Banana Carrot Muffins made with whole wheat flour, shredded carrots and ripe bananas are light, fluffy, and moist. A healthy muffin recipe the entire family will love!
Just like these healthy morning glory muffins and carrot zucchini muffins, they’re the perfect start to a busy day.
If healthy banana muffins and healthy carrot muffins had a baby, the result would be these naturally sweetened banana carrot muffins, delicious!
The flavors and warm spices mingle perfectly. Think healthy carrot cake meets healthy banana bread in an easy to make, one bowl healthy muffin.
With no added refined sugar and loaded with fruit, veggies, and nuts, these carrot banana muffins make for a healthy breakfast, grab-and-go snack, and are freezer friendly.
Ingredients for Banana Carrot Muffins
This banana carrot muffins recipe uses everyday wholesome ingredients.
- Bananas: Very ripe bananas are the best, they should have many brown spots or patches. You can use previously frozen bananas or here is a quick tutorial how to ripen bananas faster.
- Egg: Adds texture and help muffins rise. Chia egg or flax egg will work but muffins will rise less.
- Applesauce: Keeps the muffins sweet and moist. You can use sweetened or unsweetened applesauce. I like unsweetened applesauce to keep healthy banana carrot muffins low in sugar.
- Maple syrup or honey: Any liquid sweetener would work, like agave. I personally like the taste of maple syrup best.
- Light oil: Use whatever light olive oil you have on hand to add moisture. I used avocado oil.
- Baking staples and spices: Vanilla extract, cinnamon, baking powder, baking salt, and salt.
- Whole wheat flour: I love using regular whole wheat flour, white whole wheat flour, or spelt flour for their extra nutrients and fiber.
- Carrots: You will need around 3 medium carrots. I find it’s best to use the small side of a box grater to create thin, grated carrots. They make carrot banana muffins more moist and “hide the veggies”.
- Add-ins: To get that carrot cake taste I used raisins and chopped walnuts, but you can use any dried fruit or nuts.
How to Make Banana Carrot Muffins
Follow these simple steps with photos to make banana carrot muffins. There is full recipe card below.
Start by preheating your oven to 375 F, add muffin liners to your muffin tin and spray them with cooking spray.
- Mash the bananas: In a large mixing bowl, mash ripe bananas with a fork or potato masher.
- Make muffin batter and add mix-ins: Add an egg, applesauce, maple syrup, oil, vanilla extract, cinnamon, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Gently stir in flour without overmixing. Fold in the shredded carrots, raisins, and walnuts.
- Bake the muffins: Evenly distribute the batter into your prepared 12 muffin tin and bake for 20-22 minutes. The muffins are done when a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean.
- Cool and enjoy: Let the muffins cool for a few minutes in the pan so they don’t lose their shape. Then transfer to a cooling rack.
Tips for Best Results
Here are my top baking tips for this easy banana carrot muffins recipe.
- Use overripe bananas: For best sweet results and luscious banana flavor.
- Grate carrots finely and don’t squeeze: The excess moisture from carrots adds to the texture and helps the muffins stay moist.
- To ripen bananas faster: Place them on a baking sheet and bake at 300 F for 40 minutes.
- Don’t over bake the muffins: To prevent dry muffins, remove them from the oven as soon as the toothpick comes out clean.
- Spray muffin liners or use parchment paper ones: These banana carrots muffins will stick, so you’ll want to spray your muffin pan with cooking spray generously.
- Add or omit whatever mix-ins you like: The combination of banana and carrot will make your taste buds dance, but there are lots of fun ways to mix it up. Use pecans or almonds in place of walnuts. Add a teaspoon of ground nutmeg, dried cranberries, or even chocolate chips.
How to Store Carrot Banana Muffins
Store: These carrot banana muffins are quite moist. Store on a counter for 2 days covered with an opening. If you store them airtight, mold will quickly build up. After that you can refrigerate a few more days or freeze.
Freeze: In an airtight container or bag for up to 3 months. Thaw on a counter for a few hours or overnight.
Storage Tip
For more tips and best practices to make your muffins last longer, check out my guides how to store muffins and how to freeze muffins.
FAQs
You can use yogurt instead of applesauce but muffins will be less sweet. I recommend adding 2 more tablespoons of maple syrup if using yogurt.
You may use 1 cup of all-purpose flour for every 3/4 cup of whole wheat flour the recipe calls for.
All purpose gluten free flour needs more liquid. Unfortunately you cannot use almond flour, oat flour or coconut flour directly in this recipe. Please see below for alternative flour muffin recipes.
Yes. Bake at 350F for 50-60 minutes until toothpick comes out clean. Cool 10 minutes in the loaf pan, then cool on wire rack and slice.
Yes. Decrease baking time to 11-12 minutes.
More Carrot Recipes to Try
- Carrot baked oatmeal bars
- Healthy carrot cake bars
- Almond flour carrot cake
- Carrot cake baked oatmeal
More Banana Muffin Recipes to Try
- Almond flour banana muffins
- Oat flour banana muffins
- Healthy banana oatmeal muffins
- Healthy zucchini banana muffins
- Protein banana muffins
- Pumpkin banana muffins
- Healthy banana chocolate chip muffins
- Healthy blueberry banana muffins
- Vegan banana muffins
Banana Carrot Muffins
Ingredients
- 3 large overripe bananas 1 1/2 cups mashed
- 1 large egg
- 1/2 cup applesauce sweetened or unsweetened
- 1/4 cup maple syrup or honey
- 1/4 cup any light oil I use avocado oil
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 3/4 cups whole wheat or spelt flour
- 1 cup carrots grated small
- 1/2 cup raisins
- 1/2 cup walnuts chopped
- Cooking spray I use Misto
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees F, line 12 muffin tin with muffin liners and spray with cooking spray. Set aside.
- In a large mixing bowl, mash bananas with a fork or potato masher. Add an egg, applesauce, maple syrup, oil, vanilla extract, cinnamon, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Whisk well to combine until there are no visible lumps.
- Add flour and gently stir until well incorporated. Do not over mix otherwise muffins will be tough.
- Now add carrots, raisins and walnuts. Mix gently just enough to combine.
- Using regular ice cream scoop, divide batter between openings evenly (they will be full) and bake for 20-22 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the centre comes out clean.
- Remove banana carrot muffins from the oven, let them cool for about 5 minutes and then transfer to a cooling rack to cool off more. Enjoy warm or cold.
Notes
- Store: Loosely covered on a counter for 2 days. Muffins are moist, so do not seal them tight. After they can last in the fridge for a couple more days.
- Freeze: In an airtight container or bag for up to 3 months. Thaw on a counter for a few hours or overnight.
- Bananas: Choose very ripe bananas that are yellow with many brown spots to brown patches.
- Liquid sweetener: No dry sweetener like sugar please. You have to keep dry to wet ingredients ratio.
- Sweetened or unsweetened applesauce: Either can be used. Can substitute with yogurt 2% and higher fat content. Please do not use non-fat yogurt and add 2 more tablespoons of maple syrup.