Banana Carrot Muffins
Banana Carrot Muffins are perfect for an afternoon snack or a great breakfast. They’re filled with healthy ingredients like white whole wheat flour, maple syrup, bananas, carrots, cinnamon, and raisins.
What are Banana Carrot Muffins?
This banana carrot muffin recipe is a delicious way to start your day. It’s filled with healthy fats and has no added sugar.
Similar to morning glory muffins, these are insanely moist, perfectly sweetened, and made with wholesome ingredients. We absolutely love these on busy mornings paired with a green smoothie or as an after-school snack.
Ingredients
The main ingredients for this banana carrot muffins recipe are easy to find at grocery stores
- White whole wheat flour – You can find this in the baking aisle or at specialty stores. You can also use regular whole wheat flour.
- Baking soda – This helps the muffins rise and get fluffy.
- Salt – This enhances the flavors of the other ingredients.
- Cinnamon – A dash of cinnamon adds a warm earthy flavor.
- Coconut oil – For less coconut taste, use refined coconut oil and not unrefined/virgin. You can also substitute with light olive oil.
- Maple syrup – This adds natural sweetness.
- Eggs – Large, fresh eggs are best.
- Vanilla extract – Use pure vanilla extract, not imitation.
- Applesauce – Applesauce adds moisture to the muffins. Make sure to use unsweetened applesauce.
- Banana – Use overripe bananas for the best sweetness.
- Carrots – Peeled and grated using a box grater.
- Raisins – Raisins add a chewy texture to the muffins.
Instructions
These delicious banana carrot muffins are easy to make with these simple steps. See the recipe card for detailed instructions.
- Whisk together the dry ingredients in a bowl.
- In a separate bowl, whisk together the wet ingredients including, coconut oil, maple syrup, eggs, vanilla, applesauce, and bananas.
- Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and gently stir with a wooden spoon just until moistened.
- Fold in carrots and raisins.
Tip: You can grate the carrots by hand, or for an easier option, use the grating attachment on your food processor.
- Divide the batter evenly among the 12 muffin cups.
- Bake at 350F for 18-22 minutes or a toothpick inserted into the middle comes out clean.
Expert Tips
These tips will help you make the best-ever carrot banana muffins recipe.
- Use unsweetened applesauce. Unsweetened plain applesauce will ensure that your muffins are not overly sweet.
- Grate the carrots. It’s best to grate the carrots yourself using a box grater. I do not recommend pre-shredded carrots from the store as they usually come in bigger shreds.
- Make it gluten-free. Substitute an all-purpose gluten-free flour blend for whole wheat flour.
- Add a crunchy topping. For extra texture, feel free to add a sprinkle of coarse sugar, such as turbinado sugar, or chopped-up walnuts, pecans, or unsweetened coconut flakes right before baking.
Variations
These fluffy banana carrot muffins are easily adaptable and you can make changes based on what you like best. Here are some options to get you started.
- Stir in nuts. Add 1/4 cup chopped nuts like walnuts or pecans into the batter.
- Add chia seeds. Chia seeds are a great addition to the muffins for extra fiber. I would add no more than 1 tablespoon of chia seeds.
- Add chocolate chips! Dark chocolate chips would be tasty and not overly sweet-addition.
- Not a fan of raisins? Feel free to completely leave out the raisins.
How to Serve
These healthy banana carrot muffins are the perfect breakfast and can be served as a snack. They taste lovely with a smear of butter or homemade jam.
Pair them with other breakfast dishes like Chia Seed Pudding with Yogurt, Avocado Toast, or Easy Ham and Egg Muffins.
Storing Tips
Refrigerate: Store any leftover banana carrot muffins in an airtight container or a plastic bag on the counter for up to 2 days or refrigerate for up to 4 days. Make sure there is no moisture in the container or the muffins will go bad more quickly.
Freeze: You can also freeze cooked banana bread muffins in freezer bags for up to 3 months. To thaw, let the muffins sit on the counter until they reach room temperature.
FAQs
The muffins may be dry if they’re overcooked in the oven. Be sure to pull them out once a toothpick comes out with just a couple of dry crumbs. If the toothpick comes out completely clean, the muffins may be cooked too long.
Muffins may also be too dense if you add too much flour. Make sure to use the spoon & level method for measuring the flour.
Yes, you can use all-purpose flour if you’d like. Whole wheat flour makes muffin recipes a little healthier.
You want the banana to be slightly overripe because they get sweeter the riper they are. They’re also easier to mash because they’re softer.
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Banana Carrot Muffins
- Prep Time: 15 mins
- Cook Time: 22 mins
- Total Time: 37 mins
- Yield: 12 muffins 1x
- Category: Breakfast
- Method: Baked
- Cuisine: American
Description
Moist and naturally sweetened, these whole wheat muffins are perfect on the go. Made with whole wheat flour, maple syrup, bananas, carrots, and raisins.
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cups white whole wheat flour or regular whole wheat flour, spoon and leveled
- 1 tsp. baking soda
- 1/4 tsp. kosher salt
- 1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon
- 1/3 cup melted coconut oil or light olive oil
- 1/2 cup maple syrup or honey
- 2 large eggs
- 1 tsp. vanilla extract
- 1 cup unsweetened plain applesauce
- 3/4 cup mashed ripe bananas
- 1 cup peeled and grated carrots
- 1/4 cup raisins
- Coarse sugar, such as turbinado, for the top, optional
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Coat a 12-cup muffin pan with cooking spray or line it with paper liners.
- In a mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon.
- In a separate mixing bowl, whisk together the coconut oil, maple syrup, eggs, vanilla, applesauce, and bananas. Add the dry ingredients into the wet in two additions and mix with a big wooden spoon, just until combined (a few lumps are ok). Fold in carrots and raisins.
- Divide the batter evenly between the 12 muffin cups. Optional, sprinkle the tops of the muffins with sugar. Bake for 18-22 minutes on the middle rack, or until the muffins are golden on top and a toothpick inserted into a muffin comes out clean.
- Place the muffin pan on a cooling rack to cool. Store cooled muffins, covered, at room temperature for up to 2 days, refrigerate for up to 4 days, or freeze for up to 3 months.
Notes
- Coconut oil: I like using refined coconut oil for its neutral coconut taste. Unrefined/virgin coconut oil is more aromatic and okay to use too.
- Bananas: Use slightly overripe bananas.
- Carrots: You can grate the carrots by hand with a box grater, or for an easier option, use the grating attachment on your food processor.
- Make it gluten-free: Substitute an all-purpose gluten-free flour blend for whole wheat flour.
- These morning muffins are an adaptation of coconut-carrot morning glory muffins from this cookbook.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 muffin
- Calories: 187
- Sugar: 14.2 g
- Sodium: 151.7 mg
- Fat: 7.3 g
- Carbohydrates: 28.9 g
- Protein: 3.4 g
- Cholesterol: 31 mg
Keywords: on the go, healthy, whole grain
Recipe originally published January 2018, but has since been retested and rewritten.
Hi! I'm Katya -- a former corporate paralegal turned full-time recipe developer and blogger behind Little Broken. Here you'll find family-friendly and seasonal recipes made from real ingredients.
My muffins aren’t cooking! I have been checking on them frequently putting them in longer, but the middle won’t bake! I followed all the instructions and have the right temperature on my oven. WTF
I would check your oven temperature for uneven heat. If you followed the directions and used the recommended baking time, the muffins should’ve been done.
I’m a big fan of food blogs. I really enjoy “Cooking”
★★★★★
Fresh from the oven – eating one right now! Perfect for a bitterly cold Sunday morning… Made them on a whim, so I didn’t have grated coconut or raisins. I followed the recipe exactly except added 1/4 C chopped walnuts, a couple of teaspoons of chia seeds, and about a 1/4 c of mini chocolate chips in place of the 2 missing ingredients. Really delicious though I do miss the grated coconut!
★★★★★
Hi Trish: they sound delicious with your add ins! So glad they turned out for you. Thanks so much for your feedback.
These look delish! I wanna try them but I’m not a fan of bananas, is there any way to sub that part?
Hi Sveta: you can try milk…maybe 1/4 cup? Bananas sweeten the muffins and also make them super tender. I did make a batch with milk but also used bananas with it and it turned out fine so if you completely cut out the banana you may loose little bit of both. But either way, let me know how they turn out for you!