Here at Taste of Home, we love banana bread. We have all kinds of amazing banana bread recipes, from ones with zucchini or pineapple to fully gluten-free loaves or vegan loaves. The one thing we don’t love about banana bread? How long it takes to bake in the oven (usually an entire hour!). Thankfully, air-fryer banana bread cooks up in about half the time without sacrificing on flavor.
Before getting started on this air-fryer banana bread, double-check that your air fryer can hold an 8-inch round baking pan.
Ingredients for Air-Fryer Banana Bread
- Eggs: Be sure to bake with room-temperature eggs! Cold eggs hitting room-temperature fat will make the fat seize up and negatively impact your bread’s texture.
- All-purpose flour: We’ve found that all-purpose flour provides the best structure for quick breads. It’s not as dense and glutenous as bread flour (think: sourdough) but not as delicate as cake flour (think: puff pastry).
- Bananas: The ripest bananas possible (without being, ya know, moldy) are best here. They’re the most sugary, so they’ll taste super banana-y, plus they’re extra soft, great for mashing.
- Pecans: Adding nuts like pecans creates a crunchy texture and nutty taste in the air-fryer banana bread.
Directions
Step 1: Beat the creamed mixture
Preheat the air fryer to 325°F. In a large bowl, use a hand mixer or stand mixer to cream the butter and sugar together until light and fluffy, five to seven minutes. Beat in the egg.
Editor’s Tip: Creaming the butter and sugar together for that long of a time seems excessive, but it’s a fundamental step of how to cream butter and sugar together properly.
Step 2: Add the flour mixture and bananas
In another bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda and salt. Add the flour mixture to the creamed mixture alternately with the mashed banana, beating well after each addition.
Step 3: Add the pecans
Using a rubber spatula, fold in the pecans.
Editor’s Tip: Be careful not to overmix the batter too much or the loaf will come out dense. Fold just until the pecans seem evenly dispersed throughout the batter.
Step 4: Cook in the air fryer
Transfer the batter to a greased 8-inch round baking pan that will fit in the air fryer. Cover the pan with foil, and cook in the air fryer for 25 minutes. Remove the foil, and continue cooking until a toothpick inserted in the center of the bread comes out clean, 8 to 10 minutes.
Cool the bread at room temperature in the pan on a wire rack for 10 minutes. Remove the loaf from the pan, and allow it to cool completely to room temperature.
Test Kitchen Tip: In our testing, we found that air-fryer cooking times vary dramatically, even among the best air-fryer brands. Begin checking the banana bread at the first time listed after removing the foil.
Air-Fryer Banana Bread Variations
- Swap in different nuts: Not a fan of pecans? Walnuts and macadamia nuts would make a great swap. Toast the nuts for an even bolder nuttiness.
- Indulge in chocolate: If you’re anything like us, you’ll find any excuse to throw chocolate chips into a recipe. Toss a handful of semisweet chocolate chips into the batter when you’re folding in the pecans in Step 3.
- Add more flavor: A dash of warm cinnamon and a splash of vanilla extract will take this air-fryer banana bread to new heights.
How to Store Air-Fryer Banana Bread
To store, allow the air-fryer banana bread to cool completely to room temperature. Place the loaf in an airtight container, or wrap it tightly in storage wrap and aluminum foil. Store the bread at room temperature for up to three days or in the fridge for up to one week.
Can you freeze air-fryer banana bread?
Yes, you can freeze air-fryer banana bread! Allow the loaf to cool completely to room temperature, then wrap the loaf in foil, and freeze it in a resealable bag for up to four months. To thaw, place the loaf in the fridge overnight, or let it come to room temperature on the counter for about two hours.
Air-Fryer Banana Bread Tips
Can you put a foil loaf pan in an air fryer?
Yes, foil loaf pans are safe to use in the air fryer, as is any other foil pan that fits in the appliance. In fact, you can use any ovenproof dish in the air fryer, whether it’s made of glass, ceramic, metal or silicone. Aluminum foil is also safe to use, which makes cleanup a breeze.
How can I ripen bananas quickly for air-fryer banana bread?
Bananas still too yellow? We actually have a few tricks on how to quickly ripen bananas. If you have a couple days time, unhook the bananas from each other and fold them shut in a brown paper bag. You could even toss in an apple, pear, orange or peach to ramp up the ripening process.
For ripe bananas in about a minute, poke holes all over an unpeeled banana with a fork or toothpick. Microwave it in 30-second bursts until the banana has reached the desired softness.
