Zucchini Bread Instant Pot

This Zucchini Bread recipe for the Instant Pot turns out moist and tender every time! Even better, you can “bake” without having to heat up your house, and we’ve included several flavor variations to help you mix it up throughout your summer harvest.

The end of summer means lots and lots of zucchini. Even though I didn’t plant my own this year, somehow we’ve still been gifted a ton.

And, hands down, zucchini bread is my favorite thing to make with zucchini!

I first tried zucchini bread in the Instant Pot when I was testing recipes for The Electric Pressure Cooker Cookbook, and I’ve never looked back. I have since adapted that recipe into a customizable version so you can make it with the flavors you want!

We’ve been on an Instant Pot desserts kick lately! Try some of our other fall favorite desserts like Apple Crisp, Pumpkin Spice Bread Pudding, and a classic Pumpkin Pie.

INGREDIENTS YOU NEED FOR EASY ZUCCHINI BREAD

This zucchini bread recipe uses mostly pantry staples. Here’s what you’ll need:

• Flour: Use all-purpose, unbleached flour.
• Baking powder: Make sure to use a double-acting baking powder for best results.
• Salt: Not only affects the flavor, but it also helps it rise and keep its shape.
• Sugar: We use both white sugar and brown sugar for the flavor.
• Vegetable oil: I generally use canola oil in my recipes.
• Eggs: To avoid overmixing, I like to mix them before I add them to the wet ingredients. Just beat them in a small bowl until combined. (Room temperature eggs are easier to mix.)
• Vanilla: I prefer pure vanilla, but I’m not picky about what variety to use in this recipe.
• Sour cream: Helps the bread bake up with a rich flavor and stay moist without being too thin.
• Grated zucchini: Use a smaller zucchini and be sure to squeeze out the excess water before adding.
• Pecans: You can also substitute almonds or walnuts, if you prefer.
• Powdered sugar: The icing helps improve the presentation of the finished bread.
• Milk: I prefer my icing made with milk, but you can substitute water if you prefer.

Everything you need to know about baking with zucchini

Use fresh zucchini! Again, look for a bright green color. Zucchini with the stem attached tend to stay fresher longer.

Don’t use a large zucchini, since they have thick skins and too much water for baking. You want a zucchini that’s small or medium-sized with a beautiful color.

I prefer to use my food processer to grate the zucchini. But you can also use the largest size on a regular cheese grater.

Be sure to remove excess moisture from the grated zucchini before you add it to the batter. If you don’t, the batter will be too runny and your bread will bake up sticky and won’t hold its shape.

How to Make Zucchini Bread in an Instant Pot

✅ This easy recipe will work in any brand of electric pressure cooker, including the Instant Pot, Ninja Foodi, or Power Pressure Cooker XL.

When making zucchini bread in your Instant Pot, you’ll want to use a half-size (6-cup) Bundt pan. Start by coating the pan with nonstick cooking spray. Next you will combine the dry ingredients and set aside.

Mix the sugar, brown sugar, oil, eggs, and vanilla in a large bowl. Once mixed, stir in the sour cream, then add the dry ingredients. Then add the zucchini and pecans until combined. Add the batter to the Bundt pan, cover with a paper towel and then foil.

In your Instant Pot, add water to the cooking pot and place a trivet at the bottom. Using a foil sling, you’ll lower the pan onto the trivet and lock the lid in place. The bread cooks at High Pressure for 35 minutes, with a 10 minute natural release. 

Remove the foil and paper towel and allow the bread to cool uncovered for 10 minutes before removing the bread from the pan to allow it to cool completely. 

Just prior to serving your bread, mix together the powdered sugar and milk until smooth. Pour the icing over the bread and top with additional chopped pecans.

Products needed to make this zucchini bread recipe

Half-size Bundt Pan: This is a 6-cup Bundt. I really love how it turns out with the deep ridges that make for clear slices.

Nonstick Baking Spray: For this recipe, I really like the nonstick sprays with flour in them like Baker’s Joy or Pam Baking Spray. Spray generously to get all the nooks and then wipe out with a paper towel.

(If you don’t have nonstick spray with flour, a lot of readers have had good luck making a paste from 1 tablespoon melted butter and 1 tablespoon flour and spreading that on the inside of the pan, or you can use regular nonstick spray.)

Frequently Asked Questions about Zucchini Bread

More Instant Pot “Baking” Recipes

We love “baking” in the Instant Pot—especially when we’d normally use a water bath, when we’re on the go, or when we don’t want to heat up the house by using the oven! Here are some of our favorites:

• Instant Pot Cheesecake is the ultimate recipe for Instant Pot “baking” since it needs extra moisture to turn out well! We’ve cooked up quite a variety of flavor combinations over the years.
• Overnight “Baked” French Toast cooks up sweet with dried cherries, white chocolate chips, and a white chocolate drizzle.
• Pumpkin Spice French Toast is the perfect Fall breakfast, made with pure pumpkin, pumpkin spice, and maple syrup. 
• Citrus Monkey Bread is an easy pull-apart bread that starts with pre-made frozen roll dough.

Looking for more traditional zucchini bread recipes? We have several over at Barbara Bakes, including a caramel, lemon, and chocolate chip!

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Easy Zucchini Bread | Instant Pot Recipe

Yield: 1 half-size bundt

Print

Ingredients

• 2 cups all purpose flour
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
• 2/3 cup vegetable oil
• 2 large eggs
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/2 cup sour cream
• 1 cup grated zucchini
• 1/2 cup pecans, chopped and toasted, plus more for serving

Optional Glaze

• 3/4 cup powdered sugar
• 1 tablespoon milk

Instructions

1. Spray a half-size Bundt pan with nonstick cooking spray
2. In a small bowl, whisk the flour, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt. Set aside.
3. In a large bowl, whisk the sugar, brown sugar, vegetable oil, eggs, and vanilla until blended. Gently mix in the sour cream.
4. Add the dry ingredients and whisk until just blended. Stir in zucchini and pecans.
5. Spoon batter evenly into the prepared pan. Cover the pan with a paper towel and cover with aluminum foil crimped tightly around the edges. 
6. Pour 1 cup of water into the pressure cooking pot and place a trivet at the bottom. Use a sling to carefully lower the Bundt pan onto the trivet. Lock the lid in place and select High Pressure and 35 minute cook time.
7. When the cook time ends, let the pressure release naturally for 10 minutes and then finish with a quick release. 
8. When the valve dops carefully remove the lid. Check the bread for doneness (210 or a toothpick inserted into the center should come out clean). If bread is not done, replace the foil, relock the lid, and cook on high pressure for 5 minutes.
9. Carefully transfer the the Bundt pan to a wire rack to cool, uncovered, for 10 minutes. 
10. Remove the bread from the pan and cool completely on wire rack.
11. Optional Icing: Right before serving, whisk the powdered sugar, and milk until smooth. Pour the icing over the bread and decorate with additional chopped pecans.

Notes

Change Up the Flavors

For Chocolate Zucchini Bread: Substitute 1/4 cup cocoa powder for 2 tablespoons flour. When I'm serving it for dessert, Once cooled, I love to drizzle a chocolate glaze over the top and sprinkle on semi-sweet mini chocolate chips.

For Lemon Zucchini Bread: Substitute lemon extract for the vanilla extract. Add the zest of 1 lemon to the batter when you add the zucchini. Once cooled, drizzle the Bundt loaf with our Citrus Glazed Monkey Bread recipe.

For Fall Flavors Zucchini Bread: Sometimes I'll substitute Pumpkin Pie Spice for the cinnamon in this recipe since it really amps up the fall flavors. I like to top it with a cinnamon glaze like I did in our cookbook; just add 1/8 teaspoon to the glaze recipe. Other times, I like to top it with a cream cheese frosting (I usually make a half batch of the version I'd put on cinnamon rolls).

Recommended Products

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• 
  Nordic Ware 6-Cup Bundt Pan, Multicolor

Nutrition Information:

Yield: 12 Serving Size: 1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 338Total Fat: 18gSaturated Fat: 2gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 15gCholesterol: 37mgSodium: 168mgCarbohydrates: 41gFiber: 1gSugar: 23gProtein: 4g

Nutrition information is calculated by Nutritionix and may not always be accurate.

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