Air Fryer Banana Bread
This Air Fryer Banana Bread delivers all the comfort and flavor of traditional banana bread with a fraction of the time and effort. The air fryer creates a beautifully golden crust while keeping the inside incredibly moist and tender, cutting cooking time nearly in half compared to a conventional oven. Perfect for using up overripe bananas without heating up your entire kitchen!
Equipment
- Air fryer 6-quart or larger recommended
- Small loaf pan approximately 7x3 inches that fits in your air fryer
- Mixing bowls
- Fork or potato masher
- Whisk or wooden spoon
- Measuring cups and spoons
- Toothpick for testing doneness
Ingredients
- 3 medium overripe bananas about 1 ½ cups or 340g, mashed
- ⅓ cup butter 75g, melted
- ¾ cup granulated sugar 150g
- 1 large egg beaten
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract 5ml
- 1 teaspoon baking soda 5g
- salt pinch
- 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour 190g
- ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon optional
- ½ cup chopped walnuts or chocolate chips optional
Instructions
- Spray your small loaf pan generously with nonstick cooking spray or line with parchment paper. Preheat air fryer to 320°F for about 3 minutes.
- Peel bananas and place in a large mixing bowl. Mash with a fork or potato masher until mostly smooth with just a few small lumps remaining.
- Add melted butter to mashed bananas and stir until combined. Mix in beaten egg and vanilla extract until smooth.
- In a separate bowl, whisk together flour, sugar, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon (if using). Ensure no lumps in baking soda.
- Pour dry ingredients into wet ingredients and gently fold together until just combined with no dry flour streaks. If adding nuts or chocolate chips, fold them in now.
- Pour batter into prepared loaf pan and smooth the top. Place in preheated air fryer basket and cook at 320°F for 25-30 minutes until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.
- Remove pan from air fryer using oven mitts and cool in pan for 10 minutes. Run a knife around edges, turn out onto cooling rack, and cool for at least 15 more minutes before slicing.
Notes
- Use very ripe bananas with brown spots for the best flavor and sweetness. The blacker and spottier, the better.
- Don't overmix the batter - stir just until flour disappears to prevent tough, dense bread.
- Check that your pan fits in the air fryer with at least an inch of clearance on all sides for proper air circulation.
- If the top is browning too quickly, tent loosely with aluminum foil halfway through cooking.
- Every air fryer is different - start checking at 25 minutes, then add time in 2-minute increments if needed.
- Frozen bananas work wonderfully - thaw completely and drain excess liquid before mashing.
- Store at room temperature wrapped tightly for up to 3 days, refrigerate for up to 1 week, or freeze individual slices for up to 3 months.
- For chocolate chip version, fold in ¾ cup chocolate chips. For blueberry version, add ¾ cup fresh or frozen blueberries.
- This recipe can be baked in a conventional oven at 350°F for 50-60 minutes if you don't have an air fryer.
- Reheat individual slices in microwave for 15-20 seconds or in air fryer at 300°F for 2-3 minutes.
Nutrition
Serving: 1sliceCalories: 245kcalCarbohydrates: 41gProtein: 4gFat: 8gSaturated Fat: 5gPolyunsaturated Fat: 1gMonounsaturated Fat: 2gCholesterol: 40mgSodium: 185mgPotassium: 200mgFiber: 2gSugar: 21gVitamin A: 6IUVitamin C: 8mgCalcium: 2mgIron: 6mg
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