This Air Fryer Banana Cake is irresistibly soft and fluffy, with a perfectly crusty top that adds just the right texture and flavor. With only 5 minutes of prep, it’s a foolproof air fryer dessert recipe!
If you are looking for desserts to make in your air fryer, then try the air fryer lava cake or the air fryer baked apples recipe next!
A Quick Look at the Recipe
✅ Recipe Name: Air Fryer Banana Cake
🕒 Ready In: ~40 minutes
👪 Makes: 8 servings
🧑🍳 Main Ingredients: Ripe bananas, flour, oil, egg, sugar, yogurt and walnuts
📌 Difficulty: Easy air fryer recipe
Why you’ll love this air fryer cake recipe?
The secret to baking a perfect cake in the air fryer is using two different temperatures. Start by preheating the air fryer to 340°F for 5 minutes, just like you would an oven, so the cake starts baking as soon as it goes in. Then reduce the temperature to 330°F for the rest of the baking time. This helps the cake cook evenly through the center without the top getting too dark.
Because an air fryer heats from the top down, it bakes a little differently than a traditional oven. Instead of a cake that's soft all the way through, you'll get a beautifully golden, slightly crisp top with a soft, tender, and moist interior. It's a texture that's uniquely delicious—and one of the reasons this cake in the air fryer is always worth making.
- maria doss
Featured comments
One reader Gelb writes, "Excellent! This is the first time a cake has worked perfectly in my airfryer after years of trying!" ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
One reader Kelly writes, "Delicious! We just unpacked our air fryer today and some ripe bananas were calling. Made a glaze with a tiny bit of vanilla, splash of rum, confectioners sugar, then milk til it’s pourable" ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Jump to:
- A Quick Look at the Recipe
- Why you’ll love this air fryer cake recipe?
- Featured comments
- What kind of cake pan can you use in the air fryer?
- Why Is My Air Fryer Cake Wet in the Middle?
- How to Fix an Underbaked Air Fryer Cake:
- Tips for Success
- Ingredients you'll need
- More Air Fryer Desserts
- Air Fryer Banana Cake
- How to make banana cake in air fryer?
What kind of cake pan can you use in the air fryer?
All oven-safe cake pans, like metal, non-stick, silicone, ceramic, or glass pans, can also be used in an air fryer, as long as they fit comfortably inside the basket. There should be a little space around the sides so the hot air can circulate properly, and the pan shouldn't touch the basket walls.
It's also important to think about the finished height of the cake, not just the size of the pan. As the cake rises, make sure it won't get too close to the heating element at the top of the air fryer, or the top may brown too quickly before the center is fully baked.
For this air fryer banana cake, I use a 6-inch round cake pan, which fits perfectly in my Instant Vortex air fryer with plenty of room for air to circulate. An 8-inch pan works too, but since the batter is spread into a thinner layer, the cake will bake a little faster, so start checking for doneness a few minutes early.
Why Is My Air Fryer Cake Wet in the Middle?
If your air fryer cake is wet or underbaked in the center, it's usually because the top cooked much faster than the middle. Air fryers heat primarily from the top, so the surface can set and brown before enough heat reaches the center of the batter.
Here are the most common reasons this happens:
- The temperature is too high. Baking at the same temperature you'd use in a conventional oven is often too hot for an air fryer. A slightly lower temperature gives the center time to cook through before the top gets too dark.
- The pan is too deep. A deep or narrow cake pan creates a thicker layer of batter, making it harder for the center to bake evenly.
- Poor air circulation. If the cake pan barely fits in the basket or touches the sides, hot air can't circulate properly around it, leading to uneven baking.
How to Fix an Underbaked Air Fryer Cake:
Loosely cover the cake with aluminum foil to prevent the top from over-browning. Then lower the air fryer temperature to 300–320°F and continue baking for 10–15 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. This gentle finish allows the middle to cook through without drying out the rest of the cake.
Tips for Success
- Bananas – Mash the bananas thoroughly. I prefer using a potato masher for a smoother texture, but a fork works just fine too. I explain more in the round up post of banana recipes!
- How many bananas? – You’ll need two medium or one large banana for this recipe. Be sure to measure the mashed banana to match the quantity specified in the recipe, as the exact amount is key for the right texture.
- Cake Pan – A 6-inch round baking pan works perfectly.
- Air Fryer Used – This recipe was tested in the Instant Pot 6-quart Vortex Air Fryer. Cooking times may vary slightly depending on your air fryer model.
- Cooking Time – The top of the cake will turn darker in the air fryer than it would in a traditional oven. Don’t rely on appearance alone—after about 35 minutes, insert a toothpick or thin knife into the center. It should come out clean or with a few moist crumbs. If not, continue baking for another 5 to 10 minutes.
- Storage – Once cooled, store the banana cake in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days.
Ingredients you'll need
Scroll down to the recipe card below for full information on ingredients and amounts.
- Banana - As in all ripe banana recipes, use very ripe, heavily speckled bananas for intense caramelly fruitiness
- All purpose flour - Gives a stable structure.
- Sugar - It compliments the caramel notes in bananas and is always my go to, like in almond flour cake.
- Leavening - A good dose of baking soda, along with baking powder, was necessary to make the hefty batter rise.
- Egg - Eggs gives crucial structural support, and also makes the cake tender with a light texture.
- Yogurt - It adds moisture, a slight tanginess and the acid needed to work with baking soda.
- Walnuts - For crunch and texture contrast.
More Air Fryer Desserts
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Air Fryer Banana Cake
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 cup all purpose flour
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ½ cup + 2 tablespoons mashed banana about 2 medium
- ½ cup light brown sugar packed
- ½ cup sour cream or plain yogurt (not Greek)
- ¼ cup vegetable oil
- 1 large egg
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 3 tablespoons chopped walnuts for topping (optional)
Instructions
- Preheat the air fryer to 340°F. It will run empty during this time, which helps jump-start the baking process. While it preheats, prepare the cake batter.
- Grease a 6-inch round cake pan with cooking spray and set aside.
- Add the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt into a small bowl and whisk to combine.
- In a large bowl, combine the mashed banana, brown sugar, sour cream, oil, egg, and vanilla. Whisk until smooth and well blended.
- Add the flour mixture and gently fold it in using a rubber spatula, mixing just until combined.
- Transfer batter to the prepared pan, smooth top and sprinkle chopped walnuts on top.
- Set the air fryer to 330°F. Once ready, place the cake pan into the air fryer basket and bake until the cake is golden brown and fully cooked through, about 35 minutes. 👉 Start checking the cake for doneness at the 35-minute mark by inserting a toothpick into the center. It should come out clean or with just a few moist crumbs. If it comes out with wet batter, continue baking for another 5 to 10 minutes, checking again as needed. If the top is browning too quickly before the center is fully cooked, loosely tent it with a piece of aluminum foil and continue baking until the cake is done.
- Place the cake pan on a wire rack to cool completely. Slice and enjoy!
Notes
Nutrition
Nutritional information, based on third-party calculations, should be seen as estimates, not guarantees, as various factors like product types, brands, processing methods, and more can alter the nutritional content in recipes.
How to make banana cake in air fryer?
You can find full printable recipe below, but here is a quick overview of the procedure along with step-by-step photos.
If you love simple snack cakes like this, then try my date and walnut cake next!
If you're craving more banana cake ideas, be sure to try my banana walnut cake or the banana sheet cake next!
MADE THIS RECIPE AND LOVED IT? 💚 Please leave a ⭐️STAR rating and COMMENT below- I love to hear your feedback! Tag me with your creations on Instagram and find me on Facebook.
Hi, I’m Maria! I share easy, flavor-packed dinners, high-protein meals, and irresistible baking ideas. If you’ve ever asked, “Don’t know what to cook tonight?” you’re in the right place. And yes—there’s plenty here for breakfast, snacks, and dessert too. More about maria ->
Jennifer
No oil mentioned in ingredients list recipe made the cake then realised oil was missing how much oil please
Maria Doss
Hi Jennifer, There is no oil used in this cake recipe, Maria
Therest
@Maria Doss,
The picture and video show oil added ??
Maria Doss
@Jennifer, Hi Jennifer, We are extremely sorry for the error on our end. There is in fact 1/4 cup vegetable oil in the recipe and due to an unfortunate error, it has been missed. Please accept our sincere apologies (the recipe has corrected with the necessary changes), Maria
Maria Doss
@Therest, Hi Therest, Due to an unfortunate error, we seem to have missed the vegetable oil (the recipe has been updated now). Thank you so much for bringing this to our attention and please accept our sincere apologies, Maria
Kelly
Delicious! We just unpacked our air fryer today and some ripe bananas were calling. Made a glaze with a tiny bit of vanilla, splash of rum, confectioners sugar, then milk til it’s pourable.
Maria Doss
Hi Kelly, I love the addition of glaze... sounds delish! Wishing your family a very happy new year, Maria
Ivonne
Just went in the air fryer right now.
Maria Doss
👍
Carrie
How many dang bananas?
Maria Doss
Hi Carrie, About 1 very large ripe banana, Maria
Allyson
My air fryer has a bake setting and (obv) an air fry setting. Which should I use? Thanks!
Maria Doss
Hi Allyson, We use only the "AirFry" setting - Maria
McKenzie
Made this using greek yogurt and the related instructions and it came out very overcooked, tough, and dense :/ my toddler loves it anyway, though, so not a total loss.
Maria Doss
Hi McKenzie, Was the air fryer preheated as recommended (some models do not come with a preheat setting)? A hot air fryer is important to give the cake a rise as soon as it starts cooking. Hope it helps - Maria
Mrs Gelb
Excellent! This is the first time a cake has worked perfectly in my airfryer after years of trying!
I baked it in a deep cake pan- delicious!
Maria Doss
That’s so great to hear! So glad you enjoyed it hun! – Maria ♡
Katy
I made recipe and I loved it. My mom didn't like it said it was to goey on the bottom. I love bread pudding so was fine for me. Maybe if I cooked longer and also cooked on bake button.
Maria Doss
That’s so great to hear! Yeah, it needed few additional minutes in your air fryer. Hope it helps – Maria ♡
Marsha
Tried this twice and it turned out wonderfully, although the top of my cake tends to get a bit burnt but nothing goes to waste in this house. Haha! I love the use of yoghurt which used to be one of my mama’s secrets for the softest cakes. I was wondering if you had a chocolate version of this airfryer cake?
Maria Doss
Hi Marsha, That’s so great to hear, so glad you loved it. We’re currently developing an air fryer chocolate cake recipe and expect to share it in the next couple of months. I’ll be sure to email you the final version once it’s ready. Thank you for your feedback—I truly appreciate it - Maria ♡
Esther
Hi what size of the cup ?
Maria Doss
Hi Esther, It is standard size measuring cups. One cup all purpose flour measures to 112 grams - Maria