Slow Cooker Banana Bread with Brown Sugar Sauce — Soft, tender banana bread with a caramely, brown sugar sauce that develops while the bread cooks!! If you’ve never made a slow cooker dessert, start with this easy recipe!!
Table of Contents
This CrockPot banana bread is soft, tender, full of rich banana flavor, and the sauce that forms while the bread bakes is pure caramely heaven.
The sauce helps keep the banana bread extra moist because there’s nothing worse than dry bread or cake and in a slow cooker things can dry out if you’re not careful, but no worries about dryness here.
I adore banana bread and am no stranger to it with 40+ different original banana bread recipes, and it’s hard to pick a favorite, but this one ranks right up there. The next time you have ripe bananas, this is a must-make!
Ingredients Needed
To make this easy slow cooker banana bread, you’ll need:
- Eggs
- Canola oil
- Light brown sugar
- Granulated sugar
- Vanilla extract
- Ripe bananas
- All-purpose flour
- Baking powder and baking soda
- Salt
- Cinnamon
- Boiling water
Note: Scroll down to the recipe card section of the post for the ingredients with amounts included and for more complete directions.
How to Make Banana Bread in a Slow Cooker
- Whisk together the wet ingredients before adding in the dry.
- Turn the batter into your slow cooker.
- To the same bowl you mixed the banana bread batter in, stir together additional brown sugar and boiling water. Carefully pour this mixture over the batter in the slow cooker.
- Cover and cook on high for about 1 1/2 to 2 hours, or until the edges have set and are light golden brown and a toothpick inserted into center of bread comes out clean
Recipe FAQs
I don’t think so! If you made it in the oven, you’d need multiple loaf pans since slow cookers are quite large. If you’re craving baked banana bread, check out one of my (many) Banana Bread Recipes.
Probably, but since this is CrockPot banana bread I’m not sure how cooking the nuts in the slow cooker would affect their texture. If you try this out and enjoy the result, leave me a comment down below!
I recommend following my Crockpot chocolate chip banana bread recipe instead. I’ve tested that recipe and know that it works as written.
You MUST use a 6-quart slow cooker (or larger), otherwise this CrockPot dessert may overflow while it cooks.
Tips for Making This Recipe
Easy clean up: I highly recommend using a slow cooker liner when making this CrockPot banana bread. Liners make cleanup a breeze and ensures the bread doesn’t stick to the slow cooker insert.
Adding the caramel sauce: After you’ve poured the caramel sauce mixture over the banana bread batter do NOT stir it in! You want the sugar-water mixture to pool around the batter — this will create the caramel sauce as the CrockPot banana bread cooks.
Testing for doneness: Just like classic banana bread, you’ll know this slow cooker version is done when the edges have set and are light golden brown, and a toothpick inserted into center of bread comes out clean.
Storage Instructions
Bread is best warm and fresh but will keep in an airtight container for up to 5 days at room temperature, noting the sauce absorbs into the bread by the second day. I do not recommend freezing this banana bread due to the caramel sauce.
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Slow Cooker Banana Bread with Brown Sugar Sauce
Ingredients
Bread
- 2 large eggs
- ½ cup canola or vegetable oil
- ½ cup light brown sugar, packed
- ¼ cup granulated sugar
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1 ½ cups mashed ripe bananas, about 3 large bananas
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ¼ teaspoon salt, or to taste
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon, optional and to taste (I’ve made it with and without, both versions are good depending on preference)
Sauce
- ½ cup light brown sugar, packed
- 1 ½ cups boiling water
Instructions
- Line a 6-quart slow cooker with a liner if using one. I prefer to use liners for easy cleanup and storage, see step 7. Spray liner or base and sides of slow cooker with cooking spray; set aside. Do not use a smaller slow cooker because the bread rises quite dramatically and it will overflow.
Bread:
- To a large bowl, add the eggs, oil, sugars, vanilla, and whisk to combine.
- Add the bananas and stir to combine.
- Add the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, optional cinnamon, and stir to combine. Turn batter out into prepared slow cooker and spread it into a smooth, even, flat layer; set aside.
Sauce:
- To a large bowl (the same one you already used is fine, just wipe it clean with a paper towel), add the brown sugar, boiling water, and whisk to combine.
- Carefully pour the hot sugar-water mixture over the batter in slow cooker. Do not stir. This mixture turns into the sauce while the bread bakes; do not stir.
- Cover and cook on high for about 1 1/2 to 2 hours, or until the edges have set and are light golden brown and a toothpick inserted into center of bread comes out clean. Start checking at just over one hour to ensure you don’t overbake. My bread was done in 95 minutes. All slow cookers vary so cook until bread is done. I have not tested the recipe using the low heat setting and can’t speak to baking time or results.
- Remove the top portion of the slow cooker (the ceramic bowl the cake is cooking in) from the base (heating element) to allow bread to cool momentarily before serving.
Notes
- Bread is best warm and fresh but will keep in an airtight container for up to 5 days at room temp, noting the sauce absorbs into the bread by the second day.
- Storage is much easier if you use a liner because you can lift the entire liner out, bread and all, and place in an airtight container.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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More Slow Cooker Desserts:
Crockpot Chocolate Chip Banana Bread – Think slow cookers are only for soups and savory recipes? Think again because you can make this soft, tender, moist banana bread in your Crockpot and it’s SO EASY! This no-mixer banana bread is loaded with chocolate chips in every bite and a family FAVORITE!
Slow Cooker Peanut Butter Cup Cake — Yellow cake is spiked with peanut butter, hot fudge, topped with a peanut butter glaze, more hot fudge, and sprinkled with peanut butter cups before being slow cooked!
Crockpot Lava Cake — This is an easy, no-mixer cake that’s super soft, gooey, moist, rich, and fudgy. As the cake cooks, it creates its own hot fudge sauce! For the full experience, serve with ice cream or whipped cream!