Carrot and Banana Muffins
These Carrot and Banana Muffins are the perfect solution to that overstock of ripe bananas in your freezer AND what to serve at Easter brunch. Bonus: The only difference between a muffin and a cupcake is the addition of frosting. Choose your own adventure here! They are scrumptious as-is or can be topped with a simple cream cheese frosting for a delightfully balanced dessert.
What’s to love about this?
I don’t know about you, but I’m always looking for new ways to leverage the abundance of ripe freezer fruit in my backstock (hello, one billion frozen bananas). I also love a beautifully balanced carrot cake recipe to serve up in early spring for a planned (or spontaneous!) brunch or to stock up the freezer for future indulgences. So, this recipe really hits all the notes for me. Sidenote: these freeze really, really well!
Simple Ingredients List
- Brown sugar
- Mashed ripe bananas
- Avocado oil
- Eggs
- All purpose flour (or 1:1 gluten-free baking flour)
- Baking soda
- Cinnamon
- Nutmeg
- Cardamom
- Kosher salt
- Grated carrots
- Chopped pecans
- Shredded, unsweetened coconut
- Raisins or currants (optional)
Ways to Serve Carrot and Banana Muffins
In my experience, a muffin is nothing other than an unfrosted cupcake. While I love these Carrot and Banana Muffins just as they are, especially warm from the oven and as a morning treat, they are also a great base for a decadent cream cheese frosting. I have one of my own in the works, but for now, I’ll share my go-to from King Arthur Baking Company. What’s your favorite cream cheese frosting recipe!? Let me know in the comments.
Carrot and Banana Muffins
Equipment
- 2 12-cup muffin tins
- 24 Cupcake liners
- 2 Medium mixing bowls
- Measuring cups and spoons
- Mesh sieve
- Hand mixer or whisk
- Rubber spatula
- Cookie scoop
- Wire cooling rack
Ingredients
- 1 ½ cups brown sugar
- 1 ½ cups mashed ripe bananas
- 1 ¼ cups avocado oil
- 1 teaspoon real vanilla extract
- 4 large eggs
- 2 cups all purpose flour or 1:1 gluten-free baking flour
- 2 teaspoons baking soda
- 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
- ½ teaspoon cardamom
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
- 2 ½ cups finely grated carrots
- ½ cup roughly chopped pecans
- ½ cup shredded unsweetened coconut
- ½ cup raisins or currants optional
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C) and prep the muffin tins with liners.
- In a medium mixing bowl, combine the brown sugar, mashed bananas, vanilla extract, and oil. Add the eggs, one at a time, whisking into the sugar-oil mixture until fully combined.
- In another bowl, sift together the flour, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, cardamom, and salt. Slowly add the sifted ingredients to the wet mixture and stir until smooth.
- Add the carrots, pecans, and shredded coconut, stirring only until all the ingredients are evenly incorporated.
- Evenly distribute the batter into the lined muffin tins. There should be about ½ inch between the batter and the top of the muffin liner.
- Bake for 18-20 minutes, or until the tops are golden. Insert a toothpick into the center of the muffin. If it comes out clean, they’re ready to go!
- Allow the muffins to cool for a few minutes before transferring them to a wire rack to cool completely.
- Once cooled, enjoy them just as they are or top them off with a simple and decadent cream cheese frosting. Enjoy!
Notes
- If you decide to frost and serve as cupcakes, I recommend omitting the optional dried fruit to avoid an overly sweet treat.
- Serve as a tea cake by pouring batter into prepared loaf pans and adjusting bake time to ~50 minutes or until your toothpick test is a success!
- You can also add shredded apple or zucchini into the mix if you’d like to take this even further in the direction of a ‘morning glory’ muffin. What a great way to pack in all the fruits and veg while enjoying a scratch-made treat.
- The sweetness from the carrots and bananas allows for a bit less added sugar in this recipe, which is a win!
- These Carrot Banana Muffins are delicious alongside a cuppa Earl Grey tea.
A Few Helpful Notes for Carrot and Banana Muffins
- These freeze beautifully for up to three months. Talk about the gift that keeps on giving!
- If you decide to frost and serve as cupcakes, I recommend omitting the optional dried fruit to avoid an overly sweet treat.
- Serve as a tea cake by pouring batter into prepared loaf pans and adjusting bake time to ~50 minutes or until your toothpick test is a success!
- You can also add shredded apple or zucchini into the mix if you’d like to take this even further in the direction of a ‘morning glory’ muffin. What a great way to pack in all the fruits and veg while enjoying a scratch-made treat.
- The sweetness from the carrots and bananas allows for a bit less added sugar in this recipe, which is a win!
- These Carrot Banana Muffins are delicious alongside a cuppa Earl Grey tea.
Bonus tip: If you’re a fan of cream cheese frosting and cheesecake-related desserts, you will love my No-Bake Blueberry Cheesecake Bars. They’re a staple in my late spring / early summer cookout arsenal.
I hope you make these Carrot and Banana Muffins and share them with people you love.
Cheers, friends!
