Banana Carrot Muffins

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These banana carrot muffins are soft, fluffy, and so easy to make! Packed with fruits and vegetables, warm spices, and perfect for breakfast, brunch, or a snack. No mixer required and ready in under 30 minutes!

a banana carrot muffin on a muffin tray with more muffins around it

I love muffins for grabbing a quick snack on the go, and it's an added bonus when a muffin has hidden fruits and veggies (like zucchini muffins or banana protein muffins).

These banana carrot muffins have a full cup of carrots in them, so they're a perfect way to sneak in some healthy vegetables.

These muffins are equally delicious fresh out of the oven or reheated after freezing! They're kid approved, easy to customize, and taste even better slathered with butter or nut butter.

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Why These Banana Carrot Muffins Work

These banana carrot muffins can be made with all purpose flour, white whole wheat flour, or regular whole wheat flour. You can also use a combination of white and whole wheat!
The carrots in the muffins can be grated as thin as you'd like if you really want to hide the carrots in them (perfect for picky eaters!)
You can add chopped walnuts, pecans, raisins, cranberries, or even chocolate chips to the muffins to bring them up a notch!
These muffins freeze extremely well, so they are perfect for meal prep or after school and after work snacks.
These carrot banana muffins are such a good way to sneak in healthy fruits and vegetables for toddlers and kids of all ages.
This recipe is so easy, there are just a handful of steps, you don't need a mixer, and it uses simple ingredients.

Ingredients Needed

Butter: you can use regular dairy butter, or dairy free butter. You can also use an equal amount of oil (any neutral oil is fine) or unsweetened apple sauce.
Carrots: you need 1 packed cup of shredded carrots (around 3-4 medium carrots). They can be peeled or not, and you can shred them as finely as you'd like.
Banana: this recipe calls for 1 cup of mashed banana. The riper the better, and I often use frozen bananas and thaw them. The riper the bananas, the sweeter the muffins will be.
Sugar: These banana carrot muffins use mostly light brown sugar, and just a little bit of white granulated sugar. You can replace the granulated sugar with more brown sugar if desired. For a healthier option, you can use coconut sugar.
Flour: The recipe calls for all-purpose flour, but you can also use white whole wheat flour, regular whole wheat flour, or a combination. Texture will be affected slightly when using whole wheat flour, as it is denser.

Step By Step Instructions

Note: Full ingredient measurements and instructions can be found in the recipe card at the bottom of this page.

STEP ONE: Preheat the oven to 350°F and prepare a muffin tin with a light coating of cooking spray or muffin liners. Whisk together flour, nutmeg, cinnamon, salt, baking powder and baking soda and set aside.

STEP TWO: Shred the carrots and mash the bananas and set aside. Melt butter in a large microwave-safe bowl, then add in eggs and vanilla extract and mix. Mix in both sugars, then add bananas and carrots.

STEP THREE: Pour the dry ingredients into the bowl slowly and mix until just combined.

Fill the muffin liners ¾ of the way full, then bake for 15-19 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the middle of a muffin comes out clean.

step by step collage showing the process of making banana carrot muffins

FAQs and Expert Tips

Are these banana carrot muffins healthy?

They do have fruits and vegetables in them, but there is also some sugar, flour, and butter. I've included notes above for substitutions to make them healthier.

Why are my muffins dry?

These muffins are very soft and moist, and shouldn't be dry at all. They use a full cup of bananas, carrots, as well as milk and brown sugar to add tons of moisture.

If your banana carrot muffins came out dry, you most likely over-measured your flour or over-mixed the batter. Some ingredient substitutions may also lead to dryness.

Can I make these muffins vegan or egg free?

This recipe hasn't been tested without eggs so I can't say for sure how it will turn out. If you'd like to try it out, I would recommend replacing the eggs with 2 flax eggs or a store bought egg replacer.

Can I make these muffins as a banana carrot loaf?

Yes! This recipe will make one 9x5 inch loaf cake and can be baked at 350°F for around 50-60 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the middle of the loaf comes out clean.

Can I make these muffins refined sugar free?

The brown sugar and white sugar can be replaced with coconut sugar at a 1:1 ratio.

If you'd like to use maple syrup, you'll need around ⅔ cup. Because maple syrup is liquid, you may need to add a little bit of flour (a couple tablespoons should be fine), to balance out the extra liquid.

two banana carrot muffins stacked on each other with a bite out of one of them

Expert Tips

Properly measure your flour: I recommend using a kitchen scale for all baking, but you can also use the scoop and level method if you don't have a scale. Too much flour will lead to dry muffins. If you are using whole wheat flour, I recommend substituting by weight, instead of cups.
Don't over-mix the batter: Mix the batter just until the last specks of dry ingredients have disappeared. This is one of the keys to fluffy muffin texture!
Keep an eye on the bake time: Bake times can vary in different ovens, so check on them early to avoid over-baking.
Fill the muffins to ¾ full to avoid the batter spilling over!
These muffins go really well with semisweet chocolate chips or chopped nuts (I love using walnuts!).

Storage and Freezing Instructions

The banana carrot muffins will be good for 2-3 days at room temperature in an airtight container, but I like to freeze them in a ziploc freezer bag as soon as they have cooled completely.

When ready to serve, I take them out (individually if it's just for me) and microwave it for 20-30 seconds for warm muffins, or let the muffins thaw at room temperature.

More Muffin Recipes You'll Love

If you make this recipe, let me know how it went in the comments below, I’d love to hear from you! You can also tag me on Instagram or Facebook so I can check it out!

The calorie information provided for this recipe is an estimate. The accuracy of the calories listed is not guaranteed.