Yummy Banana Carrot Muffins

Name: Yummy Banana Carrot Muffins
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 13 min
Ingredients: 3/4 cup flour; 3/4 cup whole wheat flour; 1/2 cup brown sugar; 1 teaspoon soda; 1 1/2 teaspoon baking powder; 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg; 1/2 teaspoon salt; 1 cup oats (instant oats provide a softer texture, but any type of oats works fine); 3/4 cup dried fruit (diced, I prefer dried cranberries); 1 egg; 3 tablespoons olive oil; 1/3 cup milk; 1 tablespoon maple syrup; 1 cup carrots (peeled and shredded, not grated); 2 bananas (ripe, medium-sized or three small )

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Yummy Banana Carrot Muffins taste like a cross between carrot cake and banana bread. These mini muffins are lightly sweetened with maple syrup and brown sugar. Grab a handful for a quick breakfast or satisfying snack. My family loves these!

Banana carrot muffins with oats on a cooling rack. — Warm from the oven and ready to eat. Sprinkle a few oats on top for garnish if you'd like.

Ingredients to have on hand

Most of the items you'll need to make these mini- muffins are basic pantry staples including things like salt, baking soda and brown sugar. Here are the things you'll want to double-check, to be sure you have on hand:

whole wheat flour
oats, instant or regular
dried fruit such as cranberries
carrots
ripe bananas
maple syrup

Carrot Cake + Banana Bread

These muffins are a flavor combination very, 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.

Mini muffins lined up on a cooling rack. — These go so fast, and are especially tempting when they are warm from cooling rack.

Ripe Bananas, Big Flavor

Just like our favorite banana bread recipes, this one calls for plenty of ripe bananas. Either two medium or three small bananas is about the perfect amount, but I've never measured it to be exact. This recipe is very forgiving so you can't over do the bananas as long as you keep it to about two or three.

Two bananas in a dish, with a fork mashing them. — No need for fancy kitchen tools, just use a fork to mash the bananas.

Mashed bananas on a plate. — No need for fancy kitchen tools, just use a fork to mash the bananas.

Shred the Carrots

Like carrot cake, there's plenty of carrots in this muffin recipe. When you grate the carrots, be sure to use the side of your grater that creates finer-sized slices. On some 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.

Shredded carrots and mashed bananas in a dish. — Shredded carrots and mashed banana add texture and moisture to the muffins.

Quick Oats, Softer Texture

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.

Dried cranberries and dry ingredients in a bowl with a whisk. — Use a whisk or a spoon to coat the dried fruit with the oat and flour mixture.

Stir and stir and stir

When combining the dried fruit with the flour and oat ingredients, stir or whisk them all together so each piece of the dried fruit is fully coated.

Dried cranberries combined with the oat and flour mixture. — Be sure to coat all of the dried fruit with the flour mixture. I love using dried cranberries, but raisins or any dried fruit taste great!

Use a sturdy spoon or fork to blend everything together.

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 even watch the timer to be sure I've stirred it long enough. The result is a tender, slightly chewy muffin bite. It's a texture combination between carrot cake and banana bread.

Raw dough in a bowl with a spoon. — Stir until the ingredients by hand until they are very well combined. Two minutes is about right.

Are these freezer-friendly?

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.

Twelve mini muffins, baked and in a muffin pan. — No need for muffin cup liners, these mini-muffins will pop right out of the pan after baking.

Makes About 40 Muffins

There are a few variants that impact exactly how many muffins you'll get with the recipe. First off, the size of the bananas. The bigger they are, the greater the quantity of mashed bananas in the dough. I've found that when using regular oats, not instant or quick cooking oats, I also end up with slightly more muffins. Plan to be flexible and know you'll get about 40 mini-muffins. No need to have multiple pans, I just re-use the same pan for each batch that goes into the oven.

Mini muffins on a cooling rack. — Tiny in size but mighty flavor, these muffin bites are delicious.

Other baking ideas

These Yummy Banana Carrot Muffins are one of my favorite muffin recipes of all time. Here are other recipes I think you'll enjoy.

There's something so unique about making banana bread in a Crockpot, which is why is Crockpot Banana Bread is often my go-to recipe too for using up ripe bananas. 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.