Instant Pot Banana Bread with Chocolate Chips ($1.82/loaf)

Got bananas and chocolate? Then you’ve got the makings for a wonderful snack. Or breakfast. Or dessert. Make Instant Pot Banana Bread with Chocolate Chips!

Not only does the pressure cooker infuse the cake-like bread with rich banana flavor, but it “bakes” up super tender and moist. Bonus: It looks beautiful sliced for a breakfast buffet and is a welcome surprise in any lunch box.

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• Why Make This
• Ingredients
• Step-by-Step Instructions
• FAQs
• Recipe Costs
• More Ways to Use Bananas
• Tell us what you think!
• Instant Pot Banana Bread with Chocolate Chips

I never heard of Chocolate Chip Banana Bread until college. It was a “new thing” in 1990. What can I say? We didn’t have the internet back then.

One always knew when it was on the menu at the dining commons, though. Someone at the front of the line would peer in the window to read the menu and pretty soon the news had spread down the line.

And then there was a mad dash as soon as the doors opened! I remember seeing girls race to the bakery area in order to snag their fair share. And if they were already out? Oh dear.

Hell hath no fury like a woman separated from her chocolate-laden banana bread.

And so, here I am 20-some years later, watching my own daughter crestfallen if I don’t add chocolate chips to this Instant Pot Banana Bread.

It is really good, if I do say so myself. And making it in the Instant Pot makes it super easy and hands-free!

Why Make This

It helps you avoid waste. Instant Pot Banana Bread is a great way to use up brown bananas as well as that little bit of buttermilk left in the carton.

It’s super tender and flavorful. This is a huge hit with my family, especially now that I started cooking it in the pressure cooker. The pressure infuses the bread with banana flavor and makes it super moist.

Ingredients

Here’s what you need for Instant Pot Banana Bread:

Due to the sensitive balance of liquids required for instant pot “baking” I don’t recommend making much in the way of substitutions. An oven is a little more forgiving of extra liquid as the dry heat helps evaporation. No evaporation will be happening in the pressure cooker, so it’s really important not to have the batter be too wet.

flour – I recommend using unbleached, all-purpose flour.

baking soda – This brings lift to the bread and can’t be omitted.

salt – Salt acts as a leavener as well adding flavor.

chocolate chips – Use whatever baking chips you like or even substitute chopped nuts, just don’t add more than 1/3 cup total to the recipe.

sugar – I’ve tested this with granulated sugar, but you can most likely substitute brown sugar or demerara without too much issue.

oil – I used avocado oil in my testing, but you can also use margarine or butter if you prefer.

eggs – Beat the eggs well so that they fully incorporate into the batter.

buttermilk – As mentioned in the FAQ section, the buttermilk adds acid that helps the baking soda do its work. If you don’t have buttermilk, use yogurt or add a bit of vinegar or lemon juice to milk as a substitute.

banana – Again, don’t add too much banana. One-third cup mashed banana is sufficient. The instant pot really infuses the bread with banana flavor so a little bit goes a long way.

vanilla extract – You can swap vanilla out for another extract such as coffee, rum, or butterscotch.

Step-by-Step Instructions

Prep the pan: Grease a 7-inch fluted cake pan. Make sure that this fits inside your Instant Pot.

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1. In a small mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, and chocolate chips.

2. In a large mixing bowl, combine the sugar, oil, eggs, buttermilk, bananas, and vanilla.

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3. Add the dry mixture and fold just until blended.

4. Spoon the batter into the greased pan. Cover it tightly with aluminum foil and place the pan on the bakeware sling.

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5. Pour 1 1/2 cups of water into the pressure cooker insert. Lower the pan on the sling into the insert. Place the cover on the pressure cooker and seal the pressure valve. Set to manual for 55 minutes. When the cycle ends, allow for a 15-minute natural release.

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6. Carefully remove the cover, taking care not to get burned by the drips of condensation. The aluminum foil may be wet with condensation. Mop this up with a towel. Remove the pan on the sling from the pressure cooker.

Remove the aluminum foil and allow the banana bread to cool in the pan for ten minutes. Remove the bread from the pan and cool completely before slicing.

For longest keeping, stash the bread in the freezer. Just wrap the cooled loaves in plastic wrap and slide them into a ziptop freezer bag. You can also slice and freeze the bread, making it that much easier to get your fair share — or hide it in the deep recesses of the freezer so that you can snack on it secretly.

FAQs

Recipe Costs

Knowing how much it costs you to prepare a recipe can help you decide if it’s the type of recipe to make regularly or one you might want to save for special occasions. Let’s crunch some numbers and see how this recipe pencils out.

• flour – $0.25
• baking soda – $0.02
• salt – $0.01
• chocolate chips – $0.33
• granulated sugar – $0.22
• oil – $0.21
• eggs – $0.30
• buttermilk – $0.20
• banana – $0.15
• vanilla extract – $0.13

While your prices may vary depending on where you shop, you can expect to pay somewhere around $1.82/loaf of Instant Pot Banana Bread or 15 cents/serving!

Save Even More

Here are some of the strategies you can use to make this recipe more economical:

• Bake it yourself from scratch – Don’t buy mixes. Don’t buy pricey bakery bread. You can make your own better and cheaper at home!
• Stock up on ingredients when they are on sale. When I find regular kitchen staples on sale, I buy a lot. I’m currently using a price book to track prices and that’s saving me money. For this recipe, keeping an eye on the price of flour and chocolate can help keep the price down. Bananas are often marked on clearance or go on great sales, so watch for them.
• Buying in bulk – It’s rare that I would buy one bag of flour. I usually stock up when there are good baking sales. I also have gotten into the habit of buying cases of flour from Bob’s Red Mill. 

More Ways to Use Bananas

This post was originally published on June 3, 2010. It has been updated for content and clarity as well as for instant pot cooking.