Delicious, moist and fluffy banana carrot muffins are really easy to make. Whip them up quick, in just 30 minutes, with one bowl! The perfect make ahead breakfast, snack or dessert.
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This healthier recipe is sweetened naturally with extra ripe bananas and agave nectar (zero refined sugar). It's also dairy free!
If you're anything like me, you almost always have some over-ripe bananas hanging out on the countertop. This recipe is the perfect way to prevent them from going to waste. You can also use frozen bananas to make your muffins.
We're also using whole wheat flour for a less processed, more nutrient dense treat. (For some great info on the benefits of using whole wheat flour, see this article: healthline).
Whole wheat flour isn't gluten free, but you can sub a gluten free baking flour! Find more info on how to make this substitution in the recipe card below.
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Ingredients and substitutions:
- Carrots: shred by hand or in a food processor.
- Bananas: super ripe so they're extra sweet!
- Eggs: eggs give structure and flavor to these tasty muffins.
- Agave: sub sugar free agave, maple syrup or honey.
- Pure vanilla extract: pure is always best but imitation will do the trick!
- Coconut oil: melted and slightly cooled. Butter will also work as a substitute.
- Whole wheat flour: sub regular all purpose flour or cup for cup gluten free baking flour (increase measurement to 1 & ¾ cup if using this substitute as whole wheat flour is heartier and less is required to get the desired texture).
- Baking powder: leavening agent!
- Spices: salt, ground cinnamon, ground nutmeg and ground cardamom!
How to make banana carrot muffins:
Time needed: 35 minutes.
Keep scrolling for the full recipe card and measurements. We’ll start here with a quick overview!
- Preheat & Shred
Preheat oven to 375°F. Shred your carrots by hand or with a food processor.
- Mash
Use a fork to mash bananas in a large mixing bowl until they are nice and smooth.
- Wet ingredients
Add shredded carrots, eggs, agave, pure vanilla extract and melted coconut oil to the bowl containing mashed banana. Be sure to let melted coconut oil cool slightly before adding.
- Whisk
Whisk wet ingredients until they are well incorporated.
- Dry ingredients
Add flour, baking powder, salt and ground spices to the bowl. Gently mix the dry ingredients together on top of the wet ingredients and then combine the two, be careful not to overmix.
- Portion & bake
Line a 12 count muffin pan (with paper or silicone liners) and coat lightly with non-stick cooking spray. Portion batter into each cavity and bake 15-20 minutes until a toothpick comes out clean. Allow to cool for 5-10 minutes and enjoy!
Step by step photos:
Expert tips:
Measure flour correctly: use a spoon or scoop to fill your measuring cup to overflowing and then level off with a knife. If you dip your measuring cup right into the flour container, you risk packing too much into the cup and this could affect the texture of your bake!
Thick batter: don't worry if your batter seems really thick. As long as you measured your flour correctly (per the tip above), you should be fine! This is a hearty batter, but moisture from the carrots will really even everything out.
Portioning batter: you can certainly use a spoon to divvy up your batter, but an extra large cookie scoop will definitely help with speed and even distribution!
Avoid over-mixing: overmixing can affect the texture of your muffins, making them dense rather than fluffy. Mix until all dry ingredients are just barely incorporated, if the batter is a little bit lumpy, that's okay.
Avoid over-baking: as soon as your muffins are passing the toothpick test, take them out of the oven (note: your toothpick doesn't need to be bone dry in order for the muffins to be done, a crumb or two is okay).
Variations:
- Sub shredded zucchini for carrot
- Add mix-ins: chocolate chips, raisins, nuts
- Sweeten with maple syrup instead of agave
Storage:
These muffins are super easy to store which makes them great for meal-prep!
Allow them to cool completely and place in a Ziploc bag or airtight food storage container. Store on the countertop for up to three days or in the refrigerator for about a week. You can also freeze these muffins for up to three months (just be sure to use a freezer safe storage container, a Ziploc bag also works)!
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Healthy Banana Carrot Muffins
Equipment
- Glass mixing bowl & whisk
- 12 count muffin pan
Ingredients
- 1 cup shredded carrot
- 1 cup mashed banana *approximately 2 medium sized bananas
- 2 large eggs
- ¼ cup agave nectar *see note below
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract *pure is best, imitation will do the trick!
- ¼ cup coconut oil *melted and slightly cooled
- 1 & ½ cups whole wheat flour *scooped and leveled *see note below
- 1 & ½ teaspoons baking powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- ¼ teaspoon ground cardamom
Recipe notes:
Agave nectar: sub sugar free agave, honey or maple syrup. Flour substitutes: sub regular all purpose flour or cup for cup gluten free baking flour (increase measurement to 1 & ¾ cup if using this substitute as whole wheat flour is heartier and less is required to get the desired texture). How to correctly measure flour: use a spoon or scoop to fill your measuring cup to overflowing and then level off with a knife. If you dip your measuring cup right into the flour container, you risk packing too much into the cup and this could affect the texture of your bake!Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375°F.
- Shred your carrots by hand or with a food processor.1 cup shredded carrot
- Use a fork to mash bananas in a large mixing bowl until they are nice and smooth.1 cup mashed banana
- Add shredded carrot, eggs, agave, pure vanilla extract and melted coconut oil to the bowl containing mashed banana (be sure to let melted coconut oil cool slightly before adding).1 cup shredded carrot, 2 large eggs, ¼ cup agave nectar, ¼ cup coconut oil, 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- Whisk wet ingredients until they are well incorporated.
- Add whole wheat flour, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg and cardamom to the bowl. Gently mix the dry ingredients together on top of the wet ingredients and then combine the two. Be careful not to overmix, stop when all dry ingredients have just been incorporated (a little bit of lumpiness is okay).1 & ½ cups whole wheat flour, 1 & ½ teaspoons baking powder, ½ teaspoon salt, 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon, ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg, ¼ teaspoon ground cardamom
- Line a muffin pan and coat lightly with non-stick cooking spray. Use a spoon or extra large cookie scoop to portion batter evenly into cavities. Each cup will be almost completely full, this helps to create the dome shape on top!
- Bake for 15-20 minutes until a toothpick comes out clean (don't overbake, a bit of residue on the toothpick is okay, it doesn't have to be completely dry).
- Allow muffins to cool for 5-10 minutes and enjoy!
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Nutrition
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Anna says
This is fantastic! I love that it’s only 1 bowl, quick and healthy! I’m going to try it with maple syrup. Thank you for sharing another great recipe.
Garlic Salt & Lime says
Thank you so much, Anna! Let me know what you think!