! totally don't want to turn on the stove or oven in the summer!

      Reply
      • Sula

        January 09, 2022 at 6:54 pm

        Right?? Not worth it!

        Reply
    3. Cindy Mom the Lunch Lady

      January 09, 2022 at 11:54 am

      5 stars
      What a delicious recipe. The sour cream made it so moist. And baking it in the air fryer was a brilliant idea!

      Reply
      • Sula

        January 09, 2022 at 12:10 pm

        Yes I love what the sour cream does in this!

        Reply
    4. Dawn Conklin

      January 08, 2022 at 9:01 pm

      5 stars
      This banana bread is so delicious and easy to make in the air fryer! Love that I can make it in the summer now too without heating up the house.

      Reply
      • Sula

        January 09, 2022 at 12:10 pm

        Yes a non-oven option makes it so much easier!

        Reply
    5. Kayla DiMaggio

      January 08, 2022 at 9:55 am

      5 stars
      Love this air-fryer banana bread! It was so delicious and easy to make! I would have never thought about making it in the air fryer!

      Reply
      • Sula

        January 09, 2022 at 12:11 pm

        The air fryer makes it delicious with a lovely crispy crust!

        Reply
    6. Giangi Townsend

      January 08, 2022 at 8:37 am

      5 stars
      Such a treat and I so happen to have some ripe bananas that I had no idea what to do with them. Thank you for sharing, your recipe not only looks amazing, it sounds super easy to make

      Reply
      • Sula

        January 09, 2022 at 11:58 am

        Its the very best use of ripe bananas!

        Reply
    7. Blake Moon

      October 02, 2021 at 2:50 pm

      5 stars
      Banana bread fan here. Thanks!

      Reply
      • Sula

        October 02, 2021 at 4:18 pm

        I've never met anyone who didn't like banana bread. It's practically a universal food!

        Reply
    8. Jen Vinuya

      September 27, 2021 at 12:21 am

      5 stars
      This was so good! Easy and quick to make! Perfect for an easy snack!

      Reply
      • Sula

        September 27, 2021 at 6:38 am

        It really is a perfect snack. A favorite in my house!

        Reply
    9. Toni

      September 26, 2021 at 7:40 am

      5 stars
      This is such an amazing banana bread recipe! I love how easy you can make it in air fryer!

      Reply
      • Sula

        September 26, 2021 at 10:06 am

        The air fryer gives you so many options!

        Reply
    10. Emily Flint

      September 24, 2021 at 10:20 pm

      5 stars
      Now I'm in trouble because this was so easy to make and now I want banana bread all the time! Love that you created this to be made in the air fryer!

      Reply
      • Sula

        September 25, 2021 at 8:15 am

        I know what you mean - it's a constant temptation! Good news, it only makes one loaf! LOL

        Reply

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