Banana carrot muffins are light and fluffy muffins filled with creamy mashed bananas and sweet grated carrots. These moist banana and carrot muffins are easy to make in a few simple steps for a delicious and easy to make breakfast, snack or even for meal prep.
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Why Should You Make This Recipe
I absolutely adore making muffins. My Double Chocolate Chip Muffins, Peanut Butter Muffins, Vanilla Muffins, Buttermilk Blueberry Muffins, Lemon Muffins and Cinnamon Muffins are a few I love muffin recipes I always reach for when I want a delicious muffin. I know you’ll love these cozy and flavorful muffins with carrots and bananas just as much as my other muffin recipes.
- Easy to make, bake and eat. All you need to make these easy and cozy banana carrot muffins are a few mixing bowls, a whisk and a muffin pan (or two).
- Perfect for breakfast and snacking. These oat topped banana carrot muffins are perfect for busy school mornings, meal prep or as a quick, but filling snack.
Ingredients
These carrot and banana muffins require only a handful of simple ingredients to make. Here’s what you’ll need.
- Dry Ingredients: Gather all purpose flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger and salt.
- Wet Ingredients: Gather melted butter, light brown sugar, sugar, mashed bananas, eggs, vanilla extract and shredded carrots.
Substitutions
These moist banana carrot cake muffins are as easy to make as they are delicious. Here are my recommended substitutions to make these homemade carrot and banana 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 (240 g) rather than cup for cup.
- Baking Powder and Baking Soda: Make sure both are fresh and in date.
- Ground Spices: These complement the flavors of carrots and bananas and give the muffins an almost carrot cake like flavor. Feel free to use 1 ½ teaspoons of own preferred spices.
- 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.
- Melted Butter: Feel free to use plant based or dairy free butter if you like. Any neutral tasting oil will also work well.
- Light Brown and Granulated Sugar: These cozy and hearty muffins with bananas and carrots call for granulated sugar, but maple sugar or coconut sugar 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 and ground spices.
- Old Fashioned Oats: This is an optional topping. Feel free to omit.
Variations
- Mini Banana Carrot 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.
- Banana Carrot Muffin Mix-ins: Feel free to add up to ½ cup raisins or chopped nuts like pecans or walnuts to the muffin batter at the same time as the carrots.
- Healthier Swaps: Feel free to substitute all the sugar with ½ cup honey or maple syrup. Another option is to swap the sugar with ½ cup applesauce and ¼ cup light brown sugar.
How To Make
Learn how to make the banana carrot muffins in a few easy steps.
- Preheat the oven to 375 F (190 C) for at least 30 minutes before baking. Line (2) 12 ct. muffin pans with cupcake liners. Add the flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger and salt to a mixing bowl. Shred the carrots using a box grater. Tip: Use the smaller holes.
- In another bowl whisk the bananas until thoroughly mashed. Then whisk in the butter and sugars until smooth and well combined. Once smooth and well combined whisk in the eggs and vanilla extract until smooth and well combined. Stir the dry ingredients into the wet ? at a time then stir in the grated carrots. Do not overmix. A few flour streaks is fine.
3. For more bakery style muffins, alternate filled and unfilled muffin wells. Use a 3 tablespoon sized cookie scoop to scoop the banana and carrot muffin batter into each of the muffin liners, alternating every other cup. Top the muffins with a few rolled oats if you like. Bake the muffins at 375 F (190 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 oat carrot and banana 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 oatmeal banana muffins in an airtight container at room temperature 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 banana carrot cake 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 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.
- 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 carrot banana oat muffins.
- 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.
- Don’t overmix the muffin batter. Mix in the dry ingredients into the wet by hand until just combined.
- 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
Feel free to substitute the light brown and granulated sugar with maple sugar or coconut sugar.
Yes, swap the all purpose flour with a 1:1 gluten free flour. Measure the flour based on weight.
A few things go into creating moist muffins. Make sure to use full fat, room temperature ingredients, mixing the dry and wet ingredients until just combined and not over baking the muffins.
This is an optional step to help the muffin tops dome and puff up a bit higher. Feel free to bake all 12 muffins in one muffin pan or alternate every other cup using two muffin pans.
Other Banana Recipes To Try
Other Carrot Recipes to Try
If you try this Banana Carrot 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
Banana Carrot Muffins Recipe
Equipment
- 1 box cheese grater
- 1 whisk
- 1 - 2 12 count muffin pan
- 12 cupcake liners
- 1 large cookie scoop (3 tbsp, 45 ml)
Ingredients
- 1¾ cup (210 g) all purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon ground ginger
- ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- ½ cup (113 g) melted butter
- 1 cup finely shredded carrots (about 2 large carrots)
- 1 cup mashed bananas (about 2 medium - large banana)
- ½ cup (100 g) granulated sugar
- ¼ cup (50 g) light brown sugar
- 2 large eggs, room temperature
- 2 teaspoons (10 ml) vanilla extract
- 2 - 3 tablespoons rolled oats for topping, optional
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375 F (190 C) for at least 30 minutes before baking. Line (2) 12 ct. muffin pans with cupcake liners.
- Add the flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger and salt to a mixing bowl.1¾ cup (210 g) all purpose flour, 1 teaspoon baking powder, ½ teaspoon baking soda, ½ teaspoon salt, 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon , ¼ teaspoon ground ginger, ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- Place the butter in a small microwave safe bowl. Heat the butter in the mircrowave for 45 - 60 seconds or until the butter is melted.Shred the carrots using a box grater. Tip: Use the smaller holes. Set aside for now.½ cup (113 g) melted butter, 1 cup finely shredded carrots
- In another bowl whisk the bananas until thoroughly mashed. Then whisk in the butter and sugars until smooth and well combined. Once smooth and well combined whisk in the eggs and vanilla extract until smooth and well combined. Stir the dry ingredients into the wet ⅓ at a time then stir in the grated carrots. Do not overmix. A few flour streaks is fine.1 cup mashed bananas, ½ cup (100 g) granulated sugar, ¼ cup (50 g) light brown sugar, 2 large eggs, room temperature, 2 teaspoons (10 ml) vanilla extract
- For more bakery style muffins, alternate filled and unfilled muffin wells. Use a 3 tablespoon sized cookie scoop to scoop the banana and carrot muffin batter into each of the muffin liners, alternating every other cup. Top the muffins with a few rolled oats if you like.2 - 3 tablespoons rolled oats for topping, optional
- Bake the muffins at 375 F (190 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 oat carrot and banana muffins in the muffin pan for 5 - 10 minutes. Carefully remove the muffins to cool to room temperature and enjoy.
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