Rice Cooker Banana Bread
Breakfast | American
This is my recipe for making banana bread in a rice cooker. Why? Because it's so easy! We’re going to make a super moist, sugar-free banana bread that comes together in one bowl with no mixer, no oven and barely any cleanup. The bananas add the sweetness so you do need to add anything else, the oats add body, and one cycle on the normal rice function does the cooking for you. Set it before you head out and slice it with butter and honey when you get home.
Your Rice Cooker
Any standard rice cooker will work for this recipe. Grease the bowl well with oil before the batter goes in, otherwise the bread will stick to the bottom. Use the normal rice cook function, not quick cook or porridge, and let the cycle run all the way through. Then, leave the lid on for another 10 minutes once it’s done so the bread can finish setting in the residual heat. Check that it’s set with a skewer. If not, run the cycle again and check every 10 minutes if it’s set.
Ingredients
- 4 overripe bananas, peeled
- 2 eggs
- 60ml milk
- 120ml olive oil, plus extra for greasing
- Pinch of sea salt
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp bicarbonate of soda (baking soda)
- 50g (1.7 oz) rolled oats, plus extra for sprinkling
- 120g plain (all-purpose) flour
- 110g wholemeal flour
- Butter and honey, to serve
Directions
- Grease the rice cooker bowl well with a little oil, paying attention to the sides and base.
- Mash the bananas in a large mixing bowl with a fork until mostly smooth, a few small lumps are fine.
- Add the eggs, milk and olive oil to the bananas and whisk to combine well.
- Add the salt, cinnamon, baking powder, bicarb, rolled oats, plain flour and wholemeal flour to the bowl. Whisk just until everything is incorporated. Don’t over mix.
- Pour the batter into the greased rice cooker bowl and smooth the top. Sprinkle a handful of extra oats over the top.
- Set the rice cooker to the standard rice function and let it run for one full cycle.
- Once the cycle finishes, leave the lid on and let the bread rest in the cooker for 10 minutes.
- Turn the bowl out onto a wire rack and let the bread cool for at least 15 minutes before slicing.
- Slice and serve with butter and honey.
Recipe notes
Bananas:
You want overripe. Plenty of brown spots and a slight wrinkle to the skin means the starches have broken down to sugar and you’ll get the deep banana flavour and natural sweetness this bread relies on. Underripe bananas won’t give you enough sweetness since we’re not adding any sugar.
Olive oil:
I use a light, mild olive oil here, not a peppery extra virgin. The oil keeps the loaf soft and moist for days longer than butter would, and the flavour stays neutral so the bananas come through.
Wholemeal flour:
Mixing half plain and half wholemeal gives the bread a bit more body and a slight nutty flavour without making it heavy. If you only have plain flour, swap the wholemeal one-for-one. The texture will be a touch lighter but still good.