Indulge in the bakery taste of Carrot and Banana Muffins, a delicious flavor combination of classic carrot cake and banana bread. Ripe bananas and sweet grated carrots create an incredibly moist and fluffy texture. The muffins bake without a muffin cup liner and are the perfect grab-and-go breakfast!
If you are a fan of bakery-style muffins like Blueberry Rhubarb Muffins, you are sure to enjoy this one!
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🍌Ingredients to Have on Hand
The ingredients you'll need to make Carrot and Banana Mini-Muffins are pantry staples, including salt, baking soda and brown sugar.
- Whole Wheat Flour: This adds to the nutty flavor and gives the texture a boost.
- Oats: You can use either instant or regular oats, though the regular oats give the muffins a heavier texture.
- Dried Fruit: Dried cranberries or raisins are ideal but any chopped dried fruit will work great.
- Carrots: These add a touch of sweetness and give the muffins that carrot cake flavor.
- Ripe Bananas: Another flavor booster and bananas also add moisture. Use ripe bananas for the best flavor!
- Maple Syrup: Use real maple syrup, not pancake syrup.
Scroll to the recipe card below for a full list of ingredients and measurements.
Note: Some of the links in this recipe post are Amazon affiliate links, which means I make a small commission from Amazon if you link to and purchase the item. The affiliate process never affects your cost and I only link to products that I use and highly recommend.
🥕Carrot Cake and Banana Bread Combo
Carrot and Banana Muffins truly live up to the name and are a flavor combination very similar to carrot cake and banana bread. If you like either of those or both of those, I think you'll love this recipe! The flavors go great with other breakfast and brunch favorites such as Green Chile Egg Casserole, Homemade Egg Bites or Cheesy Quiche.
These bite-sized muffins are the perfect solution for a quick grab-and-go breakfast to a picnic lunch, or a to-go snack any time of day.
There's no cupcake wrapper needed, so no mess left behind!
💭 Use Ripe Bananas
Like my favorite banana bread recipe, made in the Crockpot, this muffin recipe uses ripe bananas.
Either two medium or three small bananas are the perfect amount, but I've never measured it to be exact.
This recipe is very forgiving, so you can't overdo the bananas,
👩🏻🍳Shred the Carrots
Like carrot cake, there are plenty of carrots in this muffin recipe. When you grate the carrots, be sure to use the side of your grater that creates finer slices.
On some (affiliate link) box graters, it's the side that has the smaller holes. Generally, it's the side of the grater used to shred hard cheeses like parmesan.
⭐Pro Tip
I've made this recipe many times and used various types of oats, but I've found that using quick-cooking or instant oats creates a muffin with a softer texture.
Regular oats are equally delicious, but the oat pieces bake into the muffin with a slightly heavier texture.
Step-by-Step Instructions
Step 1: Combine the dried fruit with the flour and oat ingredients. Stir or whisk them together so each piece of the dried fruit is fully coated.
Step 2: Use a sturdy spoon or fork to blend everything.
Pro Tip
Often with baked cakes and muffins, we're told to stir "just until combined" so that we don't activate the gluten in the flour.
That's not the case with this recipe. Stir everything together for about two minutes to moisten the oats and incorporate the carrots and bananas.
I'll even watch the timer to be sure I've stirred it long enough.
Recipe FAQs
Absolutely yes. I have to put about half of the batch in the freezer right after they cool from the oven, otherwise, my family will eat them all within hours.
Like most baked goods, store in a freezer bag or tightly sealed container and plan to defrost and enjoy the muffins within a few months.
Raisins or golden raisins are delicious options if you don't have dried cranberries on hand.
You could also use chopped, dried and pitted dates or any dried fruit that your family enjoys.
Yes, but you'll need to increase the baking time by 3-4 minutes.
🥣 Quantity of Muffins
Several factors impact how many muffins this recipe will make. First off, the size of the bananas. Bigger bananas will boost the amount of muffin batter.
Regular oats, not instant or quick-cooking oats, also boost the number of muffins you'll have.
Plan to be flexible and know you'll get about 40 mini-muffins. No need to have multiple pans; I just reuse (affiliate link) the same pan for each batch that goes into the oven.
⏲️ More Baking Ideas
Here are baking recipes I think also you'll enjoy. For an elegant but easy breakfast or brunch, Croissant Bread Pudding is absolutely delicious. And of course, here in Idaho, we love anything with potatoes and Classic Potato Rolls are a favorite in my house.
⭐ Stay in Touch
If you try Carrot and Banana Muffins or any other recipe on my website, I'd love to hear how it turns out and if you enjoyed it. Please leave a 🌟 star rating and comment below. I look forward to hearing from you!
Recipe
Janet says
Our whole family loves this recipe!
I used it in regular sized muffin tins and baked it for a little longer (about 20 minutes) and it turned out perfect!!
Sandra says
I made the muffins last week and love them so much I'm making some more!
Melinda O'Malley Keckler says
That's GREAT! Thank you for letting me know! Those little muffins have their own fan club in my house. I'm so happy to hear you enjoyed them too Sandra.
Jeannie says
Great healthy combo of banana and carrots.
Kaitlin says
These muffins were amazing. I made these for breakfast for easy grab n go for the kids for the week.
Marcellina says
I love that this recipe is for mini muffins! Just a perfect little bite to curb the sweet cravings!