These Banana Carrot Muffins blend the best of banana bread and moist classic carrot cake into one delicious treat. Light, fluffy, and with a tender crumb, these muffins can be made from scratch in under 30 minutes. Perfect for breakfast, brunch, or picnics, they're simply delightful.
Table of Contents
These muffins are truly unique, combining ripe bananas and shredded carrots into an unexpected yet perfect fruit and vegetable pairing. Once they come out of the oven, you’ll see why this combo is a match made in heaven.
The best thing about muffins is their versatility. You can mix in countless flavors to create a delightful treat that’s perfect for breakfast or anytime throughout the day, just like these Blueberry Muffins, Vegan Blackberry Muffins, Apple Cinnamon Muffins, Orange Muffins and Peach Cobbler Muffins.
Why You'll Love This Recipe
- Whip up these muffins in under 30 minutes with just a few basic pantry ingredients.
- These muffins boast a light, airy, and moist crumb, packed with the delightful and powerful flavors of banana and carrot.
- They are the perfect treat for breakfast, picnics, or brunches.
- These muffins are the best way to utilize those ripe bananas on your counter.
- If you are a banana lover, do try my Banana Bread without Baking Soda, Banana Chocolate Chip Muffins, 4 Ingredient Banana Muffins and this Blueberry Banana Cake.
Ingredients
- All-purpose flour provides the base and structure to this cake.
- Carrots - Grate fresh carrots for these muffins
- Bananas - Use ripen bananas like this for best results. The riper the bananas, the more flavorful your muffins will be.
See the recipe card below for a full list of ingredients and quantities.
Substitutions & Variations
- I recommend grating fresh carrots for this recipe to ensure maximum freshness and nutrient content. However, pre-shredded carrots from the supermarket can be used for convenience, though they may be thicker and drier.
- Substitute full-fat yogurt for sour cream in this recipe. Full-fat yogurt provides a similar creamy texture and tangy flavor, making it an excellent alternative.
- Substitute pecans with your preferred nuts, such as almonds or walnuts, to customize the flavor and texture of your recipe. Almonds will add a mild, nutty taste with a bit of crunch, while walnuts offer a rich, slightly bitter flavor.
- Add ½ cup of raisins to the batter, which will add a delightful burst of natural sweetness and a chewy texture that complements the moistness of the muffins.
- If you’re a chocolate lover, consider adding ½ cup of chocolate chips that will melt into the batter, creating rich pockets of chocolate throughout the baked goods.
- For Banana Carrot Zucchini Muffins version, substitute zucchini for pecans. Be sure to squeeze out excess moisture from the zucchini before mixing it with the mashed bananas and shredded carrots as the zucchinis carry a lot of moisture.
This recipe hasn't been tested with alternative substitutions or variations. If you choose to replace or include different ingredients, we'd love to hear about your experience. Please share your feedback in the comments section below!
Baking Pro Tips
1. Unless a recipe says otherwise, always use room-temperature ingredients. This helps them mix together smoothly and evenly, for perfect results every time.
2. Ditch the measuring cups and grab your digital scale. Weighing dry ingredients in grams ensures perfect accuracy and consistent results.
How to Make Banana Carrot Muffins
Detailed Instructions Below! See the key steps here, then head to the recipe card below for full instructions.
1. Take a large bowl and sift the dry ingredients and set aside.
2. Combine the vegetable oil and sour cream in a large mixing bowl. Add eggs, vanilla extract and sugars, whisk until everything is fully incorporated.
3. Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and gently stir until mixed.
4. Add the shredded carrots, mashed bananas and ¾ pecans to the batter. Mix until combined.
5. Scoop out the muffins in muffin liners.
6. Sprinkle pecans on the top and bake for 18 minutes until a wooden skewer inserted comes out clean.
Serving Suggestions
- Before serving, spread a pat of butter over the warm muffins. The butter will melt into the soft crumb, enhancing their flavor and adding a rich, creamy texture making them even more indulgent and delicious.
Expert Tips
- For the best flavor, use very ripe bananas in your muffin batter. The natural sweetness and intensified banana flavor of ripe bananas will enhance the taste, ensuring your muffins are perfectly sweet and richly flavored.
- Avoid overmixing the muffin batter, as it can lead to the development of gluten, resulting in dense and tough muffins. Gently fold the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients, stirring just until combined.
Recipe FAQs
Absolutely! You can bake these muffins as a loaf instead. I recommend using a rectangular loaf pan and baking for 35-45 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean with a few crumbs and without any wet batter.
Yes, you can absolutely use frozen bananas. Simply let them thaw in their peels, then remove the peels and make sure to include both the bananas and any liquid that’s released during the thawing process. This liquid is packed with flavor and will add extra moisture to your muffins, ensuring they turn out perfectly sweet and tender.
How to Store
Room Temperature
These Banana Carrot Muffins will stay fresh for up to 2 days when stored in an airtight container at room temperature.
Refrigerate
For longer storage, you can keep them in the refrigerator, where they will maintain their flavor and moisture for up to a week in a seal airtight container.
Freezing Instructions
To freeze the muffins simply wrap each muffin individually in plastic wrap or foil, place them in a zip-top bag, and freeze for up to 3 months. When ready to enjoy, thaw them at room temperature or warm them briefly in the oven or microwave.
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Related Banana Recipes
Recipe
Banana Carrot Muffins
Equipment
- 1 Muffin tray
- 16 Muffin liners
- 1 ice-cream scoop
Ingredients
- 1 ½ cup all-purpose flour (180 g) sifted
- ½ teaspoon cinnamon powder (2 g)
- 1 teaspoon baking powder (5 g)
- ½ teaspoon baking soda (3 g)
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 1 cup carrots (110 g) (about 2 medium sized carrots) shredded
- 1 cup mashed bananas (2 - 3 medium sized bananas) use very ripe bananas
- ¾ cup pecans (83 g)
- 2 eggs room temperature
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ¼ cup vegetable oil (48 g)
- ¼ cup sour cream (60 g) room temperature
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 380°F and line the muffin tray with paper liners.
- In a large bowl, sift the all-purpose flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon powder. Stir until well mixed, then set aside.
- In a separate mixing bowl, combine the vegetable oil and sour cream. Using an electric mixer, beat until well combined. Add the eggs, vanilla extract and sugars, continue to beat until everything is fully incorporated.
- Add the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients, mixing until just combined.
- Now gently fold the shredded carrots, bananas, and half of the pecans into the batter until well combined.
- Use an ice cream scoop to portion the batter into each muffin liner, filling them about two-thirds full. Sprinkle pecans on top.
- Place the muffin tray in the preheated oven at 380°F for 7-8 minutes. Then, reduce the temperature to 350°F and continue baking for an additional 10-12 minutes.
- Allow the muffins to cool in the pan for 3 to 5 minutes before transferring them to a wire rack. They are best served once they’ve cooled slightly but are still warm.
Notes
- For the best flavor, use very ripe bananas in your muffin batter. The natural sweetness and intensified banana flavor of ripe bananas will enhance the taste, ensuring your muffins are perfectly sweet and richly flavored.
- Avoid overmixing the muffin batter, as it can lead to the development of gluten, resulting in dense and tough muffins. Gently fold the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients, stirring just until combined.
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