The Best Banana Carrot Muffins

Easy banana carrot muffins, the best I’ve ever had! They make a great breakfast or afternoon snack; you can take them to school or decorate them for a party; anything goes.

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plate with many carrot muffins with bananas.

These banana carrot muffins are a big hit around here; we do make them all the time. By “we,” I mean the kids and I; although this great recipe is so simple, they could easily manage these easy muffins by themselves.

So, whenever we have some overripe bananas lying around, we make a batch of muffins; a large bowl, a mixer, a muffin pan, and a few simple ingredients are all we need.

And if you like this recipe, check out the Banana Nutella Muffins or the savory Spinach and Feta Muffins. Or try our favorite Eggless Banana Bread.

Contents

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Why is this recipe so great?

Delicious: Sweet, but not overly so, flavorful and satisfying.
Texture: Carrot muffins have the (sometimes bad) reputation of being stodgy. Not these fluffy banana carrot muffins. They are soft and have a light crumb.
Easy recipe: There is no need to worry about overbeating the batter here. You are supposed to mix it thoroughly for 2-3 minutes, yet the baked goods are as fluffy as they could be.
The recipe uses leftover ingredients like overripe bananas and a couple of carrots you might have forgotten in the fridge. Otherwise, only simple pantry ingredients.

Recipe ingredients

Carrots:

5.5 oz (150 g). That would be about two medium carrots or 1 ½ cup finely grated carrots (loosely packed), but I always recommend weighing this amount rather than guessing it by using cups.

Ripe bananas:

6 oz (175 g) weighed without the peel, about two small to medium bananas or ¾ cup mashed bananas. Again, it is desirable to weigh the ingredients.
The riper the bananas, the sweeter the muffins.

Flour:

I prefer using cake flour; it makes any baked good fluffier and lighter.
However, the recipe works fine with all-purpose flour as well.

Butter:

The butter should be really soft; make sure you take it out of the fridge in time so that it has time to soften.

Sugar:

I use granulated white sugar most of the time, but brown sugar or a combination of both is excellent.

Almonds:

Chopped almonds add a wonderful contrast in texture.
You can replace them with the same amount of chopped walnuts, pecans, hazelnuts. Or you can leave them out if you don’t like them.
You will also need some ground almonds for the batter.

See the full ingredient list in the recipe card.

many golden carrot muffins on a wire rack.

Step-by-step instructions

Preheat the oven and line a muffin tin with paper liners.
Peel and grate the carrots on a box grater’s fine side (smaller holes). Set aside.
Peel and mash the bananas. Set aside.
Batter: Place dry ingredients (flour, sugar, ground almonds, chopped almonds, baking powder, cinnamon, salt) in a large mixing bowl and combine them with a spoon.
Add the remaining ingredients (eggs, soft butter, grated carrots, mashed bananas) (1).
Mix well with the hand-held mixer (2).

collage of two pictures of mixing batter for carrot muffins with bananas.

Scoop the batter evenly into the prepared muffin cups (3).

carrot and banana muffins in a muffin pan before baking.

Bake in the preheated oven for about 25 minutes until the top of the muffins is golden brown. A skewer inserted in the middle of a banana carrot muffin should come out clean.
Leave in the pan for 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

Expert tips

A digital kitchen scale will give you the most precise measure ensuring the best bake possible (Amazon affiliate link). It is recommended to use a scale for this recipe; four of the required ingredients (flour, butter, carrots, banana mash) are challenging to measure in cups, and they need to be measured precisely.
Don’t use pre-shredded carrots from the grocery store; they are much drier, affecting the texture of the muffins.
Make sure you preheat the oven in time and bake the carrot banana muffins when you finish stirring the batter. If the batter waits for the oven to preheat, the baking powder will lose its power, and the muffins will not rise well.

Recipe FAQ

Can I replace the chopped almonds?

Replace chopped almonds with any other nuts, raisins, or other dried fruit.

Or how about chocolate?

You can add a small handful of milk or dark chocolate chips.

Can I add more spices?

You can add ground ginger, cardamom, all-spice, a little nutmeg, a touch of ground cloves, or vanilla extract. Any spices you enjoy in a good carrot cake, actually.

How to ripen bananas quickly?

Place the bananas and an apple in a paper bag. Check after 24 hours.

How to store muffins?

At room temperature: 2-3 days in an airtight container.
Refrigerator: 4-5 days in an airtight container. They will become denser if you refrigerate them, but they will still be delicious.
Freezer: Wrap each piece in plastic wrap, place in an airtight container or a freezer bag and freeze for 3-4 months. Defrost on the counter or in the fridge. You can refresh them in the oven or the microwave if you like.

close up banana carrot muffins, one split to show the crumb.

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