Simple Bakery Style Banana Carrot Muffins

click here to get straight to the recipe

These banana carrot muffins have sky-high golden muffin tops and a tender crumb and will make the perfect breakfast treat or snack for the whole family. Bake this recipe today for a breakfast treat tomorrow!

These muffins have a simple one-bowl prep and they are great any time of the year. Banana carrot muffins are here for you when you purchased a bunch of bananas and your kids decided this was the week to boycott them. I can't be the only one!

I love quick breads and this Pumpkin, Millet, and Zucchini Bread is another favorite you'll want to try.

Jump to:

Ingredients
Preparation
What creates a bakery-style muffin?
Substitutions
Variations
Storage
Top tip
FAQ
Other Delicious Snack Recipes
Try this recipe and share!
Recipe
Comments

Ingredients

These muffins are a great way to use up very ripe bananas. It's very likely you'll have all of the remaining ingredients on hand!

I include ingredient notes here when I think they’ll be helpful, including ways to source, any preparation tips, or why I've chosen a particular ingredient. Be sure to check out the recipe card below for the full list of ingredients and their quantities!

Bananas - Use very ripe bananas for this recipe, you'll need about 1 ½ cups of mashed banana.
Carrots - Two large carrots will yield the 1 ½ cups of shredded carrot you need for the recipe.
Vegetable Oil - Using vegetable oil in this quick bread ensures a moist texture and tender crumb that holds up after storage without drying out.
All-Purpose Flour - All-purpose flour is perfect for quick breads as it has a moderate protein content that will give the muffins structure but keep them tender.
Egg - I always cook and bake with large eggs, and you only need one egg for this recipe.
Brown Sugar - Whenever I can swap granulated sugar for brown sugar, I do so. The added depth of flavor is terrific and the muffins have a better texture with brown sugar than plain white sugar.
Ground Spices - I use a good amount of ground ginger for a spicy note and cinnamon for that warm homemade aroma.
Vanilla - Measure this with your heart, but I use 1 teaspoon as a guide.
Baking Soda and Baking Powder - Using two leavening agents gives an impressive rise and a golden dome to the muffins.

Preparation

Preheat the oven to 425F before starting the muffins. Grease 6 wells of a heavy-duty aluminum muffin tin with cooking spray, alternating the wells. You can also use muffin liners instead of greasing the wells.

Mashed banana and a fork sit in the bottom of a white bowl on a dark blue surface.

Mash the banana with a fork in the bottom of a large mixing bowl.

The banana, oil, brown sugar, egg, vanilla, and spices are combined in a white mixing bowl on a dark blue surface.

Add the egg, oil, spices, vanilla, and brown sugar to the mashed banana and mix well to combine.

The dry ingredients are sprinkled over the wet ingredients in a white bowl on a dark blue surface.

Sprinkle the flour over the wet ingredients. Sprinkle the salt, baking powder, and baking soda over the flour.

The dry ingredients are partially mixed into the wet ingredients in the bottom of a white bowl on a dark blue surface.

Fold the dry ingredients into the wet, stirring about 5 or 6 times. It won't be completely mixed, and that's ok!

The shredded carrots are added to the partially mixed muffin batter.

Shred the carrots on the coarse side of a box grater and add them to the batter.

The complete batter is a golden brown color studded with shredded carrots in a white mixing bowl.

Fold the carrots into the batter and mix until almost all of the streaks of flour disappear. You can stop mixing when small bits of flour remain. It is important not to over-mix the batter.

The batter is scooped into alternating wells of a muffin tin.

Allow the batter to rest for 10 minutes. The remaining flour will be hydrated by the batter. Scoop the batter evenly into the 6 greased or lined wells of your muffin tin. They will be very full!

The baked muffins sit in alternating wells of the baking pan while cooling.

Bake the muffins at 425F for 7 minutes. Without opening the oven, reduce the temperature to 350F and continue to bake the muffins for 12-14 minutes, or until they are golden and a toothpick inserted in the center of one muffin comes out clean.

Allow the banana carrot muffins to cool in the tin for 5 minutes before gently loosening them and transferring them to a wire rack to cool completely.

Hint: Muffins and quick breads will turn out tough if the batter is over mixed. It's better to err of the side of under-mixing to ensure the best texture.

What creates a bakery-style muffin?

Four things make these muffins rise sky-high and have tender, cakey texture and golden muffin tops just like your favorite bakery muffins.

Resting the batter - A 10-minute rest gives the leavening agent a head start so that by the time it is scooped into the muffin tins it is already lighter in texture.
Extra leavening - Once moisture hits your baking soda, it starts working. The extra baking powder in the batter extends the rising time for the muffins.
Full baking wells - Filling the baking wells of the muffin tin to the brim (and a bit over) means there's more batter in each muffin for larger muffins. Alternating the wells gives room for each muffin top without crowding.
Two baking temperatures - The blast of heat from the high initial temperature really kicks the leavening into overdrive and allows for maximum rising before the batter sets. The lower temperature ensures the insides are baked through before the outside is too well done.

A large muffin with a tall muffin top sits on a wooden surface beside a smaller muffin cooked with a conventional method.

The bakery-style muffin on the left has a larger muffin top than the one on the right that has been baked with a standard method.

Substitutions

Swap the Spices - Feel free to use an equal amount of pumpkin pie spice, apple pie spice, up to ½ teaspoon of nutmeg, or just cinnamon to flavor the muffins.
Substitute Whole Wheat Flour - Swap whole wheat flour for up to half of the volume of the all-purpose flour. The resulting muffins will be heartier with a firmer texture.

A pile of baked muffins sits on a wood board alongside a sliced banana and carrot strips.

Variations

For standard-sized muffins - No judgement against a standard-sized muffin here! If you'd like 12 smaller muffins, simply skip the resting of the batter. Grease and fill the entire muffin tin with batter, leaving each well about ⅔ full. Bake at 350F for 16-18 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the middle of a muffin comes out clean.
Banana Carrot loaf - You can bake this recipe in a 9" x 5" loaf pan for banana carrot bread as well. Line the loaf pan with a parchment paper sling and grease it with cooking spray. Prepare the batter as directed and then bake at 425F for seven minutes and 350F for 45-50 minutes.
Add nuts - Chopped walnuts or pecans would be delicious in this recipe! I'd add anywhere between ½ to 1 cup of roasted and chopped nuts.

A baked muffin and a second muffin split in half sit on a white plate over a blue and white plaid cloth next to a sliced banana

Storage

Store the cooled muffins in an airtight container on the countertop for up to 2 days. Ours have never lasted beyond that! If you make this in a loaf pan, wrap the cooled loaf in plastic wrap and store it on the counter for up to 2 days. Beyond 2 days, it is best to freeze your baked banana carrot muffins (see the FAQ for freezing details).

Top tip

Enjoy these muffins spread with butter or cream cheese for breakfast. I also love mine as an afternoon snack with a cup of milky coffee.

A muffin is halved and spread with butter and sits on a place next to a cup of milky swirled coffee.

FAQ

How do you keep banana muffins moist?

Using oil instead of butter as the fat in this recipe will go a long way towards keeping the muffins moist. Avoid over-mixing the batter so that your muffins are tender. Check the muffins about 5 minutes before the baking time is up to avoid over-baking the muffins which will dry them out.

Can you freeze these banana carrot muffins?

You can! Wrap them individually in plastic wrap and store them in the freezer for up to 3 months. To thaw them, place them in the refrigerator for 24 hours. These are best reheated in a toaster oven or warmed in your conventional oven.

Are these muffins a good option for picky eaters?

These muffins are mildly sweet and subtly spiced, making them a great option for picky eaters. If they like bananas, they'll enjoy these muffins!

Other Delicious Snack Recipes

A banana carrot muffin would make a great addition to a lunchbox. Here are some other options for snack time:

Bake these Simple Bakery Style Banana Carrot Muffins for a breakfast treat this weekend and let us know how they turn out! Tag your photo with #planeatpostrepeat and mention me @planeatpostrepeat on Instagram or Facebook. I can give you a virtual high five and thank you for cooking one of my recipes! Comment below with any questions and please leave a review so others can find this recipe more easily.