Simple banana carrot muffins with yogurt is the best ever carrot banana muffins recipe out there! Packed with lots of carrots walnuts, and mashed bananas, they’re guaranteed to be a hit! Plus, read on for tips to make these banana carrot muffins vegan! And for more breakfast goodies, try my Instant Pot Apple Butter, my Cherry Coffee Cake, or my Blackberry Strawberry Banana Smoothie!
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Banana Carrot Muffins with Yogurt
These muffins are a must-try! They have a moist, fluffy texture from the mashed banana and shredded carrots, plus a little greek yogurt just to make them even better! I love them with the addition of chopped walnuts for a little crunch -- they're just perfect. I also include below my favorite trick to get the best domed muffin tops!
How can I make my muffins lighter and fluffy?
These are the best ever carrot banana muffins, just begging to be made for your next weekend breakfast, or to have on hand as an anytime snack! But how do they get so light and fluffy? I find that it helps to use a combination of baking soda and baking powder, and then add an acidic ingredient (in this case, Greek yogurt). That, plus starting them off in the oven at a higher temperature, keeps them light and fluffy with a perfectly domed top!
Are banana muffins healthy?
My favorite answer to this type of question is it depends. They are certainly full of ingredients with lots of nutritional value! Carrots are a great source of antioxidants which can boost eye and heart health. Bananas are an excellent source of fiber and Vitamin B6. But if your nutritional needs require you to choose low-calorie or low-carb foods, you may want to look for another option. In any case, be sure to check with your personal nutrition expert or medical professional to see if these banana carrot muffins will work for you!
Simple Banana Carrot Muffins Ingredients
- unsalted butter - I love the flavor of melted butter in these muffins! Or see below for tips to make these banana carrot muffins vegan.
- light brown sugar - I love the rich sweetness that brown sugar brings to this recipe!
- carrots - grate your fresh carrots with a box grater or with the grating blade of a food processor. Don't use pre-shredded carrots from the produce section -- those will give your muffins the wrong texture.
- overripe bananas - your bananas should be very spotty with lots of brown marks. I like to save overripe bananas in a tight container in the freezer so I always have them on hand for recipes!
- eggs - your eggs should be room temperature for this recipe -- if you're in a rush, see below for a tip!
- vanilla extract - I recommend using a high-quality pure vanilla extract. Or better yet, check out my post on how to make vanilla extract at home with just 2 ingredients!
- Greek yogurt - the acid in greek yogurt works with the baking soda to give your muffins lift, and the thick, dense texture adds richness and moisture!
- all-purpose flour - be sure to measure your flour correctly (preferably by weight using a kitchen scale) for best results -- too much flour can lead to dry or dense muffins.
- baking powder & baking soda - we're using both types of leavening agents to get those fluffy, domed tops!
- cinnamon - the warmth of cinnamon is a perfect complement for the flavors in these banana muffins.
- salt - adding a bit of salt is important to bring out all these lovely flavors!
- chopped walnuts - this is optional, but I love the texture you get from tossing in some walnuts (or pecans) into these muffins!
Equipment Needed
Other than your box grater to grate your carrots, you might need a potato masher to mash your bananas and a kitchen scale to accurately measure your flour. Then of course, you'll need your 12-cup muffin pan and liners!
Can I make these banana carrot muffins vegan?
You sure can! You'll just need to make a few substitutions:
- Use melted coconut oil or vegan butter in place of melted butter - I like to use Earth Balance Organic when I'm baking without dairy!
- Use an egg substitute or flax egg - I love the Bob's Red Mill Egg Replacer -- I use it in my Vegan Coconut Cake and my Vegan Gingerbread Loaf and always get great results!
- Make sure your brown sugar is vegan-friendly - most organic light brown sugar is vegan, but check labels just to be safe!
- Use nondairy Greek yogurt - this Greek-style almond milk yogurt is a great option!
Tips and F.A.Q.
I would recommend filling the cups for these muffins just under the very top of the cup -- see the image above of how they look before baking! Because of the dual oven temperature method we're using (see recipe card below), the extra batter will rise very well to give you that domed top! You may have a couple of tablespoons of extra batter once the muffin cups are just about full.
If you're in a rush, just submerge your eggs in a bowl full of slightly warm water for about 15 minutes, or until they're no longer cool to the touch. They should be ready to add into this banana carrot muffins recipe!
Yes you can! These banana muffins store well at room temperature for up to two days, or you can freeze them in an airtight container for up to 3 months!
If you try this recipe, I would love it if you could leave a rating and comment below! It’s so wonderful hearing your feedback! And don’t forget to share your creations with me by tagging @chenee_today on Instagram!
More Recipes to Use Up Your Overripe Bananas
- Banana Cinnamon Pancakes with Maple Brown Butter Glaze
- Banana Pudding Cheesecake Squares
- Dairy Free Banana Bread
- Banana Blondies with Brown Butter Frosting
- Pineapple Banana Bread
Equipment you may need
Ingredients
- cooking spray
- 2 cups (250 g) all-purpose flour
- 1 ½ teaspoons (6 g) baking powder
- ½ teaspoon (2 g) baking soda
- 1 teaspoon (2 g) ground cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon (3 g) salt
- 2 medium overripe bananas - mashed
- ½ cup (114 g) unsalted butter - or vegetable oil
- ¾ cup (165 g) light brown sugar - packed
- 2 teaspoon (10 ml) pure vanilla extract
- 2 large eggs - room temperature
- 1 cup (128 g) grated carrots - packed
- ½ cup (100 g) plain Greek yogurt - room temperature
- ½ cup (59 g) chopped walnuts - optional; plus more for topping
- turbinado sugar - for topping (optional)
Instructions
- Preheat to 425°F. Line a 12-cup muffin pan with cupcake liners and spray lightly with cooking spray.cooking spray
- In a medium bowl, combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt. Whisk together until well combined and set aside.2 cups all-purpose flour, 1 ½ teaspoons baking powder, ½ teaspoon baking soda, 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon, ½ teaspoon salt
- In a large bowl, mash bananas thoroughly with a fork or potato masher.2 medium overripe bananas
- Add in butter, brown sugar, vanilla, and eggs one at a time, whisking well to combine after each addition.½ cup unsalted butter, ¾ cup light brown sugar, 2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract, 2 large eggs
- Stir in Greek yogurt and shredded carrots until combined.½ cup plain Greek yogurt, 1 cup grated carrots
- Gradually fold in dry ingredients with a rubber spatula until just combined. Fold in walnuts (if using).½ cup chopped walnuts
- Top with turbinado sugar and more walnuts, if you like.turbinado sugar
- Bake in preheated oven for 8 minutes, then reduce heat to 350°F (without opening oven door).
- Continue to bake at 350°F for another 15-17 minutes, or until a toothpick entered into the center of muffins comes out clean.
- Let cool at least 10 minutes in pan, then enjoy warm or transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
Video
Nutrition
Morgan
Delicious muffins! They are moist and fluffy, which really is the best of the best for muffins! My 4 & 2 year old loved to help and enjoy! Thank you for this recipe!
Chenée Lewis
So glad to hear that you all liked the muffins! These are a new favorite of mine for sure!
Dennis
I've made a lot of banana muffins but never thought to put carrots in them. Wow what a difference they made, positively delicious!!
Chenée Lewis
Wonderful! So glad you enjoyed!
Hayley Dhanecha
Sudden hot weather here and my bananas ripening so fast, glad I saw this recipe and used those over ripe bananas to good use. Muffins turned out so good!
Chenée Lewis
Wonderful! So glad you liked them!
Debbie
My family loves muffins for breakfast and this Banana carrot muffin is now their favorite . This is perfect with my morning coffee . .
Chenée Lewis
Yes! They're so good with a cup of coffee!
Amanda
These muffins came out so good! They were perfectly soft and fluffy and super moist. Loved them!
Chenée Lewis
So glad you liked them! Thanks!
Amy Casey
I made a batch of these muffins for our 4th of July guests. Thanks for the tip about freezing them. They tasted just like fresh baked.
Chenée Lewis
So glad to hear it! Thanks for the feedback!
Hannah
We had an abundance of ripe bananas and it seemed as if fate brought us to this recipe. I made them this morning for breakfast and my family absolutely devoured them!! I will definitely be saving this simple and delicious recipe for future used.
Chenée Lewis
Wonderful! I'm so glad to hear that your family liked them!
Jessica
Thanks for the tip on making muffins fluffier! I always love a hidden veggie in muffins, lol. Trying these next 🙂
Chenée Lewis
I love that too! Hope you enjoy!
Cathleen
These muffins turned out perfect!! I am also glad you added the note about the butter: I am moving in 5 days and don't have any butter (and don't want to buy anything else since, ya know, I'm moving and want to use up what I already had). But I DID have coconut oil. And they turned out great! Thanks so much 🙂
Chenée Lewis
So great to hear that! And I know how that is when you're moving! Good luck with the move!
Ann
I love banana muffins and carrot muffins, but have never thought about combing the two! What a great idea! Sounds delicious!
Chenée Lewis
It's so good! Hope you love them!
Freya
These are so yummy and filling, and easy to prep! The family loved them when I baked them for brunch!
Chenée Lewis
Awesome! Thanks so much for the feedback!
Marta
You've combined my favorite cake and my favorite muffin flavor into one tender, fluffy breakfast bread and I'm in love. I doubled the recipe and saved half to freeze for later. Such a great recipe!
Chenée Lewis
Ooh good idea! I love having anytime treats in the freezer!