The selling point of most banana breads is using overripe bananas languishing in your fruit bowl. This banana carrot bread is a little different. Make it because it’s the softest, moistest, and most successful loaf you’ll ever bake.
And it’s pretty, with speckles of carrot orange peeking through, lending a delicate crunch to the crumb. For me, there's no better way to celebrate the natural sweetness of bananas and make yummy use of the last of our red winter carrots.
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Why You'll Love This Recipe
Makes the most of seasonal bounty
Uses simple, easy pantry ingredients
A healthy way to satisfy a raging sweet tooth
Lighter recipe ideal for the spring in the air
Perfect everyday cake to have with tea or coffee
Recipe Ingredients & Variations
Flour: Compared to most desserts, carrot bread is healthy. Want to make it more so? I’d leave out the all-purpose flour and go for 100% whole-wheat. The earthiness of it pairs excellently with bananas and carrots.
Sugar: I love baking with raw sugar, but any sugar will do the trick here – cane, coconut, or plain, old, white sugar.
Vegan: Replace regular yogurt and milk with plant-based yogurt and milk to make vegan banana carrot bread.
Oil: I have used coconut oil here, but you can use regular vegetable oil or melted and cooled butter.
Nuts: Traditionally, it’s raisins that are used in carrot bread, but I was all out of them. If you have them around, throw some in. However, walnuts add all the character you need to the loaf. You can use any nut you prefer. That is your choice, but I would urge you to add them. They really are the silent heroes of banana carrot bread. You can even try cranberries, black currants, or finely chopped dates.
Seeds: For those allergic to nuts, seeds are a scrumptious substitute for making carrot bread hearty.
Frosting: Midway between bread and a dessert, this quick bread doesn’t need anything more, but if you want to go the extra mile, try the cream cheese frosting I made for my coffee banana bread. It’s exquisite for a special event or celebratory mood.
How To Make Banana Carrot Bread
Like all banana bread ever made, this one is a big loaf of comfort too. You know, something delicious is coming your way, which, by the by, you can have as a super, very totally healthy dessert. It is very moist and delicate, just the way you want your teacake to be.
- Start by sifting all the dry ingredients into a bowl. I know it’s easy to just dump them, but please don’t skip the sifting. It breaks up lumps and makes the batter more consistent.
- Spice it up with cinnamon and nutmeg powder, and then mix in raw sugar.
- In a separate bowl, mash the ripest bananas you have very well.. And I mean the spottiest, brownest ones because they are full of natural sugar, which lends the sweetest, luscious flavor to the bread.
- Whisk in coconut oil, yogurt, and vanilla extract to the bananas.
- All that’s left is to fold the wet and dry ingredients. Pour the wet into the dry and fold gently, without beating or overmixing. Why no overmixing? Because it makes the loaf too dense. Just evenly combine everything with no dry streaks visible.
- I admittedly had to add 3 or 4 tablespoons of warm milk because the batter was too stiff. It has to be thick but not dry at all. Make sure you add warm milk.
- For the final touch, fold in grated carrots.
- Chopped walnuts and pecans are welcome additions because they impart so much texture to banana bread, and you don’t want to miss that.
- Pour the batter into a greased pan, top with pecan halves, and bake for 45 - 50 minutes.
- As all ovens and their temperature levels are different, I say keep an eye on the carrot bread after the 35-minute mark.
Recipe FAQs
Insert a skewer into the banana carrot bread, and it should come out with a few moist crumbs attached. You can also check using an instant read thermometer. When inserted in the center of the loaf, it should register 200 -205 F.
This banana bread keeps well for 3-5 days in the refrigerator. The carrots and bananas keep it nicely moist, and it doesn't dry out. Reheat in the microwave or toaster oven.
You can serve it warm with a cup of tea or coffee. It's lovely toasted and smeared with butter. Banana carrot bread is fantastic in any incarnation.
📖 Recipe
Banana Carrot Bread
Ingredients
- 1 cup All-purpose flour
- 1/2 cup Wholewheat flour
- 1.5 tsp Baking powder
- 1/2 tsp Baking soda
- 1/8 tsp Salt
- 1 tsp Cinnamon powder
- 1/2 tsp Nutmeg
- 1/2 cup Raw sugar
- 2 Bananas
- 1/3 cup Coconut oil, melted
- 1/3 cup Yogurt, plain
- 1 tsp Vanilla extract
- 2-3 tbsp Warm milk
- 1 cup Shredded carrots, tightly packed
Add ins
- 1/4 cup Chopped walnuts
- 1/4 cup Chopped pecans
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 180C. Grease and flour an 8" by 4" loaf pan.
- Sift together the flours, baking soda, salt, cinnamon powder, and nutmeg powder.
- Stir in the sugar.
- In a separate bowl, mash the bananas well. Add the coconut oil, yogurt, milk, and vanilla extract.
- Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and combine well.
- Fold in the carrots, walnuts, and pecans.
- Pour the mixture into the prepared pan and top with pecan halves ( optional).
- Bake at 180C for 40-45 minutes or until a skewer inserted in the center comes out clean.
- Cool in the pan for 15 minutes before taking it out and cooling on a wire rack. Serve at warm. Enjoy!
Madhura says
Hi Natasha,
Can I replace yogurt and oil with eggs and butter. If yes, pls tell me the measurements.
Thanks
Natasha Minocha says
Hi Madhura, you can use 2 eggs instead of yogurt and the same quantity of butter instead of oil. Hope this helps. 🙂
Deepa says
Can we add honey instead of sugar? If yes, what should be the approx. measurement?
Natasha Minocha says
Hi Deepa, I'm sure that would work, but I really wouldn't know the measurements as I haven't tried it myself! If you do, I'd love to hear how it turned out for you. Thank you so much for following along. 🙂
P says
Hi Natasha,
The recipe instructions mention adding eggs but there aren’t any in the ingredients list!!
Natasha Minocha says
Yes, it was a mistake, have fixed it!There is no egg in the recipe.Thank you for the heads up. 🙂