As a cookbook author and busy parent, I know how hard it is for treats to be both nutritious and delicious. Enter these Banana Carrot Muffins—vegan by accident, but packed with flavor and moisture! Bananas add sweetness and replace eggs, while carrots add a healthy boost of veggies. Nut-free and easy to make, they're perfect for quick breakfasts or anytime snacks.
If you have extra ripe bananas to use up, make Banana Walnut Cake or Vegan Chocolate Banana Coffee Cake next!
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Why you'll love this recipe
- Easy and Delicious: Packed with fruits and veggies, these muffins taste like banana bread meets carrot cake! A touch of brown sugar, vanilla, and cinnamon makes them irresistible.
- Fluffy and Moist: Oil beats butter when it comes to making a moist muffin. Combined with ripe banana and carrots, these muffins stay soft—never dry.
- Healthier: Most carrot muffin recipes skimp on the carrots—but not this recipe! These not-too-sweet banana muffins are packed with 2 cups of carrots. So you'll get flecks of carrot in every bite, to maximize flavor and add a healthy boost of veggies.
- Allergen Friendly: These muffins are made without nuts, eggs, or dairy. No specialty vegan substitutes needed. Just simple pantry ingredients.
- Freezable: Perfect for meal prep! These Carrot and Banana Muffins freeze for up to 3 months. Defrost in the fridge, on the counter, or in the microwave.
Ingredients (and substitutes)
You only need basic pantry ingredients to make this recipe. The ingredients are similar to my Banana Nut Bread Mini Muffins, but without egg and nuts.
Here's the ingredients for this easy Banana Carrot Muffins recipe:
- Bananas: The riper the banana, the better! Black bananas add the most natural sweetness. Otherwise, use bananas that at least have some black/brown streaks.
- Carrots: Grate your carrots on a box grater. I don't recommend pre-shredded carrots from a bag. They're thicker, drier, and less sweet—so they don't add as much moisture or meld into the muffins as well.
- Oil: Oil beats butter when it comes to a moist muffin. I shared this trick in my cookbook and use it in other recipes like my Vegan Zucchini Muffins! Any neutral oil works—grapeseed is my favorite, but you can also use canola or vegetable oil.
- Brown Sugar: Rather than call for granulated and dark brown sugar as separate ingredients, I keep it simple by using just light brown sugar.
- Milk: Use an unsweetened non-dairy milk (like oat or soy) for the most neutral taste. But vanilla-flavored works too. If you're not vegan, you can use regular milk.
- Baking Powder: Helps the muffins rise, along with baking soda. Check your baking powder’s date to make sure it's not expired.
Find the recipe card below for the complete recipe, including all ingredients and instructions.
Explore more delicious recipes with shredded carrots: Easy Raw Carrot Salad with Lemon and Healthy Morning Glory Muffins (without refined sugar).
How to make Banana Carrot Muffins
It's so easy to make these tender muffins with carrot and banana. Here's how:
1. Whisk dry ingredients in a bowl.
2. Mix wet ingredients in a separate bowl.
3. Add dry to wet, mixing just until combined. Be careful not to overmix!
4. Line or spray muffin cups, then divide batter into prepared muffin tin.
5. Optional—Sprinkle with oats for garnish.
6. Bake, then let cool. Enjoy!
Find the recipe card below for the complete recipe, including all ingredients and instructions.
Tips
I bake a lot of muffins! Here are some of my top tips for baking perfect Banana Carrot Muffins at home:
- Bake by weight if you can: A kitchen scale is the easiest way to level-up your home baking. It's easier and more accurate than measuring cups.
- Add the right amount of flour: Flour is one of the most commonly mis-measured ingredients when baking. A scale ensures accuracy. But if you don't have one, make sure to use the "Spoon and Level" method: Fluff up the flour in the bag, then gently spoon it into the measuring cup until heaping, then level it with the back of a knife.
- Grate your own carrots: Unfortunately, storebought shredded carrots are too big and dry. Preshredded carrots lack the moisture or sweetness you want for baking. For best results, shred your own carrots using a box grater.
- Add carrots to wet ingredients: Many recipes tell you to mix the grated carrots in at the end—after the dry ingredients. But, I actually recommend mixing the carrots into the wet ingredients. This helps prevent over-mixing.
- Darker bananas are better: It's best to use black bananas (see left in photo below). Otherwise, yellow bananas with streaks of brown/black work too.
- If baking with frozen bananas: I recommend draining any brown liquid at the bottom of the bowl after thawing. This boosts the banana flavor and gives your muffins a fluffier texture. Also, make sure the bananas aren't cold because ingredients mix better when room temperature.
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Recipe FAQ's
Bananas vary in size, but you'll likely need about 3 to 4 bananas. Measure by weight or by volume, after removing the banana from it's peel.
They're not recommend. Storebought shredded carrots are typically thicker, drier, and less sweet. So they won't add the same amount of moisture or sweetness as freshly grated carrots. Similar to when baking carrot cake, I always recommend grating the carrots yourself.
Yes, these muffins freeze well. Let cool fully, then transfer to an airtight freezer bag. Freeze for up to 3 months.
Defrost these muffins in the fridge overnight—or on the counter for a couple hours. If in a rush, use the defrost setting on your microwave.
Yes, you can use an equal amount of butter instead of neutral oil. However, your muffins will be less moist—especially as the days go on. Freeze any extras as soon as possible.
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📖 Recipe
Moist Banana Carrot Muffins (Vegan)
Ingredients
- 1¾ cups all purpose flour (see note 1)
- 2 teaspoons cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon fine sea salt
- 1 cup mashed ripe banana (see note 2)
- ⅔ cup light brown sugar (lightly packed)
- ½ cup grapeseed oil (or other neutral oil, see note 3)
- ¼ cup non-dairy milk (or regular milk, see note 4)
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- 2 cups grated carrots (see note 5)
- rolled oats (optional, for garnish)
Instructions
- Preheat: Preheat oven to 350℃ (177℉). Spray a muffin pan with oil or line with baking cups.
- Dry ingredients: In a medium bowl, whisk together 1¾ cups all purpose flour, 2 teaspoons cinnamon, 1 teaspoon baking powder, 1 teaspoon baking soda, and ½ teaspoon fine sea salt.
- Wet ingredients: In a large bowl, whisk together 1 cup mashed ripe banana, ⅔ cup light brown sugar, ½ cup grapeseed oil, ¼ cup non-dairy milk, and 1 tablespoon vanilla extract until smooth. Stir in 2 cups grated carrots.
- Combine: Add dry ingredients to wet ingredients and stir just until the flour is incorporated. (Do not overmix).
- Bake: Divide the batter into 12 muffin cups, filling almost to the top. If desired, sprinkle the tops with a bit rolled oats for garnish (optional). Bake until a tester inserted into the center of the muffin comes out clean, about 20 minutes. Let the muffins cool in the pan for 5 minutes, then transfer to a rack to cool completely.
Notes
- Flour: For best results use a kitchen scale. Otherwise, measure flour using the "Spoon and Level" method: Fluff up the flour in the bag, then gently spoon it into the measuring cup until heaping, then level it with the back of a knife.
- Banana: Use overripe muffins that are ideally black, or at least yellow with black/brown streaks. If using frozen bananas, defrost until room temperature, drain off any watery brown liquid, then mash and use as directed.
- Grapeseed Oil: You can substitute any neutral oil, such as canola or vegetable oil.
- Milk: Use a plain, unsweetened non-dairy milk, such as oat or soy. In a pinch, vanilla-flavored milk works too. If you're not vegan, you can use regular dairy milk.
- Grated Carrots: Use the large holes on your box grater to grate fresh carrots. You'll need about 3 to 4 medium carrots, but sizes vary so measure after grating.
- Storage tips: Store cooled muffins in a resealable container at room temperature, for up to 3 days. Or freeze for up to 3 months. Defrost frozen muffins on the counter (or in the fridge overnight); or if in a hurry, use the defrost setting on your microwave.
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