These Banana Carrot Muffins are light, fluffy and moist and the perfect sweet treat. Naturally sweetened with the banana and a little maple syrup, they have carrot added to them for some extra natural sweetness and a vegetable boost.
About these Banana Carrot Muffins
Think a cross between banana bread and carrot cake, in a muffin. Naturally sweetened, these carrot banana muffins are a low sugar alternative to store bought muffins and they have added vegetables - but you would never know.
We have added some oats for extra fiber and a few dark chocolate chips, because everything is better with chocolate chips! A delicious breakfast or snack and you can pack them into school lunch boxes too. They also freeze really well.
Looking for some more low sugar bakes? Why not try our quick Sugar Free Oatmeal Cookies, fudgy Chocolate Banana Brownies, easy Sugar Free Banana Muffins or our delicious Brownie Baked Oats?
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Ingredients and Substitutions
A full ingredients list, along with US Customary and Metric measurements, can be found in the recipe card at the end of this post.
- Carrots - We used 2 medium carrots in this recipe. If your carrots are small, then you can use 3 of them. If you don't have carrots, or you want to make them differently then you can use zucchini instead. You will need to make sure that you squeeze out all the liquid before adding it to the mixture.
- Bananas - This is where the natural sweetness comes from. You want to use really ripe bananas, ones that are starting to get black spots on the skin, as these will be sweeter.
- Coconut oil - This is used in replacement of butter and helps make the carrot and banana muffins really moist.
- Vanilla - Adds a lovely warmth to the muffins. Make sure you use vanilla extract and not essence, as it has a more natural flavor.
- Maple syrup - Another way to add some extra sweetness and keep it refined sugar free. You could also swap it for honey or another liquid sweetener.
- Eggs - We used medium sized free range eggs.
- Milk - Any kind of milk will work.
- Baking powder and soda - This helps the muffins to rise and give them a lovely fluffy texture.
- Oats - This adds a lovely texture to the muffins and some extra fiber too. Don't forget to save some extra oats to sprinkle on top of the muffins before they go in the oven.
- Flour - We used plain flour, as that gives the lightest muffins. However, you could swap out half of it for wholewheat flour, but that would give more of a dense muffin.
- Cinnamon and ginger - Adds a lovely warmth to the muffins.
- Chocolate chips - These are option, but a delicious addition. We used dark chocolate refined sugar free chocolate chips.
Variations
We always make some kind of healthy muffin as part of our weekly meal prep. These Carrot and Banana Muffins are a favorite with our kids, and they don't even question the carrot in them.
The great thing about them is that there are lots of different things you can add too them to make them different every time.
Some of our favorite ways to adapt this carrot muffin recipe include adding some chopped nuts like walnuts or pecans. Although keep in mind that these wouldn't be school snack friendly as most schools have a no nut policy.
You can also add some dried fruit to them - raisins, dried cherries and cranberries work well.
How to make Banana Carrot Muffins - Step by Step
Prep: Preheat your oven to 350°F (180°C).
- Step 1: Mash the bananas in a large mixing bowl. Add the carrot, eggs, coconut oil, vanilla, maple syrup and milk (a). Mix well (b).
- Step 2: Sift in the flour and add the oats, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon and ginger (a). Fold the dry ingredients into the wet mixture (b).
- Step 3: Add the chocolate chips and mix them in.
- Step 4: Divide the batter between twelve muffin cases.
- Step 5: Put into the oven for 20-25 minutes - they are ready when an inserted sharp knife or skewer comes out clean. Allow to cool before serving.
What to Serve with Banana Carrot Muffins
These are delicious as a snack, but you could also serve them up for breakfast.
To make them more of a filling meal, why not serve them with some Greek yogurt, extra banana and berries and a drizzle of maple syrup or our delicious Strawberry Compote? Sprinkle some nuts and seeds on top too.
Storage
Store: These are perfect for weekly meal prep so we always have some healthy snacks on hand. Kept in an air tight container there are good at room temperature for 2 days. Any longer than that they will need to be kept in the fridge.
Freeze: These freeze really well. Once cooled, wrap them individually and then put them in a freezer bag. They will keep in the freezer for up to 2 months.
Defrost: You can defrost them individually at room temperature.
Reheat: These are best served a little warm, especially if they have been kept in the fridge. You can reheat them in the microwave in about 20 seconds.
Top Tip
- If you don't have bananas, or you don't like the banana flavor, then you can swap them for apple sauce instead.
- Don't over-mix your batter, as you will end up with heavy and dense banana carrot muffins.
- Leave your muffins to cool for 5 minutes in the pan and then 10 minutes on a cooling rack before serving, as this will give them the best texture.
- Remember that every oven cooks differently, so if you muffins still look really wet after 25 minutes, then you might need to cook them a little longer.
- If you want the carrot to be hidden in this recipe, then finely shred it with a box grater. You can use the larger holes on a box grater if you want to keep some carrot texture in it.
- Only fill your muffin cases ⅔ full, as the muffins will need some room to rise.
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes, you can swap the egg for flax egg instead. To replace one egg with a "flax egg", mix 1 tablespoon of flax seeds with 2.5 tablespoon of water. So for this recipe you would need 2 tablespoon of flax seeds and 5 tablespoon of water. Leave it to rest for 5 minutes until it becomes jelly like.
Yes, you can use your favorite brand of gluten free flour and make sure your oats are certified gluten free. You will also need to make sure there is no cross contamination.
Insert a toothpick into the muffins and if it comes out clean then you know they are cooked.
Yes, you absolutely can!
More Low Sugar Recipes
If you’ve tried these carrot banana muffins, let us know how you got on in the comments below.
Find us on Instagram @mylowsugarkitchen. Tag us in your creations using the hashtag #lowsugarkitchen.
Recipe
Banana Carrot Muffins
Ingredients
- 2 Bananas Mashed
- 2 Carrots medium; peeled and grated
- 0.25 cup (60 ml) Coconut oil melted
- 1 teaspoon Vanilla extract
- 0.33 cup (80 ml) Maple syrup
- 2 Eggs
- 0.25 cup (60 ml) Milk
- 1.5 teaspoon Baking powder
- 0.5 teaspoon Baking soda
- 0.66 cup (60 g) Rolled oats plus a little extra for topping
- 1 cup (150 g) All purpose flour
- 0.5 teaspoon Ground cinnamon
- 0.25 teaspoon Ground ginger
- 0.25 cup Chocolate chips dark, low sugar
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 350°F/180°C/160°C(fan)/Gas 4.
- Mash 2 Bananas in a large mixing bowl. Add 2 Carrots, 2 Eggs, 0.25 cup Coconut oil, 1 teaspoon Vanilla extract, 0.33 cup Maple syrup and 0.25 cup Milk. Mix well.
- Sift in 1 cup All purpose flour and add 0.66 cup Rolled oats, 1.5 teaspoon Baking powder, 0.5 teaspoon Baking soda, 0.5 teaspoon Ground cinnamon and 0.25 teaspoon Ground ginger. Fold the dry ingredients into the wet mixture.
- Add 0.25 cup Chocolate chips and mix them in.
- Divide the batter between twelve muffin cases.
- Put into the oven for 20-25 minutes - they are ready when an inserted sharp knife or skewer comes out clean.
- Allow to cool before serving.
Notes
- If you don't have bananas, or you don't like the banana flavour, then you can swap them for apple sauce instead.
- Don't over-mix your batter, as you will end up with heavy and dense banana carrot muffins.
- Leave your muffins to cool for 5 minutes in the pan and then 10 minutes on a cooling rack before serving, as this will give them the best texture.
- Remember that every oven cooks differently, so if you muffins still look really wet after 25 minutes, then you might need to cook them a little longer.
- If you want the carrot to be hidden in this recipe, then finely shred it with a box grater. You can use the larger holes on a box grater if you want to keep some carrot texture in it.
- Only fill your muffin cases ⅔ full, as the muffins will need some room to rise.
Andrea says
I am loving this flavor combination of banana and carrots in these muffins. They are a nutritious and delicious breakfast to start my day with.
Tayler says
I made these muffins for breakfast this morning and they were delish! And I felt good about giving them to the kids because of the cleaner ingredients!
Beth says
You are a food genius. I love this mashup of carrot cake and banana muffins. The texture is so wonderful!
Brandi says
This combines two of my favorite desserts. Everyone loved these and I will be making them again and again.
Ann says
Perfect way to use up bananas and add some veg to your treats. Thanks!