Instant Pot Pumpkin Bread

Instant Pot Pumpkin Bread is a flavorful sweet bread full of pumpkin puree and an aromatic autumn-inspired seasoning blend. This bread is easy to make and super delicious, with a great combination of sweet and savory Fall flavors. You can also make a similar version in your breadmaker, if you have one.

Pumpkin bread goes hand in hand with warm and cozy apple cider or hot cocoa. It makes a wonderful holiday bread or gift throughout October and November. And if you love all things pumpkin during the Fall, try my Instant Pot pumpkin soup and pumpkin pasta, pumpkin cream cheese muffins, pumpkin cheesecake and even pumpkin chili!

You can use store bought pumpkin puree or make your own puree from scratch following these instructions. If you're making your puree from scratch, don't forget to roast those pumpkin seeds and save the skins to make pumpkin chips!

To make pumpkin bread in your pressure cooker you need a few pieces of essential equipment:

• Bundt Pan: the pan size depends on the size of your pressure cooker. This Instant Brands 7-inch bundt pan comfortably fits in my 8 quart Instant Pot. *You can also use a round cake pan or springform pan.
• Silicone Sling: while not a must, a silicone sling makes it very easy to place the cake pan in the pressure cooker and lift it out once it's done cooking. I highly recommending purchasing one for use not just in this recipe, but many others.
• Trivet: a trivet or steamer rack is used to keep the cake pan out of the water that's put into the inner pot. You don't want the pan sitting in the hot water because this will affect the cook time.
• Aluminum foil: the bread needs to be covered tightly with foil while it pressure cooks to keep out the steam and condensation.

Ingredients

• Olive oil: I use extra virgin olive oil in my most of my breads to keep them a little healthier and dairy-free. You can use butter if you'd like, with a 1:1 substitution.
• Pumpkin puree: my favorite store bought pumpkin puree is Libby's, but I use homemade pumpkin puree most of the time.
• Brown sugar: both light brown sugar and dark brown sugar are fine.
• Bread flour: bread flour creates bread that is a little softer and fluffier due to it's protein content. All-purpose flour is an acceptable substitution, with a 1:1 substitution ratio.
• Vanilla extract: use pure vanilla extract or make your own right in your Instant Pot!
• Pumpkin spice seasoning: you can use a blend of ground cinnamon, nutmeg and cloves as I do or replace the full amount of these seasonings with a store bought pumpkin spice seasoning blend.
• Eggs
• Baking powder and salt

Step-By-Step Instructions

STEP 1: In a large mixing bowl, whisk ¼ cup extra virgin olive oil and 1 cup brown sugar until combined well. Add 2 large eggs and 2 teaspoon vanilla extract. Continue whisking until well blended.

STEP 2: Mix in 1 cup pumpkin puree, 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon, ½ teaspoon ground nutmeg, ¼ teaspoon ground cloves and 1 teaspoon salt. Whisk until well blended.

STEP 3: Gently whisk in 2 cups bread flour and 2 teaspoon baking powder until the batter is just combined.

STEP 4: Pour 1 ½ cups of cold water into the inner pot of the pressure cooker. Place the trivet or steamer rack into the pot. Grease the sides of the bundt pan generously with olive oil or butter and set it on top of the silicone sling. Pour the pumpkin bread batter into the bundt pan and cover tightly with aluminum foil. Lift the bundt pan using the silicone sling onto the trivet in the inner pot.

STEP 5: Close and seal the pressure cooker lid. Set to manual/pressure cook on high for 50 minutes. When done, let the pressure release naturally for 10 minutes then quickly release the remaining pressure.

STEP 6: Lift the bundt pan out of the inner pot using the silicone sling. Remove the foil and let cool in the pan for 10 minutes. Use a knife to loosen the sides of the bread of the pan and transfer to a serving plate.

Slice and serve or store according to the instructions below. Pumpkin bread is delicious spread with cream cheese, pumpkin cream cheese, butter and honey.

How To Store Pumpkin Bread

To store pumpkin bread, wrap tightly in plastic wrap and place in an airtight container or bread box. It will last for 3-5 days before beginning to stale. For longer keeping, store in the fridge. Instant Pot pumpkin bread can be frozen for up to 6 months. Slice into individual pieces, wrap in plastic and place in a freezer safe storage bag. Defrost in the fridge overnight, on the counter for a few hours or using the defrost setting in the microwave.

Variations

• Add a cup of milk chocolate chips or white chocolate chips.
• Add a cup of nuts, such as walnuts, pecans or almonds.

Cooking Tips

1. When making bread it's important to measure the ingredients precisely, as just a little more flour or liquid ingredients can cause a poor turnout.
2. Make sure the pan is covered tightly with foil so that no steam or liquid gets into the bread while cooking, which will affect the texture and can cause gumminess.
3. If your bread is undercooked after the 50 minutes pressure cooking time plus 10 minutes natural pressure release, recover with foil and pressure cook again for 5-10 minutes, depending on how undercooked it is. *This is a just a reminder that you can always continue cooking it, but as long as the instructions are followed exactly as written you shouldn't have this problem.

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