A cross between banana bread and carrot cake, these muffins are a healthier alternative; full of flavor, light, and moist, they’ll be your favorite all week long (if they last that long!).
Hiiii – happy Monday! I know Mondays can be oh so dreadful but have I got just the thing to brighten up your week!
That’s right, these Banana Carrot Muffins.
Once you have these light and flavorful muffins, your world will never be the same.
I whipped these up a few weeks back while I was craving banana bread and carrot cake, but wanted something I could feel semi-healthy about eating.
I was blown away by how wonderful they turned out.
How To Make Banana Carrot Muffins
The joy of making these muffins is how quick and easy they are to throw together.
Which makes them perfect for lazy weekend mornings, or quick meal prep during the week.
Like any basic muffin recipe, you’ll start by whisking together the dry ingredients in a large bowl. This one includes the sugars.
Next up, beat together the room temperature eggs, butter, and vanilla in a separate bowl.
Stir the wet ingredients into the dry – gently – you don’t want to overmix the muffin batter. Especially because next up you’re going to stir in the mashed bananas and shredded carrots.
Tips for Making Carrot Muffins
While Banana Carrot Muffins are easy to make, there are a few key tips to make them spot on.
Shred your own carrots. Yes, grab your whole carrots and shred them yourself. I use the fine shred on my box grater to create a thin, grated carrot. It provides extra moisture to the muffins and blends in seamlessly – a perfect for hidden veggies for your little ones!
If you’re looking for more carrot texture, use a thicker grate on the carrots or a food processor (affiliate link) to shred them.
Use overripe bananas. The riper your bananas, the more flavor, moisture, and sweetness the muffins will have. I like mine to be preeeetty brown before using them.
Don’t overfill the muffin cups. Yes, this batter can fill 12 muffin tins almost to the top, however, I find the tops of the muffins (with the pecans) doesn’t quite bake all the way through when you do this.
I recommend filling the tins about 2/3 of the way full, leaving enough space so they will rise and bake completely on the top.
What Makes This Recipe Work
I mean, banana carrot muffins are healthy – right? There are carrots and there are bananas. That’s my logic (although I realize they could be healthier with some added swaps – balance!).
The carrots! They add an extra level of moistness to the muffins and bring in an extra bit of sweetness. Paired with the sweetness of the bananas, there’s not much more you need.
The pecans! While I do love a classic streusel topping, the muffins are sweet enough they don’t need a boost, and the pecans on top contribute a burst of texture and crunch.
What about pecan substitutions? Easily add chopped walnuts or hazelnuts to the top of the muffins, or omit all nuts and enjoy the muffins as is.
Storing the Muffins
I love making this Banana Carrot Muffin recipe on Sunday morning, enjoying them at a leisurely pace in bed with coffee and sunshine, and then savoring them all week long for a quick on-the-go breakfast.
How perfect it is to find a recipe that’s so versatile for the weekend and for the week ahead!
I place them in an airtight container for up to 3 days and then will store them in the fridge. I always reheat them before enjoying by placing the muffins in the microwave for a few seconds.
What about freezing? I’m happy to report that these muffins freeze beautifully! I make sure they’re in an airtight container or wrapped up. Once ready to enjoy, thaw them in the fridge or on the counter the night before.
Love muffins? Check out these other recipes!
- Pear Muffins with Oat Streusel
- Apple Cider Muffins
- Mini Pumpkin Coconut Muffins
- Small Batch Banana Chocolate Muffins
Did you make this recipe? Please leave a star rating and review in the form below. I appreciate your feedback, and it helps others, too!
Banana Carrot Muffins
Ingredients
- 1 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/2 cup white sugar
- 1/4 cup brown sugar
- 1/2 cup butter melted
- 2 eggs room temperature
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 1 cup carrots shredded (~2 medium)
- 3/4 cup mashed bananas ~2 large
- 1/2 cup pecan chips
Instructions
- Pre-heat oven to 350°F. Line approximately 16 muffin tins.
- Stir together dry ingredients: flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, white sugar, and brown sugar in a large mixing bowl. Set aside.
- In another bowl, whisk together butter, eggs, and vanilla. Stir the wet ingredients into dry ingredients until just mixed. The batter will seem extra thick - don't worry! Gently stir in the shredded carrot and mashed banana.
- Scoop batter into muffin tins, approximately 2/3 full. Top each muffin with approximately 1 1/2 teaspoons pecan chips. Bake for 15-20 minutes until muffins bounce back when lightly touched and/or a toothpick comes out clean.
- Serve warm. Let any leftovers cool completely and store in an airtight container.
Gloria Medina
OH! MY! GOODNESS! I just made these and they are sooooo delicious! So light and fluffy and just perfect!
Becca
Aren’t they amazing?! Seriously my new favorite! I’m so glad you liked them 🙂
Hannah Raucb
Hi! Just wondering what I could replace the pecan chips with???
Becca
Hi Hannah! You could replace the pecan chips with chopped walnuts (or another chopped nut you prefer). I’ve also made them several times without anything on top, if you won’t miss the crunch, it’s also delicious!
Hananja
Really tasty and easy! I was a bit unsure when my batter was quite sticky but they turned out great! I forgot about the topping and didn’t feel like I was missing anything. Only used half a cup of sugar and was sweet enough for us. Yum!
Becca
So happy to hear! Thanks for commenting!
Joanie
Was looking for a great way to use up some extra carrots and bananas and I think I landed on a hit!! These look so good and I already have everything in my kitchen! Making some today and can’t wait to try them!!
Becca
YES! Don’t you love when you already have everything to make a recipe? I hope you love these as much as I do – can’t wait to hear!
Joanie
Would give ten stars if I could!! These are the best muffins I have ever made!! I added a tad more cinnamon (just cuz I love the stuff lol) You are right it’s the perfect combo of banana bread and carrot cake!! This recipe is at the top of my favorites list!
Becca
That’s so awesome to hear, Joanie! I HAVE to make them again this weekend now, the craving is too real! Hah! Thanks so much for sharing!
Michelle
So moist and delicious! Definitely a make again recipe.
Becca
Yes! So happy to hear you love them too!
Tisha
Love this recipe. Making it for the second time. More importantly my kids love them and great way to sneak in some veggies to my son who doesn’t love veggies. Instead of shredding the carrots by hand I put them in my small food processor so the carrot pieces were a little smaller.
Becca
Love the food processor trick!
April
I wanted to use some shredded carrots and over ripe bananas I had and this recipe was perfect! I reduced the white sugar by 1/4 cup and used 3 small bananas instead of 2. Didnt have pecans but I had some hazelnuts I mixed in the batter bc I misread the recipe. My toddler loved them! Next time I will chop up the carrots a little smaller to avoid him picking some out.
Becca
So happy to hear! Thanks for commenting!
Nzokuhle
Thank you for this recipe! These are the softest, lightest and fluffiest muffins I’ve ever made and tbey were just delish! I only used 1/2 a cup of brown sugar and it was sufficient for us.
Becca
So glad you love them! Thanks for sharing! 🙂
Lindsay
Just made these (without the pecan chips for my picky son) and we all LOVED them. They are so fluffy and light! Definitely using this recipe on a regular!!!!!
Becca
So happy to hear! I make them sometimes without the pecans too and love them just the same! Thanks for commenting!
ANGELLA ANDERSON
Happened to have some over ripe bananas in the freezer and some shredded carrots in the fridge so went ahead and made these muffins. Was done in a jiffy and they are perfect. Moist light and delicious! Made just a few minor adjustments with the sugar and used oil instead of butter.
Becca
Thanks for commenting – so glad to hear you enjoyed them! 🙂
Cynthia
I am so excited to try this recipe! do you think I can substitute whole wheat flour for the white flour to make a little healthier?
Becca
Hi Cynthia! I haven’t tried it myself, but since whole wheat flour is denser, most resources recommend reducing the amount of flour – I’d try 1 cup. Be sure to not overmix so hopefully they’ll be just as light and airy. 🙂 Can’t wait to hear how they turn out!
Kadi
These are really good! I didn’t have enough carrot for the recipe so I used a purple sweet potato instead and they still turned out SO good.
Like someone else mentioned, the batter is very thick before adding the bananas and carrots (or sweet potato in my case) so I was a little worried at first. But yeah? Totally delicious!
Becca
What a fun change, Kadi – I love that you used what you had on hand! Thanks so much for commenting and rating! <3
Rehana
Can I double this recipe?
Becca
Absolutely! Enjoy!
Kristal
These were very tasty and easy to make.
Becca
Glad you enjoyed them! 🙂
Elisha
Made this recipe in a pan loaf to make a cake. It was delicious, thank you!
Becca
What a good idea! I’m going to have to give this a try!
Fatima
Hi Becca,
Thank you for sharing the yum recipe!
I made this yesterday and I have my 22 months little boy as my helper.We both enjoyed and it is more pleasurable when my little one loves it.It is very nice ,light and fluffy!
Cheers
Fatima
Becca
That’s so sweet, Fatima! I’m glad you both enjoyed them!
Lisa
Great muffins. 🙂 Subbed veg oil for melted butter, sunflower seed kernels in the batter and on top, added chopped candied ginger. Thanks for being the top result when I googled banana carrot muffins.
Becca
Thank YOU for leaving a rating so Google keeps showing others the recipe, too! It definitely makes a difference and I appreciate it!! 🙂 I love your additions – YUM candied ginger! – I’m going to have to try them out next time I make these!
dina
Hi there seems like a perfect recipe-I’m planning to use it to practise cooking skills in school. We will be using cupcake holders instead of muffins-just wanted to ask how many we would be able to make using the recipe. We have 30 children in our class, will this recipe be enough for 1 cupcake each? Thank you so much, really excited to give it a try! 🙂
Becca
I love that you’re using the recipe to help kids learn cooking skills! Since cupcake and muffin holders are typically the same size (unless you’re doing mini?), you’ll be able to get about 18 muffins/cupcakes out of this recipe. I’d recommend doubling (or x1.5) the recipe for your group of 30. Can’t wait to hear how it turns out!
dina
Brilliant! Thank you so much-will let you know how it turns out! 🙂
Anca k
Delicious. I think I used too much sugar, they’re a little too sweet, but very moist and fluffy.
Becca
Happy to hear they were still delicious for you!
Andrea WILLOWS
Just made these as I had some bananas that had gone so far even my husband wouldn’t eat them. Cant beleive that something that was on the way to the bin could taste so nice. Didnt put the nuts on as didnt have any but will try it with nuts next time. Thanks for sharing the recipe. Will definitely be making again.
Becca Mills
Yes! It’s the perfect way to use up “old” bananas! Thanks, Andrea!
Lucka
Tasty! ☺️
Becca
So glad to hear you enjoyed! 🙂 Thank you!
Janessa
These are so good! Just made them this morning. Do you store leftovers in the fridge?
Becca
So glad you enjoyed! I usually just store them in a container and leave them out of the fridge (mostly because they’re eaten in a day or two). I’ve also stuck them in the freezer if I know I want to save them for a breakfast-on-the-go later on. 🙂
Janessa
Thanks!
Joanie
I made a triple batch and had so many extras that I froze some and had some stored in a Ziploc bag in the fridge cuz any fruit muffin will go bad pretty quick if not refrigerated. Pop them in the microwave for about 30 seconds and they are warm and delicious!!
Kristin
Moist and delicious! My 2 year old loves them. I used an egg substitute and maple syrup instead of white sugar. I will definitely make them again.
Becca
Happy to hear! 🙂
Ana
I tried this recipe because, like everyone else here, I had one too many ripe bananas and a lot of carrots. Just by reading the ingredients I could tell that this had waaaaaaay too much sugar in it. Cut off the brown sugar completely. Added a handful of raisins just for giggles. The recipe made 18 very small muffins, which is fine but next time I’ll use a bigger muffins tin and make less but bigger muffins.
Joanie
I made a triple batch and had so many extras that I froze some and had some stored in a Ziploc bag in the fridge cuz any fruit muffin will go bad pretty quick if not refrigerated. Pop them in the microwave for about 30 seconds and they are warm and delicious!!
Becca
Love the tips! Thanks for commenting, Joanie!
Tisha
I’ve made this a couple of times. I substituted whole wheat pastry flour and omited the nuts. My picky son loves them and he typically refuses to eat any veggies.
Becca
Love it! Thanks for commenting, Tisha!
Sofia
Delicious!! Turned out great! I’ll be making these often!
Becca
Glad you enjoyed, Sofia!
Jessica Collins
This was amazing!! We (my 3 yr old and I) added some raisins and a few pecans to the mix and then used the pecans on top (killer idea to replace the strussel with nuts by the way!). Its was so easy and fun and delicious! Thank you!
Becca
I love that you made them with your 3 year old! Happy to hear you enjoyed them, and love the additions! 🙂 Thanks for commenting!
Sobia Iqbal
Hi there just wanted to ask would dark brown sugar be okay? It’s all that’s available right now ☹ also do you measure solid butter or melted butter? And finally would coconut oil work instead and if so, would you measure it solid or melted? Sorry for so many questions! 🙈
Becca
Hi Sobia! Ask away! 🙂
It’s absolutely ok to substitute dark brown sugar for the light. For the butter, measure it solid, then melt. For this recipe, 1/2 cup will equal one stick of butter. As far as substituting coconut oil for the butter, it can be done (with a 1:1 replacement) but you will likely have a different texture/flavor than it does with butter, since coconut oil obviously doesn’t act the exact same as butter. It will taste more like coconut. If using coconut oil, measure it solid and then melt. I hope this helps! I’d love to hear how they turn out!
Catherine
I was looking for an easy and healthy recipe to do with a group of children in a school cooking club and came across this recipe. All my attempts at baking muffins before had all failed so I was not optimistic. I should not have worried. The results were amazing! The muffins came out tasty, moist and fluffy. I changed the recipe slightly and put only 100g of sugar. I also added milk so the mixture was not too hard. Because we are a no-nut school I also swapped nuts for sultanas and added a slice of banana on top. I pteheated the oven to 200C and cooked muffins for 5 minutes at that heat and then reduced the temperature to 180C for remaining of the time. Thank you for a gorgeous recipe ??
Becca
I’m so happy to hear, Catherine! 🙂 Thanks so much for your thoughtful comment!
Jesse
These are addicting and delicious! I love the addition of the pecans and feel way better about adding them rather than having a streusel topping.
Becca
I’m so glad you love them, Jesse! Thanks so much for commenting!
Sabrina
Out of all of the quaratine banana muffin recipes I’ve made, these are the best! I added some raisins and a dash of nutmeg and ginger. Delicious!
Becca
I’m so glad you enjoyed them, Sabrina! Love the additions!
Sobia Iqbal
Hey! Thank you for replying to my questions so quick! And sorry for accidentally posting under someone else’s comment- didn’t realise I’d done that 🙈 so I made a few changes because there was a banana bread recipe I’ve been wanting to try but the bananas in our house never ever turn brown enough to use so I wanted to make the most of it and combine recipes hahaha. I melted the butter and sugar together and added the bananas and boiled for 5 mins to caramelize them. I also added walnuts to the mix and topped them with streusel and flaked almonds. I also only used half the white sugar since everyone was saying they’re sweet enough. Finally I added some nutmeg and ginger and made 24 miniature cupcakes. They turned out so so good! In love with the flavours 😍 thank you so much! X
Becca
Sounds delicious! I’m so glad you enjoyed and were able to combine the recipes, too. So fun! 🙂
Claudia
Delicious! Incredibly easy to make and super moist. Husband and toddler approved. I used whole wheat flour, Flaxseed meal, less sugar and added raisins and chocolate chips to a few as a special treat.
Becca
YUM! Thanks so much, Claudia!
Mary
The best muffins hands down! I just finished my third batch-you can’t fail with this recipe. I know because I never measure my bananas or carrots and each time my husband raves about them. Thank you for this recipe!
Becca
So awesome to hear, Mary! Thank you so much for commenting – I’m so glad you love them as much as I do! 🙂
Owami M
Wow!!! This is an amazing recipe! At first I thought ‘why would I eat carrot and banana’ but eventually I made it and it is so delicious my family finished them so quickly! I recommend adding oats to the batter and 1/4 teaspoon extra cinnamon on top, and bake it for and extra ten minutes. Again this recipe is so delicious and healthy I highly recommend it, it is easy for any beginner baker. Please keep posting more recipes like this one! I think most of us would appreciate it!
Becca
Thank you so much, Owami! I’m so so glad you enjoyed, and love the addition of oats to the batter, I’ll have to give that a try!
Candy
Thank you for this recipe. It is my go to and we love it. The only change I have made is halved the butter and replaced the other half with vanilla yogurt and it is amazing. Thank you again.
Becca
So glad you enjoyed, Candy! Thanks so much for commenting and letting us in on your delicious swap!
Chrissie
I jus made these for my 18 month old daughter and it was a hit. She had 5 mini muffins. I added an extra banana and just added 1/8 cup brown sugar to compensate for all the sugar. I also omitted the nut topping cause i didnt have any. The recipe made 3 dozen mini muffins and I baked them for 14 minutes. This recipe is definitely a keeper. Thanks so much.
Becca
Thanks for sharing, Chrissie! I’m so glad you both enjoyed!
Kathleen
These were sooo good! Definitely adding to the rotation for ripe bananas. Moist and flavorful! The whole family loved them!
Becca
I’m so glad to hear! Thanks, Kathleen!!
Lucy
Loved these, so moist and bursting with both carrot and banana (my bananas were huge!) – I halved the sugar and used half plain/half whole meal flour – perfect.
Thanks again
Becca
I’m so glad you loved them! Thanks, Lucy!
Jenn
I omitted the pecans (because my kids won’t eat them) but otherwise this recipe was absolute perfection. Not too sweet and super moist. Will definitely make them again!
Becca
I’m so glad to hear! Thanks, Jenn!
Lauren
I made my husband stop on the way home for the one ingredient I was missing so I could make them that day. After seeing the recipe, I had to have them.
I have gone dairy free while breastfeeding, so I used plant based butter but couldn’t tell a difference in taste. Next time I may try the suggestion of cutting the sugar in half because I think the banana made it sweet enough on its own.
I used Fork in the Kitchen’s streusel recipe on top instead of pecans and wished I had doubled that!
Can’t wait to make them again!
Becca
Love that you added streusel! YUMMY! Thanks so much, Lauren!
Kelley
Made these for breakfast, I love having the grated carrots in them and so easy to do! Will have to make them for the grandkids. Taking them to my parents also to share. What a wonderful healthy way to stay the day. Another winner.
Becca Mills
So glad you enjoyed and are able to share! 🙂
Jamie
Absolutely delish! The perfect flavor for spring and easy to follow directions! One of my new go to recipes that my family loved!!!
Becca Mills
I’m so glad to hear! Thanks, Jamie!
Amy
These banana carrot muffins are absolutely delicious!! The key is to use very overripe bananas so they are super sweet! Very easy to follow recipe. I’ve made them twice so far and my coworkers gobble them up! They are now my favorite breakfast must-haves!
Becca Mills
I’m so glad to hear, Amy! Thank you so much!!