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!
This looks delicious!! I don’t have a slow cooker ( I know, I should totally just get one) do you think I can bake this in a regular cake pan? It just looks so good!
Hmm, not sure. I don’t think it would turn out the best because there would be SO much extra liquid. I would recommend trying one of my other banana bread recipes that you can see linked within the post which are made for a bread pan.
oh yummy!
OHMYGERD!!!! I literally was staring at all the sad unhappy bananas I didn’t want to put in my freezer, but it was kinda late to make dessert (apparently my 3 am baking habit, while appreciated makes my husband fat he thinks…) So I remembered seeing this pop up in my email yesterday whilst running errands. BOOM. Instant happiness in a crock pot. Delicious and oh so easy. Thanks for a new way to cook at 3 am and not feel bad for forcing my husband to be fat :D
Thanks for trying this recipe Jen on the day I posted it! Or, 3am right after I posted it :) I’ve done so much baking over the years between midnight and 3am it’s unreal. Gotta get stuff done when you can sometimes! Glad you enjoyed this one!
What a creative way to make banana bread. I love it!
Oh my lord, this banana bread looks amazing! My guys will gobble it up!
Hi Averie!
It’s Joanie, your loyal San Diego neighbor follower.
This week is perfect for using the slow cooker, record breaking heat! I’m going to try this tomorrow. My question: do you think can I add walnuts? Or would they get soggy?
Love all of your recipes!!
I think if you want to toss in a few nuts it would be fine. But I haven’t tried so not sure what exactly the texture will be. Enjoy the recipe!
I put some chip pecans in on top after I had poured everything into the slow cooker before cooking. I only put them on half of the mixture since my husband doesn’t eat nuts and I love them. It turned out beautifully and was delicious!
Thanks for trying the recipe and I’m glad it came out great for you! Nice way to split up the nuts, too!
This recipe looks amazing! I don’t use my crock pot nearly enough, I need to start asap. :)
The bread doesn’t brown very well in the crockpot, but if you want, you can put it under the broiler briefly.
It’s been a long time since I’ve made dessert in the crockpot–I may have to try again! Yum! I love both of my crockpots–I noticed you have some more recipes coming soon–I will look forward to them. I tried crockpot yeast bread last summer–it came out resonably good–I wanted homemade bread but it was too hot to heat up the kitchen. Sorry, I guess I’m in a rambling mood. :)
That’s pretty awesome about yeast bread in a slow cooker. I have seen recipes online, wondering how the results were. I am sure it’s highly variable based on the slow cooker itself, kneading techniques, etc. but glad to know it works reasonably well. And yes quite a few more slow cooker recipes coming up!
Oh my holy heck. I might have to make this today. Seriously. BEST slow cooker dessert EVER.
It was so good! One of the easiest banana breads ever and the flavor was awesome. I know you have plenty of slow cooker desserts and now I am on the bandwagon. I found myself wanting to turn all recipes into slow cooker recipes for about 10 days (and my posts will show it the next few weeks..lol) til I told myself stop. Not everyone will be that into this :)
I have never made dessert in a slow cooker either but this might be the first recipe I try! It’s always good to have a few banana recipes on hand in case they get too ripe to eat by themselves. :) Thanks for sharing!
This looks like Banana Cobbler (that’s the one with the bready topping, I think…?) and I’ve never seen that.
I’ve never made dessert in a slow cooker either, though I’ve read that you can. It seems like a good idea, but messy. Those baggy things are GENIUS. Maybe not so eco-friendly, but since you don’t use water to clean it up, it’s probably the same difference.
Cleanup is a cinch and I cannot imagine making a sticky dessert without one! It would be like trying to make a cake without using cooking spray in your pan, times ten! Since it just get slow-cooked on for hours sticky stuff is caramelizing.
This cake/bread was so good and so easy!
I’m so obsessed with my slow cooker this season it’s not even funny! I’ve tried almost everything and this banana bread is totally going on the list. Love how moist and gooey it is
It was so moist and gooey! We loved that part about it!
This looks yummy all around from the texture to the sauce! I’ve never tried anything like this but crock pots are so convenient when you don’t want to use the oven. I am anxious to see what else you come up with!
I have quite a few more slow cooker recipes in the next couple weeks so stay tuned. And yes the texture on this was great and combined with the sauce, we loved this!
I’ve gotta hop onto the slow cooker dessert bandwagon. I have a hard time seeing it for anything other than meat, and that’s just not the way it is! And brown sugar sauce? Sign me up!
I know, my lifelong resistance to slow cookers is because it’s usually a meat dish made with tons of salty premade sauces or condensed soups but I know it doesn’t have to be that way!
OH MY GOSH THIS LOOKS SO GOOD! Crock pots are just wonderful in so many ways right?! You totally rocked this, girl! I would be all over this in a heartbeat. I can just imagine the smell that crockpot was giving off while it was cooking!!! :)
The smell was so insanely good while it cooked, yes!