Like banana bread and carrot cake had a baby! Not only are these banana carrot muffins insanely delicious, but they couldn’t be easier to make, are prefect for meal prep and are freezer friendly.
We have a very old, very top secret family recipe for banana bread that gives you the most perfect, delicious loaf every time. So naturally, I adapted THAT recipe to make these soft & fluffy banana carrot muffins! Biting into one of these banana carrot- or maybe carrot banana muffins- (they’re equal parts of each!) makes you feel like you’re at a high end bakery shoppe. They’re THAT good!
Ingredients Needed
- Bananas: Mashed ripe bananas give these banana carrot muffins their insanely delicious banana flavor, as well as some additional sweetness!
- Carrots: Shredded carrots are hearty, and bring such a beautiful color to your muffins!
- Walnuts: These are totally optional, but I STRONGLY encourage you if you like walnuts. They add a great crunch and compliment the banana and carrot perfectly.
- Butter: A foundational element to these yummy muffins! You can totally use greek yogurt or even applesauce for a plant-based option if you prefer, too!
- Eggs: Acts as a binder to keep everything together and moist.
In addition to the ingredients listed above, you’ll need some basic pantry staples to make these yummy banana carrot muffins! Flour, sugar, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, and vanilla extract are all used, and are items that most of you will have on hand!
How To Make Banana Carrot Muffins
Even though the end result of these muffins is that of a bakery style muffin, they couldn’t be more fool proof to make!
First up, and probably my favorite part, mash the bananas! Honestly that’s the hardest part! Then, all you have to do is mix the wet ingredients together, combine the dry ingredients together, and then stir them all together to make the batter.
Once you have your batter mixed together, add in the carrots and walnuts (if using) and fold them in gently.
Fill your muffin tin with batter, add more walnuts if you like (and I DO like!), and pop them in the oven at 350 for about 35 minutes. BOOM. DONE. Seriously could NOT be easier! Takes all of 5 minutes, seriously!
Now you have delicious, easy, and oh-so-satisfying banana carrot muffins ready to enjoy!
Expert Tips
- When I make these banana carrot muffins I like to use my food processor to shred full-sized carrots. You can also do this by hand with a cheese grater, or you can buy pre-shredded carrots. This is the food processor that I have, it’s a Kitchen Aid food processor that I’ve had for YEARS! So worth the investment!
- If you’re adding nuts to these I like to pop them in the oven for 5-10 minutes before adding them. When you toast nuts this way it helps to bring out their flavor. Just be sure you allow them to cool all of the way before adding them to the batter so they don’t start cooking it! I usually put mine in the freezer for a few minutes to make sure they cool down.
- As with most banana baked goods, use the real ripe ones! The more brown spotty-ness on the outside the sweeter your bananas will be. Plus, they’re way easier to mash!
Frequently Asked Questions
You can easily substitute greek yogurt or applesauce for butter in MANY recipes. I make these carrot and banana muffins both ways, to be honest. Some days I use butter, some days I use greek yogurt for an added protein punch. Neither is right or wrong. You can also sub applesauce. But, don’t fear using real butter either! So satisfying!
Keep your muffins on the counter in a container for 5-7 days. If we have extra or if we don’t get through them all I’ll pop them in the freezer and store for 2-3 months (but they never make it that long haha!) A little tip is to freeze them in a plate or sheet pan first, THEN put them in a bag. This way they won’t stick!
While muffins tend to last longer when stored in the fridge, they also tend to dry out and become dense! For that reason, it’s recommended to store them either at room temperature or in the freezer for long term storage.
If you don’t have walnuts on hand, you can easily use chopped pecans, hazelnuts, brazil nuts, pistachios, or almonds in their place!
Get creative and add some serious to your flavor with any mix-ins of your choice! Coconut flakes, chocolate chips, additional chopped nuts, or raisins are all great additions. I am all about adding more flavor and adapting recipes to use up whatever you have on hand!
I know you’ll love these banana carrot muffins as much as I do- and my husband does, too! Be sure to leave a star rating on the recipe and a comment if you like them! I love hearing how you guys like each recipe!
Happy eating!
XOXO
-Colleen
More Easy Muffin Recipes
Easy Banana Carrot Muffins
Ingredients
- 2 bananas ripe and spotty!
- 2 eggs
- 1 tsp vanilla
- 1/2 cup melted butter cooled
- 1 1/4 cups flour
- 1 cup sugar
- 1 tsp soda
- 1/2 tsp cinnamon
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1/4 tsp nutmeg
- 1 1/2 cups shredded carrots I like to use a cheese grater!
- 1/2 cup toasted walnuts optional (let’s use!)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375 and line a muffin tin with liners or spray with non-stick spray, set aside.
- Mash bananas in a large bowl with a potato masher (may also use a fork)
- Add in egg, vanilla and butter, mixing well.
- Next, add the flour, sugar, soda, cinnamon, salt and nutmeg until well combined and uniform.
- Fold in the shredded carrots and walnuts (if using)
- Pour batter into prepared muffin tin (topping with extra walnuts if desired) and bake for 22-24 minutes. Muffins are done when they are golden and a toothpick inserted comes out clean.
- Allow muffins to cool fully before storing in an air tight container for 5-7 days on the counter. May also freeze the muffins and keep for 2-3 months.
Notes
Nutrition Facts
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Meghan Towns says
I’ve already made these twice and they are absolutely delicious! My son also loves them so double win. I get to crank out an easy veggie in the morning.
Colleen says
Yay! So glad you love! This recipe is a staple in my house, too. Thanks for sharing with me!
Amalia says
These were delish! I did make a few changes though – I did half brown sugar half white instead of just white, I added a little bran and a sprinkling of mini chocolate chips. I also sprinkled coarse sugar on the tops for extra crunch 😊
Colleen says
LOVE those changes! Might need to do that myself!
Brittani says
These muffins are so moist and delicious. Plus they are so easy to make! I swapped GF flour and they were still so good!
Bethany says
These are so yummy, I’ve made them three times! I substituted the eggs for 2 flax eggs, and the butter for vegan butter, and pecans instead of walnuts. Great recipe!!
Bethany says
I love these muffins! I make them all the time. I sub the eggs for flax eggs and use a vegan butter. I always use toasted pecans, because it’s what I have on hand. So so good.
Colleen says
DELISH!
Rebecca says
I used half regular flour and for the other half I made my own flour out of Fiber One cereal for some extra fiber. I toast it and have it for breakfast with a yogurt
Kristi Bridges says
I used maple flavoring instead of vanilla and only needed half the sugar. These are so moist and delicious!!!
Colleen says
So glad they were yummy! Maple flavor sounds amazing!
Morgan says
I really enjoyed these! I love sneaking an extra serving of veggies in at breakfast and this is a nice break from the egg-and-veggie routine. I used slivered almonds and dried cranberries instead of coconut and walnuts (only because I happened to have them around, I love coconut and walnuts). Excited to try this again with more subs, like parsnips for carrots!
Colleen says
YUM! What a delicious combo!
Shelly says
I just made these muffins and they came out really good. My husband loved them as well. We left out the walnuts (because I am a headache/migraine sufferer & they are my #2 trigger). But, luckily I am able to eat bananas without ill effects (another trigger for many headache sufferers.)
Belen says
I made a double batch this morning to use up the bananas, carrots & eggs in the fridge before we leave for vacation. Not only does my house smell incredibly delicious! The muffins are so soft, spongy and they have the perfect banana, carrot balance of flavors! I didn’t have any nuts on hand, but I think crunchy pecans would be perfect! Thanks so much!
Colleen says
Yay! So glad you loved!