Wholesome & Fluffy Banana Carrot Muffins

These Banana Carrot Muffins combine the beautiful flavors of banana bread and carrot into a light, fluffy, and moist muffin! Made with whole wheat flour, oats, and naturally sweetened, they are a healthy breakfast recipe or the perfect snack for a busy day.

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 Healthier homemade muffin recipes are always on my weekly meal prep list. I love to quickly throw together a batch and bake them so they are ready to go when we need them. Plus, they are great for stocking my freezer.

My Cinnamon Zucchini Banana Muffins are frequent flyers in our house. However, sometimes I don’t have zucchini on hand, since it is more of a summery vegetable. But you know what I always have one hand? Carrots! Literally, there is always a bag of them in my crisper and they often make a great replacement of zucchini in many of my veggie-loaded muffins. So, it seemed high time to make an official Banana Carrot muffin recipe for the pages of TNN.

In case you don’t know, carrots and banana together are just pure magic! (my Carrot Banana Bread is just beyond amazing). These Banana Carrot muffins are fluffy, tender, perfectly moist, and will make your taste buds sing. They are made with whole grains, naturally sweetened, and can easily be made gluten free and dairy-free. And since they are mixed all in one bowl and are done baking in under 25 minutes, they won’t suck up a big chunk of your day if you opt to make them for meal prep.

Frequently Asked Questions

I only have quick oats. Can I use those instead of rolled?

Yep! You can swap the quick oats for rolled oats one-to-one in this banana carrot muffin recipe.

Can I make these egg-free?

Yes! I find that flax eggs work great in these banana carrot muffins in place of chicken eggs.
To make a “flax egg”, I use the ratio of 1 tablespoon ground flax meal + 2.5 tablespoons water = 1 egg.

So, for this recipe, I use 2 tablespoons of ground flax meal + 5 tablespoons water to replace the eggs. Be sure to let the flax/water mixture sit for about 5 minutes to allow it to “gel” before adding it to the batter.

How can I make these carrot muffins dairy-free?

Simply use your favorite non-dairy milk. I have made these with oat milk and unsweetened almond milk with great success.

I need these to be gluten free. How can I do that?

Use a cup-for-cup gluten free flour blend (I like this one) in place of the whole wheat flour and make sure that the oats you are using are certified gluten free.

How do you grate the carrots for these banana muffins?

I use the large holes of a box grater and it works perfectly. You do not need to squeeze out any of the excess moisture before adding the carrots to the muffin batter, either. The moisture from them adds to the lovely texture of these banana muffins.

Can I replace the flour in this muffin recipe with almond meal or coconut flour?

I haven’t tried these banana carrots muffins with almond flour, almond meal, or coconut flour, so I can’t speak to how successful they will turn out when swapping the flours.

In my experience, almond flour can often be used in place of whole wheat flour, however it creates for a much denser baked good. Coconut flour is a much thirstier flour and absorbs a lot more liquid than almond flour or wheat flour. I do not suggest using coconut flour in this recipe.

Wondering how to store your carrots so they stay fresh as long as possible? Check out my post on How to Keep Cut Carrots Fresh and get the most out of your produce buck!

 

Suggested adaptations

Make them gluten free by using a cup-for-cup flour blend (I like this one) in place of the whole wheat flour and make sure that the oats you are using are certified gluten free.

Reduce the sweetener in these muffins to 1/4 cup. The bananas offer up a lot of sweetness on their own, so you might find you don’t need as much maple syrup or honey, depending on your taste preference.

Make them dairy-free by using your favorite plant based milk.

Replace the banana with applesauce. If you don’t have bananas on hand or just prefer applesauce, they can be swapped in this muffin recipe.

Make these banana carrot muffins egg free by using flax eggs.

Tips and tricks

• Let banana carrot muffins cool for at least 15 minutes. Muffins (and all baked goods) continue to bake even after they are removed from the oven and will firm up as they sit. Let the muffins sit in the muffin tin for 5 minutes before transferring them to the cooling rack. And then let them cool there for another 10 minutes before enjoying. TIP: If you are not using liners when baking your muffins, let them cool the full 15 minutes in the muffin tin….otherwise they might stick or fall apart.
• Use parchment paper muffin liners. I love this brand and find they are the best for easy peeling muffin liners. Another great (no waste) option is silicone muffin liners. Also a little oil in the muffin tin compartment works great for preventing these healthy carrot muffins from sticking.
• Make sure the bananas are ripe. For best results in baked goods, bananas should be brown and spotty. As bananas ripen they get sweeter and softer. Ripe muffins also add moisture to these carrot muffins. Using bananas that are green or just barely ripe in this recipe may lead to dry, less sweet muffins.
• Don’t over mix your batter! Mixing activates the gluten in the flour and can make for a really heavy, dense muffin. So mix your muffin batter until JUST combined. That is the key to fluffy muffins!

How to store these carrot banana muffins

These muffins can be stored in an air-tight container at room temperature for up to to 2 days. After that, I suggest storing them in the fridge or freezer to prevent molding and keep them as fresh as possible for days to come. They freeze beautifully and make for a great breakfast or snack to stock up on!

Other veggie-loaded muffin recipes you will love

• Healthy Chocolate Muffins (with veggies!)
• Oatmeal Green Smoothie Muffins
• Chocolate Chip Zucchini Muffins
• Healthy Zucchini Lemon Muffins
• Mini Butternut Squash Blueberry Muffins
• Healthy Lunch Box Muffins
• Healthy Morning Glory Muffins

Did you try these banana carrot muffins and now you’re hungry for more? 

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