Chè Chuối Instant Pot (Banana, Coconut Milk and Tapioca Pearls Dessert)
Author: Katie Le | Katie’s Test Kitchen
Ingredients
(for 6 or 8-quart IP)- About 1 dozen of super ripe Thai Bananas/chuối sứ (peeled, diagonally sliced to about 1/4 to 1/2 inch thick OR halved (however you like!), optional to marinate them with 3 tbsp of sugar if they are not naturally sweet to your liking)
- Two (2) 14 oz cans of coconut milk (if available, use Savoy Coconut Cream, they are the best!)
- 1/3 cup of tapioca pearls (washed well, drained)
- About 1/3 cup (handful) of tapioca strips, zig zag-cut ones (washed well, drained)
- 3 Pandan leaves (typically found in the frozen section at most Asian stores)
- 1 cup of sugar (more if you like sweeter)
- 1/4 tsp of salt
- 1 bag of Vanilla Sugar OR 1 tsp of Vanilla Extract
- 4 cups of water
- roasted peanuts (lightly crushed, click here for “Air Fryer” Roasted Peanuts recipe) and/or roasted sesame seeds as toppings






Directions
- Add to the inner pot 4 cups of water, Pandan Leaves, 1 cup of sugar, 1/4 tsp of salt, 1 bag of Vanilla sugar, 1/3 cup of tapioca balls, 1/3 cup of tapioca strips, and sliced bananas. Give mixture a really good stir. Close lid, be sure Vent is on Sealing, select Pressure Cook/Manual, Low Pressure, 7 minutes.
- Once cook time is over, manually and gently move Knob to Venting to release pressure. Turn on Saute mode (keep lid off) and pour in 2 cans of coconut milk/cream. Bring liquid to a boil for about 5 minutes. Taste the sauce to see if it’s sweet to you liking. Add more sugar as needed. Stir often so tapioca strips won’t stick to the bottom. Turn off heat and remove Pandan Leaves. If not served immediately remove inner pot from IP or remove Chè Chuối from inner pot to prevent scorching.
- When ready to serve, sprinkle crushed peanuts/sesame seeds on top. Leftovers can be kept in the refrigerator. Microwave to loosen the coconut sauce. Enjoy!
So glad you posted a recipe for this! My son and I had this while on vacation in Vietnam and really enjoyed it but only saw it once during the trip. I’ll be making this soon!
Very yummy👌,just made it today using half recipe and only 1/4 cup of sugar,it turned out very good,better than store bought and very easy to make,thanks Katie!😍
I’m so glad to hear!
You’re so welcome! Making it at home is best because you can adjust the sugar level.
Can you use regular bananas with this recipe?
Regular bananas do not hold well when cooking (even on stovetop) so it’s not common to use. These Thai bananas come in a can too, check the cans section of your Asian grocery stores.
I can’t find the tapioca strips. Do you think I can just double the amount of tapioca pearl balls?
Sure!
Would you share the secret or tricks to keep the color of the cooked bananas white? Mine turned purple. Thanks.
No tricks or secret! What type of bananas did you use?
Hi. I followed the recipe, but the tapioca kept burning at the bottom of the pot and would prevent it from coming to pressure.
You need to give it a really good stir so water flows under the tapioca. You can also add a little bit more water.
How would I cook this in a 3qt? Thank you!
Hi Lisa, cook time would be the same but I’d cut the recipe in half or even by 2/3. 😬