ABC muffins are soft, moist and fluffy muffins made with creamy bananas, sweet carrots and tart apples. These apple, banana, carrot muffins are easy to make and perfect as a breakfast or snack for babies, toddlers and and kids of all ages.
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Why Should You Make This Recipe
I absolutely adore using bananas, carrot or apples to make muffins. My Banana Nut Muffins, Banana Carrot Muffins, Apple Oatmeal Muffins and Carrot Cake Muffins are a few apple, banana and carrot muffin recipes I love. I know you’ll love these cozy and flavorful abc muffins just as much as my other muffin recipes.
- Easy to make, bake and eat. All you need to make these easy and cozy banana, apple and carrot muffins are a few mixing bowls, a whisk and muffin pans.
- Perfect for breakfast and snacking. These banana, carrot and apple filled muffins are perfect for busy school mornings, meal prep or as a quick, but filling snack. Plus, they’re perfect for toddlers, older kids and adults.
Ingredients
These apple, banana and carrot muffins require only a handful of simple ingredients to make. Here’s what you’ll need.
- Dry Ingredients: Gather all purpose flour, oats, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon and salt.
- Wet Ingredients: Gather oil or melted butter, maple syrup, bananas, carrot and apples or applesauce, eggs, vanilla extract and milk.
Substitutions
These super moist and tender banana, apple and carrot muffins are as easy to make as they are delicious. Here are my recommended substitutions to make these homemade muffins if you need them.
- All purpose flour: Make these gluten free by using a good 1-1 gluten free flour. I recommend using the one from Bob’s Red Mill. Measure based on weight (180 g) rather than cup for cup.
- Baking Powder and Baking Soda: Make sure both are fresh and in date.
- Ground Cinnamon: These complement the flavors of carrots, apples and bananas. Feel free to use 1 teaspoons of your preferred spice.
- Mashed Banana: Make sure the bananas are fully ripened with some brown spots.
- Grated Carrots: Use whole and peeled carrots you grate yourself instead of already shredded carrots.
- Applesauce: Feel free to use your preferred applesauce, sweetened or unsweetened. If you would prefer to use apples, use a tart baking apple such as Granny Smith or sweeter apples like Jonagold, Honeycrisp, Fuji, or Pink Lady apples. Use 1 cup grated apples and gently squeeze the excess water from the apples.
- Melted Butter: Feel free to use plant based or dairy free butter if you like. Any neutral tasting oil will also work well.
- Maple Syrup: These cozy and hearty muffins with bananas, apples and carrots call for maple syrup, but maple sugar or would also work well to make these muffins refined sugar free.
- Eggs: This recipe has not been tested without eggs.
- Vanilla Extract: This adds a lovely background flavor that pairs really well with banana, carrots, applesauce and ground spices.
- Old Fashioned Oats: Quick cooking oats will also work well.
Variation
Mini ABC Muffins: Prepare the muffin batter according to the recipe directions. Preheat the oven to 375 F (190 C). Lightly grease a 24 ct. mini muffin pan. Use a tablespoon sized cookie scoop to scoop the muffin batter into each of the mini muffin wells. Bake the muffins for 12-14 minutes or until the tops bounce back quickly when lightly pressed and a toothpick inserted unto the center comes out with a few moist crumbs. Cool the muffins in the pan for 10 minutes. Gently remove them from the pan and enjoy.
How To Make
Learn how to make the ABC muffins in a few easy steps.
- Preheat the oven to 400 F (204 C) for at least 30 minutes before baking. Line (2) 12 ct. muffin pans with cupcake liners. Spray the cupcake liners with a non stick spray. The batter will stick to the liners, so this step is highly recommended. Add the flour, oats, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon and salt to a mixing bowl. Whisk well to fully combine the dry ingredients together.
- If you are using apples rather than applesauce, grate the apples and carrots. Place the shredded carrots and apples on paper towels. Gently squeeze the excess moisture from the carrots and apples. If you are using applesauce, just grate the carrots. In a large mixing bowl whisk the bananas until thoroughly mashed. Once the bananas are mashed, whisk in the eggs, maple syrup, milk, oil, vanilla extract, shredded carrots and shredded apples or applesauce until smooth and well combined. Stir the dry ingredients into the wet. Mix until just combined. Do not overmix. A few flour streaks is fine.
- Use a 3 tablespoon sized cookie scoop to scoop the apple, banana and carrot muffin batter into each of the muffin liners. Bake the muffins at 400 F (204 C) for 18 - 22 minutes. The muffins are done when a toothpick inserted into the center comes about with a few moist crumbs or when a finger pressed gently into the center of the muffins quickly bounces back. Cool the abc muffins in the muffin pan for 5 - 10 minutes. Carefully remove the muffins to cool to room temperature and enjoy.
How To Store, Freeze and Thaw
- Store: Place the banana, apple and carrot muffins in an airtight container at in the fridge for up to 5 days.
- Freeze: Make sure the muffins are completely cooled to room temperature. Individually wrap each muffin in plastic wrap, in parchment paper or wax paper . Place each wrapped muffin in a ziplock bag. Store in the freezer for up to 2 months.
- Thaw: The easiest and tastiest way to thaw the apple, carrot and banana muffins is to let them sit out at room temperature for at least two hours. Enjoy at room temperature or microwave the muffin for 20 - 30 seconds for that “fresh from the oven” taste.
M’s Expert Tips
- Grate the carrots and apples using a box grater. To make the best banana carrot muffins skip the shredded carrots from the store and grate whole carrots instead. Use the smaller holes on the box grater for the best texture.
- Use the right apples. The best apples for this muffin recipe are also the best apples for baking other apple desserts. Look for tart apples like Granny Smith or sweeter and lightly tart apples like Jonagold, Honeycrisp, Fuji, or Pink Lady apples. Alternatively, use ½ cup applesauce.
- Use ripe bananas. Bananas with lots of brown spots are perfect for making these oat banana muffins. Basically, if the bananas are perfect for banana bread, they are perfect for these oat topped banana carrot muffins.
- Bring cold ingredients to room temperature.This allows the ingredients to mix together more evenly which requires less mixing, resulting in soft, fluffy and moist apple, carrot banana muffins.
- Don’t overmix the muffin batter. Mix in the dry ingredients into the wet by hand until just combined.
- Lightly spray the cupcake liners. These muffins are incredibly moist and the batter will stick to the liner. To avoid this issue, make sure to spray the cupcake liners with a non stick spray.
- Alternate muffin wells in the muffin pan. This allows each muffin to get the maximum of amount of even heat circulating around it. The tops will still pop up, but they won’t be as high if you decide to fill all the muffin liners at once.
FAQs
Yes, mini muffins are perfect for baby led weaning or for tiny toddler hands. To make this muffin recipe as mini muffins, prepare the muffin batter according to the recipe directions. Preheat the oven to 375 F (190 C). Lightly grease a 24 ct. mini muffin pan. Use a tablespoon sized cookie scoop to scoop the muffin batter into each of the mini muffin wells. Bake the muffins for 12-14 minutes or until the tops bounce back quickly when lightly pressed and a toothpick inserted unto the center comes out with a few moist crumbs. Cool the muffins in the pan for 10 minutes. Gently remove them from the pan and enjoy.
As long as you follow the abc muffin recipe as written, maple syrup is refined sugar free.
Yes, swap the all purpose flour with a 1:1 gluten free flour. Measure the flour based on weight (180 g) versus cup for cup.
This is an optional step to help the muffin tops dome and puff up a bit higher.
Other Kid Friendly Muffin Recipes To Try
If you try this ABC Muffins recipe please rate the recipe and leave a comment below. Doing so helps other readers decide if this is a great recipe to bake. Don’t forget to tag me on Instagram using @olivesnthyme so I can see what you’re baking! Happy Baking! -M
ABC Muffins Recipe
Equipment
- 1 vegetable peeler optional
- 1 box grater
- 1 whisk
- 2 12 ct muffin pans
- 18 cupcake liners
- 1 large cookie scoop (3 tbsp, 45 ml) optional
Ingredients
- 1½ cups (180 g) all purpose flour
- ½ cup (48 g) rolled or quick cooking oats
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 cup shredded carrots about 2 medium- large carrots
- ½ cup applesauce or 1 cup shredded carrots
- 1 cup mashed bananas about 2 medium bananas
- 2 large eggs, room temeprature
- ½ cup (120 ml) maple syrup
- ¼ cup (60 ml) neutral baking oil or melted butter
- ¼ cup (60 ml) milk, room temperature
- 2 teaspoons (10 ml) vanilla extract
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400 F (204 C) for at least 30 minutes before baking. Line (2) 12 ct. muffin pans with cupcake liners. Spray the cupcake liners with a non stick spray. The batter will stick to the liners, so this step is highly recommended.
- Add the flour, oats, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon and salt to a mixing bowl. Whisk well to fully combine the dry ingredients together.1½ cups (180 g) all purpose flour , ½ cup (48 g) rolled or quick cooking oats, 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon , ½ teaspoon baking powder, ½ teaspoon baking soda, ½ teaspoon salt
- If you are using apples rather than applesauce, grate the apples and carrots. Place the shredded carrots and apples on paper towels. Gently squeeze the excess moisture from the carrots and apples. If you are using applesauce, just grate the carrots.1 cup shredded carrots, ½ cup applesauce
- In a large mixing bowl whisk the bananas until thoroughly mashed. Once the bananas are mashed, whisk in the eggs, maple syrup, milk, oil, vanilla extract, shredded carrots and shredded apples or applesauce until smooth and well combined.Stir the dry ingredients into the wet. Mix until just combined. Do not overmix. A few flour streaks is fine. Use a 3 tablespoon sized cookie scoop to scoop the apple, banana and carrot muffin batter into each of the muffin liners.1 cup mashed bananas, 2 large eggs, room temeprature, ½ cup (120 ml) maple syrup , ¼ cup (60 ml) neutral baking oil or melted butter, ¼ cup (60 ml) milk, room temperature, 2 teaspoons (10 ml) vanilla extract
- Bake the muffins at 400 F (204 C) for 18 - 22 minutes. The muffins are done when a toothpick inserted into the center comes about with a few moist crumbs or when a finger pressed gently into the center of the muffins quickly bounces back. Cool the abc muffins in the muffin pan for 5 - 10 minutes. Carefully remove the muffins to cool to room temperature and enjoy.
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