Carrot and Banana Muffins

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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. 

Capture of Carrot and Banana Muffin ingredients.

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.

Naked Carrot and Banana Muffins, sprinkles on the side.
Overhead shot of Carrot and Banana Muffins. Some with frosting and sprinkles, some bare.

Carrot and Banana Muffins

Amber Dawn | The Host Notes
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.
Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Prep Time 30 minutes
Cook Time 25 minutes
Course Brunch, Dessert, Snack
Cuisine American
Servings 24 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.
Keyword Brunch, Carrot Cake, Easter, Easy Dessert
Carrot and Banana Muffins with and without Frosting.

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!

Amber Dawn

Fresh Mango Salsa

Amber Dawn | The Host Notes
This pico-style salsa is sweet and savory which means it has depth in flavor that plays well with your favorite grilled seafood or tacos, or maybe even a lovely addition to a 7-layer-dip. Spice it up or tone it down - it's versatile and delectable however you serve it up. The best part? Even the mango naysayers seem to love it. Take along as a side dish to your next cookout or bunko night and add some color and zip to the table.
Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Prep Time 35 minutes
Cook Time 0 minutes
Total Time 35 minutes
Course Appetizer, Side Dish, Snack
Cuisine American, Mexican
Servings 6 people

Equipment

  • Medium mixing bowl
  • Cutting board or butcher block
  • Chef's knife
  • Paring knife
  • Microplane or zester
  • Handheld juicer
  • Bench scraper
  • Measuring cups & spoons
  • Wooden spoon or rubber spatula

Ingredients
  

  • 1 Mango large, ripe
  • 3-4 Tomatoes Roma
  • 1 Red onion medium
  • 1 Serrano OR jalapeno pepper for less spice remove seeds to decrease spice level
  • 1 Cup Cilantro chopped
  • 1 Clove Garlic grated
  • 3-4 Limes medium, juiced (about ½ cup)
  • 1 teaspoon Chili powder
  • ¼ teaspoon Cumin
  • 1 teaspoon Red pepper flakes
  • ½ teaspoon Kosher salt or to taste

Instructions
 

  • Wash your produce well and set aside to dry, pat dry with a clean kitchen towel to speed up the process.
  • Using your chef’s knife, hold the mango carefully with the stem up on the cutting board. Apply enough pressure to hold it steady while you slice into the mango on all sides, removing as much fruit as possible while avoiding the pit. Keep the peel on for now and focus on getting all the mango you can get.
  • Using your paring knife, take the pieces of mango w/ peel on and slice them in to ½ inch strips. Then, score them into cubes, slicing the fruit but without slicing through the skin. Using your paring knife, carefully remove the skin from the mango, salvaging as much of the fruit as you can and discarding the skin. Add the cubes to your bowl.
  • Quarter your Roma tomatoes and remove the juicy pockets and seeds. This will make your salsa less watered down and allow the flavors to shine.
  • Dice the tomatoes into ¼ inch cubes and add to the large mixing bowl and set aside.
  • Dice the onion into ¼ inch cubes and add to your bowl.
  • Wearing gloves, slice your serrano or jalapeno in half lengthwise. At this point, you can remove the seeds by using a small spoon to scrape them out. If you’d like a spicy salsa, leave the seeds in. Half the peppers once more so you are left with four long strips. Line them up and dice into ¼ inch pieces. Add to your bowl.
  • Rough chop the cilantro to the consistency you like. It can be fine or super rough and using the stems is fine, if you like them.
  • Peel and grate the garlic and add to the bowl.
  • Juice the limes until you have about ½ cup of fresh lime juice. Add to your bowl.
  • Add the chili powder, cumin, red pepper flakes, and salt.
  • Give the salsa a good stir, incorporating all the ingredients until well combined.
  • Serve cold or at room temperature with tortilla chips, over grilled fish or meat, or on your favorite tacos.
  • Mango Salsa will store in the fridge for 2-3 days.

Notes

Mango is a pretty fibrous fruit and requires sharp knives to avoid smashing the fruit when chopping. It can also be difficult to get into tiny pieces without smashing, so I’m flexible on the size of the chop.
Grating garlic: This produces a fine paste-like result that opens up the essence of the garlic and lets the flavor really come through. I find I need less garlic in recipes when I use this method. You can use pre-pressed garlic or store-bought paste but it won’t yield the same pure garlic flavor.
Up the pepper ratio (red pepper flakes, serrano peppers) if you want to take this salsa up a few levels on the spicy front. Omit all three if you’d like to keep it mild.
Try serving this over grilled fish or combined with your favorite ceviche for a sweet and savory dish.
Or… try it on your carne asada or chicken adobo tacos.
Keyword Dip, Salsa

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