Instant Pot Banana Oat Cake (Flourless & Naturally Sweetened)

Looking for a delicious way to use up those overripe bananas sitting on your counter? This Instant Pot (affiliate link) Banana Oat Cake is one of my favorite alternatives to banana bread. Made with simple pantry ingredients, it’s naturally sweetened, flourless, and surprisingly satisfying.

The texture falls somewhere between classic banana bread and baked oatmeal —two things I happen to love. It’s dense, moist, lightly sweet, and versatile enough to enjoy for breakfast, brunch, snack time, or dessert.

One of the best parts? Because it cooks in the Instant Pot (affiliate link), you don’t have to turn on the oven and heat up the kitchen. That’s especially welcome during the warmer months when I’m always looking for easy recipes that keep the house cool.

Why You’ll Love This Banana Oat Cake

• Flourless and naturally gluten-free (when made with certified gluten-free oats)
• Made with simple pantry ingredients
• Great way to use overripe bananas
• Naturally sweetened and lower in calories
• Perfect for breakfast, snack, or dessert
• No oven required
• Easy to customize with mix-ins and toppings

Ingredients & Substitutions

Mashed overripe banana – The riper the banana, the sweeter and more flavorful the cake will be. Bananas with lots of brown spots work best.

Almond butter – Adds richness, moisture, and healthy fats. Peanut butter, cashew butter, or sunflower seed butter can also work.

Zero-calorie sweetener – I used Lakanto Monkfruit Sweetener, but Swerve, Splenda, Stevia, or your preferred sweetener may be substituted.

Eggs – Provide structure and help bind everything together.

Baking soda – Gives the cake a little lift.

Ground cinnamon – Adds warmth and complements the banana beautifully.

Fine sea salt – Balances and enhances the flavors.

Quick-cooking oats – Form the base of this flourless cake. For a gluten-free cake, be sure to use certified gluten-free oats.

How Many Calories and WW Points?

According to my calculations, each serving has about 95 calories.

To see your WW Points for this recipe, track it in the WW App!
(You must be logged into WW on a smartphone or tablet.)

How to Make Instant Pot Banana Oat Cake

Step 1: Gather and prepare all ingredients.

Step 2: Cut two strips of parchment paper and place in 7-inch round baking pan making a cross, set aside. This will allow you to easily remove the cake from the pan.

Step 3: Mash the banana in a mixing bowl. Stir in the almond butter, sweetener, eggs, baking soda, cinnamon and salt until mixture is thoroughly combined. Stir in the oats until completed coated.

Step 4: Pour the mixture into the prepared pan and smooth out the top, as necessary.

Step 5: Add the trivet to the Instant Pot followed by 1 cup water. Place baking pan on trivet and cover with silicone lid (if available, included with Instant Pot Bake Set), or parchment paper or an upside-down plate. Covering the pan will prevent any moisture from dripping into the cake as it bakes.

Step 6: Place the lid on the Instant Pot moving the steam release valve to the Sealing position. Cook on HIGH pressure for 40 minutes.

Step 7: Once the cooking time is finished, allow the pressure to release naturally for 10 minutes. After 10 minutes of natural pressure release, move the steam release valve to Venting position and allow any remaining steam to release (being careful to not get burned).

Step 8: After pressure is released and float valve drops, unlock and remove the lid. Carefully lift the pan (or trivet holding the pan) and remove from the pot (use oven mitts as necessary to prevent any burns).

Step 9: Place the cake on a wire rack and remove the silicone lid (or parchment or upside-down plate) being careful to not drip any condensation onto cake. Allow cake to cool completely, at least 30 minutes.

Step 10: Run a thin sharp knife around the side of cake to loosen it from the pan. Using the parchment strips, lift the cake from the pan and place on serving plate or cutting board (affiliate link).

Cut the cake into 6 wedges and serve with any additional toppings (lite whipped topping, low-fat ice cream or frozen yogurt, nonfat Greek yogurt, berries, etc.)

Step 11: Store any leftover cake in an airtight container.

Recipe Notes, Variations & Tips

This easy banana oat cake is endlessly adaptable.

Try adding:

• mini chocolate chips
• chopped walnuts
• pecans
• raisins
• dried cranberries
• shredded coconut

For a stronger cinnamon flavor, add an extra pinch or two.

If you prefer a sweeter cake, increase the sweetener slightly or use very ripe bananas.

The almond butter contributes moisture and richness, but peanut butter works equally well and creates a flavor similar to peanut butter banana bread.

Can I Bake This in the Oven?

While this recipe was developed for the Instant Pot, the batter is very similar to baked oatmeal and banana breakfast cakes. If you experiment with oven baking, begin checking for doneness around 25 to 30 minutes in a 350F oven.

Serving Suggestions

This banana oat cake is incredibly versatile.

For breakfast or brunch:

• top with Greek yogurt
• add fresh berries
• drizzle with a little nut butter

For dessert:

• serve with light vanilla ice cream
• add frozen yogurt
• top with light whipped topping

It’s also delicious simply enjoyed with a cup of coffee or tea.

Ways to Store & Use Leftovers

Store leftover cake in an airtight container in the refrigerator.

Enjoy:

• chilled straight from the refrigerator
• at room temperature
• lightly warmed in the microwave (affiliate link)

Individual slices can also be wrapped and frozen for future breakfasts and snacks.

If you’ve made this Gluten-Free Instant Pot Banana Oat Cake, please give the recipe a star rating below and leave a comment letting me know how you liked it. And stay in touch on Pinterest, Facebook, Instagram and Twitter for the latest updates.

Recipe source: The Fresh and Healthy Instant Pot Cookbook: 75 Easy Recipes for Light Meals to Make in Your Electric Pressure Cooker (affiliate link) by Megan Gilmore

Frequently Asked Questions

Is this banana oat cake gluten-free?

Yes, as long as you use certified gluten-free oats.

Can I use peanut butter instead of almond butter?

Absolutely. Peanut butter works very well and creates a slightly different flavor profile.

How ripe should the bananas be?

The riper the better. Bananas with lots of brown spots are sweeter, softer, and easier to mash.

Is this more like cake or banana bread?

The texture is somewhere between banana bread and baked oatmeal—dense, moist, and hearty.

If you’ve made this Instant Pot Banana Oat Cake, please give the recipe a star rating below and leave a comment letting me know how you liked it. And stay in touch on Pinterest, Facebook, Instagram and Twitter for the latest updates.

More Healthy Banana & Oat Recipes You’ll Love

If you like this Instant Pot Banana Oat Cake, you might also like

• Deep Dish Instant Pot Oatmeal Cookie
• Nutella Fudge Instant Pot Cake
• Slow Cooker Carrot Cake Baked Oatmeal
• Banana Bread Brownies
• Banana Bread Impossible Pie
• Instant Pot Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cake