Easy Carrot Cake Banana Bread

If you’re looking for a wonderful springtime recipe to serve family or guests, this easy Carrot Cake Banana Bread is always a huge crowd pleaser – it tastes just like a cross between moist carrot cake and your favorite banana bread. With a super-moist texture, buttery banana flavor, an incredibly soft crumb, and stuffed with tender carrot bits and crunchy pecans, this is even more wildly delicious than it looks! Trust me when I say that this Carrot Cake Banana Bread tastes phenomenal all by itself – but for something special, you can top with Cinnamon Cream Cheese Frosting for a whole new level of flavor and fancy!

INGREDIENTS:
BANANA BREAD BASE:
2 large eggs (room temperature)
2 cups (250g) all-purpose flour (spooned & leveled, not scooped)
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground ginger
¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon salt
½ cup (1 stick) margarine (melted) or vegetable oil
1 cup (213g) brown sugar (light or dark)
1-1/2 cups (450g) mashed bananas (about 4 medium ripe bananas, mashed)
½ cup milk
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 cup (85g) grated fresh carrots
1 cup chopped pecans

CINNAMON CREAM CHEESE FROSTING (OPTIONAL):
1/2 cup (30g) unsalted butter (softened)
4 ounces(114g) block cream cheese (softened)
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
½ teaspoon cinnamon
¼ teaspoon salt
1 cup powdered sugar

EQUIPMENT:
Non-Stick Brownie Bite Pan (12-well Pampered Chef or Wilton – you’ll need 2 pans or will need to bake multiple batches) or
Muffin Pan (regular size, 12-well) or 9”x5” baking pan or four 3”x5” baking pans

HOW I MAKE THESE:

Remove eggs from fridge and bring to room temperature.
PREPARE GRATED CARROTS: Peel fresh whole carrots; removing ends. Grate or shred into small pieces.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees (for shiny aluminum pans) or 325 (for dark pans) and adjust rack to middle of oven. Lightly spray your pan with nonstick baking spray (or line with parchment paper liners); set aside.
PREPARE BANANA BREAD: In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, baking soda, and salt until combined; set aside.
In a large bowl, whisk together the melted margarine and brown sugar until well blended.
Whisk in the mashed bananas and vanilla extract.
Add the eggs one at a time, whisking well after each addition.
Whisk in milk.
Stir in shredded carrots.
Using a large spoon or rubber spatula, slowly mix the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients. Slowly stir everything together just until no more flour pockets remain. Do not overmix!
Pour the batter evenly into the individual wells of your prepared baking pan.
For individual banana bread bites or muffins, bake for about 18 minutes, or until the top is golden and springs back when lightly touched in the middle. Baking time will depend on the size of your pan, so you’ll need to watch these carefully. For Single Loaf or Mini Loaves: Grease pan or line with parchment paper liners. Prepare batter as directed in step 2. Spoon batter evenly into greased cups, filling to the top. Bake time and yield depend on the size of your loaf pans.
Remove from the oven and allow to cool for 10 minutes before removing from pan to cool completely on a wire rack. I use a small spatula or fork to remove the individual cakes easily.
PREPARE CINNAMON CREAM CHEESE FROSTING (OPTIONAL): Using a handheld or stand mixer fitted with a paddle or whisk attachment, beat the cream cheese in a medium bowl on medium-high speed until smooth and creamy. Beat in the butter until combined. Add the confectioners’ sugar, vanilla, cinnamon and salt, then beat on low speed until smooth and creamy. Taste. Add more cinnamon and/or salt if desired. Spread on top of cooled bread.
Storing without frosting: Cover and store leftover Carrot Cake Banana Bread at room temperature for up to 2-3 days or in the refrigerator for up to about 5 days. Storing with frosting: Cover and store leftover bread in the refrigerator for up to 1 week.

YIELD: 16-18 individual servings (or 12 muffins, one 9”x5” loaf, or four 3”-5”-inch mini loaves)

CARROT CAKE BANANA BREAD VARIETIES:

CARROT CAKE BANANA BREAD LOAVES: You can prepare this as individual mini-breads or muffins, or one larger Carrot Cake Banana Bread – substitute a 9x5-inch loaf pan, spray with non-stick spray, and bake for 60-65 minutes, depending on your oven. You may need to cover the pan with a tent of aluminum foil (to allow the steam to escape) halfway through to prevent the top from getting too brown. You can also prepare in 3”x5” loaf pans (makes 4) or 4”x6” loaf pans (makes 3), adjusting baking time as necessary.
GLUTEN-FREE CARROT CAKE BANANA BREAD: You can easily make Gluten-Free Carrot Cake Banana Bread by substituting your favorite 1:1 gluten free flour for the all-purpose flour. I use and recommend King Arthur, Measure for Measure Flour and Bob's Red Mill Gluten Free 1-to-1 Baking Flour.
EGG-FREE CARROT CAKE BANANA BREAD: Replace the eggs with natural applesauce; no other modifications necessary.
CARROT CAKE BANANA NUT BREAD: Stir in 1 cup chopped nuts to the banana bread batter – either pecans or walnuts add a nice sweet taste and tender crunch.
LOVE TRADITIONAL CARROT CAKE VARIATIONS? You can also up to ½ cup crushed pineapple (drained) or ½ cup coconut flakes to the batter before baking. If you love raisins, stir in 2/3 cup of plump juicy raisins.
CARROT CAKE BANANA BREAD BUNDT CAKE: Simply bake this recipe in a 6-cup Bundt pan that has been sprayed with non-stick baking spray for 50-55 minutes. You may need to cover the top of the pan with a tent of aluminum foil (to allow steam to escape) halfway through to prevent the top from getting too brown.

BANANA BREAD BITE BAKING TIPS:

If I can only share one baking secret with you, always use a DIGITAL KITCHEN SCALE. You can use measuring cups and spoons for most recipes, but using a digital scale makes for the more consistent and efficient baking. Take this from someone that bakes A LOT!

BAKING PANS MATTER: For best results, don’t use glass baking dishes for banana bread – the baking times and results will vary wildly from metal pans, and the heat retention of glass can lead to overbaking and dryness. Also, dark metal baking pans will bake faster and create a darker top and bottom – I compensate for this by decreasing the oven temp to 325 degrees.
CHOOSE THE RIGHT BANANAS: Look for bananas that are ripe and spotted with brown “sugar spots” for the best banana flavor – the browner and riper, the better! The riper the bananas, the sweeter it is and the more moisture it will impart. If you don’t have ripe bananas, don’t make this recipe!
FROZEN BANANAS: You can use frozen bananas. Thaw at room temperature and drain off any excess liquid before using in this recipe
MASHING BANANAS: You can use your hand mixer to mash bananas! Break or slice the ripe bananas into large pieces and place in a medium bowl. Begin beating on low, then gradually increase to medium-high speed to mash the bananas completely. If you are weighing your ingredients on a kitchen scale, you can easily use this bowl for the rest of the wet banana bread ingredients.
NO BUTTER: Margerine or vegetable oil is a better choice than melted butter in this recipe – you can substitute butter, but the banana bread will not be as moist and soft. Margerine or vegetable oil will keep this bread incredibly moist and maintain a tender crumb.
BROWN SUGAR SUBSTITUTES: You can use either light brown sugar or dark brown sugar for this recipe, which keeps this banana bread soft and moist. If you don’t have brown sugar available, feel free to substitute granulated sugar.
FRESH CARROTS: Carrots are an underrated baking ingredient. They add natural sweetness, extra moisture, and taste wonderful in this sweetly spiced banana bread. For best results, make sure to use fresh whole carrots, rather than miniature carrots, and never use pre-shredded carrots found in the produce aisle, as they almost always hard and dry. Rather, freshly grate 2 large carrots to yield approximately 1 cup of moist carrot shreds. When you shred them, you’ll notice how moist they are– that’s essential moisture for this recipe!
SUBSTITUTE PUMPKIN PIE SPICE: You can replace the cinnamon, ginger and nutmeg with pumpkin pie spice blend.
FOR PERFECT PUMPKIN BANANA BREAD BITES: One of my secrets for the best Pumpkin Banana Bread is to brush warm maple syrup or honey over the top of the warm loaves when I take them out of the oven. This seals the top and keeps the Pumpkin Banana Bread Bites SUPER moist and fresh – especially if you plan to make ahead and freeze. Of course, skip this if you’ll be topping with Cinnamon Cream Cheese Frosting!
HOW TO FREEZE CARROT CAKE BANANA BREAD BITES: Cool baked banana bread completely. Lightly wrap each piece in plastic wrap, and place in a large freezer-friendly reusable container. Date the container and freeze for up to 3 months. For best results, thaw uncovered and unwrapped in the refrigerator.

Original recipe created by Snowflakes & Coffeecakes in April 2010; revised and reposted April 2023

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