These light and airy Banana and Carrot Muffins are a sweet combination of banana bread and carrot cake. Made with very ripe mashed bananas, shredded carrots, plump raisins and crunchy nuts, these muffins are perfect for a grab-and-go breakfast or late morning snack.
I have been on a huge meal prep breakfast kick lately! Seriously, there is not much I love more than waking up and knowing a healthy and hearty breakfast is waiting for me. The past couple of weeks my house has been inundated with healthy muffins as I've developed roasted Banana Oat Muffins and Blackberry Banana Oat Muffins. Made with vegetables, fresh fruit and dried fruit, this carrot and banana muffin may just be my new favorite!
Why You'll Love Banana Carrot Muffins
- Made with simple grocery store ingredients
- Meal-prep wonder
- Warm spices, sweet but not too sweet
- Easy to adjust and make additions
- Hearty and satisfying, yet super light and airy
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Ingredients that Matter
This recipe calls for mostly pantry staples along with some fresh product. Here are the ingredients you'll need to make these healthy banana and carrot muffins:
- Carrots. Use freshly grated carrots to make carrot cake like muffins. You'll want 1 cup of shredded (and lightly packed) carrot, which is about 2 small carrots. You can peel the carrots if you prefer, or simple scrub them for the most nutrition.
- Bananas. Use very ripe bananas to make these carrots muffins. The bananas will add natural sweetness and a moist texture. You can roast your bananas in a 350F over for 15 minutes, until blackened, to extract as much flavor as possible.
- All-Purpose Flour. I like to use regular all-purpose flour for muffins as I always have some on hand. You can swap in white whole wheat flour or half whole wheat and half all-purpose, if desired.
- Brown Sugar. I love the slight molasses flavor from brown sugar in this recipe. Use light or dark brown sugar.
- Baking Powder & Baking Soda. Both baking powder and soda aid in the light and air texture of these carrot and banana muffins. Be sure both are relatively new (replace after 6-12 months).
- Cinnamon. A big pinch of ground cinnamon helps these muffins blur the line between carrot cake and banana bread.
- Rolled Oats. This recipe calls for old fashioned rolled oats, though you could use quick-cooking in a pinch. Just don't use a packet of flavored oatmeal.
- Oil. Vegetable, canola or peanut oil work great here, as does melted coconut oil or melted unsalted butter.
- Plain Yogurt. Plain whole fat yogurt adds nice moisture and just a bit of tang to these muffins.
- Vanilla Extract. A small splash of vanilla extract goes very well with the carrots and banana combo.
- Eggs. Use a pair of large eggs.
- Salt. I recommend using table salt as it blends into the dry ingredients easily.
- Dried Fruit & Nuts. While technically optional, I love adding a bit of raisins or other dried fruit to the batter and topping the muffins with chopped nuts like walnuts or pecans.
See recipe card for quantities.
How to make carrot banana muffins
Do not be intimidated to make muffins! They are one of the easier baked goods you can prepare. Here is how you make carrot and banana muffins:
Add the all-purpose flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon and brown sugar to a mixing bowl.
Whisk until combined then add the oats and whisk again util well combined.
Add the ripe bananas to a large mixing bowl and mash with a fork or potato masher. It's okay if they are a bit chunky.
Add the eggs and whisk well to combine, then whisk in the oil, yogurt, vanilla, grated carrots and raisins. Mix until well combined.
Add the dry ingredients to the top of the wet ingredients.
Switch to a flexible silicone spatula and fold the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients, being careful not to overwork the batter. Be sure there are no flour streaks in the batter.
When ready to bake, preheat the oven to 350F and line a standard size muffin tin with muffin cups. Divide the batter evenly among the muffin cups, about ⅓ cup in each. It's okay if the batter comes to the top.
Sprinkle some more oats and crushed nuts on top then bake the muffins until golden brown and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, 20-24 minutes. Remove from the oven and cool in the muffin pan for 10 minutes then remove the muffins from the pan and cool on a wire rack.
Hint: Do not overmix the batter of the muffins will become gummy and dense.
Substitutions
There are plenty of tweaks you can make to this recipe based on your dietary restrictions and even flavor preferences. Consider the following substitutions:
- Gluten-Free - Swap in a gluten-free one-to-one flour substitute for the all-purpose flour and be sure to use gluten-free oats. The gluten-free version of these muffins may be a bit spongey, as most baked goods are with gluten-free flours.
- Dairy-Free - Do you want to make this recipe dairy-free? You can use a plant-based yogurt or plant-based milk like almond, soy or oat milk instead of the yogurt. Be sure to use a plant-based oil and not butter, as well.
- Flaxseeds or Chia Seeds - You can leave out the eggs and instead use flax or chia eggs. Simply soak 2 tablespoons ground flaxseeds or chia seeds in 2 tablespoons of water for 5 minutes, then add to the batter. If you want to make the recipe as is but add flax, simply stir in 2 tablespoons ground flaxseeds or chia seeds with the dry ingredients.
- Sugar - You can use granulated sugar in place of the light brown sugar if preferred. You can even cut the sugar back to ¼ cup if you tend to like less sweet muffins.
How to grate carrots for muffins
I recommend grating carrots on the large holes of a box grater. This provides a nice texture to the muffins as opposed to using a finer grate. You could also use a food processor fitted with a shredder attachment, if proffered. I do not recommend using matchstick cut carrots.
What else to add to carrot and banana muffins
You can certainly swap in other spices for ground cinnamon, like nutmeg, ginger, cloves, allspice or even a blend like apple pie spice, just use these spices sparingly as they could overpower the flavors of the banana and carrots. Plus, try these additional ingredients to make the carrot banana muffins even more special:
- Nuts - I recommend topping the muffins with chopped walnuts, pecans or almonds.
- Dried Fruit- Try adding ¼-1/2 cup dried fruit like raisins or cranberries.
- Coconut - Add ½ cup shredded unsweetened coconut for a nice flavor and texture.
Storage
You can store leftover muffins in an airtight container on the counter for a couple days. Or, store them longer in an airtight container in the refrigerator, for up to 4 days. The muffins will get a bit moister the longer they sit, so just be aware they are best enjoyed the same day.
You can also freeze carrot and banana muffins in a freezer-safe zip-top bag for up to 1 month. Remove from the freezer and thaw in the refrigerator overnight.
Enjoy these muffins as breakfast meal prep, along with our Mini Egg Bites with Broccoli and Cheddar, Nutella Overnight Oats or Peanut Butter Granola.
FAQ
Homemade muffins will become dense if the batter is overmixed. Be sure to only mix the batter until the dry ingredients are thoroughly incorporated into the wet ingredients. And be sure not to overbake the muffins.
Store muffins on the counter for up to 2 days or in the refrigerator for 4 days. Muffins should be covered or stored in an airtight container.
If you want to make muffins (or banana bread) with unripe bananas, roasted them in a 350F oven for 15 minutes, until they turn black. Cool slightly then remove the peel and mash.
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Recipe
Banana and Carrot Muffins
- Total Time: 40 minutes
- Yield: 12 muffins 1x
Description
These light and airy Banana and Carrot Muffins are a sweet combination of banana bread and carrot cake. Made with very ripe mashed bananas, shredded carrots, plump raisins and crunchy nuts, these muffins are perfect for a grab-and-go breakfast or late morning snack.
Ingredients
- 1 ¼ cups all-purpose flour (163 g./5.7 oz.)
- ½ cup lightly packed brown sugar
- 1 tsp. baking powder
- 1 tsp. ground cinnamon
- ¾ tsp. baking soda
- ½ tsp. table salt
- ½ cup rolled oats, plus more for the topping
- 2 medium ripe bananas (see note)
- 2 large eggs
- ⅓ cup light oil (such as vegetable, canola or peanut)
- ¼ cup plain yogurt
- 1 tsp. vanilla extract
- 1 cup grated carrots (from 2 small or 1 medium carrots, peeled or scrubbed)
- ¼ cup raisins (optional)
- ¼ cup chopped pecans or walnuts (optional)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350F and line a standard size muffin tin with paper cups.
- Whisk together in a medium bowl the flour, brown sugar, baking powder, cinnamon, baking soda and salt until well combined. Add the oats and whisk to combine.
- In a separate large bowl use a fork or potato masher to mash the bananas until mostly smooth (it's okay if they aren't completely smooth). Add the eggs and whisk to combine then add the oil, yogurt and vanilla and whisk until well combined. Add the carrots and raisins (if using) and mix well. Add the dry ingredients to the top of the wet ingredients and use a flexible spatula to fold the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients. Be careful not to overmix the batter but be sure there are no flour streaks in the batter.
- Divide the mixture among the muffin cups, about ⅓ cup for each muffin cup. It's okay if the muffin cups are full. Sprinkle more oats on top and chopped nuts (if using). Bake until golden brown and a toothpick inserted into the center of several muffins comes out clean, 20-24 minutes.
- Cool the muffins in the muffin pan for 10 minutes at room temperature then remove the muffins to a wire rack and cool at least 10 more minutes. Enjoy warm or room temperature.
Notes
- If your bananas are not very ripe try roasting them in a 350F oven for 15 minutes, until blackened. Then remove the peel and mash. This will concentrate the flavor.
- You can swap in granulate sugar for the brown sugar, or use ¼ cup each brown sugar and granulated sugar. If you like a less sweet muffin, use ¼ cup sugar instead.
- You can swap out the cinnamon for ground ginger, all spice, nutmeg or allspice. Just be sure to use these spices sparingly as they can overpower the muffins.
- Do not overmix the muffin batter or they may become dense when cooked.
- To make this recipe gluten-free, swap out the flour for a one-to-one gluten-free flour and use gluten-free rolled oats.
- Make this recipe dairy-free by using plant-based yogurt or milk.
- Instead of eggs, you can use 2 tablespoons of ground flaxseeds or chia seeds mixed with equal parts water and set aside for 5 minutes before adding to the batter.
- Store leftovers on the counter for 2 days or 4 days in the refrigerator. Be sure to store them in an airtight container. Note that they will become moister the longer they sit so they are best enjoyed freshly baked.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 20 minutes
- Category: Breakfast
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
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